Analyzing L2 Student-Authored Academic Papers Using Rhetorical Moves Analysis

Teaching English academic writing to 1st-year Japanese university students presents challenges due to their lack of experience with academic writing even in L1 and differences in rhetoric styles between English and Japanese. With growing emphasis on EAP education, introducing students early to academic writing fundamentals and genre-specific structures like the IMRaD format is crucial. Prior studies (Swales, 1990; Cotos et al., 2017; Lim, 2006) have analyzed rhetorical features of published research articles, but focused primarily on individual sections written by postgraduates or professional academics. Research examining L2 undergraduate writing remains limited, and a comprehensive model of moves within an entire IMRaD paper for novice L2 writers is lacking. To address this gap, we are developing a framework for teaching the IMRaD genre in a manner accessible and comprehensible to first-year L2 students. Building on the CARS model used to characterize research article introductions, this study expands its scope to analyze all IMRaD sections of student papers. Using a subset of a 15,000-paper corpus collected over 10 years in an EAP program, we conducted a move analysis to identify common patterns and challenges. Our analysis reveals that while students can replicate the basic IMRaD moves, they struggle with implementing specific steps and creating cohesive connections between sections. Introduction and Discussion sections prove especially challenging due to students’ weak engagement with published literature, indicating difficulty analyzing academic texts and adapting rhetorical patterns. Our findings provide a foundation for developing instructional strategies within EAP writing courses and offer a comprehensive model for researchers engaged in genre-based instruction, particularly for educators teaching academic writing in L2 contexts.