At the Intersection of Disciplinary Practice and Science Policy: Publication Language Choices of Social Sciences and Humanities Scholars in Poland

Abstract

The choice of language for research publication is a strategic decision that balances such issues as efficient communication of results to the target audience, requirements of the grant agency, the guidelines of desirable publication venues, and promotion criteria. Previous studies have shown that social sciences and humanities (SSH) scholars tend to communicate research in at least two languages and that they increasingly publish in English in addition to national languages. Evidence for disciplinary differences in publication languages in the SSH comes primarily from bibliometric studies that span short evaluative periods. This study aims to provide a complementary perspective on the lifelong publication practices in the SSH in one national context, using data obtained in a survey carried out in Polish universities. Its main objective is to assess the degree of multilingualism of individual disciplines and academic seniority groups, establish which languages are used, and set the results in the context of country- and institution-level science policies. The results show that while all the disciplines are oriented toward internationalization, they have developed distinctive practices reflecting their engagement with locally relevant topics, involvement with projects on the regional or supranational level, and participation in global research. They also show that by prioritizing publication in top-tier international venues across the board, current science policies do not adequately consider disciplinary practices and target audiences.