All texts are multimodal, meaning that they are understood through more than one channel of communication. For example, in spoken language meaning is influenced by the use of gestures and tone of voice. Similarly written language is also communicated through other visual elements like the structure of the page, headings, typography and margins, etc..
Visual elements, like layout and typography have a great effect on the way readers perceive the publication they read. Imagine an online newspaper without headings or paragraphs. In a newspaper you generally expect the layout to vary from page to page and between different sections of the paper.
Being aware of the genre and the layout will help you process the information you are reading.
Below are examples of A) an academic article, B) an online newspaper article, and C) an e-book with academic research.
The academic article (or a research paper) has distinct components, which are broken down below. Click on each image to see the details.
The first page of an academic article will provide you with a lot of useful information. Sections have been highlighted to draw your attention to them and include information regarding the authors of the article, publication information which will help you cite the article, the doi number ( digital object identifier) which will help you link to the article. The title of the article is provided in boldface. Then you will find the abstract of the article which is a summary that can help you determine if the article is indeed of relevance to you. At the end of the first page, you'll note that the authors' affiliations are listed, and in this case information is also included about the journal.
The text of the article actually starts on the second page and is written in 2 columns. It starts with the introduction and then the body of the text. The same headings which were bolded in the abstarct are bolded in the body of the text. These headings providing the utlinine of the paper, such as Objectives, Method, Results, Conclusion, are typical in research texts.
ACADEMIC ARTICLE - figures
Another element commonly found in academic articles are figures and tables which either explain the topic or show the results of the studies conducted.
ACADEMIC ARTICLE - references
At the end of the paper is the list of references used or consulted by the author or authors of the paper. This is very useful in that it provides a list of further relevant resources for your own researcn for you to consult.
Source: Braun-Koch, K., Rief, W., & Teige-Mocigemba, S. (2022). Changing attitudes towards psychotherapy via social observations: Are similarities more important than discrepancies? BMC Psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00952-z.
An online newspaper differs in layout in many respects compared to an academic article. Look at the following article which appeared in the National Post.
Newspaper - headlineThe first thing you notice is a title and a subtitle that provide more information about the content of the article. Also provided is the author of the article, the name of the newspaper published, and the date the article was published.
Newspaper - linksAlthough typical of a printed newspaper, in the online paper you don't see two columns like in an academic article, but you see several shorter paragraphs, each with its own subtopic. In an online newspaper article, you will often see hypertext links to previous articles or other articles which are relevant to the topic.
Newspaper - photoThe types of illustrations used in a newspaper article also stands out. Tables or graphs are more likely to be used in academic articles to illustrate or prove a point. However photos are more likely to be found in newspaper articles to illustrate the subject.
Source: Moharib, N. (2022, March 4). Supporting female entrepreneurs in Canada. National Post. https://nationalpost.com/shopping-essentials/supporting-female-entrepreneurs-in-canada
The following images are from the e-book Designing behaviors for well-being spaces; how disruptive approaches can improve living conditions, edited by Dominoni and Scullica ( 2022 ).
Unlike an academic article, an e-book containing information about the topic of interest always starts with the title of the book and the names of the authors (or editors in this case), as it would in a print book.
The publisher is then also mentioned, and you will see more detailed information about the publication of the book, such as the publication year. This information is useful if you want to use the book as one of your references. Also provided is the ISBN (International Standard Book Number), which also provides useful information about the publication.
Then follows the table of contents of the book. In this book, you see the chapters and each chapter is written by a different author. The book is actually a of collection of articles about the topic and edited by Dominoni and Scullica.
Each chapter then starts with a title and the name of the author of that particular chapter followed by subheadings.
At the end of each chapter you will often find the references that the author has used in his chapter of the book.