Academic Writing in Thai: The research article

Academics share their research, present their arguments, as well as establish their professional credentials through writing. However, researchers from language backgrounds other than English may be at a disadvantage when it comes to publishing in internationally recognised journals, many of which are in English. Studies suggest that cultural differences exist in the generic and rhetorical structures of texts across different languages. An investigation of the generic and rhetorical structure of academic texts in languages other than English may yield valuable insights into these debates. This paper presents a preliminary study of a specific genre of academic writing in Thai: the research article. The aim was to investigate how argument is carried in a text through rhetorical structure. The study looks at thematic development and the interpersonal or features or 'metadiscourse' in the text which writers use to engage with their audience. Initial results point to a need for further work in this area.