TTLA: Features of coherence and coherence in scientific texts (through social sciences and humanities articles in the Journal of Science - VNU)

DOCTORAL THESIS SUMMARY

Author name:Dinh Thi Xuan Hanh

Thesis title:Features of coherence and coherence in scientific texts (through social sciences and humanities articles in the Journal of Science - VNU).

Dissertation field: Linguistics

Major: Vietnamese Language Code: 62.22.01.02

Postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

Purpose: The study was conducted to investigate and identify the common features of coherence and coherence in social sciences and humanities articles. Thereby, affirming the important role of coherence and coherence in this type of text. At the same time, proposing some recommendations to improve the quality of scientific articles towards better meeting the requirements of national and international standards.

Subjects: The research subjects are the connecting and coherent features in 586 social sciences and humanities articles published in the Journal of Science - VNU from 1985 to 2013.

2. Research methods used

The thesis applies two main research methods: descriptive and inductive. In addition, the following techniques are used: statistics - classification, analysis - synthesis, comparison - transformation to conduct the research.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- The survey results of 586 articles of Social Sciences and Humanities - Journal of Science, VNU showed that there was no case where no linking method was used between two sentences, two paragraphs or two parts in an article. The high frequency of linking methods (lexical linking 64%, conjunction 17%, reference 16%, substitution and omission 3%) contributed to making the information content in sentences, paragraphs and the meaningful relationship between parts clear and tight, increasing the accuracy and coherence of the text. In addition, the use of "keywords" and linking sentences as typical linking means appeared in articles of Social Sciences and Humanities.

- Coherence features that commonly appear in social sciences and humanities articles include: Coherence in developing topics and themes between sentences; Coherence in argumentative relationships; Coherence in developing semantic structures.

- However, the survey data shows that the components in the social sciences and humanities articles have not fully appeared in all the surveyed documents, there is still a lack of introduction (7%), summary (7%), history of the problem (31%), and research methods (33%). These limitations need to be overcome to move towards complete presentation, ensuring the importance and contributing to increasing the quality and quantity of standard scientific articles.

3.2. Conclusion

- In terms of theory: The thesis has contributed to clarifying and demonstrating the theoretical basis of text linguistics on the characteristics of scientific texts, the characteristics of cohesion and coherence. The connection of sentences, paragraphs and components has created logic and coherence in semantic relationships. Therefore, it has contributed to creating completeness in form and content structure for social sciences and humanities articles.

- In practice: The research results of the thesis have shown the reality of using linking means, the manifestations of characteristic coherence in scientific texts, specifically social sciences and humanities articles in the Journal of Science - VNU. The results of the thesis can be used as reference materials for research, teaching and text analysis, text creation. The research problem has necessary value in the current period, aiming to contribute to increasing the quality and quantity of social sciences and humanities articles published in prestigious national and international journals.

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name: Dinh Thi Xuan Hanh

Thesis title:Cohesiveand coherent features in scientific texts (via Social Sciences and Humanities articles on Journal of Science - VNU).

Major:Linguistics

Scientific branch of the thesis: Vietnamese Linguistics Code: 62.22.01.02

The name of postgraduate training institution:University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University

1. Objectives and subjects

Objectives: The study is conducted to find out and identify cohesive and coherent features that are commonly used in Social Sciences and Humanities articles. By doing this, the study will prove the importance of coherence and cohesion in this type of articles. It also presents some recommendations to improve the quality of scientific articles in meeting the requirements of national and international standards for articles.

Subjects:The study subjects are the cohesive and coherent features of 586 Social Sciences and Humanities articles which were published on the Journal of Science –Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) from 1985 to 2013.

2. Research methods

Descriptive method and inductive method are the two main methods used in this study. Besides, the statistic - classification, analysis – synthesis procedures are used in analyzing data.

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1. The major result

- By analyzing 586 Social Sciences and Humanities articles on Journal of Science, VNU, wefind out that cohesion is always used between two sentences, two paragraphs or two sections in the article. The frequent use of the cohesion (Lexical cohesion (64%), Conjunction (17%), Reference (16%), Substitution and Ellipsis (3%)) has contributed to making the content of sentences, paragraphs and semantic relationships amongsections clear and coherent in order to increase accuracy and coherence of the text. In addition, keywords and linking words are the typical means used in Social science and Humanities articles.

- The coherent features commonly used in Social Sciences and Humanities articles include: Coherence in the topic and the topic sentences; Coherence in the logical order among sentences (including relationships such as evident relationships, causal and effective relationships, overall evaluations); Coherence in the external relationship (or inter-text); Coherence in the argument; Coherence in the construction of meaning.

- However, the survey data shows that the compositional factors in Social Sciences and Humanities articles are not used sufficiently in all articles, there is still a lack of introduction (7%), summary (7%), historical problems (31%), research methods (33%). These limitations need solving to meet the requirements of a standard articles.

3.2. Conclusions

- Regarding to theory, the study has contributed to further clarify and prove the theoretical basis of linguistic literature in characteristics of scientific texts, cohesive and coherent features. The cohesion in sentences, paragraphs, and elements creates logic and coherence in semantic relationships. Therefore, it contributes to the completeness of forms and content structures of Social Sciences and Humanities articles.

- Regarding to practice, thestudy shows the reality of using cohesion, the manifestations of coherent characteristics in scientific texts, namely the Social Sciences and Humanities articles which are published on Journal of Science – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU).Therefore, this results can be used as reference for the work of researching, teaching, analyzing and creating texts. These results are valuable in the present stage in order to contribute to increase the quality and quantity of Social Sciences and Humanities articles published on prestigious international journals.