Few studies have been conducted domestically concerning processes and perceptions of academic English writing． Research articles published in three SSCI journals concerning international studies in this field since the 1980s are reviewed． The review of literature reveals four areas of research ，i． e． writing processes ，writer perceptions ，writer identity construction and in- fluencing factors in academic English writing． The paper analyzes the distribution of research topics and makes critical comments on research contents and findings． Room for future research in the four topic areas is also discussed respectively．