Text in World and World in Text: Goals and Models of Scientific Writing

Abstract

A model for the representation of goal-achievement is proposed, comprising the following elements: goal, step, problem, evaluation of +/- achieved. Criteria for the recognition of these elements in scientific research articles are suggested. The information in the texts studied may be represented as a hierarchy of goals. This represents the way scientists encode their world in such articles. The text itself is instrumental in achieving the scientists' implicit real-world goals, & is understood in this light. A possible formulation of such goals is suggested. AA.