“Convenience editors” as legitimate participants in the practice of scientific editing: An interview study

Native-English-speaking English teachers at universities in EFL contexts are often asked to edit scientific manuscripts written by English as an additional language (EAL) colleagues. However, a lack of familiarity with scientific writing can make such editing tasks burdensome to English teachers. Using Lave and Wenger's (1991) notion of legitimate peripheral participation as an analytical lens, this study explored how English teachers who regularly edited healthcare-related texts learned the “craft” of scientific editing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four English-teaching editors employed at universities in Japan, with a focus on these editors' initial difficulties with editing and how editors overcame these difficulties. Two participants also completed think-aloud editing tasks, which were followed by stimulated recall interviews. Results indicate that four issues are of potential significance to these English teachers' learning of and attitudes towards the craft of scientific editing: 1) the various styles and terminology of medical academic writing; 2) authors' involvement in the editing process; 3) the ability to communicate with authors in Japanese; and 4) early apprenticeship or immersion experiences. We conclude that universities in EFL contexts should encourage greater collaboration, involving both education and research, between English teachers and scientific professionals.

► We interviewed English-teaching editors of scientific texts written by Japanese authors.
►  Authors' involvement in the editing process is important to these editors.
►  Early immersion or apprenticeship experiences are also important.
►  Greater collaboration between English teachers and scientific professionals is needed.