Overview
The Social Science Research Council with support from the Henry Luce Foundation has launched a Global Scholars Initiative, a multi-pronged effort to strengthen the English-language writing skills of Asian scholars working in Asian institutions and increase their success in publishing articles in English-medium journals.
Scholars in Asian universities and research institutions face strong pressure to publish articles in international journals as a result of academic globalization. Many PhD students are required by their departments to publish one or more articles in an established journal as a requirement for graduation, and departments often require faculty candidates for hire or promotion to have published in English. Universities are also under pressure to meet publication targets in their annual reviews, which impact the availability of funding for both teaching and research programs.
Under the Global Scholars Initiative, the SSRC is organizing a series of workshops to assist junior scholars in Asia develop manuscripts for international publication in response to these challenges. The Writing Workshops will take place between 2018 and 2020 and will focus on strategies and methods to overcome obstacles Asian scholars face when submitting English-language materials to highly ranked publications.
The workshops will include lectures, small group discussions, individual mentoring sessions and practical exercises. Topics covered include current trends in international scholarly communication, practical approaches to writing for international audiences, what editors look for in assessing submissions, and the process of submitting and revising manuscripts. The goal is to help authors understand and meet the expectations of editors of international publications, and of the referees who evaluate submissions.