Page 68 - Academic and Research Book_WEB

various states and communities cannot write in the script of their mother tongue, even though they
speak in their mother tongue in their houses. They find it easy to write in English. This is so because,
firstly, the intricacies of most Indian vernacular languages, such as hrasva (short forms), dirgha (long
forms) seem confusing. Secondly, the students have not taken formal education of that language and
therefore they don’t know its standard and correct usages and inadvertently resort to the use of slang
words. A research document has to be an authentic and authoritative write-up and it should not
transgress the canons of the language. Due to these reasons, researchers prefer to write in English. If
we try to simplify the process, the standard of the languages may come down and the traditional users
of the language may revolt against the over-simplifications. Therefore, new research in any language
has to find a balanced solution to get rid of this problem and upgrade the state languages to bring
them nearer to the status of English.

Expectation from the Field of Research in Language (RiL)

As an integral and comprehensive view about Language research a piece of information can be
provided to know the expectations from this field. The international journal Research in Language
says, “Research in Language (RiL) is an international journal committed to publishing excellent
studies in the area of linguistics and related disciplines focused on human communication.
Language studies, like other scholarly disciplines, undergo two seemingly counteracting processes:
the process of diversification of the field into narrowly specialized domains and the process of
convergence, strengthened by interdisciplinary studies. It is the latter perspective that RiL editors
invite for the journal, whose aim is to present language in its entirety, meshing traditional modular
compartments, such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, and
offer a multidimensional perspective that exposes varied but relevant aspects of language, for example,
the cognitive, the psychological, the institutional aspect, as well as the social shaping of linguistic
convention and creativity.” From this description it is very clear that a language is an all-inclusive
2
and all-pervasive phenomenon. Research in languages has a very extensive scope and it demands
deep insight into language culture and research methodology. A note from an Elsevier publication,
Journal of Second Language Writing, is useful on the topic of an all-inclusive language. The journal has
guided authors about the use of inclusive language. It says, “Inclusive language acknowledges diversity,
conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content
should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader; contain nothing which
might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity,
culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition; and use inclusive language throughout.
Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, and reference to the dominant
culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise seeking gender neutrality by using plural nouns
(“clinicians, patients/clients”) as default/wherever possible to avoid using “he, she,” or “he/she”. We
recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes such as age, gender, race,
ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition unless they are relevant and valid.
These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no
means exhaustive or definitive.” These quotations are presented verbatim to be used by the researcher
3
as guidelines before sending the research work for publication.

There is an additional benefit of bringing the invisible thoughts residing in the mind in the visible text
form with the help of a language. Thoughts in the mind are most often scattered. They do not follow
a certain order, they are not necessarily categorical, but are in a complex non-specific form. When
one starts writing them down with the use of language, they are neatly structured with a logical order.
The stray thoughts in the mind get disciplined and are systematized because of the properties of a

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND RESEARCH QUALITY | 57