Developmental Trajectories of Move-step Structures in Medical Research Article Discussions

Abstract

The Discussion section in medical research articles (MRAs) is crucial yet challenging for novice researchers. Grounded in genre analysis and move analysis, this study investigates the move-step structure of MRA Discussion sections, with a specific focus on the developmental trajectory of novice medical writers’ genre competence from initial drafts to published articles. A corpus of 90 MRA Discussion sections was compiled, comprising three groups: doctoral students’ initial drafts, their published versions, and expertauthored articles. Using manual and AI-assisted annotation, we analyzed move-step structures across four dimensions: move frequency, move classification (obligatory, conventional, or optional), typical move sequences, and comparative case studies.
The findings reveal a shared core genre structure across all groups, including presenting findings, explaining results, and comparing with previous research. However, significant differences emerged in move selection, distribution, and organizational patterns. Student drafts relied heavily on explicit moves like summarizing and exploring mechanisms. Conversely, expert articles demonstrated strategic integration of discussing limitations, providing evidence, and engaging dialogically with literature. The published student versions showed refined configurations—such as increased practical implications and enhanced limitation discussions—indicating that genre development involves reconfiguring rhetorical functions to meet academic community expectations rather than simply adding or deleting moves. These results indicate that novice writers’ genre development is not a simple addition or deletion of moves, but rather a gradual process of learning to reconfigure rhetorical functions in alignment with the expectations of the medical academic community during the publication process. This study provides valuable implications for ESP/EAP curriculum design and medical academic English writing instruction.