There are 8.8 million researchers across the globe,1 and a majority of these are multilingual authors from countries where English is not the first language. Yet, it is English that has been accepted as the lingua franca in academia and scholarly publishing.2 This leads to not only difficulties in writing and publishing research papers in top English-language journals, but also raises challenges in reading research that is published in English. In this article, we examine some of the most common challenges in reading research and suggest a smart solution to help multilingual researchers overcome these difficulties.
Literature search and research reading is one of the most tedious yet critical tasks when it comes to research, more so for multilingual authors. Researchers cannot just scan research papers, they need to be able to critically read, analyze, and understand the evidence provided. According to an Elsevier study, researchers spend an average of 9 hours a week on finding and reading research, with half this time spent on just identifying literature to read. Even then, only 50% of the research papers read turn out to be relevant for researchers, which means 2-3 hours are wasted every week.3 The growing number of research articles being published every year only adds to an academic’s challenges in research reading.
Common challenges in reading research
English as a second language (ESL) and multilingual researchers regularly deal with challenges in reading research that makes the literature search and reading process more difficult and time-consuming. Here are some of their most common challenges in reading research.
Slower speeds of research reading
One of the most significant challenges in reading research for ESL and multilingual researchers is the speed of reading in English. English can be a complex language, with many words having multiple meanings and usage in different contexts. This is made more difficult when reading research papers with technical terms and academic writing conventions that take longer to process and understand for ESL and multilingual authors, which can slow down their reading speed. This challenge in reading research may impact their motivation to continue reading or limit the volume of literature reading, making it difficult for them to keep up with the latest developments in research.
Difficulties in reading comprehension
Another challenge that multilingual authors face in reading research is comprehension. Limited or poor vocabulary is the biggest hinderance when it comes to truly understanding the research work and the author’s point of view. Even if multilingual authors are familiar with the technical vocabulary used in their field, understanding the subtleties of language, differences in the meaning of words or how they are strung together, can impact comprehension. This makes it difficult to understand the full meaning of a research article and limits the author’s ability to engage with the research.
Understanding of cultural differences
Inherent cultural differences can present multilingual authors with challenges in reading research papers written in English. Authors may often make use of cultural references, idioms, or analogies to explain concepts in their research papers that may not be familiar to non-native English speakers. This can result in misunderstandings and may impact how multilingual authors interpret and fully connect with the research.
More time and effort for similar results
Multilingual authors often end up spending time searching for relevant research articles and then spend additional time reading and comprehending the shortlisted articles. For authors who are already struggling with limited time and resources, this is one of the most difficult challenges in reading research. Researchers in general, and particularly ESL and multilingual authors, need to develop the habit of sustained research reading to hone their reading and even writing skills. This is where R Discovery comes in to help.
R Discovery: A smart reading solution for multilingual authors
R Discovery, an AI-powered research discovery platform by Researcher.Life, provides a solution for multilingual authors facing challenges in reading research in English. It has a growing content bank of more than 100 million research papers and is the largest repository of open access articles with over 39 million open access articles and more than 2 million preprints. R Discovery’s advanced AI presents users with the latest, most relevant research articles based on their preferences ensuring the right research finds you. Its powerful algorithms analyze research articles, extract key information in the form of abstracts and summaries, and present this in a clear, concise format that makes it easy for multilingual authors to quickly find the research articles they need.
With a personalized feed and reading recommendations, smart summaries to help users evaluate papers, and bookmarking the most relevant reads, R Discovery helps multilingual authors save both time and effort in finding, understanding, and engaging with the research they need. The platform also allows researchers to access full-text peer reviewed articles through institutional access and supports integrations with reference managers like Mendeley and Zotero. The R Discovery team is continually updating and improving their literature search platform to solve researcher challenges in reading research. If you haven’t used the app yet, this is a great time to start. Get R Discovery now!
References:
- Naujokaitytė G. Number of scientists worldwide reaches 8.8M, as global research spending grows faster than the economy. Science Business News, June 2021. Available at https://sciencebusiness.net/news/number-scientists-worldwide-reaches-88m-global-research-spending-grows-faster-economy
- McKinley J, Rose H. Conceptualizations of language errors, standards, norms and nativeness in English for research publication purposes: An analysis of journal submission guidelines. J Second Lang Writ. 2018;42:1–1.
- Trust in research. Research Survey by Elsevier and Sense About Science. June 2019. https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/908435/Trust_evidence_report_summary_Final.pdf
