Academic Discourse & Genre

   Journals can be published in all different kinds of genres. Articles published in popular media tend to stick to a general format. They are based more on opinion and don't present any credible information. Scientific articles, on the other hand present purely factual information based on some research or experiment.

   In my particular journal, there are three different genres. Each of them are similar in their content, but are different in their use of images and graphs.

MIT OpenCourseWare. "DSN: Neural Circuitry" 05/05/2006 via flickr
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     The first of the genres is going to be called graphic reporting. This genre is composed of mainly graphs and images. The research conducted is mostly explained through the use of graphs. There is some explanation to further the audience's understanding, but the 'story' is mostly told through mathematical equations and graphs.

     I chose this name because the report is mainly comprised of visual aids in the form of graphs. This article helps the reader see what the results were rather than having them be explained. The publication is very professional and scientific (just like the other ones), but it uses variables and images to explain the research conducted.

    The second genre that I found is called image guide. This genre has similar content to the others, but it contains a plethora of images to aid in the discussion of the topic. This is comparable to a QRG in the sense that it is a fast way to get across information. The image guide requires less explanation than a scientific report would because of all of the visual aids it uses.

    This name was chosen because it is essentially an article that is guided by images. The explanation of the content is presented through visual aids. It is also a quick and easy way to understand the article without having to read the entire thing. The image guide also has less equations than a graphic report would.

     The last genre is simply a scientific report. This is a mix between the image guide and the graphic report. The publication has a few graphs and equations, but it also has images to aid in the discussion. Scientific reports have similar content and word choice to other genres.
    A graphic report is a publication that is explained through graphs and mathematical equations. The experiment is often too difficult to describe without statistical calculations. Its purpose is to explain the research conducted in a more numerical and graphical way. In this respect, it is going to be geared towards professionals in the field who understand the equations in the first place. The graphs and calculations will help the professionals understand the methods more effectively.

     An image guide is a research article that is explained through images. Although there are some graphs and equations included, the majority of the publication is comprised of images. These visuals aid in the explanation of the methods being used in the experiment. The purpose of one is to quickly educate someone on a particular experiment. Because there are more images, the publication is somewhat easier to understand. This broadens the targeted audience. Image guides apply to both an internal and external audience because they have both complicated content and easier-to-read images.

    The scientific report is a research publication that makes use of images, graphs, and equations. There is a decent amount of discussion and explanation used in the article. The graphs and equations aid in the progression of the article, although they do not provide the explanation. This is the same situation with the images. They are present as a side aid in the discussion of the topic. The purpose of the report is to inform and discuss the topic at hand. The intended audience is mostly people in the indicated field. The mix between graphs, images, and equations helps the professionals understand the topic better. Although, the audience should already have knowledge on the subject, so the visuals are just there as aids.