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Submission Guidelines for TESOL Journal

 

 

TESOL Journal (TJ), a refereed, practitioner-oriented electronic journal based on current theory and research in the field of TESOL, invites you to submit previously unpublished articles on English as a second language, foreign language, or additional language that address research and classroom practices based on sound theorizing and grounded in thoughtful practices. TJ encourages manuscript submissions that deal with learners of all ages and proficiency levels from language teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and researchers who work in a variety of language and teaching contexts. They include but are not limited to ESL and EFL for pre-K–12, 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education, and adult education settings.

TJ is a forum for second and foreign language educators at all levels to engage in the ways that research and theorizing can inform, shape, and ground teaching practices and perspectives. Submissions should enable an active and vibrant professional dialogue about research- and theory-based practices as well as practice-oriented theorizing and research. TJ requests submissions written in accessible and academic prose that makes the article content accessible to practitioners. In addition, new authors who have ideas for columns that need development are encouraged to contact the editor at margo.dellicarpini@lehman.cuny.edu.

TJ is published quarterly for TESOL members. A compiled print version will be available for a separate fee at the end of each subscription year. Below are the guidelines for submission.

 

1. TJ does not accept paper submissions. To submit a manuscript, please go the TJ Editorial Manager. First-time users will be asked to register. If a paper has more than one author, the person submitting the manuscript will have to identify the corresponding author and add the other authors using the “Add Author” function. If you have questions about the submission process, please contact Tomiko Chapman, Managing Editor.
2. The submission must be original and not a revision or restatement of extant research in the field.
3. The submission must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
4. The submission must include an abstract summarizing the manuscript, with a maximum of 200 words. (Book & Materials Reviews excepted.)
5. The submission should conform to the style guidelines in The Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition). For information, see the APA Web site.
6. Authors may use British or American spelling, but they must be consistent.
7. Submit manuscripts electronically to the TJ Editorial Manager. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word or compatible program. Please submit figures, graphs, and other graphic elements in situ in a standard graphic format (e.g., JPEG) or Excel. Tables should be created in Microsoft Word or compatible program.
8. All quoted material must be cited in text and in a reference list. The TJ Editorial Advisory Board will determine a clear policy and definition of plagiarism, and its decision will be final.
9. Research using human participants must follow TESOL’s Informed Consent Policy.

 

Submission Categories

TJ welcomes submissions in the following categories. All word counts include references, tables, and so forth.

Feature Articles

2,500–7,000 words

Feature articles should contain an abstract of 150–200 words. Manuscripts undergo blind review and therefore should have no reference to your identity. Please include a separate cover sheet containing your name, affiliation, contact information. Due to the electronic nature of the journal, authors are encouraged to include hyperlinks, graphics; photographs, video streaming, and other technology formats (See the TJ Policy for Publishing Photographs, Sound, and Video). (Editor: Margo DelliCarpini, margo.dellicarpini@lehman.cuny.edu)

 

21st Century Language Skills

1,000–2,000 words

Submissions should focus on the ways in which English language learners around the world must master language functions that will prepare them for success in a global society whose technology is changing and developing on an almost daily basis. Submissions should discuss these new language demands and how teachers are addressing these demands in their teaching. In addition, submissions may discuss innovative and effective ways that emerging technologies (Facebook, Wikis, blogs, Skype, etc.) have been incorporated into English language instruction. (Section Editor: James Perren, jperren@emich.edu)

 

Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE)

1,500–2,500 words

In many ESL contexts, educators are being faced with increasing numbers of students at all levels who have had interrupted formal education. These students pose numerous challenges to traditional ESL instruction. They may not have developed reading and writing skills beyond the basic level in their native language and now find themselves in an educational setting and a society that emphasizes advanced literacy skills in English. How have as educators and administrators met these challenges? How have teacher educators prepared pre-service and in-service teachers to address the needs of these learners? What materials, strategies, and teaching methods have worked in your own contexts? (Section Editor: Joye Smith, Joye.smith@lehman.cuny.edu)

 

Student Voices

500–750 words

This category offers a forum for ESL/EFL students to share perspectives on their own learning, issues, challenges, successes, and stories that will provide valuable information to practitioners in terms of developing multiple perspectives on language instruction. Submissions should address the range of issues that students learning English as a second, foreign, or additional language experience. The editor welcomes essays that need development and will assign the author to a mentor for the purposes of developing the idea into a publishable manuscript. (Editor: Margo DelliCarpini, margo.dellicarpini@lehman.cuny.edu)

 

Communities of Interaction in TESOL

2,000–3,000 words

TESOL is a community spanning the globe. As a community we regularly engage in relationships and interactions that help us to better understand our chosen profession. The source of the strength of the TESOL community is found in the many diverse local and international communities that link through a convergence of cooperative inquiry. These are communities in which all members should be able to participate equally. However, this is not always the case. Participation can be multifaceted involving many roles, for example, teacher, student, parent, administrator, author, peer reviewer, worker, and mentor.

Submissions to Communities of Participation cover a very broad spectrum and can include manuscripts examining: teacher collaboration, communities of practice/praxis centering on the classroom, technology and professional participation, professional development and publication communities, support systems necessary for professional participation, and career and workplace issues in TESOL.

Authors should direct their analysis to do one of the following: 1) document successes, challenges, and promising practices that have emerged; 2) point to possible solutions to the issue being addressed in the manuscript; or 3) outline lessons learned through the experiences described that other teachers may find enlightening. Specific questions should be directed to the section editor. (Section Editor: Tim Stewart, tim.stewart@fx7.ecs.kyoto-u.ac.jp)

Language Teacher Research

2,000–3,000 words

The Language Teacher Research section, edited by Thomas S.C. Farrell, includes inquiries that are systematic and intentional and features accounts of teachers at all levels researching their own practice (not other teachers’ practice) in their own context. This section is a continuation of TESOL’s original Language Teacher Research (LTR) Series. This Language Teacher Research section aims to continue to provide a structured forum so that the research accounts are readable and accessible to all language teachers by providing the following template that all contributors to this section must follow:

 

·        Research issue: The statement of the issue includes a brief description of the context and the participants. It answers the question “Why was this issue important to you?" You are encouraged to identify and express what you see as important to the situated nature of your work.

·        Background literature: This brief review of the literature asks you to write only about the background literature relating to the issue you have researched.

·        Procedures: Document your exact procedures or responses to the research issue. What was the procedure or response taken, why, and where did it come from? How did you implement it? Give as many details as possible because other teachers may want to replicate your research in different contexts.

·        Result: In this section, you discuss the outcomes and results in detail.

·        Reflection: What have you learned as a result of the whole process? For example, what have you learned about your practice? What have you learned about doing research? Also, at this point, the issue of the situated nature of the work should be revisited: Why do you think the issue is specific to your context?

Book & Material Reviews
500–750 words
This section is a forum for evaluative reviews of teaching materials, teacher resources, technology resources, and creative works, with a description of how they have been successfully used in the classroom. (Section Editor: Barbara Brownworth, barbara.brownworth@stonybrook.edu)