A theoretical contribution to tackling certainty and uncertainty in scientific writing: four research articles from the journal Brain in focus

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2014

Authors

Pinto, Maria da Graça Castro (Author) FLUP; Osório, Paulo (Author) Other; Martins, Maria Fernanda (Author) FLUP

Book

Title: Communicating Certainty and Uncertainty in Medical, Supportive and Scientific Contexts

Pages: 291-308

ISBN: 9789027210425

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Scientific classification

FOS: Humanities

Other information

DOI: 10.1075/ds.25.14pin

Abstract (EN): Our theoretical contribution to tackling certainty and uncertainty in scientific writing is based on a study of four research articles from the journal Brain collected at random (from 1997 to 2012), to determine whether any differences in writing, design and analysis with modality implications arise over that interval. We hypothesize that, according to the sections of a research article, considered as a multi-modal genre, several types of linguistic modality are used to convey contextual, evidential and interpreted truths. The study aims to show that methodological approaches, the type of analysis (qualitative/quantitative) and statistical tools, together with other means of translating modality, will affect the final product of scientific research articles regarding linguistic and non-linguistic devices used to convey certainty/uncertainty.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

Notes: Chapter 14