Rhetorical Structures in Geology Research: A Corpus-Based Study of Disciplinary Variation

Academics across disciplines are encouraged to publish in international journals, and Geology scholars are no exception. However, limited English proficiency often leads them to rely on translators, artificial intelligence, or to imitate their neighboring fields of study to communicate their scientific findings. Research indicates that a lack of knowledge of the Geology research articles’ rhetorical structure leads to the rejection of their outstanding discoveries. To address this issue, a two-phase study was conducted. The first phase employed a triangulation approach to identify the challenges and needs of Geology academics dealing with engineering texts. In the second phase, two corpora comprising 120 full-length high-quality research articles from Geotechnics and Seismology, two sub-disciplines of Geology, were compiled and analyzed using Nwogu’s (1997) rhetorical model. Textual units known as “moves” and “steps” were statistically examined to identify significant variations across article sections. The analysis revealed notable differences in rhetorical organization, reflecting distinct communicative practices and disciplinary perspectives. These findings offer insights for global academic communities facing similar challenges in publishing scientific research in English, enhancing the applicability of discipline-specific rhetorical training. The study provides practical implications to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) practitioners, translators, and materials developers.