Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 244-253 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 244 Research Article Open Access Lexical and Rhetorical Patterns of Scientific Discourse in Ginseng Studies Yuanyuan An , Mingyue Yu, Xiuying Jin Faculty of Linguistic and Cultural Studies, Changchun Sci-Tech University, Changchun, 130600, China Corresponding author: 15904310496@163.com Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0026 Received: 05 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 10 Oct., 2025 Published: 18 Nov., 2025 Copyright © 2025 An et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: An Y.Y., Yu M.Y., and Jin X.Y., 2025, Lexical and rhetorical patterns of scientific discourse in ginseng studies, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(6): 244-253 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0026) Abstract This study takes English-language scientific literature in the field of ginseng research as its corpus to explore the lexical features and rhetorical structures of scientific discourse. By integrating Systemic Functional Linguistics and Swales’ genre analysis theory, and employing corpus-based methods, the research identifies high-frequency terminology, semantic collocations, and rhetorical strategies—such as the extensive use of ginsenoside-related terms, evaluative vocabulary, and frequent hedging expressions. The findings reveal that ginseng research articles commonly follow the IMRaD structure, with rigorous argumentation and clearly defined rhetorical moves. Moreover, strategies such as self-mention and citation are widely used in constructing academic identity. Cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural linguistic variations are also evident, particularly in non-native English writing, where stylistic transfer and register adjustment frequently occur. This study aims to fill the gap in discourse analysis within ginseng research, enrich the theoretical and practical dimensions of academic linguistics, and provide empirical references for non-native English writers composing international scientific articles, thereby promoting the global dissemination and academic exchange of traditional Chinese medicine. Keywords Ginseng research; Scientific discourse; Rhetorical structure; Corpus linguistics; Cross-cultural communication 1 Introduction Scientific discourse analysis provides an important perspective for understanding how knowledge is constructed, communicated, and legitimized within academic communities. By examining vocabulary and rhetorical patterns, researchers can reveal the conventions and strategies of scientific writing across different disciplines and cultural contexts, deepening the understanding of academic communication and its role in knowledge dissemination (Liu and Lu, 2020; Ruskan et al., 2023). This kind of analysis also helps develop teaching tools and frameworks to improve the quality of academic writing and promote academic exchange across disciplines and cultures. Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a medicinal plant of global importance. Research on it covers many fields, including pharmacology, plant science, and integrative medicine. The international and multidisciplinary nature of ginseng studies shows the importance of effective academic communication. This helps promote scientific progress, ensures accurate sharing of knowledge, and supports collaboration among scientists from different languages and cultures (Xu et al., 2017; Shin et al., 2021; Ito and Ito, 2024). As ginseng research continues to expand, understanding the academic discourse patterns in this field is very important for improving the clarity, accessibility, and impact of scientific work (Xu et al., 2017; Shin et al., 2021). In recent years, studies on vocabulary and rhetorical structures in scientific texts have made some progress. For example, researchers have identified discipline-specific patterns, metadiscourse markers, and rhetorical moves such as presenting research gaps and stating research significance (Liu and Lu, 2020; Ruskan et al., 2023). Corpus-based and computational methods allow researchers to quantitatively evaluate text cohesion, phrase combinations, and rhetorical strategies. These methods help build methodological frameworks that can be applied to different scientific fields (Liu and Lu, 2020; Bhatnagar et al., 2022; Ruskan et al., 2023). Although there are many studies about ginseng, few have analyzed the language used in ginseng research. Most studies focus on biology, pharmacology, or research methods, but they pay little attention to how words and
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