Written Communication Jan 2026

Notions About Drafts in Scientific Research Articles: A Case Study With Writers at Different Levels of Expertise

Paloma Domínguez Jeria Diego Portales University ; Mónica S. Cárdenas-Claros ; Alejandra Figueroa-Leighton Viña del Mar University ; Teresa Alonzo Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso ; Carola Alvarado Barra Universidad Santo Tomás

Abstract

This case study of three female Chilean scientists with distinct levels of scientific writing expertise—novice, competent, and near-expert—investigates their notions about drafts. Interrogation of data—that is, document analyses, an entry questionnaire, a set of semistructured interviews, and member-checks—identified seven different notions about drafts: (1) draft as a canonical structure of scientific research articles, (2) draft as influenced by medium/time, (3) draft as an incomplete text, (4) draft as a process, (5) draft as product, (6) draft as a nondefinitive version, and (7) academic writing as a draft from scientific writing. Findings show that some shared notions about drafts transcend writer profiles and that these notions are rooted in writer identity, their writing practices, and the context of producing scientific research articles.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2026-01-01
DOI
10.1177/07410883251346408
Open Access
Closed
Topics
qualitative research scientific writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (9)

  1. Vaughan et al. (2024)
    On the Page and Off the Page: Adolescents’ Collaborative Writing in an After-Sc…
    Written Communication
  2. Karsten (2024)
    Voices in Dialogue: Taking Polyphony in Academic Writing Seriously
    Written Communication
  3. Liu et al. (2022)
    Understandings of the Role of the One-to-One Writing Tutor in a U.K. University…
    Written Communication
  4. Lillis et al. (2020)
    Time, the Written Record, and Professional Practice: The Case of Contemporary S…
    Written Communication
  5. Hayes (2012)
    Modeling and Remodeling Writing
    Written Communication
Show all 9 →
  1. Hyland (2010)
    Community and Individuality: Performing Identity in Applied Linguistics
    Written Communication
  2. Lillis (2008)
    Ethnography as Method, Methodology, and “Deep Theorizing”
    Written Communication
  3. Lillis et al. (2006)
    Professional Academic Writing by Multilingual Scholars
    Written Communication
  4. Flower et al. (1981)
    A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing
    College Composition and Communication
Also cites 23 works outside this index ↓
  1. Ariztía T. (2017). La teoría de las prácticas sociales: Particularidades posibilidades y límites. Cinta Moebi…
     ↗
  2. Bommarito D. V. (2015). Collaborative research writing as mentoring in a USA English doctoral program. Journa…
     ↗
  3. Cantillana-Barañados R. Portilla-Vásquez I. (2019). Por la senda de los “profesores taxis”: Los efectos de la…
     ↗
  4. Cheng G. (2022). Exploring the effects of automated tracking of student responses to teacher feedback in draf…
     ↗
  5. Colombo L. Carlino P. (2015). Grupos para el desarrollo de la escritura científico-académica: Una revisión de…
     ↗
  6. Cotos E. Huffman S. Link S. (2020). Understanding graduate writers’ interaction with and impact of the Resear…
     ↗
  7. Dali K. Jaeger P. T. (2018). Beyond scholarly publishing: The human dimension of peer review in LIS. The Libr…
     ↗
  8. 10.1007/s11409-016-9166-6
     ↗
  9. Fontúrbel F. E. Celis-Diez J. L. (2025). The MDPIzation of Chilean science: A wake-up call about how we are c…
     ↗
  10. González S. (2013)
    International Comparison About Academic Salaries: An Exploratory Comparación Internacion…
    Calidad En La Educación  ↗
  11. 10.1075/swll.12.12ham
     ↗
  12. 10.1075/swll.5
     ↗
  13. Kellogg R. T. (2008). Training writing skills: A cognitive development perspective. Journal of Writing Resear…
     ↗
  14. 10.1017/S0261444811000504
     ↗
  15. 10.1016/j.jslw.2015.06.007
     ↗
  16. 10.1007/s10758-015-9265-5
     ↗
  17. 10.4067/S0718-09342019000200330
     ↗
  18. Sala-Bubaré A. Castelló M. Rijlaarsdam G. (2021). Writing processes as situated regulation processes: A conte…
     ↗
  19. 10.3102/0013189X241231548
     ↗
  20. 10.4135/9781446250655
     ↗
  21. Thomas D. (2017). Feedback from research participants: Are member checks useful in qualitative research? Qual…
     ↗
  22. Vassilaki E. (2017). Reflective writing reflecting on identities: The construction of writer identity in stud…
     ↗
  23. Wiboolyasarin W. Wiboolyasarin K. Suwanwihok K. Jinowat N. Muenjanchoey R. (2024). Synergizing collaborative …
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2021
    Is It Fake News or Is It Open Science? Science Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic ↗
    Amy Koerber
    qualitative research scientific writing
  2. Written Communication Jan 2019
    How Do Online News Genres Take Up Knowledge Claims From a Scientific Research Article on Climate Change? ↗
    Nancy Bray
    genre theory qualitative research scientific writing affect and writing
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2013
    Material and Credentialing Incentives as Symbolic Violence ↗
    Mostafa Hasrati
    graduate education qualitative research scientific writing
  4. Written Communication Oct 2011
    Quantifying the Burden of Writing Research Articles in a Second Language ↗
    David I. Hanauer; Karen Englander
    qualitative research scientific writing
  5. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2026
    From Monologue to Dialogue: Communication Strategies of Chinese Museums on Weibo and the Imperative for Participation Awareness ↗
    Xiaole Zhu; Yoonjae Nam
    qualitative research social media