Reflections on the perceived longer-term impact of an ERPP course

Abstract

Research-intensive universities in the global peripheries have begun to mount English for research publication purposes (ERPP) initiatives to increase plurilingual scholars’ publishing success. Though research into pedagogical initiatives is still limited, investigations of such programs can provide researchers with a greater understanding of the broader experiences and perspectives of scholars as well as the potential impact of interventions on course participants’ scholarly writing. Answering the call for more longitudinal work in ERPP, this article outlines a small-scale, qualitative investigation of the perceived impact of an intensive ERPP course at a Mexican university on two environmental scientists’ research writing five years following course completion. Data analysis included systematic review of participant CVs, as well as semi-structured interviews with two plurilingual EAL scientists and two ERPP practitioners connected to the ERPP course. Employing a critical plurilingual lens, this article discusses findings that not only outline the perceived impact of the intervention on these scientists’ research writing at different stages of their academic trajectories, but also highlight the plurilingual nature of their evolving scholarly practices. The article culminates with data-driven suggestions for plurilingual conceptualization and enactment of scholarly writing pedagogies, policies, and research agendas.