This paper concerns the regulation of second language research writing, particularly from the point of view of how English language writing is managed and intervened in. We approach the topic through a case study conducted at a computer science department in a large Nordic university. Drawing on interviews with researchers and administrative staff working in the setting, as well as document data, we explore (1) what kinds of institutional, top-down mechanisms can be identified which regulate English language research writing and (2) how regulation is enacted in the form of interventions into research texts as part of the writing practices of research groups. The analysis draws on the Academic Literacies paradigm and the sociolinguistics of writing. We analyse both the way in which research writing is affected by disciplinary conventions and expectations and the way in which institutional constraints and affordances impact writing. The findings show a lack of top-down mechanisms regulating writing; disciplinary pressures seemed to matter more to writers than institutional ones.