A Diachronic Analysis of the Citational Practice of Comparing: A Corpus-Based Study of an Interdisciplinary Research Articles

Abstract

This study investigates citation practices in a specific rhetorical step within the interdisciplinary field of Communication, examining changes from its emerging stage (1980–1981) to its maturing stage (2020–2021). Using a corpus-based approach, the study analyzed citation patterns of research articles (RAs) from four leading Communication research journals. The study reveals diachronic changes in citation practices in Communication research, with shifts in source distribution, citation forms, and comparing stances. These changes reflect the evolution of Communication from an emerging interdisciplinary field reliant on sources of other fields to a mature discipline with greater coherence and independence. The findings offer insights for English for academic purposes (EAP) pedagogy, particularly in teaching critical citation strategies to navigate interdisciplinary research. Finally, this study highlights the need to legitimize interdisciplinary research through institutional support.