Scholars’ interest in investigating research article discussions (RADs) has significantly increased in the last decade.  However, only a few studies have centered on the citation practice by authors in high-impact international English Language Teaching (ELT) journals. This genre analysis study explores the use of citation forms, functions, and reporting verbs within RADs published in top-tier international ELT journals. A total of 115 RADs were purposively selected from twelve reputable Scopus-indexed ELT journals in Quartile 1, all published in 2024. The data were manually coded using established frameworks: Swales (1990) and Thompson (2005) for citation form, Petrić (2007) for citation function, and Francis et al. (1996) for reporting verb analysis. The results indicate that non-integral citations were used more frequently than integral citations, highlighting that authors place more emphasis on the credibility of ideas or facts rather than the researchers themselves. Citation functions are predominantly used for attribution and comparison. In terms of reporting verbs, authors most frequently employed argue verbs and show verbs, followed by find, think, and the newly identified inform verb category, which reflects a neutral stance in reporting prior studies. Thus, the findings can inform academic writing instruction by emphasizing the strategic use of citation practices to enhance argumentation quality and authorial stance in students’ writing.