Learning the Conversation

In the article "Conventions, Conversations, and the Writer: An Apprenticeship Tale of a Doctoral Student," Carol Berkenkotter and Thomas Huckin (1995) follow the progress of Nate, a doctoral student, as he works through his first year of graduate school and struggles to become a member of a research-oriented discourse community. Early in Nate's first year he says in a self-report:

"I feel like I'm butting heads finally with ACADEMIC WRITING and it is monstrous and unfathomable… I feel that they [Nate's professors] have access to the code and I do not" (p. 125).

Nate might have felt less anxious had he been provided with a code outlining the appropriate standards and conventions for presenting English studies research. But there is no code. It may help students to know that learning the conventions of the research genre is not as much an issue of learning organization and style conventions as it is an issue of learning about the discourse community they plan to study.

Once students understand their discipline's conversations, they will begin to formulate research questions that will further those conversations. The questions students choose to focus on suggest methodologies, which in turn lead to particular rhetorical strategies and formats that are most appropriate for the presentation of their research. Although there are some accepted style guides beginning researchers can consult, it's important to recognize that styles differ according to the research itself, the presentation forums, and the accepted discourse conventions.

Writing Guides

Understanding the Rhetoric of Research

Learning the Conversation