Lexical Bundles in Computer Science Research Articles: A Corpus-Based Study

The purpose of this corpus-based study was to find 4-word lexical bundles in computer science research articles. As the demand for research articles (RAs) for international publication increases, the need for acquiring field-specific writing conventions for this academic genre has become a burning issue. Particularly, one area of burgeoning interest in the examination of rhetorical structures and linguistic features of RAs is the use of lexical bundles, the indispensable building blocks that make up an academic discourse. To illustrate, different academic discourses rely on distinctive repertoires of lexical bundles. Because lexical bundles are often acquired as a whole, the recurring multi-word sequences can be retrieved automatically to make written discourse more fluent and natural. Therefore, the proper use of rhetorical devices specific to a particular discipline can be a vital indicator of success within the discourse communities. Hence, to identify linguistic features that make up specific registers, this corpus-based study examines the types and usage frequency of lexical bundles in the discipline of CS, one of the most in-demand fields world over. Given that lexical bundles are empirically-derived formulaic multi-word units, identifying core lexical bundles used in RAs, they may provide insights into the specificity of particular CS text types. This will in turn provide empirical evidence of register specificity and technicality within the academic discourse of computer science. As in the results, pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.