Academic Research Network Management: Sociocultural Perspectives from Languages Other Than English

Abstract

ABSTRACT Academic research networks (ARNs) play an increasingly important role in supporting academics’ research productivity and career development. Research on ARN management has investigated issues related to publishing in English and/or in local languages in different disciplinary and geographic contexts; nevertheless, how lecturers of foreign languages (other than English) in non-western countries manage their multilingual ARNs is under-researched. Employing interview data with 53 Chinese scholars of foreign languages (Japanese, Korean, and Russian) at 10 universities, we examine the types of ARNs they engage with, the roles these play in the research writing and publication process, and their individual agency in network management. Our findings underscore the vital role of ARNs as a form of social capital in research writing and publication, and the situated sociocultural and disciplinary-sensitive nature of ARN management. We identify implications for institutions with respect to local-language academic literacy development and publishing in languages other than English.