Handout. Katherine Schaefer. Adapted from work by John Swales.
Overview: This handout describes a framework for analyzing scholarly introductions in terms of “rhetorical moves” and “steps.” Rhetorical moves describe the essential functions of an introduction (introducing the topic and reviewing prior literature, setting up a question, and giving a roadmap for the paper) and steps classify common ways of fulfilling those functions.
Uses: This handout works well to help students read and write introductions in all disciplines, and I have successfully used it in WRT105 and in upper-level writing courses in the natural and social sciences.
How do I use it in class? I introduce students to the handout and then ask students to analyze scholarly introductions by highlighting the sentences and phrases that fulfill each function.
You can find the handout at this link.
Citation: John Swales (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge University Press.