Writing to be read, or how to achieve more through less [Language Matters]

Terrence R Carney

doi:10.1515/ijsl-2024-0013

Article

Writing to be read, or how to achieve more through less [Language Matters]

Terrence R Carney

Published/Copyright: December 3, 2024

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Submit Manuscript Author Information Explore this Subject

From the journal International Journal of the Sociology of Language Volume 2024 Issue 289-290

Abstract

Wolfgang Klein’s observation in 1989 that a steady rise in academic publications affects a scientist’s capacity to read and write more extends to issues like funding, tenure, and citation on the one hand, and technological advancements like artificial intelligence that enable (and corrupt) research on the other. In documenting speakers’ linguistic behaviour in varied social settings, sociolinguistics journals are necessary platforms for the dissemination and archiving of sociolinguistic data. Like many academic journals, however, sociolinguistics journals also play a vital role in amassing information, simultaneously contributing to sociolinguistic progress and data excess. In this commentary, I agree with Klein that production should be reduced to some extent for authors to both read and write, and to contribute content in support of the research – not simply to be published.

Keywords: academic accomplishment; academic capitalism; global south; increased production; less is more; publication

Corresponding author: Terrence R Carney, Afrikaans & Theory of Literature, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, E-mail: carnetr@unisa.ac.za

References

Adler, Robert, John Ewing & Peter Taylor. 2008. Citation statistics. A report from the International Mathematical Union (IMU) in cooperation with the International Council of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS). Joint Committee on Qualitative Assessment of Research. https://www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IMU/Report/CitationStatistics.pdf (accessed 19 February 2024).Search in Google Scholar

Cabezas-Clavijo, Álvaro, Yusnelkis Milanés-Guisado & Ángel M. Delgado-Vázquez. 2022. Methodological shortcomings of bibliometric papers published in the journal sustainability (2019–2020). In Proceedings in the 26th International Conference on Science and Technology Indicators (STI 2022). https://reunir.unir.net/bitstream/handle/123456789/13296/STI_2022_cabezas%20et%20al.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 19 February 2024).Search in Google Scholar

Deem, Rosemary. 2001. Globalisation, new managerialism, academic capitalism and entrepreneurialism in universities: Is the local dimension still important? Comparative Education 37(1). 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050060020020408.Search in Google Scholar

Klein, Wolfgang. 1989. Schreiben oder Lesen, aber nicht beides, oder: Vorschlag zur Wiedereinführung der Keilschrift mittels Hammer und Meißel, Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik 74. 116–119. Repr. 2024 in International Journal of the Sociology of Language 289–290. 5–18.Search in Google Scholar

The PLoS Medicine Editors. 2006. The Impact Factor Game. PLoS Medicine 3(6). 0707–0708. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030291.Search in Google Scholar

Vanclay, Jerome K. 2012. Impact factor: Outdated artefact or stepping-stone to journal certification? Scientometrics 92. 211–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0561-0.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2024-01-22

Accepted: 2024-02-21

Published Online: 2024-12-03

Published in Print: 2024-09-25

You are currently not able to access this content.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2024-0013

Keywords for this article

academic accomplishment; academic capitalism; global south; increased production; less is more; publication