Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies

Arenas-Castro H, Berdejo-Espinola V, Chowdhury S, Rodríguez-Contreras A, James AR, Raja NB, Dunne E, Bertolino S, Emidio NB, Derez CM, Drobniak SM, Fulton GR, Francisco Henao-Diaz L, Kaur A, Kim CJ, Lagisz M, Medina I, Mikula P, Narayan VP, O’Bryan CJ, Ying Oh RR, Ovsyanikova E, Pérez-Hämmerle KV, Pottier P, Powers JS, Rodriguez-Acevedo AJ, Rozak AH, Sena PH, Sockhill NJ, Tedesco AM, Tiapa-Blanco F, Tsai JS, Villarreal-Rosas J, Wadgymar SM, Yamamichi M, Amano T (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences Royal Society of London

Book Volume: 291

Article Number: 20232840

Journal Issue: 2018

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2840

Abstract

Scientific knowledge is produced in multiple languages but is predominantly published in English. This practice creates a language barrier to generate and transfer scientific knowledge between communities with diverse linguistic backgrounds, hindering the ability of scholars and communities to address global challenges and achieve diversity and equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To overcome those barriers, publishers and journals should provide a fair system that supports non-native English speakers and disseminates knowledge across the globe. We surveyed policies of 736 journals in biological sciences to assess their linguistic inclusivity, identify predictors of inclusivity, and propose actions to overcome language barriers in academic publishing. Our assessment revealed a grim landscape where most journals were making minimal efforts to overcome language barriers. The impact factor of journals was negatively associated with adopting a number of inclusive policies whereas ownership by a scientific society tended to have a positive association. Contrary to our expectations, the proportion of both open access articles and editors based in non-English speaking countries did not have a major positive association with the adoption of linguistically inclusive policies. We proposed a set of actions to overcome language barriers in academic publishing, including the renegotiation of power dynamics between publishers and editorial boards.

Authors with CRIS profile

Nussaibah Begum Raja Schoob Lehrstuhl für Paläoumwelt Emma Dunne Lehrstuhl für Paläoumwelt

Involved external institutions

University of Turin / Università degli Studi di Torino (UNITO) IT Italy (IT) National Research and Innovation Agency / Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) ID Indonesia (ID) University of Queensland AU Australia (AU) National Chiayi University / 國立嘉義大學 TW Taiwan (TW) Griffith University AU Australia (AU) Davidson College US United States (USA) (US) National Institute of Genetics (NIG) / 国立遺伝学研究所 JP Japan (JP) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) US United States (USA) (US) University of New South Wales (UNSW) AU Australia (AU) University of Chicago US United States (USA) (US) The University of Melbourne AU Australia (AU) Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS) / Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze CZ Czech Republic (CZ) University of Minnesota (UMN) US United States (USA) (US) Centro de Pesquisas Ambientais do Nordeste (CEPAN) BR Brazil (BR)

How to cite

APA:

Arenas-Castro, H., Berdejo-Espinola, V., Chowdhury, S., Rodríguez-Contreras, A., James, A.R., Raja, N.B.,... Amano, T. (2024). Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences, 291(2018). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.2840

MLA:

Arenas-Castro, Henry, et al. "Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences 291.2018 (2024).

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