Writers can start a dialogue with the reader to produce more engaging and persuasive texts and to comply with their own disciplinary practices by employing interaction features effectively. In this paper, first, interaction as a significant part of the rhetorical structure of academic discourse is presented and then, major approaches to this function of language are reviewed and clarified. Next, Hyland's 2005 model of academic interaction as a comprehensive and practical model for conducting research on stance in academic discourse is discussed. Finally, a number of recent studies on authorial stance in academic discourse along with their strong and weak points are presented and discussed to pinpoint gaps and to recommend new research areas in the field of English language teaching (ELT).
