A holistic needs analysis of science doctoral students writing for publication in Algerian universities

In Algeria, science doctoral students undergo the pressure to publish an article in English-medium international journals before their viva examinations. Yet, little empirical research investigated these students’ needs. A review of literature shows that previous studies in EAP (English for Academic Purposes) needs analysis conducted on the writing challenges of non-native users of English have always focused on the language aspects only. Notwithstanding the importance of mastering the English language in scientific writing, this thesis took a holistic approach and aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of science doctoral students’ challenges and needs in writing for publication. To arrive at such an understanding, this thesis drew upon the theoretical concepts of social constructivism, discourse community, genre knowledge, and other relevant issues discussed in the EAP and ERPP (English for Research Publication Purposes) literature. A qualitative case study was adopted in which online semi-structured interviews and an open-ended questionnaire were used to collect the perspectives of a total of 34 participants on the researched issue. These participants were doctoral students, English language teachers, experienced academic authors, journal editors, reviewers, and supervisors. Additionally, document analysis was used to gather information from two webinars on scholarly writing and Guide for Authors sections of four science journals. The data obtained were analysed thematically, and NVivo 12 was used to manage the large data sets. The findings revealed that doctoral students’ challenges and needs in writing for publication transcended the English language to include institutional, social, psychological, and ERPP cultural barriers. In terms of their needs, the findings showed that the students needed structured and continuous support from their research communities to develop and hone their scholarly writing skills in English and their knowledge on the different practices involved in the publication process. Needs were also interpreted as the students’ responsibilities, i.e., what they needed to do, to improve their writing and publishing skills. The findings carry significant implications. They show that writing for publication is a complex and demanding academic labour which, contrary to how often viewed, is not restricted to a good manipulation of English language aspects like grammar. As a result, this thesis contributes to the EAP and ERPP fields by suggesting a new needs analysis model which encourages adopting a holistic approach when researching authors’ scholarly writing needs. Being among the very few empirical research works on scientific writing in the Algerian context, this thesis also contributes to advancing the understanding of Algerian doctoral students’ challenges in writing for publication and is hoped to trigger the interest of other local EAP practitioners about ERPP research.