Editorial: 33 Tips for Arabs who Wish to Publish in Scopus- and Clarivate-Indexed Journals

(Abdulrahman Essa Al Lily , Abdelrahim Fathy Ismail , Wael Mohamed El-Deeb, Amani Khalaf Alghamdi , Adel Aldalbahi , Ahmed O. Alnajjar and Hany Mohamed Abd El-Lateef )

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Abstract

The need to publish in top-tiered journals is increasingly dominating Arab academics’ discourse, and this ‘tyrant’ can be said to constitute the most daunting and pressing challenge in the Arab academic sphere. The Scientific Journal of King Faisal University has invited reputable academics to share editorial guidelines to help their fellow Arabs to ‘tame’ this tyrant. The first piece of advice in this paper is that Arab academics should write as authorities and seek to develop their own theories, notions, concepts and methodologies, rather than passively, subordinately and dependently importing foreign thought. Second, Arab academics are advised to give research their highest priority and to structure their life around academic work, thereby reducing social and familial distractions and minimising their frequent engagement with managerial and administrative tasks. Third, they should overcome their typically limited ability to pay attention to detail when designing studies and composing manuscripts. Fourth, they should ‘go international’ and ‘grill’ themselves by asking the following tough question: How would the international reader benefit from these manuscripts? Fifth, they are warned against plagiarism and repetition—two practices that are deeply rooted in Arab academia. Sixth, they should inform themselves of the necessary strategies for handling editors and reviewers. Seventh, Arab academics should ensure that their works take their potential readers (and themselves) outside the conventional academic comfort zone. Several other instructions are also unpacked in this manuscript.

KEYWORDS
Arab academic writing, Arab publishing, high-impact journals, Arab impact factor

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References

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