Some Potential Problems for Research Articles Written by Indonesian Academics when Submitted to International English Language Journals

Publishing in international journals by non-native speakers of English has attracted considerable attention recently (Flowerdew, 2001). With the exception of Mirahayuni (2002), no author has looked at feedback to articles written by Indonesian authors when submitted to international English language international journals. This paper presents such issues concerning Indonesian research articles. The data are drawn from an analysis of 63 Indonesian research articles (RA) using the CARS model (Swales 1990), interviews with national and international journal editors, and recent literature on publishing in international journals by non-native English speakers. Based on these the findings and the literature, this paper suggests that emphasis should be put on teaching RA rhetorical structure acceptable to international journals. Further research into English manuscripts by Indonesian and other Asian authors is also recommended.