Twenty problems frequently found in English research papers authored by Japanese researchers

Abstract

This work describes the research and results of a project designed to identify significant problems in English research papers authored by Japanese researchers, for whom English is a foreign language. Research text written by Japanese students, faculty, and corporate researchers in a wide range of scientific and technical fields was obtained in draft or final form for analysis, along with input from research writing instructors and editors working in Japan, to discover persistent language problems and describe them for educational purposes. The problems identified were also compared with those commonly covered in writing handbook designed for native or normative speakers to evaluate the suitability of popular texts to address these problems. Results from the study provide useful and reliable information, for Japanese writers as well as for teachers and editors of Japanese writers, which greatly clarifies significant gaps in writer knowledge that will likely need to be addressed at advanced levels of English research writing instruction specifically tailored for Japanese researchers.