ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the basic premise for the book, namely how texts invoke, connect with, and position themselves and their readers in relation to other texts. It also offers a brief explanation as to why medical research discourse is so important in this regard, highlighting its impact and influence on different communities and the potential challenges faced by those who are new to the discourse or discipline of medicine. The chapter concludes with a presentation of four main aims for the book: identifying the resources medical researchers use to construe, engage with, and position themselves and their readers in relation to a background of other voices and texts; examining the roles or functions those resources have, and how they are typically integrated or combined; investigating how those resources are distributed across texts; and exploring the extent to which the use of those resources might reflect some of the disciplinary practices of medical research. An overview of the rest of the book is also provided.
