The Difficulties of Armenian Scholars Trying to Publish in International Journals

Abstract

This study investigates the problems that Armenian scholars and researchers face when they try to publish in international journals. Ninety-six researchers of the three branches of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences participated in the study: Natural Sciences, Physical, Mathematical and Technical Sciences and the Humanities.

The results of the study show that the main difficulties facing Armenian scholars are language proficiency and lack of material resources. In spite of the increasing number of publications in English, the majority of these researchers’ publications are still in Russian, which shows the on-going link between the Russian and Armenian scientific communities. However, it is mainly the older generation of scholars who consider publishing in Russian important. No young scholar mentioned Russian as an important language to publish in. The results of the study also show that Armenian senior researchers are not at an advantage in comparison with junior researchers when they try to publish in international journals.