Understanding why authors of medical research articles use hypes and how these influence readers

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00735
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Millar Neil 筑波大学, システム情報系, 准教授 (70751981)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: Discourse analysis / ESP / Medical Ethics

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Authors of medical research increasingly ‘hype’ their research; that is, use subjective, promotional language to make the research field, methods or results seem more appealing to the readers (e.g. words such as robust, novel, innovative, unprecedented, excellent, talented). In this research, we (1) assessed authors’ motivations for the use of hype, and (2) how ‘hype’ influences consumers of medical research.
In an interview study with seven authors, we found that all participants identified hype in their writing as promotional in function. Motives for hyping related to external editorial intervention, linguistic ability, and replication of conventionalised discourse, underlined by pressure to publish, and writing instruction. In an experimental study, we found that the presence in abstracts of hype had no statistically significant on clinicians’ evaluation of the research.

Free Research Field

Applied Linguistics

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Results serve to sensitise reviewers, editors and authors to value-laden language in scientific writing. We have highlighted implications for writing instruction, advocating a critical pedagogical approach to help students unpack ethical and practical issues surrounding hype in research writing.