SUMMARY
Research in Research Article (RA) abstract written by native English authors has been widely conducted. Yet, a comparison of RA abstracts written by American authors and Indonesian authors has not been conducted. This paper reports a study on the analysis of research article abstracts written by American and Indonesian authors published in two reputable journals. Data presented are move sequences of 20 Research Article (RA) abstracts from the latest six years issue (2021-2016). The abstracts were selected from a particular discipline, English language teaching and learning, to control the variability. The findings reveal that the salient move sequences of two groups have reflected the stipulated framework of the rhetorical abstracts. The American authors and Indonesian authors complete the moves occasionally within 3 units, 4 units, or 5 units. The similarity and differences of expressions used in writing abstracts in each move have been detected. The article concludes by highlighting the status of Indonesian authors in writing the RA abstracts compared to the native English authors.