Rhetorical Structure and Linguistic Patterns in Humanities Research Article Abstracts: A Comparison of Pakistani and International Journals

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18298021

Abstract

The study investigates the rhetorical structure and linguistic features of humanities research article abstracts, comparing those written by Pakistani authors in local journals with abstracts published in international journals. Abstracts are essential in academic writing as they establish a researcher’s scholarly presence and effectively communicate research to the academic community. However, authors from non-English-speaking contexts, including Pakistan, often face challenges in following internationally accepted abstract conventions. The research analyzes 60 English-language abstracts, with 30 taken from international journals and 30 from Pakistani journals. The analysis is based on Swales’ (1990) genre theory and Hyland’s (2000) five-move model, which includes Introduction, Purpose, Method, Product, and Conclusion. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to examine the presence of rhetorical moves and the use of grammatical features such as tense and voice. The findings reveal significant differences between the two groups. International abstracts generally follow a complete five-move structure and present information in a clear, linear manner. In contrast, Pakistani abstracts often follow a limited Purpose-Method-Results pattern and frequently omit the Introduction and Conclusion. Linguistically, international authors tend to use both present and past tense and favor active voice, whereas Pakistani authors rely more on passive constructions, especially in the Method and Results sections. ractices and offers recommendations to improve abstract writing in Pakistan through greater genre awareness and informed language choices.