Understanding the Rhetoric of Research

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The presentation of research is part of an ever-expanding research cycle. At the end of a project, researchers present their findings to other scholars, members of their discourse communities. Other researchers and funding agencies look to these presentations as starting points for further research. The rhetorical conventions for research reports, essays, and articles may not, however, be readily apparent to students who are beginning to study and conduct research. This guide introduces to some of the complexities involved in this category.

in this guide, we discuss the connection between research methods and presentation, the conventions used to present research results to the English studies discourse community, the history and trends of four prominent journals in the community, the growing importance of hypertext as a means of presenting research, and the ethics of research and presentation.