Influential Factors in Integral Citation Choices in Research Article Introductions

This paper is complementary to earlier research on citation function. Among the research on citation, citation use seen from a perspective of integral and nonintegral distinction has been little studied. Consideration of the type distinction in connection with function or purpose, however, may inform researchers, instructors, and students about ways that writers choose a particular citation form to their specific purposes. Using a corpus of 20 research articles written by international writers in the field of academic discourse analysis research, I examine the use of integral citation types in the Introduction section, where integral citation is reported to be less common and marked. The identification of the integral citation functions indicates that the cited work in integral citation appears quite closely related to the citer’s research. The findings of the study suggest that the writer is to weigh references on a scale of relevance and importance, considering the implications of different choices.