I am currently doing a research project on academic writing. I have a few questions about it. I'd glad if you could respond to them. I need ideas for an item pool for a survey.
- What strategies do you use when you are revising and editing your academic writing in English?
- How does technology help you in academic writing?
- What are the challenges that you encounter when you're writing for scholarly purposes in English and revising/editing your work?
Hi Arif,
I am English (but have lived in New Zealand and Australia for the last 15-years). Therefore, my native language is English and your question seems more directed at those where English is not their native tongue. That said, pasted below is a paragraph in a recent book chapter of mine that may assist - and the citation reference.
What if English is your second language?
While not always fair perhaps, the reality is that the vast majority of journals that target an international audience are presented as English-language only. For those whose first-language is not English, but are highly proficient in English, this may not be an issue. However, it probably does represent at least a minor hurdle and, in some cases, quite a significant one. Helpfully, Bomar (2014) has developed a ‘writing tool box’ which includes useful advice such as:
- Select, read and be familiar with an article written in English that models the type of scientific writing, the research design and concept that you are planning to write about.
- Assemble a contact list of native English colleagues who may possibly read your papers before submitting to a journal. On social media and professional websites, invite L2 scholars to become friends who have similar writing, research and specialty interests.
- Attend or create a writing network group in your setting, professional organizations or with scholars from a variety of nations.
Bomar P J 2014 How to create a ‘writing tool box’ for scholars writing in English as a second language. International Journal of Nursing Practice 20: 1-8
I have a few questions about academic writing? What strategies do you use when you are revising and editing your academic writing in English?
My strategies include:
How does technology help you in academic writing?
I used technology to do the following:
What are the challenges that you encounter when you're writing for scholarly purposes in English and revising/editing your work?
Some challenges include:
The guidance/illustrations/strategies as per the following publications may further help.
- Caulley, D. N. (2008) Making Qualitative Research Reports Less Boring: The Techniques of Writing Creative Nonfiction, Qualitative Inquiry, 14, 3, pp. 424-449.
- Cloutier, C. (2016) How I write: An inquiry into the writing practices of academics, Journal of Management Inquiry, 25, 1, pp. 69-84.
- Flowerdew, J. (1999) Writing for scholarly publication in English: The case of Hong Kong, Journal of Second Language Writing, 8, 2, pp. 123-145.
- Peat, J., Elliott, E., Baur, L. and Keena, V. (2002) Scientific Writing: Easy When You Know How. London: BMJ Books.
- Sandelowski, M. (1998) Writing A Good Read: Strategies for Re-Presenting Qualitative Data, Research in Nursing & Health, 21, 4, pp. 375-382.
- Wallwork, A. (2011) English for Writing Research Papers. New York: Springer.
- Zinsser, W. (2006) On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 7th edn. New York: NY: HarperCollins.
Hi everyone.
I can't say no much more because all answers above are very interesting. Although my native language is not English, but Spanish, perhaps it is necessary to write some texts in English. In my job area, this is railways, terminology is very important. And this is where I find usually the greatest difficulties. Even if a glossary or a dictionary or a list of terms does exist as official, it is not easy to translate technical terms because the meaning is not the same in two languages. For instance, the word "switch" can be a term in railways meaning an apparatus on the track which make the train able to change from a track to another. In Spanish we have "desvío", but also "cambio [de agujas]" which is not the same meaning contained in "switch point". In the International Union of Railways these question, the correspondence of the national terms and meeting in only one as a general term, is a problem not solved yet.
Then, when translating or creating specialized texts, choose the right terminology can be a very important problem. Authorized glossarys not always propose an answer useful for the terminology correspondence.
This article should be very helpful for your research, good luck! https://www.aclang.com/blog/top-10-tips-for-effective/
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Linguistics
- Composition Studies
- Writing