Move Structures in Research Article Introductions Published in Selected Scopus Tourism Journals

Writing research article (RA) introductions is often challenging, particularly for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writers aiming for international publication. While move analysis has been widely applied across disciplines, little attention has been paid to tourism research articles. This study analysed 30 RA introductions from six Scopus Q1 tourism journals (2017–2020) using Swales’ (2004) revised CARS model to identify obligatory, conventional, and optional moves. The results revealed three obligatory moves: Move 1 (Establishing a territory, 100%), Move 2 Step 1A (Indicating a gap, 100%), and Move 3 Step 1 (Announcing present work descriptively/purposively, 96.67%). These introductory moves highlight the importance of situating research, identifying gaps, and clarifying the study's purposes. In this study, optional moves occurred less frequently, including presenting research questions (6.67%), definitional clarifications (20%), announcing outcomes (10%), summarising methods (50%), and stating research value (43.33%). This variation reflects disciplinary preferences for descriptive and exploratory framing rather than hypothesis-driven structures. The findings suggest that while tourism RA introductions generally conform to Swales’ CARS model, discipline-specific adaptations shape how authors frame significance, methods, and contributions. These insights offer practical guidance for novice EFL writers and inform pedagogical approaches to academic writing. Overall, the study contributes to genre analysis by clarifying the rhetorical organisation of RA introductions in international tourism research.