From appraisal to code: a methodology for analyzing academic legitimation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30973/esdi.2026.12.1.248Keywords:
academic publishing, discourse, power;, Critical Discourse Analysis, Appraisal Theory;, Legitimation Code TheoryAbstract
This article proposes an integrated methodology for the discursive analysis of academic legitimation in scholarly publishing, conceived as a social practice within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. Its aim is to articulate the linguistic examination of evaluative positioning with a sociological reading of the principles of legitimation that structure the academic field. Three complementary frameworks are integrated: Critical Discourse Analysis, Appraisal Theory, and Legitimation Code Theory. Appraisal resources are used to identify evaluative patterns in in-depth interviews, which are subsequently translated into a second-order coding process through the Specialization dimension of Legitimation Code Theory. This way, discursive resources function as evidence to infer the codes that organize academic success and recognition. The proposal offers transferable tools for critical research.
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