The Role of Adverbs in Astrophysical Research Paper Abstracts

In this paper, we examine the presence of adverbs in 220 research paper abstracts published over an 11-year time span (2011–2021) in four top English-language journals in astrophysics, from both diachronic and cross-journal perspectives. Our main results reveal that, on average, adverbs account for about 3% of the total number of words, with adverbs ending in “-ly” making up approximately 40% of all adverbs and around 70% of their different variants. From a diachronic standpoint, the observed rising trend in the mean number of adverbs relative to the number of words, adjectives, main verbs, and authors may be attributed not only to the need for a thorough account of procedures and findings but also to the strategic management of discourse aimed at shaping editors’ and readers’ responses in an increasingly competitive scientific research environment. From a cross-journal perspective, the differences observed may be explained by a two-sided scenario: (1) abstracts published in journals with a more empirical and less generalist approach tend to contain more adverbs to provide a more detailed description of results and processes; (2) the use of adverbs by L2/L3 English authors varies from that of L1 English researchers, likely reflecting diverse proficiency levels in English. Our findings could benefit pedagogical studies in various fields by helping to bridge the gap between the written communication styles of L2/L3 and L1 English scientists, promoting clearer and more effective scientific discourse.