Language Use in International Research: A Citation Analysis

Abstract

The fact that English is the internationally accepted language of research communication raises the issue of a language barrier in two senses. First, those whose native language is not English risk being unaware of—and overlooked by—mainstream international research unless they learn to read, write, and publish in English. Second, native English-speaking researchers risk being ignorant of significant findings reported in foreign languages, especially the Japanese and Russian literature, unless they become proficient in at least one other language. The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) data base is used to answer three basic questions bearing on this issue: (1) who writes in what languages; (2) who cites what languages; and (3) who cites what nations.