Sample text analysis

Organisation of the text

Paragraph 1
Starts with general field of study definition
Some general background info - narrows focus propofol
Lack of knowledge general problem area focus of research in the
field

Paragraph 2
What is known further background info (importance of effects) and
key terms

Paragraph 3
Narrows research focus and highlights what remains to be studied
research gap
Concludes with what is required starts identifying need
Organisation of the text
Paragraph 4
Highlights lack of research and further specifies problem to be
addressed
Prediction to be tested

Paragraph 5
The present paper aim and method (with some results)

Paragraph 6
Achievement/significance of results
Implications of results
 Common elements of a research introduction
Establish the importance of your field
Provide background facts/information
Define the terminology in the title/key words
Present the general problem area/current research focus

Outline previous and/or current research and contributions

Locate a gap in the research create a need

Describe the problem you will address
Present a prediction to be tested

Describe the present work

aim
method
results
possibly contribution
Cohesive devices used
Overlapping: anesthesia anesthetics
propofol propofols
patterns These patterns
steady state of general anesthesia This steady-state approach
unconsciousness Unconsciousness
LOC LOC
slow oscillations slow oscillation band
neuronal spiking Spiking
cortical networks Cortical networks

This + summary word: This state, These patterns, This steady-state approach, This
question, These periods, This result

Link words: In addition, Therefore, Consequently, However

New sentence start up: One of the most widely used, Despite, Although, Most studies, A
leading hypothesis, Our results, Neuronal spiking
Tenses used
Present simple
Background factual information
anesthesia is a drug-induced reversible coma, which contains several stereotyped patterns
Confident results
Our results reveal a set of features that accompany, We find that LOC is marked

Past simple
Method
we investigated/used/defined
Some results
we obtained, patients became

Present perfect
Contribution/relevance of past work to present
have been well characterised , Most studies have focused onand have not used, few
studies have simultaneously recorded
Vocabulary
Language used to accentuate the problems/lack of knowledge
it is not clear how, it is unclear, have not used, cannot distinguish, are not well
understood, remains unclear, requires a better understanding
+ despite, although, but

Language used to emphasise what is known and what has been achieved
have been well characterised, are associated with, are observed consistently
obtained, enabling , reveal, enable, find, demonstrates

Cautious language used

are associated with, leading hypothesis suggests, disruption might occur,
activity may occur, implying that, can recover, still can occur, we conclude that

Confident language used

demonstrates, reveal, causes, significantly, in agreement with, consistent with