Miguel Algara Dce Third Draft

Running head: STUDY OF A DISCOURSE COMMUNITY 1
Study of a Discourse Community in the

Field of Organometallic Chemistry
Miguel A. Algara
University of Texas at El Paso

STUDY OF A DISCOURSE COMMUNITY 2

Abstract
This paper analyzes a discourse community formed in the University of Texas, at El Paso
(UTEP). This research laboratory was founded by Dr. Noveron, an expert in the area of
organometallic chemistry. In order to study how this research group functions as a discourse
community, this paper will use the definition of discourse community provided by Swales
(2011). This paper will also reference Porters (1986) idea that discourse communities limit the
type of texts that a writer can produce. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to demonstrate
that the goals of a discourse community dictate the texts and lexis produced by it. Second, to get
involved in a discourse community that is within one of the careers that I am considering. In
order to achieve these goals, first it must be proven that Dr. Noverons research lab is indeed a
discourse community. These objectives will be done by analyzing artifacts, gathered from Dr.
Noverons lab, and interviews with two members of the lab.


Study of a Discourse Community in the
Field of Organometallic Chemistry
Communication has been widely regarded as one of the keys to the success of humanity.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, without nothing but crude lances made of sharp stones,
early humans were able to hunt down prey several times larger than them by communicating
between themselves. After so much time communication is still as essential now as it was before.
With the formation of human communities came the need to establish specific methods of
communication between members of a community, and so discourse communities were formed.
Within these communities there is an essential relationship between the goals, and the members
of the community and the types of texts written by the community. Likewise, the language, or
lexis, used by the members in said texts is essential, and in most cases, unique, for the
communication necessary to achieve said goals. It is these essential relationships that will be the
focus of this paper. I have studied in detail the discourse community formed at Dr. Noverons
research lab, which focuses on organometallic compounds, in the University of Texas at El Paso.
I will use this community to show how the goals of the community affect the types of texts
produced by it. Moreover, I will also analyze the complex lexis in these texts to show how it is
necessary in order to achieve the goals of this discourse community. Finally, this study will
allow me to become more involved in a discourse community that is directly related to one of my
possible career choices, and thus give me a glimpse of the kind of work I can expect from a
career in chemistry. This, in turn, will help me choose one of my two possible careers: chemistry,
or medicine.


Literature Review
The formal definition of discourse communities has been greatly debated. The definition
of a discourse community that will be used in this paper is that provided by Swales (2011),
according to him there are six main requirements that all discourse communities need to fulfill.
These requirements are: have common goals, mechanisms of intercommunication, use said
mechanisms of intercommunication to provide information or feedback, utilize one or more
genre, have a specific lexis, and have a balance between experts and beginners (Swales, 2011, p.
472-473). While Porters (1986) definition of discourse community is somewhat broader, it does
agree with that set by Swales (2011). Porter (1986) also raises the point that discourse
communities themselves constrict writers by forcing them to adhere to specific guidelines within
each discourse community. One way that discourse communities might constrict writers is by
restricting the genres available. For example, members of a Dr. Noverons lab are expected to
use lab notebooks.
Methods
In order to achieve the goals of this study, I will analyze some of the most common texts
produced in Dr. Noverons lab, such as lab notebooks, scientific articles, and scientific diagrams,
as well as interviews with members of the community. The method of this study involves two
parts. The first part consists of two separate interviews with two different members of the
laboratory (more information about the interviews can be found on appendices A and B). First I
interviewed Dr. Noveron, who is in charge of the lab and considered an expert within the
community, and then Erika Rodarte, who is considered a beginner within the community. The
goal of this part is not only to get a deeper understanding of this discourse community, but to
verify that it meets the six requirements outlined by Swales (2011). During each interview I

asked questions similar to those suggested by Porter (1986) in the appendix of his paper. The
second part, observation, involves the gathering of artifacts and notes from Dr. Noverons lab
(more information about the artifacts can be found in appendix C). The goal of this part is to
show the significance of the specific genre and lexis and how it is related to the discourse
community.
Discussion
Swales (2011) first requirement for a community to be considered a discourse
community is to have common public goals. This requirement is necessary in order for a
community to succeed, for if all members of the community pursue different goals then the
community as whole will make no progress. From the interviews we can see that both the expert
and beginner members agree that the most important goal is new knowledge. Another important
common goal is to publish their findings in scientific journals. With both of these goals in mind,
the community can work together as a team.
The next requirement Swales (2011) lists is that a discourse community needs to have
mechanisms of intercommunication. This is perhaps the most important requirement, because if
the members of the community cannot communicate with each other, then they cannot work
together, and thus they cannot form a community. In this case the mechanisms are the biweekly
meetings, the use of UTEPs email system, as well as face-to-face communication. Academic
journals are also a key mechanism of intercommunication in Dr. Noverons lab, because they are
used to share new scientific knowledge. Without this mechanisms of communication researchers
would have to essentially work alone, since they would be cut off from the rest of the laboratory,
thus a discourse community would not exist. Swales (2011) also mentions that the members of
the discourse community need to use the mechanisms of intercommunication provide feedback

or information (p. 272). This is necessary because without any participation from the members,
the community would essentially be a collection of separate individuals, therefore not a true
discourse community. In Dr. Noverons lab all researchers, from PhD-candidate level to
freshman undergrad, are able to participate in the biweekly meetings and voice their concerns or
ask questions whenever necessary. They are also able to suggest new projects. The mechanism of
intercommunication used by the members of the lab is usually dependent on the type of
information or feedback. More important concerns are discussed face-to-face as soon as possible,
while suggestions of new projects can generally wait until the biweekly meetings.
The next requirement is the necessity of genres, and specific lexis. These two
requirements are intimately connected. The genre sets the type of texts that the community
allows, and the lexis sets the words used in said texts. Genres are necessary because according to
Swales (2011) they are one of the criteria used to establish discourse community status (p. 472-
473). Both of these requirements are easy to find. A single glance at Appendix C shows the use
of complex chemical formulae, which are a type of genre, and within these formulae, the use of
chemical terms such as PEG (Polyethylene glycol) and pyridinium, which are part of the specific
lexis of the laboratory. In this case, the chemical formulae is essential in order to communicate
the compounds in the simplest way possible. While it would be possible to spell out every single
element involved in the chemical reaction, this would take too much space, and more
importantly, too much time. Also part of Appendix C is an image showing a lab notebook, which
is also an essential genre within, not only Dr. Noverons lab, but the whole scientific community.
Later in this paper I will discuss in more detail why the lexis chosen by a community is
important to its goals, and how a community constricts the texts that writers that are part of said
community can produce.

The last requirement according Swales (2011) lists, is that a discourse community must
have a balanced number of experts and novices. This is essential to all discourse communities
because without the knowledge of experts it would be very hard for the beginners to develop into
experts, and without any beginners they community would eventually cease to exist as the
experts would retire or move to other communities. As Dr. Noveron noted during his interview,
there are 11 researchers working in the lab. Out of those 11, it is reasonable to assume that the
five PhD and Masters candidates can be considered experts since they have been exposed to
numerous years of chemistry. On the other hand, the six undergrads are considered to be
inexperienced in comparison to the PhD and Masters candidates. Therefore, the ratio of experts
to novices is reasonably balanced. In this way this discourse community will continue to exist
even if all of the PhD and Masters candidates graduate and move to different labs, since they will
be replaced by the undergraduates, and the undergraduates themselves will be replaced with
more undergraduates, consequently starting a new generation of experts and novices.
Now that I have established that this discourse community meets all of the criteria set by
Swales (2011), it is necessary to analyze the texts produced in the laboratory to show how they
are related to the communitys goals. Furthermore, it is also important to show how the specific
goals of the community determine the specific lexis used by it.
The first text I will analyze will be one of the many diagrams created by Dr. Noveron.
This diagram in particular shows a visual representation of a chemical reaction. This particular
diagram is read from left to right, with each arrow representing an equals to, similar to
mathematical equations, hence the term chemical equation. This diagram is basically a visual
representation that allows the reader to picture the size and shape of the chemicals involved in
the reaction. This is necessary because molecular shape is a key factor in many chemical

reactions. More specifically, this is a reaction involving a pyridinium compound reacting with
dodecabromanol in a PEG (Polyethylene glycol) solution. Even the very first step involves deep
knowledge about the lexis involved in the lab. The lexis in this case is essential to convey the
goal at hand, which is to create the compound displayed in the last step of the diagram. Without
the lexis it becomes impossible to know how to proceed with the reaction, yet if the goal had
been to produce a different compound, a different lexis would have been necessary. Therefore
not only is a different lexis required for different goals, it is the community that chooses the lexis
based on the goals required.
Laboratory notebooks are ubiquitous in almost all places of research in the world. In
research laboratories, the necessity to be able to replicate every detail of every experiment
warrants an excessive attention to detail. It is because of this attention to detail that lab
notebooks are an essential genre within Dr. Noverons lab. Also included in appendix C is an
image from a lab notebook of a researcher in Dr. Noverons lab. In these images we can see,
once again, the prevalence of the lexis used in this particular discourse community. The very first
line reads: 1 mmol of compound added to 1 mmol hydrogen tetracholoroaurate (III) trihydrate.
This is another form of a chemical reaction, similar to the one used by Dr. Noveron in the
previously discussed diagrams, although instead of drawing the structures of the compounds
involved, we get the chemical formulae. Because this is a different chemical reaction, a different
set of lexis is necessary to achieve the goals. While the past diagram mentions measurements in
milliliters, this text uses milimoles, which are a chemical measuring unit, so not only the name of
the chemical compounds changes, so can the different measuring systems change. This is all part
of the lexis involved in this discourse community, and as we can see here, this particular lexis
was chosen to fit with the particular goal. Another important part of this communitys lexis is the

use of images of chemical compounds. Sometimes it is preferable to use the chemical names of
compounds such as in lab notebooks, where we see hydrogen tetracholoroaurate (III)
trihydrate this is because, although the name suggests otherwise, this compound is actually
fairly simple when it comes to chemical structure, thus there is no need to use a diagram for this
compound. On the other hand, more complicated compounds such as pyridinium-
dodecabromanol are likelier to be represented using images because the position of the bonds,
chemical structure, and size are harder to visualize due of the size of the molecule. Thus, the use
of images is directly related to the complexity of the chemical compound involved in this
discourse community.
Conclusion and Future Study
Discourse communities, as evidenced by Dr. Noverons lab, are complex, and for this
reason it is often difficult to decide which communities fall under the description of discourse
communities . By using evidence gathered from interviews with members of the lab I was able to
demonstrate that Dr. Noverons lab is indeed a discourse community as defined by Swales
(2011). Furthermore, by analyzing texts and artifacts gathered from observation in lab I was able
to demonstrate that the goals of the community determine the types of texts written by it, and
also determine the specific lexis used. During my observation I had the opportunity to receive a
first-hand account of the work of researchers in the organometallic area. This was a major
opportunity for me because I am considering this career, and thus it allowed me to look into my
possible future. In a couple of years, when the time comes to make a choice between a medical
degree or a doctorate in organometallic chemistry I will definitely look back to this experience to
help me decide. Finally, while this study gave me excellent insight into a career in chemistry
research, I am still undecided. Further research is needed in the other career I am interested in,

medicine. I think that studying a discourse community in the medical field would allow me to
compare both of my possible careers and allow me to make a more educated choice.


References:
Porter, J. E. (1986). Intertextuality and the discourse community. Rhetoric Review, 5(1), 34-47.
Retrieved from: http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/466015
Swales, J. (2011). The concept of Discourse Community. In E. Wardle & D. Downs
(Eds.), Writing about writing. (pp. 466-479). Boston: Bedford St Martins.


Appendix A
Interview with Dr. Noveron
Doctor Noveron, before we begin, would you please tell us more about your educational
background?
- Yes, yes. Lets see, well I did my bachelors in chemistry at Cal State University, Long
Beach. After that I went to U.C. Santa Barbara for my PhD in Organometallic Chemistry.
Then I did a postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH, and finally I came here to UTEP for
research, as well as a position as Associate Professor in the department of chemistry.
What is the area of chemistry that you research in your laboratory?
- We focus on creating organic compounds for transport of DNA within live organisms.
More specifically, using transition-metal based organic compounds for the transport of
small gene sequences into human cells.
Would you consider yourself an expert in this area of chemistry?
- Not really, no (laughs). I mean here in UTEP I am considered an expert, but there are
brilliant doctors in MIT and Stanford working in this area of chemistry as well, and they
are the true experts. I do have a several years of experience, and the ideas we have here
are groundbreaking, so if everything works out maybe in a few years UTEP will also be
considered prestigious by the scientific community, and who knows, maybe I will be
regarded as an a true expert then.
You mentioned you had several years of experience, how many exactly?
- I received my PhD in 2000, so almost 14 years now.

What would you say the specific purpose of your lab is?
- Knowledge. Above all, we strive to find new knowledge, but knowledge alone is not very
useful. So we also try to find applications for all the different compounds that we
synthetize. So I would say those are the two main goals. Of course, it is also important to
publish our findings in order to secure more funding.
Who is part of the lab?
- We have two PhD candidates, two researchers working on their Masters, and six
undergraduates.
What type of communication forms are used in the laboratory, such as weekly meetings,
newsletters, etc.?
- We usually have biweekly meetings to discuss the status of our experiments. We dont
have a newsletter though we email each other whenever there is a very important event,
or to share any relevant scientific studies.
What type of texts do you use in lab? How do you keep your notes?
- We have several different types of texts. Personally, I am an advocate of drawing,
especially for complex chemical formulas. Saying MOF doesnt really explain as much
as seeing the structure of a MOF. Everyone is also required to keep a lab notebook, and
of course we read and write scientific papers very frequently.
- (Note: MOF stands for Metal-Organic Framework, part of Dr. Noverons research.)
You mentioned writing scientific papers, is everyone in the lab allowed to write their own
scientific papers or are there any requirements?

- No, of course not. Writing an article for a journal such as JAC is very complicated, so
usually only the PhD candidates or myself are allowed to write scientific papers.
- (Note: JAC is the Journal of American Chemistry, the most prestigious scientific journal
in Dr. Noverons area of research.)
Are there any important sources mentioned in lab, which are the most common?
- There are many sources. Too many! I have always said chemistry is a team work. There
are too many possible chemical reactions and no team can explore them all, so we are
constantly reading new research and thinking What could have happened if I changed
that compound for another compound? or What if instead of using this compound for
that, I used it for this? so every week we read new articles and find new ways to apply
them to our research.
Who is addressed in the texts produced in the laboratory?
- For scientific articles we assume the readers are going to be other doctors interested in
the organometallic branch of chemistry. For the rest of the texts produces, such the lab
notes, we assume the readers are going to be the other research members of the lab.
What research topics are allowed in lab?
- Almost anything that has to do with organic particles and transition-metals. It doesnt
have to necessarily apply to DNA, although that is the preferred topic of research.


Which theoretical approach is preferred: deduction or induction?
- That is a great question. Deduction is very useful, but only to a certain extent. While it is
possible to publish scientific theories, evidence is extremely important when it comes to
getting grants. It is very hard to get a grant when all you have to show are ideas and no
evidence.
What type of discourse, such as articles, reviews, poems, is allowed in the laboratory?
- Well obviously we cant allow researchers to write their lab notes in Haiku, so we do
have certain limitations on the type of writing we allow. When it comes to lab notebooks
we need people to include all details, however small they are, in order to assure all
experiments are reproducible. For scientific articles intended for publishing we need to
follow the rules set by the journal. For instance JAC has a very specific set of rules. Their
author guidelines is over 20 pages long, and we need to follow all of those rules in order
to get published.


Appendix B
Interview with Erika Rodarte, novice member of Dr. Noverons Lab
Erica, before we begin, would you please tell us more about your educational background?
- I am only a freshman, so I dont have much of an educational background. I am an
undergraduate student working towards a degree in Philosophy.
Philosophy? How did you get involved in chemistry then?
- Dr. Noveron was my professor for Introduction to Chemistry, and he really made
interested in chemistry, so I asked if there was any way I could help in his lab, and thats
how I ended up in here.
What is the area of chemistry that you research in Dr. Noverons laboratory?
- My focus is on three-dimensional structures of dodecanol-dipyridinium-DNA complex
compounds.
Would you consider yourself an expert in this area of chemistry?
- Not at all! I barely even learned what a MOF was last semester.
How long have you worked in Dr. Noverons lab?
- I started last fall, so only about six months.
What do you think is the labs goal is?
- Everyone seems to be focused in exploring new things. Finding new reactions, new
compounds, and then using that new knowledge to get published. Especially the PhD
students since they need to get published to help them build a good reputation.

What would you say the specific purpose of Dr. Noverons lab is?
- I use three-dimensional modeling techniques to create digital images of the compounds
we synthetize in lab.
What type of communication forms are used in the laboratory, such as weekly meetings,
newsletters, etc.?
- We usually have meetings every couple of weeks. I also use Dr. Noverons diagrams a lot
to guide me in the modeling process.
What type of texts do you use in lab? How do you keep your notes?
- I am actually the only researcher that doesnt need to keep a lab notebook since all the
changes I make to the models are documented by the 3D software that we use. I do create
a lot of 3D images so maybe those count as texts?
Are there any important sources mentioned in lab, which are the most common?
- Lately I have been working with a paper called Self-assembly of DNApolymer
complexes by Trubetskoy et al. I dont remember the date though. Almost everyone in
the lab uses different sources depending on the experiment that they are working on.
- [Note: Actual Source is: Self-assembly of DNApolymer complexes using template
polymerization, Trubetskoy et al., 1998]
Who is addressed in the texts produced in the laboratory?
- I am not involved in the writing process of the research articles, but I imagine they are
directed to other doctors and PhD students.


What research topics are allowed in lab?
- I think that almost all topics are allowed as long as they relate to chemistry in some way.
Especially if its a brand new idea, I am sure Dr. Noveron will be interested if he can find
a way to relate it to organometallic chemistry.


Appendix C
Artifacts Collected During the Study
Figure 1. Diagram for a Pyridinium + Dodecabromanol DNA transport compound.

This diagram shows the steps necessary, starting from left to right. It also includes all the testing
necessary in order to be eligible for publishing.

Figure 2. Diagram for a copper (II) acrylate gel designed for water purification systems

This picture illustrates the ubiquity of texts within the lab. Even the glass shields used in the
chemical hoods are used to write chemical formulae and diagrams.


Figure 3. Lab notebook sample

This picture was taken from the lab notebook of one of the researchers at the lab. It notes all the
steps involved in a particular reaction to create a gold (III) ion DNA transporter.

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Running head: STUDY OF A DISCOURSE COMMUNITY 1

Study of a Discourse Community in the

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