Using role-play to teach novice writers the expectations of journal editors and reviewers.

Academics from Pacific Rim expanding circle countries are increasingly expected to produce English language research articles. Writing for reputable journals requires an understanding of these journal editors' expectations. This paper describes one way in which editors' expectations have been demonstrated interactively to staff and post-graduate students at an Indonesian university. The exercise comprises a sequence of role-plays representing different steps of the manuscript review process. The material used was carefully selected from a public database to provide a 'manuscript' that reflected participants expectations of a research article and reputable editorial and peer-review assessment of the 'manuscript'. In each role-play participants compare their own assessments with that of real-life reviewers and editors. Agricultural Science participants' assessment of the acceptability of the 'manuscript' was closer to editors' expectations as a result of the exercise (the shift from 0% to 78% agreement was significant, p < 0.001). For participants from a similar background in the Pacific Rim expanding circle, the exercise should be useful without modification. Substantially changed perceptions were also observed for individuals from Education, Chemistry and Environmental Science. Overall, participants reported increased understanding of the publication process and the expectations of centre journals. They also actively recommended the course to others. • An exercise to raise awareness of centre journal editors' expectations is described. • Four role-plays address different steps of the manuscript review process. • Participants compare their assessment with that of real-life reviewers and editors. • Effectiveness of the pedagogical approach established at an Indonesian university. • Agricultural Science participants' perceptions shifted significantly by the exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]