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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Editorial Process

Submission Types

Articles

The L2 Journal is seeking submissions of previously unpublished manuscripts on any topic related to the area of language learning and teaching at all levels of instruction. These articles may have (1) a theoretical orientation and contribute to building educational theory and/or (2) a pedagogic orientation and contribute to understanding and improving curriculum design and teaching innovation. Submissions will contribute to both the theory and the practice of language teaching and learning. In both (1) and (2), articles should link previous research, educational theory, and language teaching practices. Authors are expected to review the existing work done on the topic, choose a theoretical framework that will justify their use of a given research methodology or pedagogic innovation, give a clear rationale for the gathering and analysis of empirical data, provide a thorough description and documentation of the research or pedagogic activity, as well as an evaluation of the findings (results of the empirical study or outcome of the pedagogic activity). Articles are blind peer-reviewed with particular attention paid to originality, clear linkage between theoretical framework and analysis of the data, and quality of writing. Articles should be written in English, with an average length of approximately 8,000 words, including references. 

Teachers' Forum

This section of the journal invites reflections on the theory and practice of language teaching as well as language instructors’ identities and trajectories. These reflections should take the form of personal essays, so rather than follow the traditional format of research articles (introduction, literature review, methods, etc.), contributors should aim at describing how personal experiences and/or books have influenced their teaching. Essays will be peer-reviewed and will be evaluated with particular attention to their general interest, relevance, and value to a broad readership of language educators, style, and quality of writing. Submissions to Teachers' Forum should be no longer than 4,500 words, not including bibliography, appendices, and supplementary materials.

Brief Reports

This section is for short papers on any aspect of second/foreign 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 should be no more than 2,000 words (including references, notes, and tables).

Submission Checklist

  • All submissions must be uploaded through our online management system. Before submitting your manuscript, you will be asked to first register and log in to use the online system. Complete instructions are provided on the site. 
  • All article submissions must be properly anonymized. Please delete author names from the text, with “Author” and “Year” used in in-text citations, references, and footnotes, instead of the authors’ name, article title, etc. Author identification should also be removed from all submitted files.
  • Manuscripts should be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.docx) or OpenOffice (.odt) file. 
  • In the online submission system, please provide the names, institutions, e-mail addresses, and a 50-word biographical statement for each author.
  • The main manuscript file should include the title, abstract, body text, references, and appendices (optional). Please include all tables, figures, and images inline in the manuscript. 
  • Please include page numbers in your manuscript file. 
  • Research Articles should be no more than 8,500 words in length, including references and appendices. Teachers Forum articles should be no more than 4,500 words in length, including references and appendices. Brief Reports should be no more than 2,000 words in length, including references.
  • Titles of articles should not exceed 12 words and should adequately describe the content of the article. 
  • The submission should include an abstract that does not exceed 250 words.
  • Entries in the list of references should include a DOI or URL.
  • All manuscripts should be double spaced and in a 12-point font.
  • All submissions should conform to the requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2020). Authors are strongly encouraged to have their manuscripts proofread by an editor familiar with English academic prose and APA guidelines. 
  • Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all references and citations.
  • Authors are invited to take advantage of the electronic format by including hypermedia links to multimedia and other materials both within and outside the manuscript.

Review Process

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the “Submit article” link. 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 1-2 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. 

Special Issues

On occasion the L2 Journal also publishes special issues on a broad range topics of relevance to language educators. Please see the Call for Papers section of the journal website for further information on any upcoming special issues. If you are interested in guest editing a special issue for the L2 Journal, please contact the co-editors for more details on special issue proposals.