Revision of scientific manuscripts by non-native English-speaking scientists in response to journal editors’ language critiques
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v3i2.129Keywords:
scientific publishing, revision, nonnative-English-speaker writing, systemic functional linguistics, scientific writing, discourse analysisAbstract
Scientists’ manuscripts must fulfill the expectations of journal reviewers and editors in order to be published, whether the author’s first language is English or not. However, manuscripts submitted by nonnative-English-speaking scientists are sometimes criticized for their language usage and they require revision. In some cases, these authors do revise their manuscripts, resubmit them, and have them accepted for publication. To date, little had been known about the linguistic changes scientists make to their manuscripts, nor had there been a close descriptive study of the textual revisions that served to satisfy the demands of journal editors. This study uses the systemic functional linguistics approach of discourse analysis to examine the changes made in a small corpus of manuscripts from nonnative-English-speaking scientists that were initially criticized, in part for their language usage, but were later accepted. The results demonstrate that the changes that were made at the lexicogrammatical level were not mere syntactic corrections, but altered the position of the scientist and his text in relation to the scientific community.
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Samraj, B. (2005) An exploration of a genre set: research article abstracts and introductions in two disciplines. English for Specific Purposes 24: 141–156.
Santos García, S. (2001) Diferencia en las convenciones retóricas del inglés y del español y su influencia en la escritura en inglés como idioma extranjero por hispanohablantes Mexicanos [Difference in the rhetorical conventions of English and Spanish and their influence in writing in English as a foreign language by Mexican Spanish-speakers]. Mextesol Journal 24(3): 35–49.
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Simpson, J. M. (2000) Topical structure analysis of academic paragraphs in English and Spanish. Journal of Second Language Writing 9: 293–309.
Stake, R. E. (1995) The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Swales, J. M. (1990) Genre Analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ventola, E. and Mauranen, A. (1991) Non-native writing and native revising of scientific articles. In E. Ventola (ed.) Functional and Systemic Linguistics 457–492. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Wood, A. (1997) International scientific English: some thoughts on science, language and ownership. Scientific Tribune. Retrieved 7 April from http://www.tribunes.com/tribune/ art97/wooda.htm
Bazerman, C. (1998) Emerging perspectives on the many dimensions of scientific discourse. In J. R. Martin and R. Veel (eds) Reading Science 15–28. London: Routledge.
Berkenkotter, C. and Huckin, T. (1995) Genre Knowledge in Disciplinary Communication: cognition, culture, power. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bhatia, V. K. (2004) Worlds of Written Discourse: a genre-based view. London: Continuum.
Christie, F. and Unsworth, L. (2000) Developing socially responsible language research. In L. Unsworth (ed.) Researching Language in Schools and Communities 1–26. London: Cassell.
Crismore, A. and Farnsworth, R. (1990) Metadiscourse in popular and professional science discourse. In W. Nash (ed.) The Writing Scholar: studies in academic discourse Vol. 3 118–136. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Eggins, S. (1994) An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. London: Continuum.
Englander, K. (2006) Non-native English-speaking scientists’ successful revision for English-language publication: a discourse analytic and social constructivist study. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Englander, K. (forthcoming) Transformation of the identities of nonnative English speaking scientists as a consequence of the social construction of revision. Journal of Language, Identity and Education.
Fernández Polo, F. J. (1999) Traducción y Retórica Contrastiva: A Propósito de la Traducción de Textos de Divulgación Científica del Inglés al Español [Translation and Contrastive Rhetoric: a Proposal for the Translation of Popular Texts from English to Spanish]. Santiago de Compostela, Spain: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Servicio de Publicacións.
Flowerdew, J. (1999) Problems in writing for scholarly publication in English: the case of Hong Kong. Journal of Second Language Writing 8: 243–264.
Flowerdew, J. (2000) Discourse community, legitimate peripheral participation, and the non-native English-speaking scholar. TESOL Quarterly 34: 127–150.
Flowerdew, J. (2001) Attitudes of journal editors to nonnative speaker contributions. TESOL Quarterly 35: 121–150.
Gilbert, G. N. and Mulkay, M. (1984) Opening Pandora’s Box: a sociological analysis of scientists’ discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gosden, H. (1992) Research writing and NNSs: from the editors. Journal of Second Language Writing 1: 123–139.
Gosden, H. (1993) Discourse functions of subjects in scientific research articles. Applied Linguistics 14: 56–75.
Gosden, H. (2003) ‘Why not give us the full story?’ Functions of referees’ comments in peer reviews of scientific research papers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 2: 87–101.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Martin, J. R. (1993) Writing Science: literacy and discursive power. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar. (Third edition.) London: Arnold.
Hyland, K. (1999) Writer stance in research articles. In C. Candlin and K. Hyland (eds) Writing: texts, processes and practices 99–121. London: Longman.
Hyland, K. (2000) Disciplinary Discourses: social interactions in academic writing. Harlow, England: Longman.
Kerans, M. E. (2001) Eliciting substantive revision of manuscripts for peer review through process-oriented conferences with Spanish scientists. In C. Muñoz (ed.) Trabajos en Lingüística Aplicada [Essays in Applied Linguistics] 339–347. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona.
Knorr-Cetina, K. (1981) The Manufacture of Knowledge: an essay on the constructivist and contextual nature of science. Oxford: Pergamon.
Kourilová, M. (1996) Interactive functions of language in peer reviews of medical papers written by non-native users of English. Unesco ALSED-LSP Newsletter 19(1): 4–21.
Lewin, B. A., Fine, J. and Young, L. (2001) Expository Discourse: a genre-based approach to social science research texts. London: Continuum.
Lock, G. (1996) Functional English Grammar: an introduction for second language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Martin, J. R. and Veel, R. (1998) Reading Science: critical and functional perspectives on discourses of science. London: Routledge.
Martín-Martín, P. and Burgess, S. (2004) The rhetorical management of academic criticism in research article abstracts. Text 24(2): 171–195.
Martínez, I. A. (2001) Impersonality in the research article as revealed by analysis of the transitivity structure. English for Specific Purposes 20: 227–247.
Martínez, I. A. (2003) Aspects of theme in the method and discussion sections of biology journal articles in English. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 2: 103–123.
McGinty, S. (1999) Gatekeepers of Knowledge: journal editors in the sciences and the social sciences. Westport, CN: Bergin & Garvey.
Montaño-Harmon, M. R. (1991) Discourse features of written Mexican Spanish: current research in contrastive rhetoric and its implications. Hispania 74: 417–425.
Myers, G. (1989) The pragmatics of politeness in scientific articles. Applied Linguistics 10(1): 1–35.
O’Donnell, M. (2002) Systemic Coder – a text markup tool, version 4.5 users guide (March 2002) Retrieved on 24 August 2005 from http://www.wagsoft.com/Coder/section1.html
Olson, D. R. (1977/1988) From utterance to text: the bias of language in speech and writing. Reprinted in E. R. Kintgen, B. M. Kroll, and M. Rose (eds) Perspectives on Literacy 175–189. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Prior, P. (1998) Writing Disciplinarity: a sociohistoric account of literate activity in the academy. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ravelli, L. (2000) Getting started with functional analysis of texts. In L Unsworth (ed.) Researching Language in Schools and Communities 27–64. London: Cassell.
St. John, M. (1987) Writing processes of Spanish scientists publishing in English. English for Specific Purposes 1: 113–120.
Samraj, B. (2005) An exploration of a genre set: research article abstracts and introductions in two disciplines. English for Specific Purposes 24: 141–156.
Santos García, S. (2001) Diferencia en las convenciones retóricas del inglés y del español y su influencia en la escritura en inglés como idioma extranjero por hispanohablantes Mexicanos [Difference in the rhetorical conventions of English and Spanish and their influence in writing in English as a foreign language by Mexican Spanish-speakers]. Mextesol Journal 24(3): 35–49.
Shashok, K. (1992) Educating international authors. European Science Editing 45: 5–7 (January).
Simpson, J. M. (2000) Topical structure analysis of academic paragraphs in English and Spanish. Journal of Second Language Writing 9: 293–309.
Stake, R. E. (1995) The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Swales, J. M. (1990) Genre Analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ventola, E. and Mauranen, A. (1991) Non-native writing and native revising of scientific articles. In E. Ventola (ed.) Functional and Systemic Linguistics 457–492. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Wood, A. (1997) International scientific English: some thoughts on science, language and ownership. Scientific Tribune. Retrieved 7 April from http://www.tribunes.com/tribune/ art97/wooda.htm
Published
2015-09-14
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Equinox Publishing Ltd.
How to Cite
Englander, K. (2015). Revision of scientific manuscripts by non-native English-speaking scientists in response to journal editors’ language critiques. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 3(2), 129-161. https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v3i2.129
