Lecturers’ engagement in communities of practice for publishing in reputable journals: a collaborative autoethnography

Purpose This study examines lecturers’ engagement in communities of practice related to manuscript writing and publication in reputable journals. Drawing on the community of practice framework and social learning theory (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998), it employs a collaborative autoethnographic approach with both individual and collective interpretive analysis. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the community of practice framework and social learning theory (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998), it employs a collaborative autoethnographic approach with both individual and collective interpretive analysis. About 15 lecturers participated in learning professional community activities organized by PERIISAI Center for Social Science Research based in Indonesia, where several key issues emerged, including publication demands, prior publishing experience and challenges in writing for reputable journals. Findings The findings highlight multiple challenges faced by lecturers, such as developing writing skills, addressing language barriers, ensuring originality and criticality of arguments, conducting theory-driven research, synthesizing prior studies, evaluating the validity and reliability of existing research and managing time constraints alongside additional responsibilities. Originality/value Based on Wenger’s framework of communities of practice, this study identifies four central dimensions: meaning, practice, community and identity. The study contributes to understanding how lecturers’ professional identities are shaped as researchers engaged in manuscript writing for reputable international journals.