{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:03:21Z","timestamp":1760148201199,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]],"date-time":"2023-04-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1680825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Publications"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Although ambiguity in written, oral, and visual communication is inevitably present across all human societies and cultures, variation among these societies and cultures occurs in the sociocultural causes of its existence. This study helps formulate a conceptual framework that enables the enrichment of knowledge about this variation. It takes a first step by highlighting Arab-specific reasons behind ambiguity in academic writings in humanities and social sciences. The investigation entails thematically analysing the thoughts of 905 Arabs in academia. The findings point to a \u2018doing-the-minimum\u2019 mentality, whereby one may act hastily and impatiently and do just enough for one\u2019s manuscript to be published in any journal, thereby rushing into publication while skimping on quality and diminishing attention to manuscript clarity. Another finding is the ambition for rewards that Arab institutions assign to publication, whereby one may boost their publication records to reap these rewards, resulting in high quantity while sacrificing quality (e.g., clarity). Another reason discovered is the conceptualisation of writing as a formulaic and \u2018fill-in-the-blanks\u2019 task (templates to be completed and, thus, manuscripts to be constructed), instilling a focus on technicality instead of cognitive depth and clarity. An additional reason found is the passive application of foreign theories and conceptual frameworks without subjecting them to critical reflection, reapplying foreign surveys and mimicking survey-based articles, thereby making their articles culturally shallow, suffer from cultural irrelevance, and thus, ambiguity. This is along with the integration of poetry (wherein ambiguity is culturally viewed as desirable and showing poets to be sophisticated) into Arabs\u2019 daily social and educational lives and mindsets, encouraging the acceptability of ambiguity as a possible linguistic quality in scholarly writing as well. The social context lacks direct, explicit, and free articulation, encouraging one to resort to roundabout ways of composing their manuscripts, thus, making the manuscripts fall into ambiguity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/publications11020025","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,10]],"date-time":"2023-04-10T03:19:54Z","timestamp":1681096794000},"page":"25","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Sociocultural Causes of Ambiguity in Arab Academic Writings"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5116-422X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdulrahman Essa","family":"Al Lily","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Curriculum and Teaching Methods, College of Education, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}]},{"given":"Abdelrahim Fathy","family":"Ismail","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt"},{"name":"The Scientific Journal of King Faisal University, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4666-9386","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rahima","family":"Aissani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Communication and Media, College of Communication and Media, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 112612, United Arab Emirates"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5288-4002","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fathi M.","family":"Abunasser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Educational Foundation and Administration Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Seeb 123, Oman"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5230-6808","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samia M.","family":"Shahpo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Early Childhood, College of Sciences and Humanities in Jubail, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Jubail 35811, Saudi Arabia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9218-5097","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ali Khalifa Atwa","family":"Abdullatif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Scientific Journal of King Faisal University, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}]},{"given":"Ghada N.","family":"Elmorsy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Kindergarten, College of Education, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"40","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02784863","article-title":"Ambiguity, cognition, learning, teaching, and design","volume":"48","author":"Visser","year":"2004","journal-title":"Tech Trends-Wash. DC"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kruks, S. (2012). Simone de Beauvoir and the Politics of Ambiguity, Oxford University Press.","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780195381443.001.0001"},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Gleich, B., Creighton, O., and Kof, L. (July, January 30). Ambiguity detection: Towards a tool explaining ambiguity sources. Proceedings of the International Working Conference on Requirements Engineering: Foundation for Software Quality, Essen, Germany."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Zabotkina, V., and Boyarskaya, E. (October, January 24). Conceptual foundation of event-referential ambiguity. Proceedings of the 5th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Sciences and Arts Sgem, Albena, Bulgaria."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1174\/021093906776173216","article-title":"Ambiguity and the dialogical self: In search for a dialogical psychology","volume":"27","author":"Ferreira","year":"2006","journal-title":"Estud. Psicol."},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"37","article-title":"Ambiguity in human communication: Causes, consequences and resolution","volume":"26","author":"Oluga","year":"2010","journal-title":"Malays. J. Commun."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Boehner, K., and Hancock, J.T. (2006, January 22\u201327). Advancing ambiguity. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, NY, USA.","DOI":"10.1145\/1124772.1124789"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780198529361.003.0002","article-title":"Music and meaning, ambiguity","volume":"2","author":"Cross","year":"2005","journal-title":"Music. Commun."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-25229-2_8","article-title":"Ambiguity","volume":"8","author":"Wade","year":"2016","journal-title":"Art Illusion."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"819","DOI":"10.1016\/S0097-8493(00)00085-6","article-title":"OOPS: A toolkit supporting mediation techniques for resolving ambiguity in recognition-based interfaces","volume":"24","author":"Mankoff","year":"2000","journal-title":"Comput. Graph."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Zidan, J. (1988). Allughat Alearabiat Kayin Hayi \u2018The Arabic Language Is a Living Organism\u2019, Dar Al-Jeel. [2nd ed.]. (In Arabic)."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.22225\/jr.5.1.807.68-71","article-title":"Ambiguity in writing story text of experience of Grade IV students of the Champion School Denpasar-Bali","volume":"5","author":"Anggur","year":"2019","journal-title":"Retorika J. Ilmu Bhs."},{"key":"ref_13","first-page":"251","article-title":"Investigating effects of tolerance-intolerance of ambiguity and the teaching of public relations writing: A quasi-experiment","volume":"58","author":"Sallot","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Mass Commun. Educ."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1075\/li.24.1.05lap","article-title":"Reduction of lexical ambiguity","volume":"24","author":"Laporte","year":"2001","journal-title":"Lingvisticae Investig."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"1","article-title":"Introduction to ambiguity in culture and literature","volume":"12","author":"Bartoloni","year":"2010","journal-title":"CLCWeb Comp. Lit. Cult."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1016\/j.infsof.2018.12.007","article-title":"Detecting terminological ambiguity in user stories: Tool and experimentation","volume":"110","author":"Dalpiaz","year":"2019","journal-title":"Inf. Softw. Technol."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110","DOI":"10.1086\/679180","article-title":"Ambiguity is kinda good sometimes","volume":"82","year":"2015","journal-title":"Philos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Berlatsky, N. (2023, March 12). Why Most Academics Will Always Be Bad Writers. Available online: https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/article\/why-most-academics-will-always-be-bad-writers\/."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Jasper, J. (2023, March 12). Why So Many Academics Are Lousy Writers. Available online: chronicle.com\/article\/why-so-many-academics-are-lousy-writers\/."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"Tawfiq, S. (2007). Azmat Al\u2019iibdae fi Thuqafatina Almueasirati \u2018The Crisis of Creativity in Our Contemporary Culture\u2019, Almuasasat Aljamieiat Lildirasat Walnashr Waltawziei. (In Arabic)."},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"146","article-title":"Alkitabat biallughat alearabiat bayn alwaqie waltamuha \u2018Writing in Arabic between reality and ambition\u2019","volume":"13","year":"1992","journal-title":"Arab. Herit. J. Arab. Writ. Union"},{"key":"ref_22","first-page":"117","article-title":"Allughat alearabiat bayn altafkir walkitabati \u2018The Arabic language between thinking and writing\u2019","volume":"48","author":"Tabara","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lit. Position J. Arab. Writ. Union"},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"294","article-title":"Altabsit aleilmii: Min alghumud \u2018iilaa alwuduhi \u2018scientific simplification: From ambiguity to clarity\u2019","volume":"7","author":"Boudiaf","year":"2021","journal-title":"Jusoor Knowl. J. Hassiba Benbou Ali Univ. Chlef Alger."},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"156","article-title":"Muealajat \u2018utur aleamal alnazariat walmafahimiat fi buhuth altarbiat aleilmiati: Dirasat tahliliat libuhuth dawriat altarbiat aleilmiat 2011\u20132016 \u2018Addressing theoretical and conceptual frameworks in science education research: An analytical study of the research of the Science Education Journal 2011\u20132016\u2019","volume":"41","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Coll. Educ. Educ. Sci."},{"key":"ref_25","first-page":"1","article-title":"Haseerat alm al tafseer \u2018The journey of the field of interpretation\u2019","volume":"191","author":"Husni","year":"2012","journal-title":"Qur\u2019anic Stud. J."},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"667","article-title":"Tatwir maharat alkitabat al\u2019akadimiati: Bahath fi alkhasayis wal\u2019adawati \u2018Developing the skill of academic writing: An examination of characteristics and tools\u2019","volume":"3","author":"Theeb","year":"2021","journal-title":"Al-Shihab J."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"Alwardi, A.H. (2013). Dirasat Fi Susyulujia Al\u2019iislam \u2018A Study in the Sociology of Islam\u2019, Al-Warraq Publishing House. (In Arabic)."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"540","article-title":"Anmat alghumudi: Dirasatan fi tahlil tasawurat lilshier alearabii \u2018Patterns of ambiguity: A study in analyzing perceptions of Arabic poetry\u2019","volume":"13","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Fac. Arts Fayoum Univ."},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"434","article-title":"Jawdat muhtawaa almanahij aldirasiat li\u2019aqsam allughat alearabiati: Dirasat taqwimiat ealaa wifq maeayir aliaetimad al\u2019akadimi \u2018Quality of curricula content for Arabic language departments: An evaluation study according to academic accreditation standards\u2019","volume":"16","year":"2020","journal-title":"Maysan Res. J."},{"key":"ref_30","first-page":"334","article-title":"Alturath alealmaa walthaqafat alearabiat wal\u2019iislamiatu \u2018Scientific heritage and Arab and Islamic culture\u2019","volume":"9","author":"Ismail","year":"2016","journal-title":"Herit. Civiliz. J."},{"key":"ref_31","first-page":"131","article-title":"Alwuduh walkhafa\u2019i: Qira\u2019at fi almanzumat aldalaliat eind al\u2019usuliiyna \u2018Clarity and concealment: A reading of the semantic system of fundamentalists\u2019","volume":"53","author":"Daftar","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Islam. Univ. Coll."},{"key":"ref_32","unstructured":"Salma, B. (2013). Allughat Alearabiat Wamustawayatuha Wa\u2019adawuha Alwazifi \u2018The Arabic Language, Its Levels and Its Functional Performance\u2019, Dar Al Bidaya Publishers and Distributors. (In Arabic)."},{"key":"ref_33","first-page":"89","article-title":"Alghumud waltamthil aldalaliu fi binyat aljumlat alearabia \u2018Ambiguity and semantic representation in the structure of the Arabic sentence\u2019","volume":"5","author":"Humaid","year":"2008","journal-title":"Majalat Thaqafatina"},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"43","article-title":"A spects of structural and lexical ambiguity: English\/Arabic and Arabic\/English translation","volume":"31","author":"Ali","year":"1988","journal-title":"J. Arab. Tongue"},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"59","article-title":"Alghumud walwuduh \u2018Ambiguity and clarity\u2019","volume":"5","year":"1975","journal-title":"Hady Al\u2019iislam"},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"1","article-title":"Althaqafat walthaqafat alearabiatu: Almafhum walkhususia \u2018Arab Culture and Culture: Concept and Specificity\u2019","volume":"1","author":"Althifani","year":"2004","journal-title":"Majalat Buhuth Wadirasat Tarbawia"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barakat, H. (1993). The Arab World: Society, Culture, and State, The University of California Press.","DOI":"10.1525\/9780520914421"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gerges, F.A. (2018). Making the Arab World, Princeton University Press.","DOI":"10.1515\/9781400890071"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1177\/135910457000100301","article-title":"Back-translation for cross-cultural research","volume":"1","author":"Brislin","year":"1970","journal-title":"J. Cross-Cult. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"384","DOI":"10.2307\/40154832","article-title":"The Arab writer in English: Arab themes in a metropolitan language, 1908\u20131958","volume":"73","author":"Boullata","year":"1999","journal-title":"World Lit. Today"},{"key":"ref_41","unstructured":"Al Jabri, M. (2009). Takwin Aleaql Alearabi \u2018The Formation of Arab Reasoning\u2019, Markaz Dirasat Alwahdat Alearabiati. (In Arabic)."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"558","DOI":"10.2307\/812198","article-title":"Structural ambiguity: Some sources","volume":"55","author":"Stageberg","year":"1966","journal-title":"Engl. J."},{"key":"ref_43","first-page":"27","article-title":"Nash\u2019at allughat alearabiat watatawuruha \u2018The origin and development of the Arabic language\u2019","volume":"12","year":"2016","journal-title":"Majalat Allughat Waliaitisal"},{"key":"ref_44","first-page":"234","article-title":"Alghumud alshieriu fi tarikh alnaqd alearabii \u2018Poetic ambiguity in the history of Arab criticism\u2019","volume":"43","author":"Karabela","year":"2019","journal-title":"S\u00fcleyman Demirel \u00dcniv. \u0130lahiyat Fak\u00fcltesi Derg."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"Akbar, J.A. (1980). Support for Court-Yard Houses: Riyad, Saudi Arabia. [Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology]."},{"key":"ref_46","unstructured":"Alharkan, L.S. (2017). Housing Morphology, Gender, and Family Relationships in Jeddah, KSA (1940\u20132017). [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Cincinnati]."},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"Hamady, S. (1956). Temperament and Character of the Arabs. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Chicago]."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Steel, C., and van der Blom, H. (2013). Community and Communication: Oratory and Politics in Republican Rome, Oxford University Press.","DOI":"10.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780199641895.001.0001"},{"key":"ref_49","unstructured":"Musa, M.Y. (2017). Bayn Aldiyn Walfalsafa \u2018Between Religion and Philosophy\u2019, Aqlam Earabiat Lilnashr Waltawzi. (In Arabic)."},{"key":"ref_50","unstructured":"Lameen, Z.M. (2019). Min Ayn Atatna Eaqliat Taqdis Al\u2019ashkhasi?! \u2018Where Did the Mentality of Sanctifying People Come from?!\u2019, Aljazeera."},{"key":"ref_51","unstructured":"Shahbandar, A. (2019). Al Qatayah al Ejtimaayah al Kubra fi al Aalam al Arabi \u2018Major Social Issues in the Arab World\u2019, The Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies."},{"key":"ref_52","first-page":"423","article-title":"Mushkilat altarjamat ma bayn allughatayn alianjiliziat walearabia \u2018Translation problems between English and Arabic\u2019","volume":"39","author":"Sameradi","year":"2011","journal-title":"Hawliaat Adab. Eayn Shams"},{"key":"ref_53","first-page":"341","article-title":"Mushkilat tarjamat alqarayin min allughat alearabiat \u2018iilaa al\u2019iinjilizia \u2018Problems of translating Qaraen from Arabic into English\u2019","volume":"45","author":"Fathi","year":"2007","journal-title":"Adab. Alraafidayn"},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1515\/humr.2004.013","article-title":"Lexical and syntactic ambiguity as a source of humor: The case of newspaper headlines","volume":"17","author":"Bucaria","year":"2004","journal-title":"Humor Int. J. Humor Res."}],"container-title":["Publications"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-6775\/11\/2\/25\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T19:12:17Z","timestamp":1760123537000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-6775\/11\/2\/25"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]]},"references-count":54,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6]]}},"alternative-id":["publications11020025"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/publications11020025","relation":{},"ISSN":["2304-6775"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2304-6775"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,7]]}}}