Academic research networks and the role of literacy and network brokers in the publication of articles in Institute of Science Index-indexed journals: A case study of University Professors in English as a foreign language context

N Shokrpour,N Kheradparvar,A Mirzaee

doi:10.4103/2320-0057.129001

N Shokrpour, N Kheradparvar + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4103/2320-0057.129001

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Abstract

The small number of Institute of Science Index (ISI)-indexed articles published by some Iranian professors call for a solution. Therefore, this study focuses on local and transnational academic research networks of four university professors who are successful in publishing their articles in ISI-indexed journals. Through semi-structured interviews, this research describes professors' academic research networks and identifies brokers, network and their role in the process of article publication. The study indicates that literacy brokers were mostly colleagues, PhD supervisors and advisors, applied linguistic professors and reviewers. Network brokers were fewer in number and were found to be PhD advisors and an editor of a journal. Implications for novice researchers are also discussed.

Highlights

English is deemed as lingua franca in academia due to its status and imperialistic nature, which puts the periphery academics in non-Anglophone countries under pressure to publish in English medium journals and disseminate their articles so as to eschew perishing.[1,2,3,4,5] The gravity of the situation is laid bare when these periphery scholars are propelled to publish in journals with high impact factors
A research study highlighted that writers publishing in high impact western journals hoped for more citation, the high number of which would be evaluative of academic advancement.[4]
This study examined the “network history” of 4 Iranian scholars who have published their articles in Institute of Science Index (ISI)-indexed journals

Summary

Introduction

English is deemed as lingua franca in academia due to its status and imperialistic nature, which puts the periphery academics in non-Anglophone countries under pressure to publish in English medium journals and disseminate their articles so as to eschew perishing.[1,2,3,4,5] The gravity of the situation is laid bare when these periphery scholars are propelled to publish in journals with high impact factors.

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