“That's Beyond the Scope of This Paper”: Analyzing the Functions of a Familiar Phrase in Academic Writing

Abstract

A single phrase––“beyond the scope of this paper”––is used by academic writers to accomplish various communicative moves in research articles. Writers use the phrase (1) to establish a territory and occupy a niche; (2) to introduce previous research into the conversation; (3) to recommend further research; and (4) to acknowledge limitations. An examination of its uses in scholarly articles from five disciplines suggests that “beyond the scope of this paper” is a useful phrase to introduce to students still learning how to claim the value and establish the focus of their academic writing.

Notes

1 I thank RR reviewers Deborah Brandt and Barbara Johnstone for their helpful suggestions for revision.