Alternative modes of publication for novice researchers

Abstract

In recent years, academic publishing has become a top strategic priority for many higher education institutions around the world. For instance, many universities are striving for excellence in research and dissemination of knowledge by encouraging their faculty and research students to publish in top-tier research journals in their respective fields of specialty. In the fields of applied linguistics (AL) and TESOL, as in other fields of study, the main considerations advanced for publishing in top-tier research-oriented journals (ROJs) include (a) contributing to the body of knowledge in the field by expanding the knowledge base and adding to the literature, (b) increasing existing knowledge, and (c) creating an impact on the field (see, e.g., Casanave & Vandrick, 2003; Matsuda, 2015). While this is a legitimate strategic goal for many higher education institutions, no doubt, exclusive focus on full-length articles (FLAs) that are data-driven or state-of-the-art review articles in top-tier ROJs constitutes a real challenge, in particular for graduate students and early career researchers (henceforth, novice researchers) (Matsuda, 2003). This challenge might force novice researchers, knowingly or unknowingly, to seek to publish in predatory journals or in publications with commercial rather than professional publishers. Predatory journals may appear respectable from their titles, which is an easy way to lure novice researchers. For instance, a quick search in Cabells Scholarly Analytics for Predatory Reports on predatory publishers and journals will show the magnitude of the spread of these rogue journals and publishers into virtually every discipline and domain of study. (For more information on these publishers and journals, see Cabells Scholarly Analytics for Predatory Reports on predatory publishers and journals, https://www2.cabells.com/.) Alternatively, this challenge might result in frustration, as novices’ manuscripts are often rejected by research-oriented journals, leading many novice researchers to giving up on academic publishing altogether. This is true whether these novice researchers are native speakers (NSs) or nonnative speakers (NNSs) of English (Flowerdew, 2001). However, given that many of the AL and TESOL novice researchers are NNSs of English, and given that most contemporary academic publishing is in the English language (Polio & Williams, 2009), the difficult task facing nonnative English speaking researchers when publishing in English is exacerbated, resulting in even more frustration (see Flowerdew, 2001, 2008, for detailed discussion of the difficulties facing NNSs when attempting to publish in English). To address this issue, I describe in this article alternative modes of publication that are practitioner-oriented and suited to novice researchers in the fields of AL and TESOL to disseminate knowledge beyond ROJs. These are conference proceedings and university working papers series, newsletter articles, specialized magazine articles, and practice-oriented articles or small-scale studies. Two very valuable early publishing opportunities for novice researchers are publishing in a peer-reviewed volume of conference proceedings and/or in university working papers series (WPS). An ideal first step in publishing for novice researchers is to give a conference presentation and then publish a version of the presentation in a peer-reviewed proceedings volume. Alternatively, the first step might be publishing in the university’s WPS. Many universities have WPS for the dissemination of research from faculty and research students. WPS publish work-in-progress research to stimulate discussion and contribute to the spread of knowledge across a wide range of research areas. For instance, the Faculty of Education in the University of Cambridge describes its WPS as follows: “In this Series, Working Papers constitute work in progress publications. They are published to bring about discussion and contribute to the advancement of knowledge. They represent work from Faculty staff and doctoral students across a wide range of research areas. … We also offer the opportunity for our Masters students who have won the best thesis award to publish an abridged version of their thesis with us” (https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/workingpapers/). Publishing in a peer-reviewed volume of conference proceedings or in university WPS constitutes a good first exercise in academic publishing. Both of these publishing opportunities provide novice researchers with first-hand knowledge and practical experience of the key issues involved in the publication process including the basic steps, stages, and requirements of publishing as well as issues of dealing with editors’ decisions, reviewers’ reports, and revising one’s submission. At the same time, the novice researcher will be socialized into the publication process more gently than s/he would by the sometimes too challenging world of top-tier journal reviewers. Most professional associations in the field—such as the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL), and the TESOL International Association—have special interest groups (SIGs) or interest sections (ISs). Most of these SIGs and ISs have periodical newsletters dedicated to their members where they can write articles on topics of relevance to the SIG or IS; provide commentaries on any current teaching or research issues; or write opinion articles relevant to the group or the professional association in general. For instance, the TESOL International Association has some 20 ISs for its members in fields such as adult education, applied linguistics, English as a foreign language, and second language writing, as well as for SIGs such as materials writers and nonnative English speaker teachers. Newsletter articles for the IS or SIG are sometimes solicited or invited and other times unsolicited. They usually range in length from 200–1,000 words. Publishing an article in a SIG or IS newsletter has multiple benefits for novice researchers. First, it ensures that these emerging researchers are both members of professional associations in their field, and actively involved in contributing to their associations from an early stage. Second, it constitutes another step (assuming that the first was publishing in conference proceedings and/or in university WPS) in academic publishing and contributing to a community of practice. Third, it enhances the emerging researchers’ visibility and sharpens their identity as potential contributors to the body of knowledge in their respective disciplines. And fourth, this involvement constitutes an excellent professional development opportunity for emerging researchers. Specialized magazines in English language teaching (ELT) are venues that publish practitioner-based or practical content articles for the classroom teacher. Submissions to a specialized magazine are usually based on a small-scale study (e.g., teacher action research, case study, small quasi-experimental study), or a practical and detailed synthesis of research findings for the classroom teacher, with the main focus on the practical aspects of the content in all cases. Main feature articles and other articles published by specialized magazines vary in length but are usually between 1,500–2,500 words long. English Teaching Forum and English Teaching Professional are two of the most well-established and well-known magazines in the world. Submissions to specialized magazines like these are usually subject to internal and external reviews, and therefore publishing in these magazines is a challenge to some degree. However, due to their practical nature, goal, and focus, and small-scale investigation, magazine articles are less likely to be as challenging as FLAs in ROJs which are substantially longer and are expected to make a contribution to knowledge. Hence, specialized magazines constitute another good opportunity for emerging researchers to gain first-hand knowledge and experience of key aspects of academic publishing. Practice-oriented articles are articles that are primarily intended for improving teaching and practice in the second language (L2) classroom. These articles might focus on one or more language learning skills (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, writing), or strategy, technique, issue, aspect, variable, and so on relevant to L2 learning and teaching. Practice-oriented articles usually include detailed pedagogical descriptions for use and implementation by the classroom teacher. However, they also ground their practical and pedagogical implications in research findings and theory for justification, credibility, and reliability. Depending on the specific journal, practice-oriented articles vary in length from 3,000–5,000 words. Some journals like English Language Teaching Journal (ELT Journal) and TESOL Journal are dedicated to such practice-oriented articles. On the other hand, some ROJs like TESOL Quarterly, TESOL Canada Journal, and Journal of English for Academic Purposes have sections dedicated to small-scale studies, in addition to their research-oriented FLAs. For example, TESOL Quarterly’s Brief Reports and Summaries section is specifically dedicated to small-scale studies or preliminary reports of larger studies. Similarly, Journal of English for Academic Purposes features a section on Research to Practice which, according to the journal’s website, “will offer more grounded and practice-based discussions than is usually found in conventional research articles” (https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-english-for-academic-purposes/news/introducing-researching-eap). Publishing practice-oriented articles or small-scale research studies usually involves an internal and external reviewing process more or less similar to conference proceedings, university working papers series, newsletter articles, and magazine articles. However, these also remain less challenging and demanding than publishing FLAs in ROJs, as the latter are substantially longer pieces of research that are expected to create new knowledge or break new ground. As such, publishing one or two practice-oriented articles and/or small-scale studies provides emerging researchers with first-hand knowledge of virtually all the key aspects and issues required for academic publishing. It is a perfectly legitimate ultimate goal to achieve excellence in research and disseminate knowledge in the AL and TESOL fields by publishing in research-oriented high-impact journals and contributing to the knowledge base of one’s field. But it is also equally important to create the right opportunities for novice researchers by guiding and nurturing them (Shehadeh, 2019), facilitating their journey towards this goal, and enabling them to ultimately create their research niche in the field (Shehadeh, 2015). Focusing on the fields of AL and TESOL, I have illustrated in this article a range of alternative modes of publication which novice researchers can choose from to spread knowledge beyond research-oriented journals. A number of publishing modes were identified and discussed, including conference proceedings, university working papers series, newsletter articles, magazine articles, practice-oriented articles, and small-scale research studies. However, it is worth mentioning that these are by no means the only publishing avenues available to novice researchers. Co-authoring with experienced current or former MA/PhD supervisors, for example, is also an excellent opportunity for novice researchers to be guided through the publication process, and the novice researcher then has the advantage of trying for a good research journal for the dissemination of knowledge. Ali Shehadeh is a professor of applied linguistics and TESOL in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University. He has published in top-tier research journals in the field including Language Learning, TESOL Quarterly, System, Journal of Applied Linguistics, ELT Journal, and Journal of Second Language Writing. I would like to thank TESOL Journal editors and the anonymous reviewers for providing informative and insightful feedback, comments, and recommendations on earlier versions of this article. I would also like to thank Alia Abdulrahman for reading the first draft of this article and providing helpful suggestions.