'My own summary is definitely less scientific but more easy to grasp': ESP writing and disciplinary identity.

This paper examines the construction of writer identities in the ESP writing of business students using English as an L2. Despite the wealth of literature on the topic, little is known about identity in ESP writing, particularly involving ESP undergraduates. The aim of this study is to investigate how these students use pronominal self-reference in order to perform authorial identities. Drawing on a self-compiled specialised corpus, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach of computation and interpretation. It was found that student writers, in assuming weak authorial roles, tend to use self-reference with low-risk functions. The findings also suggest that these students rely on inclusive we, which highlights field-specific uses in their writing. These results may help us to understand how writer identities assist students in their development of a disciplinary identity.