Professor Insung Jung’s latest book Pathways to International Publication in the Social Sciences: A Guide for Early Career and Non-Native English Researchers (Springer Singapore) is a must read for academics who have just embarked on their professional career, in particular those who are from non-English speaking backgrounds. We are not short of books on this topic. What distinguishes Professor Jung’s book from its likes is that it is written by a renowned researcher who is herself a non-native English speaker. Drawing upon her personal trial and error as well as echoing the success stories of seven accomplished researchers, both native and non-native English speakers, the “best practices” recommended to readers are evidence-based, proven lessons. As a non-native English speaker myself, I am happy to endorse this book because it seems to be narrating my own journey to becoming an international researcher and author.
Structured in the style of a textbook, written in plain English, and illustrated with the author’s personal “anecdotes” – extracts from her own publications, this book walks readers through the pathways to publishing research outcomes in English-medium international journals in a reader-friendly format. For those early career or non-English speaking researchers who tend to feel this journey too daunting to embark upon, follow Professor Jung’s guidance step by step and you will surely find that all those hurdles that stand in your way are not insurmountable after all. Remember to bear your specific context in mind when making decisions in the publishing process, as repeatedly suggested by Professor Insung Jung, in that what works for someone else may not be equally applicable to you.
Last but not least, albeit its focus on international publishing in the social sciences, the book is of equal relevance and interest to the ETHE community. This is because Professor Jung’s successful academic pursuit is corroborated by seven influential scholars, five of whom are from the broader field of educational technology. With all these desirable distinctions, I would suggest that, in the second edition of the book, a new chapter be added recapping and reiterating key takeaways from the previous chapters by analyzing a “model” published article holistically. This will definitely enable readers to see not only the trees but also the forest. A chapter of the book will be freely available online soon. Enjoy!
Junhong Xiao
Emeritus Professor at the Open University of Shantou, China