Lexical Bundles in the Conclusion Section of Research Articles in Applied Linguistics: A Comparative Study of International and Iranian Journals

Lexical bundles, sequences of words that recur frequently in corpus-based discourse, are indicators of fluent language production both in L1 and L2. Hence, to the best of researcher’s knowledge, no research is conducted on the characteristics of lexical bundles in the conclusion section of applied linguistics research articles. Consequently, the present study aims to extend this line of research by comparing the form, function, and frequency of four-word lexical bundles in the conclusion section of 225 research articles published in international vis-à-vis Iranian applied linguistics journals. The findings revealed that the bundles were more frequent in the conclusion section of research articles in Iranian journals as opposed to international journals. Structural analysis of lexical bundles showed that passive structure was used infrequently in international journals. In addition, analyzing the function of lexical bundles indicated that procedure and resultative bundles were used more frequently by Iranian writers. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that Iranian writers overused lexical bundles in terms of passive structure, procedure, and resultative bundles in comparison with international writers. Results will be applicable for researchers and authors who want to communicate more effectively in their communities of practice.