Medical Discourse: Hedges

Successful academic communication in medicine involves writers persuading readers of the correctness of their interpretations, diagnoses, and knowledge claims. Because of potential opposition to such claims, however, and the uncertain status of much medical knowledge, writers often need to present their claims cautiously, accurately, and modestly to meet the exacting expectations of a skeptical disciplinary community. As a result, hedges are commonplace in medical writing because they express possibility rather than certainty and deference rather than overconfidence. This article explores the concept of hedging and examines its different forms, frequencies, and functions in medical research articles.