A Comparative Study of Reporting Verbs in Non-Native Ma Theses and International Journal Articles

Abstract

Using reporting verbs effectively in academic writing is an essential academic skill and a prominent learning activity to present previous research outcomes. But it seems to have been a problem for non-native graduate students for many years. Non-native learners often use reporting verbs inappropriately. To raise graduate students’ awareness of using reporting verbs, this study compares the frequency, types, and tenses of reporting verbs in the literature review section of 25 MA theses written in English by Chinese graduate students, and 45 articles from 5 prestigious international journals in the field of linguistics. The findings demonstrate the similarities and differences in the use of reporting verbs by Chinese graduate students majoring in English and international experts in the field of linguistics. The two groups of writers use discourse, research, and cognition reporting verbs in a descending order of frequency. Chinese graduate students use a larger number but fewer types of reporting verbs. Experienced researchers demonstrate greater proficiency in using reporting verbs than graduate students who are considered novice researchers. The comparison also reveals that the two groups of writers show a similar tendency in using verb tenses to report information, namely, using simple present tense and past tense frequently, and using the present perfect tense infrequently. Via the analysis, suggestions for novices and pedagogical implications are provided.