ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the construction of the research narrative as a specific type of scholarly communication behavior. It presents a systematic framework that describes the elements that comprise the narrative, the ways that individual researchers may employ these elements to form and present their professional identities, and how narratives ultimately relate to the larger context of scholarship. The consideration of scholarly or research narratives is based on the constructivist perspective in the sociology of knowledge, especially social studies of science. The concept of the research narrative is also grounded in autobiography. If narrative constitutes identity, it is important to identify the characteristics or properties of narratives that are most relevant to the research work context. Essentially, there are seven main categories of narrative properties: selectivity, ordering, place, ranking, conflict, closure, and interpretability. The chapter concludes with several hypothetical propositions about how individual scholars may construct and use research narratives to establish and maintain their professional identities.
