Problems in Writing a Qualified Journal Article Publishing an Article in a Reputable International Journal: What Makes it a Mission Impossible? (Especially at the Result and Discussion)

Abstract

In developing countries, the quality of the publication in reputable international journals is continuously being improved. However, many writers struggle to be able to write a qualified article for such journal. Based on the observation and interview, it was found out that though the writers already knew about the rhetorical structures in the finding and discussion section, still their articles were not considered eligible to be published. The objective of this paper was to discuss the problems faced by writers in writing an article to be published in a reputable international journal. The data was gathered using a questionnaire given to students studying in the graduate school in University of Bengkulu majoring in Language Education. The findings reveal that the writing problems are related to the four aspects of behavior suggested by Adnan (2017) : 1) lecturers’ behavior in the thesis consultation, 2) behavior aspect outside the learning, 3) cognitive aspect, and 4) psychomotor aspect. A number of recommendations have been made regarding these findings: A continuous and proper training on formal writing genre should be started from middle school. In the university, students should be widely exposed to the scientific articles published in reputable international journals, especially in subjects like Academic Writing and English Language.