To support the quality of scholarship published and to support the editors’ decision making, L2 Journal employs a double-blind model of peer review. 

Once received, there is a two-step review process.

Step 1: Internal Review. The editors of the journal first review each manuscript to ensure that it meets the basic requirements for articles published in the journal. In the case of articles, the basic criteria include considerations of the originality of the research or framework that links previous research, applied linguistics, and teaching practices, and that it is of sufficient quality to merit external review. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements are not sent out for further review, and authors of these manuscripts are encouraged to submit their work elsewhere. This internal review takes about 2-3 weeks. Following the internal review, authors are notified if their manuscript will not be sent out for external review with an explanation for the decision.

Step 2: External Review. Submissions that meet the basic requirements are then sent out for double-blind peer review from 2-3 experts in the field. This second review process takes 2-3 months. Following the external review, the authors are sent copies of the external reviewers' comments and are notified as to the decision (accept as is or with minor revisions, accept with major revisions, revise and resubmit, or reject). Most manuscripts fall under the "Revise and resubmit" category. Revisions may take a few months and final acceptance may require that the revised manuscript be sent out to one or the other of the original reviewers.

For more on the journal policies surrounding peer review, see the Policies and Journal Ethics pages.