Language Learning

Published on behalf of the Language Learning Research Club at the University of Michigan

Edited by:
Nick C. Ellis - General Editor
Robert DeKeyser- Journal Editor
Scott Jarvis - Associate Journal Editor
Alister Cumming - Best of Language Learning Series Editor
Lourdes Ortega - Monograph Series Editor
John Schumann - LL-MPI Cognitive Neuroscience Series Editor

Print ISSN: 0023-8333
Online ISSN: 1467-9922
Frequency: Quarterly
Current Volume: 59 / 2009
ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2008: 12/112 Education & Educational Research; 14/68 Linguistics
Impact Factor: 1.545

TopAuthor Guidelines

Instructions for Contributors

Language Learning is an international journal that publishes rigorous, original empirical research as well as systematic critical literature reviews and innovative methodological contributions. Domains covered include first and second language acquisition in naturalistic as well as tutored contexts, including second language, foreign language, and bilingual education, as well as immersion programs and study abroad. All disciplinary perspectives are welcome, from linguistics and psychology to education, anthropology, sociology, cognitive or the neurosciences.

As one of the premier peer-reviewed journals in the field of applied linguistics, established in 1948 at the University of Michigan, Language Learning strives to promote research of the highest quality, from thorough literature reviews and solid theoretical frameworks to rigorous data analysis, cogent argumentation and clear presentation.

Submissions must match the aims, scope, and style requirements of the journal.

Manuscripts considered for publication will be reviewed for their presentation and analysis of new empirical data, expert use of appropriate research methods, and rigorous development of theories relevant to problems in language studies-with the guiding criterion of providing distinct increments in existing knowledge. Methods sections must be detailed enough to allow the replication of research. Theoretical accounts should be internally consistent, explanatory, and predictive. Language Learning also invites review articles that systematically analyze data, concepts, and results from previous studies to clarify trends and issues in language research and to inform readers of trends in developing fields of language study. When reporting research using quantitative and statistical methods, authors submitting to Language Learning are required to provide measures of effect sizes, at least for the major statistical contrasts which they report (see Editor's Statement, Volume 57, Issue 1 for detailed guidance).

Authors should send an electronic copy of their manuscript with all author identification removed, but including the title and the abstract, along with a single-page document containing the authors' affiliation, address, e-mail, FAX and phone number. Both of these should be attached to the same e-mail indicating that the manuscript is being submitted in order to be evaluated for publication in Language Learning. Submissions should be made to the Journal Editor, Robert DeKeyser.

Attachments should be in Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Please note that Word 2007 is not yet compatible with journal production systems. Unfortunately, the journal cannot accept Microsoft Word 2007 documents until such time as a stable production version is released. Please use Word's 'Save As' option therefore to save your document as an older (.doc) file type. Manuscripts must conform to the specifications of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, and authors should verify that the reference list corresponds exactly to the text.

There are three preferred formats for digital artwork submission: Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Portable Document Format (PDF), and Tagged Image Format (TIFF). We suggest that line art be saved as EPS files. Alternately, these may be saved as PDF files at 600 dots per inch (dpi) or better at final size. Tone art, or photographic images, should be saved as TIFF files with a resolution of 300 dpi at final size. For combination figures, or artwork that contains both photographs and labeling, we recommend saving figures as EPS files, or as PDF files with a resolution of 600 dpi or better at final size. More detailed information on the submission of electronic artwork can be found at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/authors/digill.asp

If the paper was presented at a meeting, an acknowledgment note should give the title of the meeting, the name of the sponsoring organization, the exact date(s) of the meeting or paper presentation, and the city in which the meeting was held. All manuscripts are to be accompanied by an abstract of 100 to 120 words (see Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, chapter 2). Published papers are usually less than 10,000 words.

Manuscripts will be considered for publication with the understanding that they are being submitted to Language Learning only and that all pertinent sources of support and information have been acknowledged. Language Learning will not consider articles that have been published or are being considered for publication elsewhere.

Review process. Articles suitable for the journal are typically sent to at least three reviewers drawn from among experts in the field. The names of all reviewers consulted are printed in the journal annually.

Language Learning processes manuscripts in a prompt and professional fashion. To expedite peer reviews and ensure the highest level of expertise in the review process, some manuscripts will be forwarded to the Associate Editor, Scott Jarvis, who will serve as the action editor in those cases.

Correspondence. Please direct your correspondence (please include your telephone number[s], Internet address, and institutional affiliation) to the appropriate person listed below:

For submission of manuscripts, and questions about them, contact:

Robert DeKeyser
Editor, Language Learning
3104 Jimenez Hall
University of Maryland at College Park
College Park MD 20742
USA
e-mail: langlearn@umd.edu

For submission of grant applications, questions about business matters, and the Best of Language Learning series, contact the Executive Director:

Alister Cumming
Modern Language Centre
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto
252 Bloor Street West, 10th floor
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5S 1V6
Tel: (416) 978-0276
Fax: (416) 926-4769
e-mail: acumming@oise.utoronto.ca

For questions about general editorial policy and other book series,
contact the General Editor:

Nick C. Ellis
Language Learning
c/o Department of Linguistics
University of Michigan
440 Lorch Hall
611 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220
Tel: 734-764-0353
e-mail: ncellis@umich.edu

NEW: Online production tracking is now available for your article through Blackwell's Author Services.

Author Services enables authors to track their article - once it has been accepted - through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated e-mails at key stages of production. The author will receive an e-mail with a unique link that enables them to register and have their article automatically added to the system. Please ensure that a complete e-mail address is provided when submitting the manuscript. Visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/bauthor for more details on online production tracking and for a wealth of resources including FAQs and tips on article preparation, submission and more.

Upon publication, primary authors will recieve a gratis PDF offprint of their article.