This volume presents the latest research of an international group of scholars, engaged in the analysis of academic discourse from a genre-oriented perspective. The area covered by this volume is a central one, as in the last few years important developments in research on academic discourse have not only concerned the more traditional genres, but, as well, generic innovations promoted by the new technologies, employed both in the presentation of research results and in their dissemination to a wider community by means of popularising and teaching activities. These innovations have not only favoured important changes in existing genres and the creation of new ones to meet emerging needs of the academic community, but have also promoted a serious discussion about the construct of genre itself. The various investigations gathered in this volume provide several examples of the complexity and flexibility of genres, which have shown to be subject to a continuous tension between stability and change as well as between convention and innovation.

Carol Berkenkotter is Professor of Rhetoric and Communication in the Department of Writing Studies, University of Minnesota. In 1995 she published (with Thomas N. Huckin) . Her current research interests include the influence of digital technology on ‘emergent genres’ of the Internet, such as blogs, wikis, and Facebook. Vijay K. Bhatia has recently retired as Professor from the City University of Hong Kong. His research interests include applied genre analysis; ESP and Professional Communication; cross-cultural variation in professional discourses. His work on genre analysis includes two books, (1993) and (2004). Maurizio Gotti is Professor of English and Director of the Research Centre on Specialized Languages (CERLIS) at the University of Bergamo. His main research areas are the features and origins of specialized discourse, English syntax and English lexicography. He is a member of the Editorial Board of national and international journals, and edits the series for Peter Lang.

Contents: Maurizio Gotti/Carol Berkenkotter/Vijay K. Bhatia: Introduction – Carol Berkenkotter: Genre Change in the Digital Age: Questions about Dynamism, Affordances, Evolution – Vijay K. Bhatia: Interdiscursivity in Academic Genres – Davide S. Giannoni: Value Marking in an Academic Genre: When Authors Signal ‘Goodness’ – Davide Mazzi: ‘Such a reaction would spread all over the cell like a forest fire’: A Corpus Study of Argument by Analogy in Scientific Discourse – Pilar Mur-Dueñas: Exploring Generic Integrity and Variation: Research Articles in Two English-medium International Applied Economics Journals – William Bromwich: Generic Integrity in Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law: Metadiscursive Strategies for Expressing Dissent within the Constraints of Collegiality – Francisco Javier Fernández Polo: ‘The title of my paper is…’: Introducing the Topic in Conference Presentations – Sue Starfield/Brian Paltridge/Louise Ravelli: ‘Why do we have to write?’: Practice-based Theses in the Visual and Performing Arts and the Place of Writing – Masumi Ono: A Genre Analysis of Japanese and English Introductory Chapters of Literature Ph.D. Theses – Anna Stermieri: The Move Structure of Academic Theatre Reviews – Susan Kermas: The Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge in Academia – Isabel Herrando-Rodrigo: Blurred Genres: Hybrid Functions in the Medical Field – María José Luzón: Comments in Academic Blogs as a New Form of Scholarly Interaction – Olga Dontcheva-Navratilova: Cross-cultural Differences in the Construal of Authorial Voice in the Genre of Diploma Theses – Renata Povolná: Cross-cultural Differences in the Use of Discourse Markers by Czech and German Students of English in the Genre of Master’s Theses – Carmen Sancho-Guinda: Variation in Students’ Accounts of Graphic Data: Context and Cotext Factors in a Polytechnic Setting – Michela Giordano: K Case Briefs in American Law Schools: A Genre-based Analysis – Christoph A. Hafner/Lindsay Miller/Connie Ng Kwai-fun: Digital Video Projects in English for Academic Purposes: Students’ and Lecturers’ Perceptions and Issues Raised – Patrizia Anesa/Daniela Iovino: Interactive Whiteboards as Enhancers of Genre Hybridization in Academic Settings – Sara Gesuato: Representation of Events and Event Participants in Academic Course Descriptions.