Ethics Statement
L2 Journal draws on the Committee for Publishing Ethics in the creation of their policies.
AUTHORS & AUTHORSHIP
Authorship and Contributorship
Authors listed on a manuscript should meet the following criteria: (i) have made significant contributions to the concept, design, execution, or analysis/interpretation of the study; and (ii) have drafted the manuscript or revised it for important intellectual content.
Additional individuals who made contributions to the work reported in the manuscript in areas such as (but not limited to) technical support or editing should be acknowledged (with their permission) in an "Acknowledgements" section. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included and for confirming that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript prior to publication.
The L2 Journal does not require a delineation of work done by each author in its publications or during the submission process. All the individuals who have contributed to the manuscript are responsible for collectively determining who should be listed as authors and the order of authors.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Authors must properly acknowledge the work of others that has been influential in the development of their manuscript through appropriate and thorough citations.
Originality and Plagiarism
Manuscripts submitted to L2 Journal should be entirely original works, meaning that they should not infringe on the copyright of another party. Use of others’ ideas, work or words must be appropriately cited or quoted.
AI & Authorship
(Guidance taken from Language Learning & Technology)
The use of AI in the production of academic scholarship (e.g., writing the manuscript, generating images or figures, data collection/analysis) is not banned in L2 Journal but must always be flagged and described, including: when AI tools were used, what tools were used, how these tools were used, and how results of AI tools were integrated into the manuscript.
Authors remain fully responsible for the entirety of their manuscripts, including portions produced in collaboration with AI tools.
Conflicts of Interest
All authors must declare any financial or other significant conflict of interest that may influence (or be perceived to influence) the reporting or work. In addition, all sources of financial support for the work reported on in the manuscript must be acknowledged in the manuscript and in the submission process.
Ethical Treatment of Research Subjects
If the work discussed in the manuscript involves the use of human subjects, the authors must ensure that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate institutional committee(s) approved them. Privacy of participants should also be respected. Include a statement in the manuscript to this effect.
Data Sharing & Reproducibility
Papers reporting on original research must provide evidence and supporting data. These data should be represented accurately in the paper; fabrication of data is considered unethical behavior. Editors or reviewers may request additional data to support particular points or arguments. Full or raw data sets will not be published with articles.
Multiple or Concurrent Submission/Publication
Publishing essentially the same research in multiple journals is considered unethical. As such, authors should not submit a manuscript to L2 Journal that has already been published in another journal. Relatedly, submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Articles previously published in L2 Journal may be published elsewhere, as long as the author(s) acknowledge(s) that it was previously published in L2 Journal, providing volume, issue, and page numbers.
Peer Review
All manuscripts submitted to L2 Journal participate in the peer review process. Authors must cooperate fully by responding promptly to editors’ and reviewers’ requests for clarifications and questions.
PEER REVIEW
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review is essential to academic scholarship: it assists editors in making editorial decisions; supports authors in improving their manuscripts; and supports the development and dissemination of contributions to the field. L2 Journal relies on peer reviewers to support editorial decisions; editorial decisions ultimately lie with journal editors.
Conflicts of Interest
Reviewers who have conflicts of interest (e.g., relationships with or connections to the authors or the work done) should notify the editors and decline the invitation to review. Invited reviewers who are unable to review can indicate alternative reviewers when declining the invitation.
Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted as objectively as possible, with clearly formulated comments that are framed in terms of improving the manuscript. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.
Acknowledgement of Sources
During the manuscript review process, reviewers should identify relevant scholarship that has not been cited by the authors and that would strengthen the manuscript. When making suggestions/observations, reviewers should include relevant citations when appropriate. If the reviewer has concerns about how the authors have cited other work, they should notify the editors.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review are confidential documents and should be treated as such, i.e., they must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by L2 Journal editors. This applies to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation as well.
Similarly, manuscript content cannot be used in a reviewer’s work without consent of authors. This also applies to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation.
Promptness
Reviewers should try to complete assessments of manuscripts by the deadline agreed upon between the reviewer and journal editors. If circumstances arise that impede completion of a reviewer, reviewers should notify the journal editors as soon as possible, so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.
DUTIES OF EDITORS
Editorial Decisions
The editors are responsible for ensuring that all manuscripts submitted to L2 Journal that are deemed ready for external review are assessed by at least two peer reviewers who are experts in the field. Editorial decisions are ultimately the responsibility of the editors, who will take into account the work described in the manuscript; the manuscript’s contribution to the field and to the readership of L2 Journal; and the reviewers’ comments in rendering their decision.
Editors evaluate manuscripts based on their academic merit (importance, originality, study’s validity, clarity) and relevance to the journal’s scope, with support from reviewers’ comments and assessments. Authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy or institutional affiliation are not considered in rendering an editorial decision.
Complaints and Appeals
Appeals to editorial decisions need to provide strong information in response to the reviewers’ and/or editor’s comments (e.g., new data, clear and convincing rebuttals to cited issues in editorial decision). Editors will consider one appeal per article; all decisions are final. For more information about the appeals process, please contact the editors. For complaints about the editors, please contact eScholarship.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts submitted to L2 Journal are considered confidential documents. L2 Journal editors will not disclose information about submitted manuscripts beyond the corresponding author, invited or accepted reviewers, and other editors/journal staff. Similarly, L2 Journal editors will not use any unpublished material or ideas in their own work or to their personal advantage.
Conflicts of Interest
In the event that L2 Journal editors have significant conflicts of interest (e.g., relationships with or connections to the authors or the work done) that preclude them from objectively assessing a manuscript, they will ask another member of the editorial board to handle the manuscript.
Misconduct
Misconduct within academic publishing may include (but is not limited to): infringement of copyright, citation manipulation, duplicate submission/publication, unethical research, failure to declare conflicts of interest, data fabrication/manipulation, and plagiarism. L2 Journal editors will take necessary steps to prevent publication of papers connected to any form of research misconduct.
Post-Publication Corrections
If changes are necessary to an article after publication, L2 Journal editors will work with the authors to determine the best course of action in accordance with COPE’s guidelines for post-publication corrections. All changes will be documented and flagged with a post-publication note (e.g., correction, retraction, removal) to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record.
PUBLISHER
Handling of Unethical Publishing Behavior
In cases where alleged or proven scholarly misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism is brought to the attention of eScholarship, eScholarship staff will consult with the editor. All forms of misconduct are taken seriously and will result in all necessary action in accordance with COPE https://publicationethics.org/ guidelines.
Intellectual Property
eScholarship is committed to open access publishing, ensuring global access to research publications and emphasizing the rights of authors to retain copyright in their work and to license that work in ways that encourage sharing and reuse.
Access to and Preservation of Journal Content
L2 Journal is an open access journal, which means it is made freely available to readers across the world. eScholarship will preserve and host the journal without charge to authors, editors, or readers, even if the partnership with the journal is dissolved and/or the journal ceases to publish. All content contributed to eScholarship is automatically submitted to California Digital Library’s Merritt service for long-term preservation and curation.