Submissions

Author Guidelines

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR NYSTJ

General Aim and Scope

The NYS TESOL Journal (NYSTJ) is a refereed academic journal published biannually each winter and summer (dates may vary). Articles in the NYS TESOL Journal focus on theory, research, pedagogy, and educational policy related to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, including U.S.-born bilinguals, multi-linguals, immigrants, and international students. Articles may focus on any educational level, from kindergarten to university, as well as on adult school and workplace literacy settings. As part of our mission to serve the field, we have a mentoring option. For every issue, we endeavor to mentor one submission and guide junior scholars in the process of academic publishing. NYS TESOL Journal strives to maintain high levels of scholarly contributions. Its Editorial and Advisory Boards are committed to enhancing the field of research and scholarship in TESOL (K-16).

Submission Categories

1. Feature Articles (abstract needed) (5,000 to 6,000 words, inclusive of abstract, references, tables, and figures): These articles focus on theory, research, pedagogy, and/or educational policy. Feature articles should show evidence of rigorous scholarship, make an original contribution to the field of education, contain ample references, and provide readers with insights relevant to TESOL learning and teaching. Feature articles should be driven by pedagogical problems and research questions that address those problems. We welcome all methodological research paradigms; in all cases we ask authors to keep the literature review and methods sections succinct and emphasize the findings and the applications of those findings to pedagogical issues. Articles that contain statistical analysis must be accessible to a general audience of educators. Data samples or data collection instruments (usually an example) should be included in the body of the paper (as examples for readers). If due to the type of data or instruments, text inclusion is challenging, then, they should be included in the appendices (maximum pages of appendices). Submissions in this category undergo double anonymous peer review (once they are advanced for review).

2. Brief Reports (abstract needed) (3,000 to 3,500 words, inclusive of abstract, references, tables, and figures): These submissions are based on current or emergent trends in the field of TESOL, and include (a) pilot studies, (b) research in progress, c) classroom action research, d) ethnographic case studies, or (e) policy briefs. Submissions in this category undergo anonymous peer review (once they are advanced for review). Data samples or data collection instruments should be included in the body of the paper (as examples for readers). If, due to type of data or instruments, text inclusion is challenging, they should be included in the appendices. For Brief Reports, the data should be proportionate with the brief report length requirements (maximum 2 pages of appendices).

3. Materials Reviews (book and online resources) (no abstract needed) (500 to 1,000 words, inclusive of references): The NYS TESOL Journal welcomes submissions of English language teaching resources in print, e-version or web-based. The materials should be related to teaching practices and applicable to a wide range of teaching settings. Currently, we encourage prospective reviewers to select the materials for review and check with the Editors for relevance. If you wish to review resources on technology or anything related to e-sources or software, please be mindful of the most recent editions, or observe the up-to-two-year publishing date. All submissions are peer-reviewed.

4. Readers Comments and Views (no abstract needed) (500 to 1,000 words, inclusive of references): The NYS TESOL Journal welcomes comments from the readership on published articles in any of the following formats: a) reflection, b) reaction, c) short analysis, d) critique, or e) personal experience connected to any of the articles published in the Journal, or any topic, or issue previously published in NYSTJ. If you wish to comment more broadly, with an existing published article in NYSTJ as a starting point, please consult the editor. This contribution is editor-reviewed.

Note: The authors should be mindful of keeping a respectful review tone. Using citations or illustrations from the material under review is desired in order to support a viewpoint. If submitting a critique, the author should use a respectful tone and ensure that data, or direct quotations from the original text (previously published article that is being critiqued), is provided.

5. Alternative Perspectives (no abstract needed) (500 1,000): This category aims at providing a forum for diverse perspectives on one issue or topic. We encourage truly innovative, unusual, or rare positions on issues, or teaching methodologies, as a way of including diverse voices in scholarly discourse.

NOTE: This category has been designated as open review category as a way of piloting a more progressive approach towards the peer review process. Open review means that in-house editors will work closely with the authors, and they will also offer options to the authors as to outside review opportunities. Negotiating the review is also encouraged and can be done in an open format between the editor and the author.

*Special Notice: NYSTJ does not publish best practices but the Editorial Board encourages authors to submit best practices to our sister publication, Mosaic. On occasion, the Journal may publish a strong pedagogically oriented brief report, framed within a specific theory of learning, or teaching that has a sate of the art review. NOTE 2: NYSTJ does not publish literature reviews, unless they are state of the art reviews by scholars/leaders in the field.

• Manuscript style and bibliographic references should conform to the conventions specified in the

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_changes_7th_edition.html

• All submissions should be single-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins on all sides, left justified.
• Page number and running head should be placed in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
• Title page should be submitted as a separate document and include each author's a) name, b) affiliation, c) professional e-mail address, and d) personal e-mail address. The title page should include mini-bios of all authors, up to 30 words, specifying one s degree institution, current position, and research interests (e.g., Petra Steva holds a doctorate in education from Space University and is current Director of ESOL. Her research interests are classroom strategies and admissions policies.).
• For Features and Brief Reports: Submitted manuscripts should begin with a 150-word abstract followed by a list of 5 keywords, numbered as page 1.
• The review process is anonymous so authors should not be identified anywhere within the body of the article. Authors should also remove their names as authors of the document and all identifying information in properties.
• Number of submissions per author per call: ONE.
• Where relevant, samples from data pool, or suitable short data examples, should be included to illustrate the findings, or to explain the data collection, or analysis process.
• Where relevant, Appendices should be used, particularly for sample surveys or any other data gathering instruments.
• Where relevant, Acknowledgments should be included at the end of the article (if the article was part of a grant or any other special funding or special project).

NOTE: SUBMISSIONS WILL BE CHECKED AND IF THEY DO NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES, THEY WILL BE RETURNED TO THE AUTHORS FOR CORRECTIONS, OR UPDATES. However, this may seriously delay the review process, or push the submission to the next round, or issue.

Submission Procedure

To submit a manuscript please create an account this platform and follow the instructions for the our online submission system.

It is understood that manuscripts have not been previously published and are not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. If it becomes known that the article has been published previously, it will be retracted.

Initial Manuscript Screening Process

• The manuscripts are screened for their fit with the Journal s mission, adherence to submission category requirements, relevance to our readership, quality of research, and/and topic interest.

Recommendations for Outside Review and Early Decisions

• Manuscripts that do not get recommended for the outside review process will be taken out of the process in the first cut procedure. Authors will be informed via letters or email.
• Manuscripts that are recommended for outside review will be checked for adherence to the Manuscript Preparation Checklist of elements. If there are inconsistencies or missing items, or word overages, the MS will be returned at this point. It will be slated to the next issue review round. That is why it is very important that manuscripts follow all submission requirements. Those manuscripts that do meet all the submission requirements and have made the first cut will be matched with potential reviewers whose area of expertise is related to the manuscript content.
• The double-blind review process takes about 6-8 weeks. Once the feedback is received, it will be shared with the author(s).

Acceptance Decisions after the First Round of Anonymous Reviews

• The manuscript will either be taken out of the process at that point, or revisions will be suggested.
• Once the author revises, the second round of reviews will occur.
• Upon the completion of the second round, the decision letter will be sent to authors.

Further and Final Revisions

• If further revisions are needed, they will be suggested and the editors will work with authors to complete the process.

Author Final Version Checklist

• Once the final version has been completed, the author will receive an Author Precopyediting draft.

Checklist (see example on our website under authors)

• The authors are asked to initial all relevant items on the list and to sign the form and send it to the editor.
• Upon the receipt of the signed Author Pre-copyediting Form, the copy editing process will begin.

Final Stages and Author Contract

• The final stages of manuscript preparation may take 4-6 weeks.
• Further language and style revisions may be requested.
• The final copyedited version is checked by the lead editor.
• Once the lead editor concludes that the MS is ready for publication, an Author Contract is sent to the main author to date and sign (see example under author tab).
• NYS TESOL Journal reserves the right to make non-substantive editorial changes for style, clarity, and consistency.

Editorship and Ethics

The Journal espouses COPE Guidelines for journal operation and ethics. For more information, please click on the link provided here. https://publicationethics.org/

• We expect all reviewers, editors and authors to consider fair practices and to inform the Journal of any possible conflict of interest situations. Further details can be found under Editorial Policies.

Open Access Statement

The NYS TESOL Journal is a peer-reviewed, open access academic journal. We believe that open access to scholarship is critical for scholarly communication. Further, in the tradition of open-access journals, the NYS TESOL journal makes all articles freely available to readers. Authors are never charged any article processing fees.

NYS TESOL Journal Self Archiving Policy

The NYS TESOL Journal allows self-archiving after 6 weeks of initial date of publication. When a manuscript is accepted into the Journal, authors do not sign a Copyright Transfer Statement (CTS) to the NYS TESOL Journal. Authors retain intellectual property rights to their published work. Authors may also deposit their article in any academic repository after 3 months of official publication. An author may use the publisher's version of the final article, which is posted on the NYS TESOL Journal web site, for the purpose of self-archiving or deposit, with the link to the Journal provided.