To share knowledge in the academic world, researchers might need to publish their research articles (RAs) in high-impact journals. And, to do that, they should improve their writing skills. Many investigations have analyzed the distribution of metadiscourse markers in RA, but no study has yet investigated the use of metadiscourse markers in RAs abstracts of applied linguistics. To bridge this gap, the present study has analyzed distribution of metadiscourse markers in 125 RA abstracts, which were extracted from five main journals. Findings show the high frequency of transitions and large use of hedges in the abstracts analyzed. Academic writing instruction is then claimed to be of utmost importance for novice authors taking graduate and post-graduate courses.

(Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 16(4), 2077-2096; 2020. Adaptado)