A Genre Analysis of the Abstract Section of Psychology and Linguistics Research Articles

Abstract

This study conducts a genre analysis of the abstract sections of Psychology and Linguistics research articles, focusing on differences in move structures and their implications at both macro and micro levels. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Swales’ (2004) CARS model is used for macro- level analysis. While Swales and Feak’s (2009) model is applied at the micro- level. A corpus of 20 abstracts, 10 from each discipline, was analyzed using AntMover (1.10) software to identify structural patterns. The findings indicate that while both disciplines follow conventional move structures, Psychology abstracts exhibit a stronger presence of Move 3 (Occupying a Niche), particularly in announcing principal findings and evaluating research, whereas Linguistics abstracts demonstrate variability in the inclusion of Move 2 (Establishing a Niche). Additionally, micro-level analysis reveals discipline- specific differences in abstract length, tense usage, the presence of citations and first-person pronouns. The study provides valuable insights for novice researchers by highlighting disciplinary conventions in abstract writing. Furthermore, the findings have pedagogical implications for English for Academic Purposes (EAP), assisting students and scholars in structuring effective abstracts. Future research can expand thus analysis to other disciplines, incorporate larger corpora and explore additional genre models.