Submission Types

The L2Journal invites submissions of previously-unpublished manuscripts on any topic related to the area of world language learning and teaching (i.e., second language acquisition, second language pedagogy, bilingualism and multilingualism, language and technology, curriculum development and teacher training, testing and evaluation), with particular focus on the teaching and learning of languages other than English. 

There are three journal sections: Articles, Teachers’ Forum, and Brief Reports.

Articles

Submissions in this section may have (1) a theoretical orientation and contribute to building educational theory and/or (2) a research orientation and contribute to understanding and improving world language learning and teaching. 

All submissions in this section should contribute to both the theory and the practice of world language teaching/learning and should link to previous appropriate research, theory, practices, from existing academic literature (e.g., world language education, second language acquisition, applied linguistics).

All articles in this section are blind peer-reviewed and will be evaluated on general interest; importance/significance to the field; depth, coherence and suitability of the literature review; rigor of methods (for empirical pieces only); and clarity of expression.

For empirical manuscripts, authors should follow general guidelines for reporting qualitative and quantitative studies, as outlined in applied language studies. Recommended guides for reporting world language education research can be found via Foreign Language Annals and Second Language Research and Practice. 

Articles in this section should be written in English, with an average length of approximately 8,500 words, including references. 

Teachers' Forum

This section of the journal invites 1) reflective and 2) practical reports on world language teaching. In doing so, the Teachers’ Forum section provides a space for practitioners to reflect on and share insights and innovations from their own practice with a larger community.

Although focused primarily on practice, all reports should reference appropriate academic literature (e.g., world language education, second language acquisition, applied linguistics).

All reports are peer-reviewed and will be evaluated with particular attention to their general interest; relevance; value to a broad readership of language educators; style; and quality of writing. 

All reports should include an implications section, wherein lessons for instructors in different contexts are drawn. 

Submissions to Teachers' Forum should be no longer than 4,500 words, including bibliography but not including appendices, and supplementary materials.

This section has two primary types of submissions: Reflective Reports and Pedagogical Reports.

1) Reflective Reports:

• These reflections should take the form of personal essays: rather than follow the traditional format of research articles, contributors should aim at describing how personal experiences and/or books have influenced their teaching.
• Example reports written in this style:
• Heidenfeldt, W. A. (2020). So That All May Speak: Inviting All to Describe Themselves in the L2 French Classroom. L2 Journal: An electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 12(1).
• Kahn, G. (2022). Reflections on Dialogism and Doing Community in the L2 Classroom. L2 Journal: An electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 14(3).

2) Practical Reports: 

• These reports present innovative curricular or instructional projects in world language education (e.g., curricular projects, pedagogical practices or activities, professional development examples, etc). 
• In addition to being anchored in appropriate literature, practical reports should include a section on outcomes (descriptive, not necessarily empirical) and on implications.
• Example reports written in this style
• Samuelson, B. L. (2023). Tuning Learners to Linguistic Diversity using the “Your Words” Activity. L2 Journal: An electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 15(1).  

Brief Reports

This section is for short empirical papers on any aspect of world language learning theory and practice. The editors encourage manuscripts that either present preliminary findings or focus on some aspect of a larger study. 

In all cases, the discussion of issues should be supported by empirical evidence and collected through qualitative or quantitative investigations. These brief research reports should present key concepts and results in a manner accessible to our diverse readership. 

Submissions to this section are peer-reviewed and will be evaluated on general interest; relevance value to a broad readership of language educators; style; and quality of writing. 

Submissions to the Brief Reports section should be no longer than 2,000 words (including references, notes, and tables).