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The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language
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  • Home
  • About TESL-EJ
  • Vols. 1-15 (1994-2012)
    • Volume 1
      • Volume 1, Number 1
      • Volume 1, Number 2
      • Volume 1, Number 3
      • Volume 1, Number 4
    • Volume 2
      • Volume 2, Number 1 — March 1996
      • Volume 2, Number 2 — September 1996
      • Volume 2, Number 3 — January 1997
      • Volume 2, Number 4 — June 1997
    • Volume 3
      • Volume 3, Number 1 — November 1997
      • Volume 3, Number 2 — March 1998
      • Volume 3, Number 3 — September 1998
      • Volume 3, Number 4 — January 1999
    • Volume 4
      • Volume 4, Number 1 — July 1999
      • Volume 4, Number 2 — November 1999
      • Volume 4, Number 3 — May 2000
      • Volume 4, Number 4 — December 2000
    • Volume 5
      • Volume 5, Number 1 — April 2001
      • Volume 5, Number 2 — September 2001
      • Volume 5, Number 3 — December 2001
      • Volume 5, Number 4 — March 2002
    • Volume 6
      • Volume 6, Number 1 — June 2002
      • Volume 6, Number 2 — September 2002
      • Volume 6, Number 3 — December 2002
      • Volume 6, Number 4 — March 2003
    • Volume 7
      • Volume 7, Number 1 — June 2003
      • Volume 7, Number 2 — September 2003
      • Volume 7, Number 3 — December 2003
      • Volume 7, Number 4 — March 2004
    • Volume 8
      • Volume 8, Number 1 — June 2004
      • Volume 8, Number 2 — September 2004
      • Volume 8, Number 3 — December 2004
      • Volume 8, Number 4 — March 2005
    • Volume 9
      • Volume 9, Number 1 — June 2005
      • Volume 9, Number 2 — September 2005
      • Volume 9, Number 3 — December 2005
      • Volume 9, Number 4 — March 2006
    • Volume 10
      • Volume 10, Number 1 — June 2006
      • Volume 10, Number 2 — September 2006
      • Volume 10, Number 3 — December 2006
      • Volume 10, Number 4 — March 2007
    • Volume 11
      • Volume 11, Number 1 — June 2007
      • Volume 11, Number 2 — September 2007
      • Volume 11, Number 3 — December 2007
      • Volume 11, Number 4 — March 2008
    • Volume 12
      • Volume 12, Number 1 — June 2008
      • Volume 12, Number 2 — September 2008
      • Volume 12, Number 3 — December 2008
      • Volume 12, Number 4 — March 2009
    • Volume 13
      • Volume 13, Number 1 — June 2009
      • Volume 13, Number 2 — September 2009
      • Volume 13, Number 3 — December 2009
      • Volume 13, Number 4 — March 2010
    • Volume 14
      • Volume 14, Number 1 — June 2010
      • Volume 14, Number 2 – September 2010
      • Volume 14, Number 3 – December 2010
      • Volume 14, Number 4 – March 2011
    • Volume 15
      • Volume 15, Number 1 — June 2011
      • Volume 15, Number 2 — September 2011
      • Volume 15, Number 3 — December 2011
      • Volume 15, Number 4 — March 2012
  • Vols. 16-Current
    • Volume 16
      • Volume 16, Number 1 — June 2012
      • Volume 16, Number 2 — September 2012
      • Volume 16, Number 3 — December 2012
      • Volume 16, Number 4 – March 2013
    • Volume 17
      • Volume 17, Number 1 – May 2013
      • Volume 17, Number 2 – August 2013
      • Volume 17, Number 3 – November 2013
      • Volume 17, Number 4 – February 2014
    • Volume 18
      • Volume 18, Number 1 – May 2014
      • Volume 18, Number 2 – August 2014
      • Volume 18, Number 3 – November 2014
      • Volume 18, Number 4 – February 2015
    • Volume 19
      • Volume 19, Number 1 – May 2015
      • Volume 19, Number 2 – August 2015
      • Volume 19, Number 3 – November 2015
      • Volume 19, Number 4 – February 2016
    • Volume 20
      • Volume 20, Number 1 – May 2016
      • Volume 20, Number 2 – August 2016
      • Volume 20, Number 3 – November 2016
      • Volume 20, Number 4 – February 2017
    • Volume 21
      • Volume 21, Number 1 – May 2017
      • Volume 21, Number 2 – August 2017
      • Volume 21, Number 3 – November 2017
      • Volume 21, Number 4 – February 2018
    • Volume 22
      • Volume 22, Number 1 – May 2018
      • Volume 22, Number 2 – August 2018
      • Volume 22, Number 3 – November 2018
      • Volume 22, Number 4 – February 2019
    • Volume 23
      • Volume 23, Number 1 – May 2019
      • Volume 23, Number 2 – August 2019
      • Volume 23, Number 3 – November 2019
      • Volume 23, Number 4 – February 2020
    • Volume 24
      • Volume 24, Number 1 – May 2020
      • Volume 24, Number 2 – August 2020
      • Volume 24, Number 3 – November 2020
      • Volume 24, Number 4 – February 2021
    • Volume 25
      • Volume 25, Number 1 – May 2021
      • Volume 25, Number 2 – August 2021
      • Volume 25, Number 3 – November 2021
      • Volume 25, Number 4 – February 2022
    • Volume 26
      • Volume 26, Number 1 – May 2022
      • Volume 26, Number 2 – August 2022
      • Volume 26, Number 3 – November 2022
  • Books
  • How to Submit
    • Submission Procedures
    • Ethical Standards for Authors and Reviewers
    • TESL-EJ Style Sheet for Authors
    • TESL-EJ Tips for Authors
    • Book Review Policy
    • Media Review Policy
    • APA Style Guide
  • TESL-EJ Editorial Board

TESL-EJ Tips for Authors

Tips for Submission of Full-Length Articles

The Editors of TESL-EJ are happy to receive so many submissions. The interest in the journal is enormous, and growing. If you wish to submit a full-length manuscript to the journal, you will increase your chances of being published if you keep the following in mind:

The Abstract: The potential of your article will be judged on the quality of your abstract. Spend time with it and make sure it is an excellent representation of your work before you submit it. It should be 200 words or less. Overly long abstracts will be rejected without reading them. The editors expect that the abstract will clearly state:

  • the problem and/or the purpose of the study
  • the research methodology
  • the findings
  • implications of the study

Your abstract should appear at the top of your manuscript, underneath the title. You will also be asked to submit the abstract, along with other personal data in the “metadata” section of the submission process.

The Title: The title should be descriptive, not overly long, and should capture the essence of your research in an interesting way.

General structure: Your article should clearly specify your research question or hypothesis, the number and type of subjects, your research methodology, and your conclusions, including implications for classroom practice or curriculum change. It should mention how generalizable the results are, as well as directions for future research.

The Literature Review: The Literature review need only deal with the background that it relevant to your paper. It should provide the readers with sufficient information to your research question and why there is a need for the study. It should help the reader make good sense of your findings even if the reader is not a specialist in your area of research.

Formatting and Technical Issues: It goes without saying that the manuscript should be free of errors in spelling and grammar. Format your references with second and subsequent lines indented. Do not use spaces or tabs to indent lines. Use the ruler margin controls for this.

Blinding: Your abstract should not contain your name nor your affiliation or explicit reference to any of your related publications. Be sure that you have removed your personal information from the “properties” section of MS Word. See http://tinyurl.com/tesl-ej-reminfo for further details.

Originality: Make sure your submission contributes something new to the field. If you want to challenge an existing theory, offer new research data, or propose a new idea–we want to hear about it. However, if you merely want to show that an existing idea is correct, or to replicate a research project, with results that are the same as found in the original, we hope you’ll do some additional research or thinking before sending it to us.

Surveys: Surveys are a legitimate way to test hypotheses. However, they are limited in what they can do. If you conduct a learner survey, measure your results against some established data or theories: learners are not always the best judges of their own experiences. If you conduct a survey of peers or professionals, be sure that the number of people surveyed is large enough to be statistically significant. And, be sure that you do the appropriate statistical tests.

Classroom Research: We welcome classroom research. However, submissions that merely describe a pedagogical procedure aren’t enough. Please situate your procedure within the current research, and provide experimental procedures and outcomes.

Case studies:  Case studies are a legitimate form of research. However, both the choice of subject and the approach should add a new perspective to our understanding of English language learning.

“Think pieces”:  Research doesn’t necessarily require subjects, surveys, or experiments. But, it does require that an idea is put into a context that will be familiar with readers. Submissions that serve only to put forward an opinion, without substantial grounding in the current research and theory, are unlikely to be accepted for publication.

Commercial Products: Most commercial products, such as software or textbooks, are best evaluated through reviews. (Contact our Media Review Editor or Book Review Editor for more information.) In some circumstances, a commercial product may be evaluated as part of a larger research project. In that case, if the writer is involved with the commercial product used in the research, the strictest application of research principles must be applied in order to avoid conflicts of interest.

Number of submissions: Please submit only one proposal at a time for consideration.

What we do not publish: As an academic, peer-reviewed journal, there are certain things we don’t accept. These include: press releases, product announcements, conference announcements, or advertising.

Thomas Robb, Editor, TESL-EJ

© 1994–2023 TESL-EJ, ISSN 1072-4303
Copyright of articles rests with the authors.