Are journals too focused on publishing research in English?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-03-13 11:01

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Most scientific journals are making minimal effort to overcome the barriers non-English speakers face when it comes to publishing peer-reviewed research, according to an Australian study. The team surveyed policies of 736 biological sciences journals to look at how linguistically inclusive the policies were and how they could be improved to help non-English speakers get their research into the journals. The team say their assessment revealed a 'grim landscape' when it came to inclusiveness, and journals with a higher impact factor were even less likely to have inclusive policies. The researchers say there are ways to improve this situation, which could help the science community to better address global challenges.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Summary: The dominant use of English seriously impedes the fair participation of non-native English speakers in science and transfer of knowledge across the globe. Journals play an irreplaceable role in addressing this issue. We surveyed policies of 736 journals in biological sciences and found that most journals make minimal efforts to overcome such language barriers in academic publishing. Society-owned journals were more likely to have policies that are inclusive for non-native English speakers and promote the multilingualization of scientific knowledge. By providing a set of actions that can be implemented by journals, this article will raise awareness about linguistic equity in academic publishing and urge publishers and journals to act immediately to overcome those barriers.

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Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales, The University of Melbourne, Griffith University

Funder: This project was funded by the 2021 Grant for Mentoring and Diversity in Biology of the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Queensland, the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT180100354), and the University of Queensland strategic funding.

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