000			01810nam a22001937a 4500
001			9376
003			OCLRC
005			20260730103742.0
008			210324t xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
040			_aOCLRC
100			_aStormbom, Charlotte
245			_aGendering in open access research articles: _bthe role of epicene pronouns/ _c Charlotte Stormbom.--
260			_c2020
500			_ahttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2020.08.001
520			_aResearch articles in English are read and composed by individuals from many lingua-cultural backgrounds; this diversity in the users of English as an academic lingua franca is likely to increase further with the rise of open access (OA) publishing. In the light of this, a pertinent question is how gender is constructed in international research articles. This study examines OA articles (N = 1003) with respect to the use of epicene pronouns, third-person singular pronouns of indeterminate gender. The analysis of pronominal reference shows that the non-gendered singular they was the most common pronoun overall, closely followed by gendered he or she forms. The use of generic he also occurred with some frequency. Further, the study investigates what kinds of author guidelines OA journals have for the use of gender-fair language. The analysis reveals that specific guidelines were generally uncommon, and that there was no immediate correspondence between policy and practice in cases where journals provided guidelines. Taken together, the findings disclose a state of flux in the use of epicene pronouns in OA articles. A key issue in international publishing and journal editing is thus to raise awareness about gendered language through guidelines and submission checklists.
653			_aepicene pronouns,
653			_aopen access,
942			_cELEC
999			_c9376 _d9376