Barriers to Publication: Stories of Ph.D. Students from Malaysian Universities

This study aimed at elaborating barriers to publication perceived by doctoral (Ph.D.) students from Malaysian universities. We interviewed 7 Ph.D. students from 3 Malaysian universities. Besides, we also distributed a survey instrument to 125 participants who attended doctoral programs in 12 Malaysian universities. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data. Meanwhile, descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA were applied for the survey data analysis. Findings revealed some external barriers such as lack of funding for publication fee, lack of funding for professional translators, a response time of the reviewers, negative results of the review, and difficulties in coordinating with co-authors. Internal barriers like limited skills in English, lack of time to write, limited writing skills, and limited skills in submission process were also reported