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Expressions of confusion in research articles: a diachronic cross-disciplinary investigation

Author

Listed:
  • Qian Wang

    (Northwestern Polytechnical University)

  • Guangwei Hu

    (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Abstract

Linguistic expressions of confusion, namely confusion markers, construe discrepancies between an academic author’s prior knowledge and the information received. These emotive responses motivate knowledge-seeking behaviors to dissolve cognitive incongruities and are inherently connected with knowledge-making. Limited research has, however, examined how they partake in knowledge construction and dissemination in academic writing. Drawing on a frame-based analytical approach, this study investigated how an academic author’s disciplinary background and time of publication may mediate the use of confusion markers in 640 research articles sampled from four disciplines. The corpus-based analyses were complemented by insights from 16 specialists to explore how considerations underlying their use of confusion markers shaped their academic writing. The findings indicated that the overall use of confusion markers changed over time and that disciplinary background and time of publication were significant predictors of several frame elements. The observed disciplinary and diachronic patterns of use can be explained in terms of epistemological orientations, developments in the academic world such as increasing disciplinary specialization and growing interdisciplinary research leading to a broadening of readership, and stiff competition in scholarly publication.

Suggested Citation

  • Qian Wang & Guangwei Hu, 2024. "Expressions of confusion in research articles: a diachronic cross-disciplinary investigation," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(1), pages 445-471, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04914-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04914-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mingxin Yao & Ying Wei & Huiyu Wang, 2023. "Promoting research by reducing uncertainty in academic writing: a large-scale diachronic case study on hedging in Science research articles across 25 years," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(8), pages 4541-4558, August.
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    5. Ju Wen & Lei Lei, 2022. "Adjectives and adverbs in life sciences across 50 years: implications for emotions and readability in academic texts," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(8), pages 4731-4749, August.
    6. Xueying Liu & Haoran Zhu, 2023. "Linguistic positivity in soft and hard disciplines: temporal dynamics, disciplinary variation, and the relationship with research impact," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(5), pages 3107-3127, May.
    7. Zhou-min Yuan & Mingxin Yao, 2022. "Is academic writing becoming more positive? A large-scale diachronic case study of Science research articles across 25 years," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(11), pages 6191-6207, November.
    8. Zhijun Li, 2022. "Is academic writing less passivized? Corpus-based evidence from research article abstracts in applied linguistics over the past three decades (1990–2019)," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(10), pages 5773-5792, October.
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    1. Jiayi Wu & Hongzhong Chen & Lang Chen, 2025. "The impact of research paradigms on encoding and decoding difficulties of applied linguistics articles," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.

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