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Part of
Intercultural Perspectives on Research Writing
Edited by Pilar Mur-Dueñas and Jolanta Šinkūnienė
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 18] 2018
► pp. 129–149

Chapter 6
Chinese writers of English RAs as creators of a research space in a national context

A diachronic study

| Nanjing University

Based on Swales’ (1990, 2004) CARS model, this study examines 95 research articles (RAs) published by Chinese English-language writers doing Applied Linguistics across three periods of time to find out whether and to what extent they move over time towards the conventional construction of the identity as creators of a research space in the introductory part of their RAs published in a national context. The findings confirm the occurrence of the diachronic change, which is ascribed to the accrued influence of international academic conventions on Chinese English-language writers. Hopefully, this study can help improve the teaching and writing of RA Introductions for the purposes of English-language international publication and enrich existing research on identity construction in academic discourse.

Keywords: Create a Research Space (CARS) model, identity construction, Chinese researchers, RA Introduction, national context, diachronic study
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research background
    • 2.1Defining CARS
    • 2.2Research on the CARS model of RA Introductions
    • 2.3Research on identity construction in academic writing
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Data collection
    • 3.2Data analysis
  • 4.Results of the study
    • 4.1Chinese writers’ concurrent construction of the three sub-identities across different periods
    • 4.2Chinese writers’ construction of the three sub-identities across different periods
    • 4.3The ways of Chinese writers’ construction of the three sub-identities across different periods
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 6 December 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.18.06che
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