Journal of English for Academic Purposes 57 (2022) 101114 Available online 22 April 2022 1475-1585/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. The emergence of a new inclusive meta-scientifc genre; ‘the Bigger Picture’ Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts University of Crete, School of Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry, Greece A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Digital genre Bigger picture Context collapse Recontextualisation strategies Genre Inclusivity Awareness-raising ABSTRACT Parascientifc genres often do not abide by the established norms and conventions of science communication in research articles (RAs) and they are not included in the RA. This work ex- amines the linguistic and communicative exigencies of an emerging digital genre, the Bigger Picture, an obligatory post-publication section in the journal Chem which deviates considerably from RA norms, yet it is included in the RA. This work aims to examine its rhetorical functions and determine users’ initial perceptions: rhetorical analysis of twenty Bigger Picture sections in Chemistry RAs in Chem, a survey and an interview were conducted to determine users’ percep- tions. Novice researchers/writers were also asked to write think aloud reports as part of the qualitative analysis. The analysis of the genre moves and featuring conventions showed an intentional blurring of boundaries between scientifc and general discourse, technical, non- technical and inter-disciplinary communication which gives rise to a new more inclusive ‘meta- scientifc’ genre. Participants agreed that the Bigger Picture’s main purpose is to involve, engage and reach out to a wider audience, adapting a discipline-specifc discourse and re-contextualising research outcomes from a highly specialised context to a nominally specialised one, using recontextualisation strategies which aim to include a broader pool of potential interdisciplinary users. 1. Introduction RA genres and sub-genres are not just conceived as “highly structured and conventionalised” communicative events (Bhatia, 1990, p. 13); they are also deemed to be constantly evolving as “inherently dynamic rhetorical structures that can be manipulated according to the conditions of use” (Berkenkotter & Huckin, 1995, p. 6). With the advent of digital genres and their dynamic and non-linear exigencies and affordances, genre evolution (Miller, 2012), genre variability and change (Paltridge & Starfeld, 2020; Swales, 2019; van Enk & Power, 2017) and genre currency and erosion (Sancho Guinda, 2015) are now more than ever discussed by EAP researchers; in this sense, genres should not be limited to superior or ‘inferior’ (Wood, 1998, p. 142), based on expert and non-expert discourse. Erosion of the boundaries between expert and non-expert discourse realms is evident in ‘para-scientifc genres’ (Kelly & Miller, 2016) that tend to “operate without the gatekeeping and traditional reporting forms of internal science communication” (Kelly & Miller, 2016, p. 231). The literature is rife with analyses of emerging digital genres that are considered parascientifc, including ‘blogs’ (Luz´ on, 2013), which borrow “scientifc authority and knowledge structures from the realm of science.” (Kelly & Miller, 2016, p. 231). Parascientifc genres are not endorsed by or incorporated within research publications, as “they are not subjected to the flters of E-mail address: katsampoxaki@uoc.gr. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of English for Academic Purposes journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jeap https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101114 Received 23 August 2021; Received in revised form 5 April 2022; Accepted 7 April 2022