The expression of doubt and certainty is crucial in academic writing where the authors have to distinguish opinion from fact and evaluate their assertions in acceptable and persuasive ways. Hedges and boosters are two strategies used for this purpose. Despite their importance in academic writing, we know little about how they are used in different disciplines and genres and how foreign language...

Journal publication is one of the productive vehicles through which one’s contribution to the research community is expressed. However, it has been found to be a particularly challenging task for scholars who are not English native speakers (e.g. Flowerdew, 1999, 2000, 2001; Martinez, 2005; Sionis, 1995). Previous research has indicated that Chinese non-native writers of English may have diffic...

In this study, the use of speech-like pragmatic markers in Iranian EFL students’ academic writing was investigated. Speech-like pragmatic markers, such as I think, well, I guess, actually, anyway, anyhow, etc. are linguistic components that are more specific to conversation than writing, and writers may wrongly include them in their academic writing. To examine the students’ use of speech-like ...

In this study, the use of speech-like pragmatic markers in Iranian EFL students’ academic writing was investigated. Speech-like pragmatic markers, such as I think, well, I guess, actually, anyway, anyhow, etc. are linguistic components that are more specific to conversation than writing, and writers may wrongly include them in their academic writing. To examine the students’ use of speech-like ...

Introduction: Citation is an essential prevalent feature of all academic writings in various fields of knowledge. It is employed by authors and researchers across disciplines for diverse reasons. This study was aimed at comparing types and functions of citations in medical research articles in discussion sections between Iranian medical faculty members and their native counterparts. Method: To...