Writing in the Logic of English #3

Publishing in International Journals

Generally, international journals are the outlets for early career researchers to present their findings internationally. In most cases, articles will be peer-reviewed. In order to pass such peer reviews and be published, one needs to write more in the style of international English-language academic articles. When doing so, there are several points to keep in mind.

A Deductive Style

The first is the article’s structure: first comes the research question, then the conclusion (what one wants to say in the article), which is followed by the theory one is employing, methodology, and finally the results of an analysis based on a rigorous research method. In other words, journal articles are structured in a deductive style, beginning with a general argument and moving on to more specific ones.

In contrast, journals in Japan do not necessarily adopt this style. Rather, there are many inductive articles. They begin with specific arguments and then try to derive a general argument. This doesn’t work in the world of English-language journals. From the perspective of researchers accustomed to their style, an inductive style is very circuitous, requiring one to read through dozens of pages to get to the conclusion. Such papers are likely to be rejected immediately in the peer-review process. One needs to get used to a deductive thinking style, in other words, have enough courage to flip Japanese-language writing upside down.

Literature Review

Second is the literature review. In journals, literature reviews are important. However, the number of online as well as traditional hard-copy based journals has rapidly increased in the past twenty or thirty years. In just one research area, you’ll find a large number of international English-language journals. Reviewing existing literature—going through and categorizing the articles from such journals, finding issues therein, and describing one’s research question in terms of them—has become even more necessary than before. So, one needs to have the ability to organize an academic body of knowledge and identify gaps therein. When it comes to English, since there is a lot of existing scholarship that needs to be covered, one must be able to skillfully and efficiently bring it together without getting lost.

The Gaze’s Direction in Research

Third is the direction of one’s gaze in research. Often times at conferences in Japan you’ll find research that provides an abstract overview of a vast academic field, or that tries to refute existing theories from an overarching standpoint. Often times early career researchers will try to do this. However, it’s very difficult to do so in an international research environment. Currently, analyses in the academic world have become very refined. Unless the argument is very well put together, an abstract discussion often will be completely ignored by researchers overseas.

Bring one’s gaze down to existing scholarship, and, after making clear its body of knowledge and problems, develop one’s own argument. It’s necessary to adopt this kind of refined approach to research. I think this is even more applicable now than before. To actually publish in a journal, realistically one has to change one’s way of thinking, dig into existing scholarship, and carry out research that takes into account its inadequacies and findings.

In some cases, it might be necessary to have two research styles: a domestic one and an international one. While this is twice as much work as a researcher and educator, if one wants to do both, then there might be no choice. From my experience, I feel that it’s pretty difficult to just use one method for one’s research and education in Japan and overseas.

The Hurdle of Manuscript Submission Rules

If early career researchers want to present their research internationally, first they need to submit a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. However, doing so is very difficult. One has to change the format of one’s article to be in accordance with the manuscript submission rules. While there is also, of course, the issue of content, the issue of format is also pretty tough. One has to properly make adjustments to meet the formatting guidelines. Furthermore, as an appendix one has to submit an analysis results robustness check. Data also needs to be provided in a form that enables others to analyze it. In this way, manuscript submission rules are exacting. In some cases, you’ll be turned away at the door if you don’t follow them.

If one doesn’t have something like a research team—where information regarding such rules is shared, or where a research assistant works who has a good understanding of these rules and helps out authors—then one’ll be left far behind in terms of internationalization.

Jointly Authored Articles

For team research to be carried out, jointly authored articles also need to be actively recognized. In the humanities, there’s a tendency to attach a lot of importance to single-author articles, where it’s when screening candidates for assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor positions. However, now many articles published in international journals in my field are jointly authored. One of the reasons for this is that manuscript submission rules are so tough. They demand so many things of you—robustness checks, data submission . . . It’s very hard for just one researcher to do all of this work. Therefore, it becomes very important for universities to recognize jointly authored articles as career accomplishments. Even if it’s screenings for assistant professor positions, if only single-author articles are allowed, the path to presenting research internationally will be closed off. Therefore, it’s necessary to embrace jointly authored articles and nurture in research teams and graduate schools the likes of research assistants who are very familiar with the manuscript submission guidelines of international journals.

Internationally Active Early Career Researchers

There’s no doubt that there is a gradually increasing number of researchers in their thirties and forties who, hoping to be active internationally, are distancing themselves from Japanese academia. Choosing one or the other is an option, and there are also people who decide to do both. It depends on one’s research style, as well as one’s future life and career plans.

How can universities strike a balance in this regard? I think that they must not abandon researchers who are throwing themselves into the international sphere. They are working hard in their own way, and have decided after serious thought to distance themselves from Japanese academia and be active on the international stage. They should be respected for this.

I went to the US in my twenties, so I didn’t know about the world of Japanese-language research. Perhaps it was good that I didn’t. I only knew the English-language world, and there was nothing I could do but push forward in it. I didn’t waver with regard to this.

For early-career researchers at Kyoto University, there’s inevitably the Japanese-language world on the one hand and the international outside world on the other. In some cases, they have to decide whether to do both or to thoroughly do only one. They are confronted with the issue of their places therein, as well as how to brand or design their research career—of which, for younger scholars, over thirty years remain.

The Appeal of International Conferences

I go to an international conference about once every six months. Some of the things, people, and stimuli I encounter at them cannot be found in Japan. By being stimulated—not by standing out, but in new ways—novel directions in one’s research open up. This is inspiring as a researcher, and a very important point when engaging in research. There are good things about limiting oneself to Japan, and I have no intention of rejecting that. However, if Japan as a whole is going to go even further on the path of internationalization, then I think inevitably the number of people active on the international stage will increase.

How to Evaluate Research in the Future

I am a member of a subcommittee that’s part of the Cabinet Office’s Science Council of Japan. It considers the form that research should take in the future. The subcommittee has been discussing how to internationalize Japanese academia, as well as the related issue of how research performance should be assessed. Current evaluation methods in some ways disadvantage those engaging in research internationally.

However, this will not continue to be the case in the future—evaluation methods will probably change as well. If we hold that evaluation methods will start emphasizing international research more, this means that those who are currently thinking about being internationally active will not lose out in the future.

I think that one option is going to a research institution that recognizes such research. Or, if a certain research institution emphasizes Japanese language research, one could choose another place that embraces English-language research. If researchers rationally decide where to base themselves for research, good researchers will gather at institutions that recognize such research, leading such institutions to have a heightened international reputation and thereby attract good students. I think that the decision of each individual researcher is important. Universities might end up being chosen instead of doing the choosing. Already universities are being chosen by students. Perhaps researchers will also be able to choose universities. If a university wants to attract good researchers, insofar as they don’t evaluate them appropriately, they won’t come.

Rather than current evaluation methods, I think it’d be best if people early in their careers look five or ten years into the future and then decide on their research style so that they can handle future changes in such methods.

Writing Japanese Articles with English Logic

There is the chance that researchers accustomed to old research styles will think that articles written in an English-language style are nonsense or not the conventional style for Japan. However, depending on the field, there are, albeit few, journals that will publish articles that adopt a form similar to English-language international journals. Since article styles are different depending on the journal and area of research, I think it’s practical for young people who want to build a track record in a comparatively short period of time to aim to publish in journals that are close to the overseas style.

A Message for Early Career Researchers

I’ll conclude with something more related to the psyche: please have the confidence that you can shine on the international stage. Researchers at Kyoto University definitely have the background to do so. All that’s left is how motivated you are.

Then there’s also the steady work of placing oneself in such environments, actually going to international conferences, participating in various panels, and getting accustomed. While it might be tough to take a plane and spend one week overseas, it will bear fruit some years later. One needs to put in the effort to possess confidence, create time, and acquire the research funding for this.