As part of a large scale study, this genre-based study investigated the cross-disciplinary variations in the rhetorical structure of Introduction sections of 52 Applied Linguistics and 52 Chemistry empirical research articles (RAs) drawing upon Swales' (2004) framework. The results of Chi-square analysis revealed significant variations in the way authors in the two disciplines employed moves, steps and sub-steps to realize the purpose of Introduction sections. The study has also some pedagogical implications for graduate studies students and novice researchers in the two disciplines. d
