AUTHOR=Liu Shuai 
  
TITLE=Epistemic stance markers in corporate social responsibility reports: a discourse analysis of energy sector communications
  
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Communication
  
VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2025
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/communication/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1633335
  
DOI=10.3389/fcomm.2025.1633335
  
ISSN=2297-900X
  
ABSTRACT=This study examines epistemic stance markers (ESM) in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports, focusing on how energy companies manage uncertainty and establish credibility in sustainability communications. Using Marín-Arrese’s classification framework, I analyzed 10 CSR reports (152,084 words) from Fortune 500 energy companies (2014–2018) through directed content analysis, identifying four categories of epistemic stance markers. The analysis revealed 357 epistemic stance markers: modal expression markers (58.8%), external source markers (20.2%), mental state verbs (19.6%), and inferential markers (1.4%). This distribution reflects strategic patterns prioritizing uncertainty management and external validation for reputation management. Epistemic stance markers function as sophisticated reputation management tools in high-scrutiny industries, enabling companies to balance stakeholder accountability with operational flexibility. This research provides the first systematic examination of epistemic stance markers in CSR reports, addressing a significant gap in business discourse analysis and contributing to corporate communication theory.