Publications

136 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Plus ça Change……

by Alan Singleton

Publications 2016, 4(3), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030028 - 7 Sep 2016

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3386

It’s almost a commonplace remark to say that we are experiencing an unprecedented period of change in the world of scholarly communication in general, and publishing in particular.[...] Full article

141 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Introduction to the Special Issue: Researching, Teaching, and Supporting Research Publication—Issues for Users of English as an Additional Language

by Margaret Cargill

Publications 2016, 4(3), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030027 - 10 Aug 2016

Viewed by 5156

Abstract

The ‘industry’ of research publication has now grown to mammoth proportions and its participants—authors, reviewers, editors, publishers and more—come from increasingly diverse locations and backgrounds, including of language.[...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Researching, Teaching, and Supporting Research Publication: Issues for Users of English as an Additional Language)

189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thesis Supervisors as Literacy Brokers in Brazil

by Ron Martinez and Karin Graf

Publications 2016, 4(3), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030026 - 5 Aug 2016

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6307

Abstract

In Brazil, as in much of the academic world, there is an increasing acknowledgement among scholars that their chances of having their research noticed by a geographically diverse scientific community increase when that research is communicated in English. At the same time, much [...] Read more.

In Brazil, as in much of the academic world, there is an increasing acknowledgement among scholars that their chances of having their research noticed by a geographically diverse scientific community increase when that research is communicated in English. At the same time, much like the majority of the world, the first language of Brazil is not English, which raises one question that heretofore has not been addressed in the context of that country: How do Brazilian scholars write their research articles in English? That question drove the initial phase of the exploratory study described in the present paper, and it is one that also led the authors to discover that one key agent in the publishing process in Brazilian academia is the dissertation/thesis supervisor. Questionnaire and interview data collected from students and supervisors at a Brazilian university suggest that student and lecturer alike see the need and value of specialized writing guidance, yet neither party seems to ascribe the role of “literacy broker” (a person who contributes to the development of a text intended for publication) to the thesis supervisor in any specific way. Pedagogical implications and directions for future research are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Researching, Teaching, and Supporting Research Publication: Issues for Users of English as an Additional Language)

178 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Chinese Postgraduate Medical Students Researching for Publication

by Yongyan Li

Publications 2016, 4(3), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030025 - 27 Jul 2016

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4381

Abstract

The value of including a research component in medical students’ training programs has been widely recognized. Nevertheless, examples of how this may be done are rarely found in the literature. The case study reported in this short paper aimed to address this gap [...] Read more.

The value of including a research component in medical students’ training programs has been widely recognized. Nevertheless, examples of how this may be done are rarely found in the literature. The case study reported in this short paper aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating how a group of postgraduate students attached to the Orthopedics Department of a major hospital in China engaged in research for publication. Fourteen students were interviewed, and their “mission lists” were analyzed to reveal the students’ research profiles, the sources of their research ideas, and their data collection activities. The study showed that the students pursued more clinical than basic research topics, their research topics often fell under their immediate supervisors’ larger projects, and the students were actively engaged in the gathering of research data on the wards and at the outpatient clinic. The reported study does not claim generalizability of its findings. More of such reports from various settings in different parts of the world are needed to enhance constructive exchanges and mutual learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)

229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Academic Publishing: Making the Implicit Explicit

by Cecile Badenhorst and Xiaolin Xu

Publications 2016, 4(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030024 - 22 Jul 2016

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 9503

Abstract

For doctoral students, publishing in peer-reviewed journals is a task many face with anxiety and trepidation. The world of publishing, from choosing a journal, negotiating with editors and navigating reviewers’ responses is a bewildering place. Looking in from the outside, it seems that [...] Read more.

For doctoral students, publishing in peer-reviewed journals is a task many face with anxiety and trepidation. The world of publishing, from choosing a journal, negotiating with editors and navigating reviewers’ responses is a bewildering place. Looking in from the outside, it seems that successful and productive academic writers have knowledge that is inaccessible to novice scholars. While there is a growing literature on writing for scholarly publication, many of these publications promote writing and publishing as a straightforward activity that anyone can achieve if they follow the rules. We argue that the specific and situated contexts in which academic writers negotiate publishing practices is more complicated and messy. In this paper, we attempt to make explicit our publishing processes to highlight the complex nature of publishing. We use autoethnographic narratives to provide discussion points and insights into the challenges of publishing peer reviewed articles. One narrative is by a doctoral student at the beginning of her publishing career, who expresses her desires, concerns and anxieties about writing for publication. The other narrative focuses on the publishing practices of a more experienced academic writer. Both are international scholars working in the Canadian context. The purpose of this paper is to explore academic publishing through the juxtaposition of these two narratives to make explicit some of the more implicit processes. Four themes emerge from these narratives. To publish successfully, academic writers need: (1) to be discourse analysts; (2) to have a critical competence; (3) to have writing fluency; and (4) to be emotionally intelligent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)

868 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structure of Moves in Research Article Abstracts in Applied Linguistics

by Seden Can, Erkan Karabacak and Jingjing Qin

Publications 2016, 4(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030023 - 18 Jul 2016

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 11442

Abstract

An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. [...] Read more.

An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. The present study aimed to both examine move structures in AL abstracts and compare the results with previous studies both synchronically and diachronically. Fifty abstracts were collected from articles published in the journal English for Specific Purposes (ESP) between 2011 and 2013. Sentences were coded using a five-move scheme adapted from previous studies. Combining the results from previous research and the present study showed that most AL abstracts give information on the purpose, methodology, and findings of the associated article, while about half of the articles omit introduction of the topic and discussion of the findings. It was also found that authors frequently violate the move sequence expected by current schemes. These findings consistent with previous research suggest that future researchers informed by move analyses should explore the connection between the findings of move analyses and teaching materials for academic writing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)

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253 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

What Motivates Authors of Scholarly Articles? The Importance of Journal Attributes and Potential Audience on Publication Choice

by Carol Tenopir, Elizabeth Dalton, Allison Fish, Lisa Christian, Misty Jones and MacKenzie Smith

Publications 2016, 4(3), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030022 - 18 Jul 2016

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 19113

Abstract

In this article we examine what motivations influence academic authors in selecting a journal in which to publish. A survey was sent to approximately 15,000 faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers at four large North American research universities with a response rate of [...] Read more.

In this article we examine what motivations influence academic authors in selecting a journal in which to publish. A survey was sent to approximately 15,000 faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers at four large North American research universities with a response rate of 14.4% (n = 2021). Respondents were asked to rate how eight different journal attributes and five different audiences influence their choice of publication output. Within the sample, the most highly rated attributes are quality and reputation of journal and fit with the scope of the journal; open access is the least important attribute. Researchers at other research-intensive institutions are considered the most important audience, while the general public is the least important. There are significant differences across subject disciplines and position types. Our findings have implications for understanding the adoption of open access publishing models. Full article

2794 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Editorial Board Membership, Time to Accept, and the Effect on the Citation Counts of Journal Articles

by Dalibor Fiala, Cecília Havrilová, Martin Dostal and Ján Paralič

Publications 2016, 4(3), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030021 - 15 Jul 2016

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6208

Abstract

In this paper we report on a study of 1541 articles from three different journals (Journal of Informetrics, Information Processing and Management, and Computers and Electrical Engineering) from the period 2007–2014. We analyzed their dates of submission and of [...] Read more.

In this paper we report on a study of 1541 articles from three different journals (Journal of Informetrics, Information Processing and Management, and Computers and Electrical Engineering) from the period 2007–2014. We analyzed their dates of submission and of final decision to accept and investigated whether the difference between these two dates (the so-called “time to accept”) is smaller for the articles authored by the corresponding journal’s editorial board members and whether longer times to accept yield higher citation counts. The main results are that we found significantly shorter times to accept editorial board member’s articles only in Journal of Informetrics and not in the other two journals, and that articles in any of these journals that took longer to be accepted did not receive markedly more citations. Full article

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2426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Publishing Patterns in BRIC Countries: A Network Analysis

by Miguel R. Guevara and Marcelo Mendoza

Publications 2016, 4(3), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030020 - 15 Jul 2016

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5320

Abstract

How similar are the publishing patterns of among Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC countries) in comparison with other countries? This is a question that we addressed by using networks as a tool to analyze the structure of similarities and disparities between countries. [...] Read more.

How similar are the publishing patterns of among Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC countries) in comparison with other countries? This is a question that we addressed by using networks as a tool to analyze the structure of similarities and disparities between countries. We analyzed the number of publications from 2006 to 2015 that are reported by SCImago Journal and Country Rank. With this information, we created a network in order to find the closest countries to BRIC ones, and also to find communities of similar countries favoring data analysis. We found that Brazil, China and Russia are not that close to the core cluster of countries that are more diversified. In opposition, India is closer to a community of countries that are more diverse in terms of publishing patterns. Furthermore, we found that, for different network topologies, Brazil acts as a bridge to connect developing countries and that Russia practices patterns that tend to isolate it from most of the countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Emergence of the BRIC Countries on the World Stage: Bibliometric Perspectives)

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1619 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Obstacles to Scholarly Publishing in the Social Sciences and Humanities: A Case Study of Vietnamese Scholars

by Phuong Dzung Pho and Thi Minh Phuong Tran

Publications 2016, 4(3), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030019 - 30 Jun 2016

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 9519

Abstract

Publishing scientific research is very important in contributing to the knowledge of a discipline and in sharing research findings among scientists. Based on the quantity and quality of publications, one can evaluate the research capacity of a researcher or the research performance of [...] Read more.

Publishing scientific research is very important in contributing to the knowledge of a discipline and in sharing research findings among scientists. Based on the quantity and quality of publications, one can evaluate the research capacity of a researcher or the research performance of a university or a country. However, the number of quality publications in Vietnam is very low in comparison with those in the other countries in the region or in the world, especially in the fields of social sciences and humanities. Employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the current study investigates university lecturers’ attitudes towards research and publication and the obstacles to local and international publication at one of the main universities in social sciences and humanities in Vietnam. The study found the main barriers to publication are funding and time for research and publication, among many other obstacles. From the analysis of the data, the study would also argue that lecturers’ obstacles to publication may vary across faculties (or disciplines), ages, qualifications, education, research and publication experience. The findings in this study may be applied to other institutions in Vietnam or in other countries where English is used as a foreign language. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)

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