How to ask questions in conference discussion session: A typological and genre-based perspective

Raising questions in conference discussion sessions can be a challenging encounter for novice academics. Discussants are often not only interested in seeking answers and exchanging ideas with the presenter, but also projecting a positive image of themselves by asking the ‘right’ questions. Therefore, novice academics and EFL speakers often fear looking foolish, unprofessional and non-academic by posing lengthy, unfocused, convoluted questions or comments. However, little help has been provided because of the scant attention given to this discourse and a shortage of pedagogical materials. This study, therefore, attempts to fill the gap by investigating the question types and genre-based moves of 268 turns taken by discussants in 80 computer science conference discussion sessions. Two turn types, five question types and seven genre-based moves were found. The comprehensive findings can be incorporated into instructional materials for computer science PhD students. Extending these findings into the classroom can help students understand the communicative context as well as develop the skills to professionally formulate contextually situated questions and manage interpersonal relationships.