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Illustration: David Parkins

The problem

Dear Nature,

I’m a biologist originally from India doing my postdoc at a German institution, and I aspire to run my own laboratory one day. However, because I’m from a Hindi-speaking background, navigating the English-dominated scientific-publishing world has been challenging.

Some years ago, my former supervisor and I submitted a paper to a small, low-tier journal and it was immediately rejected on the grounds that the English was not good enough. With the help of a professional editing service — which cost roughly €600 (US$700) — the paper was eventually accepted by an international journal. But in my current position in Germany, grants don’t typically cover the cost of professional manuscript editing, so I would have to pay for such services out of my own pocket. I feel uncomfortable asking colleagues to proofread my manuscripts; everyone is so busy and it’s hard to find someone I can trust and who understands the science well enough to advise me on the language.

I have great data, but I just don’t have the confidence to write my own papers without outside support. I do use some artificial-intelligence tools — a writing assistant for spelling and grammar and a chatbot for polishing paragraphs — but I would like some guidance on best practices and what else I can do without having to pay for professional editing services. Are there any practical tips or resources that you can recommend so I can develop my English skills? — A disheartened postdoc

The advice

This is a widespread problem. Although science is a global enterprise — and therefore requires diverse, worldwide participation — its use of English as a common language presents a challenge. More than 90% of people globally don’t speak English as a first language, including many scientists.

A 2023 study1 of 908 environmental scientists reported that, on average, journals are up to 2.6 times more likely to reject papers on the basis of language quality when they come from authors whose first language isn’t English than when they come from peers whose first language is English — and that non-fluent English speakers are asked to revise papers 12.5 times more often.

Another analysis2, published in 2025, suggests that scientists who are women, particularly those from low-income countries, are most affected by language barriers. Women from low-income countries whose first language is not English publish substantially fewer English-language papers than their male counterparts from higher-income countries whose first language is English.

Breaking language barriers: ‘Not being fluent in English is often viewed as being an inferior scientist’

My English skills are hurting my chances in academic publishing — how can I improve?