1. Research paper abstracts in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (1943–2018)
- Author
-
María Ángeles Alcaraz Ariza, David Israel Méndez Alcaraz, Universidad de Alicante. Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, and Holografía y Procesado Óptico
- Subjects
050101 languages & linguistics ,Linguistics and Language ,History ,Literature and Literary Theory ,05 social sciences ,Visibility (geometry) ,Research paper abstracts ,Linguistics ,Modal verb ,Astrophysics ,050905 science studies ,Language and Linguistics ,Diachronic ,Authorial implications ,Física Aplicada ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,0509 other social sciences - Abstract
We report the findings of a diachronic study of 100 research paper abstracts published in four different periods (from 1943 to 2018) in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, one of the most prestigious astrophysics journals written in English. Our main results show that research paper abstracts have evolved over time in the sense that they have become longer, more informative and more precise. They also reveal an overall increase in the number of authors, active and modal verbs, self-mentions and compound groups per total number of words. Likewise, compound structures are becoming more and more complex. These outcomes may be explained in terms of a rising collaboration scenario and an attempt to increase authors’ visibility.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF