Challenges Encountered by EAP Students in Writing Research Project

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is a prerequisite course for all first-year students at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). This course prepares students to meet academic writing expectations, culminating in the completion of a research project as part of their course assessment. Throughout this course, students are taught essential skills including library research, literature review writing, skimming, scanning, quoting, citing, paraphrasing, summarising, and referencing. However, many students encounter significant challenges in the process of writing their research projects. This study explores the challenges faced by EAP students at USIM in completing their research projects. Drawing on quantitative data collected from structured student surveys, this study identifies key difficulties related to academic language proficiency, research skills, and citation practices. The findings reveal that limited vocabulary, insufficient research knowledge, poor time management, difficulties with academic writing formats (APA/USIM style), lack of guidance, teamwork difficulties, and limited access to internet and digital resources significantly hinder students' ability to produce effective academic writing. The results suggest a need for more targeted support in EAP programs to help students achieve academic writing success.