This paper reports on the analysis of the conclusion sections of Asian-authored applied linguistics research articles (RAs) published in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) from 2010 to 2017. A total of twenty RAs were qualitatively analyzed using Yang and Allison’s (2003) Conclusion Move Model (CMM), which categorizes rhetorical structures into three primary moves: Move 1 (M1-Summarizing the Study), Move 2 (M2- Evaluating the Study), and Move 3 (M3-Deductions from the Research). The study aimed to determine the frequency and sequence of these moves to better understand the rhetorical conventions employed by Asian scholars. Findings revealed that all three moves were present in the corpus, but with varying frequencies. Move 1 was the most prevalent, appearing in all analyzed RAs, highlighting its essential role in research article conclusions. Additionally, eight distinct move structure patterns were identified, including M1-M2-M3, M1-M2- M2-M3-M3, M1-M3, M1-M2-M3-M3, M1-M2-M2-M3, M1-M2-M2-M2-M3-M3, M1-M2-M2-M2, and M1-M3-M3. These patterns suggest flexibility in structuring RA conclusions while still aligning with Yang and Allison’s (2003) model. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of rhetorical structuring in academic writing within the Asian research context. The findings offer pedagogical implications for teaching academic writing, particularly in English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) settings. It can help non-native English researchers develop well-structured and effective RA conclusions. Future research may also explore comparative analyses with Western-authored RAs to further examine cross-cultural variations in rhetorical conventions.

Keywords: language research articles, conclusion section, move-based analysis, conclusion model, research article sections, Asia, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)