Article published In:
Journal of Second Language Studies: Online-First Articles

Examining longitudinal changes in citation practices

A corpus-based analysis of L2 academic writing

 | Ocean University of China, China
 | Ocean University of China, China
While previous research has revealed the form and function features of citations across diverse disciplines, writer groups of varying expertise, and academic genres, limited attention has been given to the developmental trajectories in citation practices among novice academic writers. To address this issue, we conducted a corpus-based, discipline-specific analysis of the citation practices of L2 English novice academic writers over time. Using a multi-perspective analytical approach, we examined citation types and functions, along with reporting verbs and reporting structures in 39 linguistics course papers written by 13 L2 English undergraduate students across three semesters. Overall, we observed an increase in citation density, with more diverse citation forms and functions, as well as an expanding usage of reporting verbs and structures. Our results shed light on the developmental trajectory of citation practices and the persistent challenges for novice academic writers. Implications for English for Academic Purposes pedagogy are discussed.
Keywords: corpus-based, academic writing, citation, L2 English students, longitudinal
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Typologies of citation forms and functions
    • 2.2Citation practices across disciplines and groups of writers
    • 2.3Reporting verbs and reporting structures
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Corpus
    • 3.2Analytical procedures
      • 3.2.1Surface forms
      • 3.2.2Rhetorical functions
      • 3.2.3Reporting verbs
      • 3.2.4Reporting structures
  • 4.Results and discussion
    • 4.1Density of citations
    • 4.2Surface forms
    • 4.3Rhetorical functions
    • 4.4Reporting verbs
    • 4.5Reporting structures
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 24 September 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jsls.00032.liu
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