Englis-written abstracts for Spanish publications: a challenge in the globalization of science

Abstract

The preeminence of English as the scientific lingua franca, together with theever-present publish-or-perish dilemma, has brought increasing concern onSpanish scientists striving to achieve international recognition. Spanish journaleditors try to make their journals look as professional as possible, most of thempeer reviewed and their abstracts are listed in the most important databases.However, the problem of language seems to be the issue around which thedissemination of their publications is centered. In this report we examine theEnglish-written abstracts of the Spanish Journal of Finance and Accounting, theircontent and form, and whether or not they are persuasive enough to lure theresearcher into reading the paper. While the abstract is considered the first pointof contact with the researcher, the expected results will show a rather irregularrendering of the information and, in general, a defective composition of theabstracts, in addition to local issues discussed in their articles. These results suggesta poor dissemination and repercussion of the authors’ contribution worldwide.