The number of ‘marker’ approaches in metadiscourse (MD) studies greatly outnumbers the number of ‘move’ approaches. This has highlighted the focus on small units of analysis, especially word-based categorizations, such as classifying the pronoun “I” as self-mention. Following a contrasting ‘move’ approach, this overview offers a more contextualized and functional analysis of interactional discourse strategies in academic writing. A taxonomy of metadiscursive functions is developed through a critical synthesis of existing MD taxonomies and theoretical frameworks, shifting the focus from surface markers to rhetorical moves. The framework was developed in light of 90 research articles (RAs) written in English by Anglophone and Arab Academic English writers in political science, law, and journalism. This paper also examines an under-researched aspect of MD, namely interactional MD, which is categorized into stance and engagement. In addition to revealing disciplinary and cultural patterns in authorial stance-taking and audience engagement, the proposed move-based approach offers pedagogical value for EAP/ESP instruction. In this overview, a paradigm shift in understanding interactions in academic writing is proposed, especially in cross-cultural and disciplinary contexts.