Academic writing for publication: Putting the ‘international’ into context

Abstract

There is a growing body of research on the impact of English-medium publication and associated higher education regimes on knowledge construction. However, not much is known about how academics outside the Global North make decisions about how and where to publish. Through a comparative case study, this article sets out to explore how academics in Ethiopia and Oman engage in writing for publication. Taking an academic literacies lens, the analysis reveals that their decisions were shaped by institutional values at the local level, as well as global hierarchies around knowledge construction. However, issues around identity, languages and disciplinary cultures also influenced how academics chose to position themselves in relation to local and international journals. The findings point to the need for new partnerships between journals in the Global North and South to prevent ‘publication drain’, and for universities to explore ways to address inequalities perpetuated through journal ranking and language hierarchies.

Alternatives to English only in scholarly publishing: Emerging trends of language policies among non‐Anglophone journals?

“…At the same time, they avoid the journals' being assimilated by their Anglophone counterparts and thus maintain non-Anglophone journals' linguistic and cultural identity. The choice of a language policy in academic publishing is determined by a series of factors, including disciplinary expectations, research subjects, intended readership, national or institutional policies, resources, language competence, research networks and ideological factors (Baldauf, 2001;Gentil & Séror, 2014;Getahun et al, 2021;McGrath, 2014;Warchał & Zakrajewski, 2023;Zheng & Gao, 2016). One facilitating factor for the adoption of new language policies is the development of Given the fact that non-Anglophone journals are caught in a dilemma of either losing appeal to authors and reviewers if they publish in local languages or losing their linguistic and cultural identity if they publish in English, it is hoped that the current study can help weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each potential policy against their contextual and institutional resources, and select the one best fit for their needs.…”

“…The choice of a language policy in academic publishing is determined by a series of factors, including disciplinary expectations, research subjects, intended readership, national or institutional policies, resources, language competence, research networks and ideological factors (Baldauf, 2001; Gentil & Séror, 2014; Getahun et al, 2021; McGrath, 2014; Warchał & Zakrajewski, 2023; Zheng & Gao, 2016). One facilitating factor for the adoption of new language policies is the development of AI technology.…”

Main barriers and possible enablers of academicians while publishing

“…The determined cognitive barriers may be caused by inexperience in general, and they may gradually decrease in the later years of the academic career. For this reason, academicians who want to encounter cognitive barriers less often should engage in activities that will improve their writing (Getahun et al, 2021 ; Keen, 2007 ). Participation of academicians in supportive and improving activities is critical for ensuring optimum productivity of researchers, especially at the beginning of their careers (Dwyer et al, 2015 ; Johnston et al, 2014 ).…”

“…The academicians having problems in writing in English were also suggested to improve their knowledge and skills on this matter especially by making use of the opportunities abroad. In addition to such findings, the literature also includes suggestions that academicians having difficulty in reading and writing in English should read more in English (Belcher, 2019 ) and participate in academic writing groups (Oermann & Hays, 2015 ; Rose, 2009 ) to engage in activities that can support and improve them (Getahun et al, 2021 ; Hartley, 2008 ).…”

Translation-mediated bilingual publishing as a development strategy

“…In the current study, journals published in English in Anglophone countries and indexed in SCI, SSCI or A&HCI are labelled "mainstream journals", whereas those published in local languages in non-Anglophone countries and absent from SCI, SSCI or A&HCI (or present in the indexes but with a low ranking) are termed "peripheral journals" (Salager-Meyer, 2014). This unequal global relationship between the mainstream (core) and the peripheral (marginal) is known as Global North and Global South in Development Studies (Getahun et al, 2021). It should be acknowledged that making a dichotomic division between mainstream and periphery journals is not an easy undertaking.…”