Submission Types

The L2Journal invites submissions of previously-unpublished manuscripts on any topic related to the area of world language learning and teaching (i.e., second language acquisition, second language pedagogy, bilingualism and multilingualism, language and technology, curriculum development and teacher training, testing and evaluation), with particular focus on the teaching and learning of languages other than English. 

There are three journal sections: Articles, Teachers’ Forum, and Brief Reports.

Articles

Submissions in this section may have (1) a theoretical orientation and contribute to building educational theory and/or (2) a research orientation and contribute to understanding and improving world language learning and teaching. 

All submissions in this section should contribute to both the theory and the practice of world language teaching/learning and should link to previous appropriate research, theory, practices, from existing academic literature (e.g., world language education, second language acquisition, applied linguistics).

All articles in this section are blind peer-reviewed and will be evaluated on general interest; importance/significance to the field; depth, coherence and suitability of the literature review; rigor of methods (for empirical pieces only); and clarity of expression.

For empirical manuscripts, authors should follow general guidelines for reporting qualitative and quantitative studies, as outlined in applied language studies. Recommended guides for reporting world language education research can be found via Foreign Language Annals and Second Language Research and Practice. 

Articles in this section should be written in English, with an average length of approximately 8,500 words, including references. 

Teachers' Forum

This section of the journal invites 1) reflective and 2) practical reports on world language teaching. In doing so, the Teachers’ Forum section provides a space for practitioners to reflect on and share insights and innovations from their own practice with a larger community.

Although focused primarily on practice, all reports should reference appropriate academic literature (e.g., world language education, second language acquisition, applied linguistics).

All reports are peer-reviewed and will be evaluated with particular attention to their general interest; relevance; value to a broad readership of language educators; style; and quality of writing. 

All reports should include an implications section, wherein lessons for instructors in different contexts are drawn. 

Submissions to Teachers' Forum should be no longer than 4,500 words, including bibliography but not including appendices, and supplementary materials.

This section has two primary types of submissions: Reflective Reports and Pedagogical Reports.

1) Reflective Reports:

• These reflections should take the form of personal essays: rather than follow the traditional format of research articles, contributors should aim at describing how personal experiences and/or books have influenced their teaching.
• Example reports written in this style:
• Heidenfeldt, W. A. (2020). So That All May Speak: Inviting All to Describe Themselves in the L2 French Classroom. L2 Journal: An electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 12(1).
• Kahn, G. (2022). Reflections on Dialogism and Doing Community in the L2 Classroom. L2 Journal: An electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 14(3).

2) Practical Reports: 

• These reports present innovative curricular or instructional projects in world language education (e.g., curricular projects, pedagogical practices or activities, professional development examples, etc). 
• In addition to being anchored in appropriate literature, practical reports should include a section on outcomes (descriptive, not necessarily empirical) and on implications.
• Example reports written in this style
• Samuelson, B. L. (2023). Tuning Learners to Linguistic Diversity using the “Your Words” Activity. L2 Journal: An electronic refereed journal for foreign and second language educators, 15(1).  

Brief Reports

This section is for short empirical papers on any aspect of world 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 are peer-reviewed and will be evaluated on general interest; relevance value to a broad readership of language educators; style; and quality of writing. 

Submissions to the Brief Reports section should be no longer 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. Teachers Forum articles should be no more than 4,500 words in length. Brief Reports should be no more than 2,000 words in length.
• 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

The L2 Journal also publishes special issues on a broad range topics of relevance to language educators. Proposals for special issues typically include the following information (not necessarily in this order):

• Title of the special issue
• The proposed theme of the special issue.
• An account of the goals and focus of the issue, including its background and relevance to current research and the main themes in relationship to the aims and scope of the L2 Journal
• Background of guest editors (one paragraph for each editor)
• Potential contributors and potential titles (if known)
• Detailed timeline including submission procedures and dates

Special Issue Proposals will be reviewed by the journal editors as well as the members of the Advisory Board. 

Contact Dr. Emily Hellmich, Editor (eahellmich@berkeley.edu) with questions.