A comparative study of research article discussion sections of local and international Applied Linguistic journals

This study aimed to investigate the generic structure of the discussion sections of Applied Linguistics research articles (RAs) published in a representative sample of local (Iranian) and international journals. The main purpose of this analysis was to identify the move structure of RA discussions in the above mentioned discipline and to see if non-native English researchers publishing in local journals produce texts that are rhetorically different from texts produced by researchers publishing in international journals. The data comprised 80 RA discussions (40 from local and 40 from international journals) which were analyzed by incorporating Dudley-Evans' (1994) model. The findings demonstrated no major quantitative differences between the moves utilized in the two groups of RAs except for move 5 (Reference to previous research). The lower frequency of references in local RA discussions indicates that the writers of these RAs may not consider the significance of relating their findings to those reported in the previous research. Finally, a revised version of Dudley-Evans' (1994) model is introduced.