Research Publication Purposes Research Articles

Duoethnography and English for research publication purposes: Promises and challenges

In this paper, we explain how to conduct and apply duoethnography innovatively, given its lack of prescribed methodological steps. We discuss the theoretical underpinnings of duoethnography, its central tenets, its methodological constraints, and its challenges and limitations. More specifically, we explain how this promising innovative methodology can be adopted in the fast-growing field of English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP) within Applied Linguistics to examine and investigate rhetorical, socio-political, and contextual aspects of the production and dissemination of knowledge and writing for scholarly publication practices. This paper aims to provide important pedagogical and scholarly implications for researchers in Applied Linguistics in general and ERPP in particular, especially novice scholars and doctoral students that are interested in reflective and reflexive methodologies and orientations.

Generating Genre-Based Automatic Feedback on English for Research Publication Purposes

Artificial intelligence (AI) for supporting second language (L2) writing processes and practices has garnered increasing interest in recent years, establishing AI-mediated L2 writing as a new norm for many multilingual classrooms. As such, the emergence of AI-mediated technologies has challenged L2 writing instructors and their philosophies regarding computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and teaching. Technologies that can combine principled pedagogical practices and the benefits of AI can help to change the landscape of L2 writing instruction while maintaining the integrity of knowledge production that is so important to CALL instructors. To align L2 instructional practices and CALL technologies, we discuss the development of an AI-mediated L2 writing technology that leverages genre-based instruction (GBI) and large language models to provide L2 writers and instructors with tools to enhance English for research publication purposes. Our work reports on the accuracy, precision, and recall of our network classification, which surpass previously reported research in the field of genre-based automated writing evaluation by offering a faster network training approach with higher accuracy of feedback provision and new beginnings for genre-based learning systems. Implications for tool development and GBI are discussed.

Review of Matzler (2021): Mentoring and co-writing for research publication purposes: Interaction and text development in doctoral supervision

Review of Matzler (2021): Mentoring and co-writing for research publication purposes: Interaction and text development in doctoral supervision

Japanese scientists’ English for research publication purposes

Abstract Error Analysis was developed by early Second Language Acquisition (SLA) researchers as a way to investigate interlanguage and better understand the second-language learning processes. While it is no longer an active branch of research in SLA, it remains a useful tool for those concerned with accuracy in language use. Given the elevated importance of accuracy in English for Research and Publication Purposes (ERPP), this may be one area where Error Analysis may continue to inform research and praxis. The high degree of language precision demanded in ERPP contexts can be a source of frustration for many engaged in scholarly publication, especially those for whom English is an additional language, such as the Japanese scientists studied in this paper. For Japanese scientists and possibly others, an empirical profile of their most frequent error patterns may help them to better deal with accuracy in research writing. With this motivation, this study applies a corpus-assisted error analysis framework to quantify sentence-level grammar errors and identify the most frequent error patterns in the research article manuscripts of Japanese scientists. A corpus of 53 research article manuscripts with 4,495 errors comprises the primary data. Additionally, two raters and a comparison of errors from scientists from six different L1 backgrounds are employed to triangulate the data and investigate the reliability and generalizability of the findings. Findings reveal that the top ten most frequent errors comprise 52.9%, or half of all errors in the corpus, and are dominated by errors with determiners and prepositions.

Medical Researchers React to Peer Review: Attitudes towards and Challenges of Iranian Surgeons Publishing in English

Despite the recent growth of attention to English for research publication purposes, little is known about how researchers view the role of peer review in their success of publication. In light of this gap, the present study investigated Iranian surgeons’ attitudes towards peer review and the challenges they face in getting their papers published. To this end, 26 Iranian surgeons were interviewed, and the transcribed data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The results revealed that firstly the surgeons attested to the positive and negative contributions of peer review in terms of changing or unchanging their attitudes, respectively. Secondly, the authors faced a myriad of challenges related to editors, reviewers, and socio-political-linguistic factors in getting their papers published. Moreover, they associated these challenges with positive and negative effects in being connected to their career-stage development and motivating them to conduct and submit more papers. The study concludes with implications for research and practice in how researchers can craft more quality papers to enhance their chance of publication in high-quality journals.

The rise of promotional communicative functions in medical research article abstracts: a diachronic (1940–2022) perspective

Academic genres are not static, but they may change according to the values and demands of the particular discourse communities that shape them. This paper explores the research article (RA) abstract, a relevant informative and promotional genre that exhibits the prevalent rhetorical practices of a specific disciplinary community. From a diachronic perspective, our purpose is to examine how these practices have evolved over time. To this end, using a genre-based approach, we have analysed the rhetorical moves and steps of 180 RA abstracts published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, over a period of nine decades (1940–2022). The findings revealed that the abstracts have increasingly become more promotional in terms of the persuasive rhetorical strategies that the authors use to enhance the contribution of their research. This is seen in the fact that the texts of more recent decades present a growing number of promotional communicative functions, mainly the moves/steps that claim the importance of the research topic and state the implications or significance of research. This study can have pedagogical implications for English for research publication purposes (ERPP) practitioners and early career researchers who seek to publish in international medical journals.

English as the Academic Lingua Franca (ELFA) for research publication purposes: voices from Iraq and Turkey

Abstract This paper contributes to the recently increasing literature on the role of English as the Academic Lingua Franca (ELFA) in international research publications, and the potential pros and cons this may entail for non-Anglophone scholars in different contexts. While exploring Turkish and Iraqi scholars’ attitudes to English for research publication purposes (ERPP), their research writing challenges, and the strategies they use for successful publication, which are areas still lagging far behind in the current state of research, will be the main focus. Therefore, an online questionnaire was designed in this context to investigate the experience of academicians of different academic ranks across university disciplines in both Turkey and Iraq to address such a research gap. Findings are expected to enrich the field with respect to the presumed relationship between ELFA and ‘linguistic injustice/hegemony’, problems encountered by non-Anglophone scholars in different contexts, and their strategies for successful publication through English.

An investigation into the missions and practices of glocal writing centers in the Chinese context: ERPP and EAP-EGP hybrid approaches

Chinese higher education internationalization demands effective English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing support to help Chinese college students engage in academic study and scholarly exchange. Writing centers, a globally prevailing form of U.S.-rooted writing support, have become a promising approach to innovating College English instruction in China. Recognizing the lack of empirical research on writing centers as part of EAP instruction, this study examines the missions and practices of glocal writing centers in China, i.e., indigenous writing centers with Chinese characteristics, by conducting photo elicitation-facilitated, in-depth interviews with writing center directors/founders from eleven Chinese universities. This study reveals two types of Chinese glocal writing centers, namely English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP) writing centers and English for Academic Purposes-English for General Purposes (EAP-EGP) hybrid writing centers, which are guided by indigenous missions of serving as innovation sites for the EGP-EAP/ESP reform of College English and responding to Chinese higher education internationalization. Additionally, Chinese writing centers distinguish themselves through a range of key practices, for example, the overwhelming preference for faculty tutors, acceptance of proofreading, and expanded writing activities. Implications are offered for implementing and researching writing centers as a glocal practice of EAP writing support in China and beyond.

AI-mediated English for research publication purposes

AI-mediated English for research publication purposes

John Flowerdew's essential bookshelf: English for research publication purposes (ERPP)

John Flowerdew is a Visiting Chair at the University of Lancaster and a Visiting Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. He was previously a Professor at City University of Hong Kong and at the University of Leeds, UK. His research is in the fields of Applied Linguistics and Discourse Analysis. His books include Academic listening: Research perspectives (CUP); Research perspectives on English for academic purposes (with M. Peacock) (CUP); Second language listening: Theory and practice (with L. Miller) (CUP); Academic discourse (Longman); Discourse in English language education (Routledge); Signalling nouns in discourse: A corpus-based discourse approach (with R. W. Forest) (CUP); Discourse in context (Bloomsbury); The Routledge handbook of critical discourse studies (with J. Richardson); Discipline-specific writing: Theory into practice (with T. Costley) (Routledge), and Introducing English for research publication purposes (with P. Habibie (Routledge).

Phrasal Syntactic Complexity Measures in Linguistics Research Articles Written by Iraqi and English L1 Writers

Complex phrasal structures are considered the distinctive features in the academic writing of high-proficiency writers. The use of more complex phrasal structures increases the quality of the written text. Based on the contrastive rhetorical theory of writing, writers are required to use linguistic components in a specific way that meets the genre of writing. This study aims to investigate and compare the phrasal syntactic complexity measures of the texts of linguistics research articles written by Iraqi and English L1 writers. It identifies if there is a significant difference between the writing of Iraqi and English L1 writers in terms of using phrasal syntactic structures. This study utilised the corpus-based method to analyse linguistics research articles written by Iraqi and English L1 writers and published from 2016 to 2020. Twelve phrasal syntactic complexity measures were analysed by using the automatic analyser TAASSC. This study revealed a significant difference between the writing of Iraqi and English L1 writers in terms of the analysed phrasal complexity measures. Utilising the complex phrasal structures in Iraqi research articles would significantly contribute to the quality and publication acceptance in reputable international journals. This study is therefore significant to guide Iraqi researchers to improvise their academic writing skills for publication purposes. Keywords: English for research publication purposes ERPP; English L1 writers; linguistics research articles; Iraqi writers; phrasal syntactic complexity

Critical language awareness and English for Research Publication Purposes

Critical language awareness and English for Research Publication Purposes

Intersectionality of marginalisation: EAL academics in exile writing for international publication

ABSTRACT Intersectionality, the interconnectedness of social categories to account for individual experience or behaviour, has received increased attention in various areas in applied linguistics. Although in English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP) different identity vectors have been investigated separately, there has been less focus on how these vectors intersect with each other to shape writers’ experiences of publishing and contribute to their (dis)advantageous position as academics. In this paper, we draw on the intersectionality framework to provide a more nuanced understanding of the experiences of 12 Syrian academics in exile as they try to publish in international journals as well as their perceptions and practices regarding their marginalisation. Three areas of exiled academics’ experiences are examined in this study: access to academic-related employment, conducting research, and research writing for international publication in English. Using interviews with Syrian academics and their co-authors, we investigated how multiple vectors of identity intersect and impact on the Syrian academics’ writing for publication in exile. It has been shown that exiled academics experience marginalisation in all three areas on account of multiple aspects of their identity. We conclude with implications for support agencies and funding bodies on how to better assist exiled academics.

An intercultural approach to an embedded “bad news” genre

Acknowledging the limitations of your own research is rhetorically challenging, and especially for those aiming to publish in a second language. This paper hypothesizes that a part of the challenge may be due to cross-cultural differences in the way these potentially self-damaging statements are rhetorically managed in RA discussion and/or other closing (DC) sections. Adopting an intercultural rhetoric approach, I drew two sub-samples of Limitations from two comparable corpora of social science RA DC sections across English and Spanish. I compared the rhetorical purposes of their surrounding segments from the lens of the “bad news” genre. The results showed that most authors prepared the reader for the Limitations, although the preferred stylistic strategies for doing so varied across the two publication contexts. Authors tended to exploit a similar set of rhetorical purposes, but in different ways to persuade readers about the acceptability of their study limitations. Specifically, in English it was conventional to “sandwich” the Limitations with good news, including implications for future practice, to mitigate their possible negative effect. In contrast, in Spanish it was conventional to surround them with explications to display the authors’ expertise, while the only salient mitigating strategy was their attribution to an external factor. These different rhetorical practices may be understood by divergent cultural (writing) styles, as well as differing authors’ understandings of impression management that were uncovered through email interviews. I advocate for a critical intercultural awareness approach to training scholars in writing skills necessary for research publication purposes in different languages.

Reflections on the perceived longer-term impact of an ERPP course

Abstract Research-intensive universities in the global peripheries have begun to mount English for research publication purposes (ERPP) initiatives to increase plurilingual scholars’ publishing success. Though research into pedagogical initiatives is still limited, investigations of such programs can provide researchers with a greater understanding of the broader experiences and perspectives of scholars as well as the potential impact of interventions on course participants’ scholarly writing. Answering the call for more longitudinal work in ERPP, this article outlines a small-scale, qualitative investigation of the perceived impact of an intensive ERPP course at a Mexican university on two environmental scientists’ research writing five years following course completion. Data analysis included systematic review of participant CVs, as well as semi-structured interviews with two plurilingual EAL scientists and two ERPP practitioners connected to the ERPP course. Employing a critical plurilingual lens, this article discusses findings that not only outline the perceived impact of the intervention on these scientists’ research writing at different stages of their academic trajectories, but also highlight the plurilingual nature of their evolving scholarly practices. The article culminates with data-driven suggestions for plurilingual conceptualization and enactment of scholarly writing pedagogies, policies, and research agendas.

English for Research Publication Purposes

English for Research Publication Purposes

Models of English for research publication purposes

AbstractEnglish for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP) is a sub‐field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), itself a sub‐field of applied linguistics. This article considers ERPP from a world Englishes perspective, considering the question as to what sort of English is appropriate for ERPP: the standardised model, as preferred at present, or a varietal, world Englishes, model, which would take more account of the fact that the majority of scholars publishing their work in English are no longer Anglophones, but use English as an additional language (EAL). The article is in two parts. In the first part, the case for ‘Standard English’ is presented, while the second part presents the case for a varietal model. In spite of some limited evidence of world Englishes encroaching into international journals, the latter remain fundamentally conservative and anchored in Standard English. Factors which might increase the use of world Englishes are outlined.

Writing for scholarly publication in an interconnected disjunctured world

Academic productivity and scholarly publication are a major requirement for academics in today’s market-oriented academia and a major marker of their position and career prospects in academic stratification. Adopting a global perspective and drawing on fields such as sociology and economy of knowledge, second language writing (SLW), and the fast-expanding field of English for research publication purposes (ERPP), this paper looks at a number of historical, socio-political and economic issues and a network of actors that have shaped and impacted knowledge economy development and exalted scholarly publication in current academic discourse. The paper also looks at and problematizes the analytical lenses through which SLW has examined the scholarly publication practices of scholars globally. Moreover, it proposes other complementary ways to examine scholarly publication practices in international academic contexts which can add a more nuanced understanding to the current scholarship in this domain. Finally, it puts forward a number of suggestions for further inquiry in the domain of scholarly publication that may be of interest to SLW research community.

Rhetorical Structure of Applied Linguistics Research Article Discussions: A Comparative Cross-Cultural Analysis

Background. Recent years have seen tremendous research efforts in the development of English for academic and research publication purposes, utilising an established approach to comparative genre analysis. This growing interest is primarily driven by the global dominance of Anglophone writing conventions, which necessitates raising awareness among researchers, particularly in non-Anglophone contexts.
 Purpose. This study explored and analysed the communicative intents of the discussion sections in research articles in two different contexts to investigate the effect of nativeness on the structural organisation in this genre. The focus of the study was on the rhetorical structure and employment of Moves in the applied linguistics research article Discussions, written in English by Iranian and native English-speaking researchers.
 Methods. A mixed-methods research study was conducted on two corpora, comprising 40 Discussions written by Iranian scholars and 40 Discussions written by native English-speaking scholars, selected from research articles published in international peer-reviewed journals.
 Results. The comparison of the two corpora revealed similarities and differences in the frequency, type, structure, sequence, and cyclicity of Moves. While there were significant differences in the frequency and sequence of Moves and Steps, both corpora employed the same types. They featured cyclical structures with no evidence of linear patterns across the Discussions. Both groups of researchers found it essential to provide background information and report and comment on the results in the research article Discussions, however, with notable differences in commenting strategies, i.e., Steps. The results indicated that socio-cultural conventions might have influenced the scholars' under- and over-employment of certain Moves and Steps in the research article Discussions.
 Implications. The findings of this study provide research-based evidence to practically and pedagogically assist in the context of English for academic and specific purposes, particularly in teaching English for research publication purposes to non-native English-speaking scholars.

Helping EAL academics navigate asymmetrical power relations in co-authorship

This paper presents, discusses, and evaluates research-based materials for English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP) teaching, based on a study conducted with exiled academics supported by CARA (Council for At-Risk Academics) and their UK-based co-authors who provided textual interventions on their texts. Using data from interviews with exiled academics and their UK-based co-authors/mentors as well as their article drafts and textual interventions, we present teaching materials for ERPP workshops aimed at raising the participants’ awareness of issues that may arise in co-authorship involving asymmetrical power relations, such as those between exiled academics and their UK-based co-authors/mentors. The materials take the shape of data-based scenarios which ask workshop attendees to consider experiential co-authorship narratives involving (i) the issue of ‘parochialism’, i.e., failure to indicate the relevance of one’s research to a larger audience, (ii) issues with the type and amount of feedback regarding writer development and text production, (iii) blurred lines of co-authorship roles, and (iv) authority issues in interdisciplinary collaborative writing. Each scenario is followed by a research-informed discussion. We argue that scenario-based awareness-raising activities can sensitize all parties in asymmetrical co-authorship pairs/groups to common challenges that arise in such collaborations, help them navigate collaborative writing successfully, and encourage them to reflect on their own co-authorship practices. We conclude by discussing the merits of the scenario-based approach to developing materials for ERPP teaching.