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Submission Guidelines

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Information for Contributors

JALT Journal is a bi-annual, Scopus-approved research journal of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (全国語学教育学会). Aligned with JALT's larger mission to support the research programs and professional development of JALT members, promote excellence in language learning, teaching, and research, and provide opportunities for those involved in language education, JALT Journal publishes high-quality English- and Japanese-language, quantitative and qualitative, theoretically-informed and empirically-grounded studies of relevance to second/foreign language education in Japan. Although emphasis is placed on the Japanese context, JALT Journal values contributions which also transcend geographical boundaries to illuminate the complex interaction between language, language use, people, education, and society across cultural and socio-political contexts. 

When possible, submissions to JALT Journal should aim to be both descriptive (What is my data?) and explanatory (Why is my data like this and not otherwise?) in purpose, and further stimulate scholarly debate, to hopefully improve existing applied linguistic scholarship around the world. Areas of interest include but are not limited to the following:

  • Bilingualism and multilingualism
  • Classroom-based language education
  • Cognitive linguistics
  • Contrastive linguistics
  • Conversation/discourse/critical discourse analysis
  • Critical language pedagogy
  • Curriculum design and teaching methods
  • Intercultural communicative competence
  • Language acquisition/learning
  • Language policy and planning
  • Language testing/evaluation
  • Phonetics
  • Pragmatics
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Semantics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Syntax
  • Teacher training
  • Translation and interpretation
  • Vocabulary

Note: JALT Publications do not charge author publication fees (e.g., APC). Membership in JALT is not required to submit to or publish in any of our publications.

Guidelines

General

Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts in five categories: (1) full-length articles, (2) short research reports (Research Forums), (3) theory-grounded essays which may include analysis of primary or secondary data (Perspectives), (4) comments on previously published JALT Journal articles (Point to Point), and (5) book/media reviews (Reviews) either requested by the Book Reviews editor or suggested by the author. Articles should be written for a general audience of language educators; therefore, statistical techniques and specialized terminologies must be clearly explained and their use clearly justified.   

Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for any copyrighted material included in their manuscript submission. When submitting a manuscript based on a thesis or dissertation published in an institutional repository, authors are responsible for checking with the copyright holder for permission to publish portions of the original text. 

Style

JALT Journal follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, available for download. 

Format

Full-length articles must not be more than 8,000 words, including references, notes, tables, and figures. Research Forum submissions should not be more than 4,000 words. Perspectives submissions should not be more than 5,000 words. Point to Point comments on previously published articles should not be more than 675 words in length, and Reviews should generally be around 1,000 words. All submissions must be word processed in A4 or 8.5 x 11” format with line spacing set at 1.5 lines. For refereed submissions, names and identifying references should appear only on the cover sheet. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references and reference citations.

Submission Procedure 

All manuscripts must be submitted online (see Online Submissions section below)

Please submit the following two documents in MS Word format to the appropriate editor indicated below:

  1. Cover sheet with the title and author name(s), affiliation(s), and contact information of the corresponding author.
  2. A blinded manuscript, including title, abstract, and keywords, with no citations referring to the author. Do not use running heads and do not include your biographical information. Follow the JALT Journal style sheet.

If the manuscript is accepted for publication, a Japanese translation of the abstract will be required. Authors will also be asked to provide biographical information. Insert all tables and figures in the manuscript. Do not send them as separate files.

Submissions will be acknowledged within 1 month of their receipt. All manuscripts are first reviewed by the Editor to ensure they comply with JALT Journal Guidelines. Those considered for publication are subject to blind review by at least two readers, with special attention given to (1) compliance with JALT Journal Editorial Policy, (2) the significance and originality of the submission, and (3) the use of appropriate research design and methodology. The first round of review is usually completed within 3 months. Click here for more details about the manuscript peer review process.

Each contributing author of published articles and Book Reviews will receive one complimentary copy of the JALT Journal and a PDF of the article (Book Reviews are compiled together as one PDF). JALT Journal does not provide off-prints. Contributing authors have the option of ordering further copies of JALT Journal (contact JALT Central Office for price details).

Online Submissions 

Materials in English should be submitted in either Rich Text or Microsoft Word Format (NOT PDF) via our website here. Manuscripts should follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition style. Please indicate the type of submission: (1) full-length article, (2) short research report (Research Forums), (3) theory-grounded essays (Perspectives), or (4) comments on previously published JALT Journal articles (Point to Point).

If you do NOT have an account in our system, follow these steps:

  1. Visit our website here. 

  2. Select REGISTER in the top right corner.

  3. Complete the personal information.

  4. Click REGISTER.

  5. Select JALT Journal. You will see the "About" menu just below the JALT Publications logo. Select "Submissions" under the "About" menu. 

  6. On the "Submissions" page, read the Submissions Preparation Checklist CAREFULLY and then follow the steps to complete your submission. When you upload the manuscript, make sure that it is FULLY ANONYMIZED as explained in the Submissions Preparation Checklist.

  7. You can check on the progress of your review and on the editing process through your author page in the journal.

If you already have an account registered in the system, follow these steps:

  1. Visit our website here. 

  2. Log in.

  3. Select JALT Journal. You will see the "About" menu just below the JALT Publications logo. Select "Submissions" under the "About" menu.

  4. On the "Submissions" page, follow the steps to complete your submission.

  5. You can check on the progress of your review and the editing process through your author page in the journal here.  

Restrictions

Papers submitted to JALT Journal must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere. JALT Journal has First World Publication Rights, as defined by International Copyright Conventions, for all manuscripts published. If accepted, the editors reserve the right to edit all copy for length, style, and clarity without prior notification to authors. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, will result in articles not being published or being retracted and may also result in the author(s) being banned from submitting to any JALT publication. For further information, see the JALT Publications Statement of Ethics and Malpractice here. 

For any general inquiries about English-language submissions, please contact:

jaltpubs.jj.ed@jalt.org 

Dennis Koyama, JALT Journal Editor

Japanese-Language Manuscripts

JALT Journal welcomes Japanese-language manuscripts on second/foreign language teaching and learning as well as Japanese-language reviews of publications. Submissions must conform to the Editorial Policy and Guidelines given above. Authors must provide a detailed abstract in English, 500 to 750 words in length, for full-length manuscripts and a 100-word abstract for reviews. Refer to the section titled “日本語論文投稿要領” below for details.. Please send Japanese-language manuscripts to:

jaltpubs.jj.ed.j@jalt.org 

Masayuki Kudo, JALT Journal Japanese-Language Editor

Reviews

The editors invite reviews of books and other relevant publications in the field of language education. A list of publications that have been sent to JALT for review is published bimonthly in The Language Teacher and can be found here. Review authors receive one copy of the JALT Journal. Please send submissions, queries, or requests for books, materials, and review guidelines to:

jaltpubs.jj.reviews@jalt.org 

Melodie Cook, JALT Journal Reviews Editor

Special Issues

Special issues often make an important contribution to the development of academic discourse in a specific field, because they allow researchers and practitioners to (a) identify an issue or topic of particular relevance to the context in which the journal is read, (b) summarize the key concepts and debates shaping that issue, (c) bring further sophistication to existing academic discourse and identify new research possibilities, and (d) identify key readings for the journal readership. Special issues can also attract new authors and readers to an academic journal, and can be effective means of finding new editors for that journal.

We strongly encourage JALT Journal readers to submit special-issues proposals for the November 2024 issue. When submitting such proposals, please make sure that they adhere to the aims and scope of JALT Journal. Proposals should include: (1) a title which clearly captures the special issue topic, (2) a brief description of the special issue, (3) an account of the motivation behind the special issue and its importance to the field at large, (4) a list of no more than three guest editors with short biographical information, including editorial work experience, and (5) a list of article contributors, with a short description of each article contribution. Please send submissions and queries to: 

jaltpubs.jj.ed@jalt.org 

Dennis Koyama, JALT Journal Editor

Address for Inquiries about Subscriptions, Author Reprints, or Advertising

JALT Central Office
Marunouchi Trust Tower Main Building, 20F, 1-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 100-0005 Japan
Tel: 03-5288-5443 Office Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Mon - Fri) JST
(From overseas: +81-3-5288-5443)
Email: jco@jalt.org; Website: <www.jalt.org>

日本語論文投稿要領

 

JALT Journalでは日本語で執筆された（a）論文、（b）研究報告、（c）展望論文、（d）JALT Journalに掲載された著作物へのコメント・考察、（e）書評を募集しています。（a）論文と（b）研究報告の違いは、以下の通り字数制限による違いです。（c）展望論文は、言語教育研究に関する課題に焦点をあてた短い論文で、先行研究の検証、理論や1次2次データに基づく議論などを含むものです。文体:一般的な学術論文のスタイルを用い、章立ての仕方や参考文献のデータの書き方などは、Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association（7th edition）の定める方式に合わせて下さい。JALT Journal書式シート（日本語原稿用）を以下からダウンロードできます<www.jalt-publications.org/jj/>。なお、JALT Journalの読者は現場の教師が主なので、特殊な専門用語や統計的手法は、わかりやすく定義するか説明を加えるなどして下さい。原稿:長さは、参考文献リストも含め、（a）論文は25,000字、（b）研究報告は13,000字、（c）展望論文は16,000字、（d）JALT Journalに掲載された著作物へのコメント・考察は2,000字、（e）書評は1,500~3,000字以内です。A4の用紙に横書きで、１行40字、１ページ30行で印刷して下さい。手書きの原稿は受け付けません。

提出するもの

JALT Journal書式シート（日本語原稿用）を参考に作成の上、電子メールの添付書類でお送りください。 なお、上記（a）論文~（e）書評のどのカテゴリーへの投稿かを明記ください。審査を経て掲載の認められた草稿は、図表などを全て写植版にしたものにして提出願います。

査読

編集委員会で投稿要領に合っているかどうかを確認したあと、少なくとも二人の査読者が査読を行います。査読者には執筆者の名前は知らされません。査読の過程では特に、原稿がJALT Journalの目的に合っているか、言語教育にとって意味があるか、独創性はあるか、研究計画や方法論は適切か等が判定されます。査読は通常二か月以内に終了しますが、特に投稿の多い場合などは審査にそれ以上の時間がかかることがあります。

注意

JALT Journalに投稿する原稿は、すでに出版されているものや他の学術雑誌に投稿中のものは避けて下さい。JALT Journalは、そこに掲載されるすべての論文に関して国際著作権協定による世界初出版権を持ちます。なお、お送りいただいた原稿は返却しませんので、控を保存して下さい。

投稿原稿送り先またはお問い合わせ：

〒100-0005 東京都千代田区丸の内1-8-3 丸の内トラストタワー本館20階
電話: 03-5288-5443　営業時間： 月曜日 ~ 金曜日、午前9時から午後5時まで

JALT Journal 日本語編集者　
工藤　雅之　
jaltpubs.jj.ed.j@jalt.org