This paper centres on published research reports produced by members of the TESOL discourse community. The analysis extends the Hallidayan concept of given/new information from its origins (used for capturing information structure at the clause level) and relates it to the analysis of the macro-structural organisation of TESOL research reports. The pragmatic aspect of given and new is combined with Hoey's (1983, 2001) Problem-Solution pattern to help demonstrate not only how TESOL research report texts are organised, but also what the pragmatic function of that organisation is at the genre level. Then, a deeper analysis of writer management of certain elements of the Problem-Solution pattern is undertaken; this gives insights into how writers align themselves as members of the TESOL community while simultaneously presenting their own contribution as new and valuable.