Research papers written in other languages get fewer citation in English papers
When research on biodiversity or conservation is published in a language other than English, it often goes unnoticed. This becomes clear when looking at the lack of citations of non-English research in studies written in English. In a study published in Conservation Biology, researchers examined articles on protection and management of birds, mammals and amphibians in 17 languages, including English, and noted how often those papers were cited in further work. All papers were available internationally. “Across the board, the non-English language papers had significantly fewer citations,” said Kelsey Hannah, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland who led the study. “The English-language articles had a median of 37 citations, while the non-English articles had a median of zero.” As a result, researchers may miss important work that could otherwise be helpful in conservation and management.
