What makes Polish authors at the University of Silesia publish in English?

What is it about?

The paper looks at the institutional background of the publishing practices of Polish scholars, with special emphasis on publications in English. The author uses a report on publications in the years 2017-2020 to show which publications grant their authors and the university the highest number of evaluation points, with special emphasis given to the texts published in English. It is shown that using English as the medium of communication for research results is by far the most valuable choice for the authors and the institution which they represent. At the same time, the results of a survey carried out among the faculty members of the University of Silesia provide interesting insights into their publishing practices, including the strategies employed in the preparation of texts in English, language-related issues brought up by the reviewers of those texts and the reasons why some of the academic employees refrain from publishing in English.

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Photo by Elisa Calvet B. on Unsplash

Photo by Elisa Calvet B. on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Knowing the institutional factors behing the use of English in academic publications of Polish scholars helps in better understanding of the choices they make and the factors behind the way English is used in their texts.