Spanish scholars' research article publishing process in English-medium journals: English used as a lingua franca?

Pilar Mur-Dueñas

doi:10.1515/jelf-2013-0017

Article

Spanish scholars' research article publishing process in English-medium journals: English used as a lingua franca?

Pilar Mur-Dueñas (PhD) is a lecturer at the Department of English and German Studies in the Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain). Her research interests focus mainly on the analysis of written academic genres, and more specifically, on the intercultural analysis of interpersonal features; she is also interested in the role of English as a lingua franca in the academia. She is a member of the InterLAE research group (www.interlae.com).

Published/Copyright: September 13, 2013

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From the journal Journal of English as a Lingua Franca Volume 2 Issue 2

Abstract

English has become the language of dissemination of research findings for scholars, especially in certain fields, and this is not an exception for Spanish scholars. They are under increasing pressure to write and publish research articles in international English-medium journals to establish their credentials, get academic promotion and rewards, and also to gain professional recognition. It is the aim of this paper to look at the process of writing research articles by a group of Spanish scholars in the field of finance by exploring the role played by “literacy brokers” (Lillis and Curry 2010): “wordface professionals” (Shashok 2008) (i.e., proofreaders and language consultants, who tend to be external community members) and gatekeepers (i.e., journal editors and reviewers). The study is based on eight text histories which contain the subsequent versions of the authors' manuscripts, the editors' letters, and the referees' reports. Referees and editors frequently point out the non-nativeness of the Spanish scholars' discourse, and encourage them to resort to English native wordface professionals. The analysis reveals the most common type of language revision which their manuscripts go through to comply not only with standard linguistic and discursive uses of the language but also with prevailing Anglo-American rhetorical conventions. Through this analysis an insight is gained into the extent to which English is used as a lingua franca (ELF) in this disciplinary academic community for research publication and dissemination.

Keywords: English for Academic Purposes (EAP); English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP); English as a Lingua Franca (ELF); research article; writing process; review process

About the author

Pilar Mur-Dueñas

Pilar Mur-Dueñas (PhD) is a lecturer at the Department of English and German Studies in the Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain). Her research interests focus mainly on the analysis of written academic genres, and more specifically, on the intercultural analysis of interpersonal features; she is also interested in the role of English as a lingua franca in the academia. She is a member of the InterLAE research group (www.interlae.com).

Published Online: 2013-09-13

Published in Print: 2013-09-12

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2013-0017

Keywords for this article

English for Academic Purposes (EAP); English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP); English as a Lingua Franca (ELF); research article; writing process; review process