Thanks for your question. Please excuse the delay in answering – for some reason your question got lost.

When you write “a specific variety of English” perhaps you refer to one of the Englishes used around the world, such as UK English, Oxford English, North American English, Australian English, South African English, etc. Your choice should, of course, be based on where your intended readers are. If you write for a scientific journal, you must read its guide for authors and strictly follow the guidelines. Sometimes the variety of English preferred is stated; sometimes the choice is the author’s.

“A specific variety of English” may, of course, also refer to the jargon used in a particular field of research. The language in a paper on manufacturing or linguistics or robotics, for example, will differ from that in one about economics or geriatrics or marketing. As a specialist, you know your jargon, but you should keep in mind who your readers are.

Remember the two most important factors for your choice of language variety:

1) Write with your readers in mind.
2) Be consistent. After choosing your language variety, stick to it. If you write “centre” and not “center”, you must also write “labour”, not “labor”.

It is one of the duties of a copyeditor to make sure the language is consistent throughout the text.

Regards,
Lars