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Information for contributors

Types of contributions

 Type of contributionCriteria for Submission
1Reporting of original research8,000-word maximum
2Theoretical discussions3,000-5,000 words
3Interviews with expertsExample formats include a short written interview, a maximum 20-minute podcast, or other multimedia formats
4Teaching Practice2000-word maximum. Pieces that focus on explaining pedagogical innovations or providing professional development
5Book reviews2,500-word maximum

Guidelines for contributors

A separate title page should be provided with the following information: title, the author’s name, affiliation, address, email address and both a daytime and an evening telephone number.

  1. Titles should be concise and adequately informative of the content of the contribution.
  2. Contributions should provide an abstract of approximately 200 words that provides a brief overview. For reports of original research, this abstract should summarise the research framework, methodology and major claims or conclusions.
  3. Contributions that refer to the work of other scholars must provide a reference list. For written contributions, this reference list should be provided at the end of the paper. For other kinds of contributions, a reference list should be provided in a separate word file.
  4. Reference lists (and in-text citations) should conform to the requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition). See http://www.apastyle.org/aboutstyle.html. Contributors are responsible for the accuracy of their references and citations.
  5. Written text in contributions should be double-spaced throughout (including abstracts, reference lists, footnotes, and materials in tables) with generous margins on all sides. Contributors should use 12-point, Times New Roman font.
  6. In general, no information that identifies the contributor(s) should be included. Use ‘author’ when referring to authors’ own published work. However, in multimodal contributions, such as interviews involving audio(visual) recordings, identification of the contributor(s) may be unavoidable.
  7. In written contributions, sections should be headed with a sub-title.
  8. In written contributions, all tables and figures should be placed at the end after the reference list. The place in the text where the table or figure is to be placed should be indicated with [INSERT TABLE (e.g., 1) ABOUT HERE] or [INSERT FIGURE (e.g., 1) ABOUT HERE].
  9. In written contributions, pages should be numbered consecutively.
  10. In written contributions, footnotes or endnotes should be avoided.
  11. In written contributions, the use of certain kinds of texts as data for analysis (e.g. discourse analysis, corpus analysis) requires permission from text owners for the use of their texts.
  12. For reports of original research, it is recommended that contributors consult the following article prior to submission: Chapelle, C. & Duff, P. (2003). Some guidelines for conducting quantitative and qualitative research in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 7, 157-178.
  13. Interviews with experts can be conducted in one of the following ways:
  14. audio-recorded, either face-to-face or on-line;
  15. written upon receipt of the questions; or
  16. self-audio recording upon receipt of the questions.
  17. Teaching practice contributions can have a variety of formats including:
  18. Podcasts, videos and short written pieces that include multimodal components, such as PowerPoint slides.
  19. For book reviews, books to be reviewed should be current (published within the last 3 years).
  20. Written book reviews are to follow the journal template provided.

General policies

The following policies apply to contributions submitted for consideration to University of Sydney Journal of TESOL:

  1. It is the responsibility of contributors to inform the Editor of any similar work already published elsewhere. Contributions already published elsewhere are not eligible to be considered for publication in the
  2. Contributor(s) must inform the Editor at the time of submission of similar/related versions of their contribution that have appeared or are being considered elsewhere. Contributions submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere, including on the Internet, will not be considered.
  3. The editors of the University of Sydney Journal of TESOL reserve the right to make editorial changes to any contribution accepted for publication for the sake of clarity or style. Authors will be consulted only if these changes are substantial.
  4. The views expressed in the University of Sydney Journal of TESOL do not necessarily represent the views of the TESOL Research Network in The University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work, or the editorial board of the journal.
  5. The University of Sydney Journal of TESOL expects contributors to adhere to ethical standards for research involving human subjects. All contributions that involve the collection of data involving participants must meet the human participants ethics requirements established by the author’s institution.

Guidelines for evaluation of contributions

Research papers and theoretical discussions

Reports of original research and theoretical discussions will undergo an external blind peer-review process.

Stage 1: Inhouse Evaluation

The editors will initially briefly review a submitted contribution to decide whether the contribution will be sent out for review. Examples of factors that will be considered are whether the contribution falls into the area of TESOL, whether it is suitable for our readership, and whether it follows our manuscript guidelines (See above).

Stage 2: Blind Review

The contribution will then be sent to two reviewers for blind review. The following evaluation criteria are used by the reviewers:

  • Suitability for University of Sydney Journal of TESOL
  • Relevance and interest to readership
  • Theoretical insights
  • Methodology, design or approach (for original research papers only)
  • Quality of writing and other media (e.g. clarity, structure, language use, presentation)

Stage 3: Decision Making

The editors will make a decision about the contribution on the basis of the reviewers’ recommendations. The following are the possible decisions:

  • Publish as is: No changes are needed.
  • Publish with revisions: The contribution needs to be revised. The revised contribution may be evaluated by the editors or may be sent to the reviewers again. The contribution will only be published if the revisions made are considered to be satisfactory.
  • Revise and resubmit: The contribution needs to be substantially reworked. The resubmitted contribution will be sent to reviewers again.
  • Reject: Reasons will be given to the author for this decision.

Teaching practice, interviews and book reviews

Interviews with experts, teaching practice and book reviews will undergo an evaluation that is carried out by the editors and one external reviewer.

The following evaluation criteria are used:

  • Suitability for University of Sydney Journal of TESOL
  • Relevance and interest to readership
  • Insightfulness
  • Innovativeness and creativity (Teaching practice only)
  • Quality of writing and other media (e.g. clarity, structure, language use, presentation)

The following are the possible decisions:

  • Publish as is: No changes are needed.
  • Publish with revisions: The contribution needs to be revised. The revised contribution will be evaluated again by the editors. The contribution will only be published if the revisions made are considered to be satisfactory.
  • Reject: Reasons will be given to the author for this decision.

Submission of manuscripts

Contributors should submit their contribution electronically to Christina Judy Fernandez (co-editor).Email:christina.judy@sydney.edu.au