Hype is increasingly recognized as a key linguistic and rhetorical tool for promotion in research articles (RAs). This study aims to investigate the use of hype in the introduction sections of RAs. Using a corpus of 90 introductions in the field of applied linguistics, the research explores the phenomenon of hype, focusing on its linguistic realizations, target categories, and specific rhetorical functions across the three moves of this part-genre. The analysis reveals that hype is expressed through various words and phrases, with a total of 90 distinct hyping items identified. Most of these expressions are used to strongly embellish and promote different aspects of the author's current research. Among the nine target categories identified, the specific research topic, broad research area, real-world issue, and research primacy were frequently hyped. The analysis also shows that the rhetorical functions of hype differ across the three moves, with each function realized through distinct types and patterns of linguistic resources. Based on these findings, the study offers pedagogical implications for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instruction.