Applications of Language Studies operates under a strict non-fee policy for all phases of scholarly publication. Authors submitting original research manuscripts or reviews to this journal shall incur no financial obligations whatsoever, including but not limited to article processing charges (APCs), submission fees, page charges, or color figure fees.
This commitment aligns with ALS's dedication to equitable knowledge dissemination and the advancement of applied linguistic scholarship globally. The journal sustains its operations through institutional support , thereby eliminating economic barriers to publication access. All submissions undergo rigorous peer review and editorial evaluation based solely on scholarly merit, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal's scope.
JALS remains steadfast in its mission to foster open academic discourse without compromising intellectual standards through monetization. Prospective contributors are assured that no fees will be solicited at any stage of the publication lifecycle.
Plagiarism Screening and Submission Policy
All authors are required to verify the originality of their work by using a standard plagiarism detection system prior to submission. The Journal of Applications of Language Studies utilizes iThenticate to screen submissions as part of the editorial review process.
Authors are encouraged to run their manuscripts through a reliable plagiarism detection tool to ensure compliance with ethical publishing standards and avoid potential delays during the review process.
By submitting their work, authors agree to allow the journal to perform plagiarism checks and certify that their manuscript is original and free from any form of plagiarism.
Policy on Thesis-Derived Manuscripts
Manuscripts derived from MA or PhD theses must designate the thesis supervisor as the corresponding author. This requirement upholds academic integrity and ensures proper attribution of intellectual contributions.
The Journal of Applications of Language Studies will not consider for publication any manuscript extracted from a thesis where the supervisor is not listed as the corresponding author. This policy reflects our commitment to ethical publishing practices and recognition of supervisory guidance in academic research.
Authors are expected to comply with this policy when preparing and submitting thesis-based manuscripts to the journal.
Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Linguistics Manuscripts**
1.0 Principle The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in linguistics research must adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. While AI can be a valuable tool, human authors retain ultimate responsibility for the intellectual content, linguistic analysis, and theoretical claims of the manuscript.
2.0 Permissible Uses AI may be appropriately employed for: * Language Polishing:** Correcting grammar, syntax, and style of author-composed text. * Data Processing:** Automating transcription (speech-to-text), annotation, parsing, or corpus analysis. Methods must be fully detailed and reproducible. * Theoretical Exploration:** Using computational models to generate or test linguistic hypotheses. The model's role must be explicitly defined as an object or instrument of study.
3.0 Prohibited Uses AI must **not** be used to: Generate Core Analysis:** Produce original syntactic trees, semantic interpretations, phonological analyses, or discursive arguments presented as human scholarship. Create Data:** Fabricate example sentences, speaker intuitions, survey responses, or experimental results. Breach Confidentiality:** Process sensitive field recordings, interview transcripts, or other protected language data on non-secure platforms.
4.0 Mandatory Disclosure Any use of AI must be transparently disclosed in a dedicated section (e.g., Methods or Author Contributions). Specify the tool (e.g., ChatGPT-4, Whisper, SpaCy), its purpose, and a statement of author responsibility.
Example Disclosure:"The authors utilized [Tool Name] for the initial orthographic transcription of audio recordings. All subsequent linguistic annotation and analysis was performed by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the content."*
5.0 Authorship and Accountability AI cannot be listed as an author.** Authors are wholly accountable** for the accuracy of data, the validity of linguistic judgments, and the originality of all theoretical conclusions. The use of AI does not circumvent obligations regarding plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification.
Failure to comply with these guidelines constitutes a serious ethical violation.
ALSpublishes high quality, research-based, original works. Manuscripts are accepted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere previously and that they are not being submitted simultaneously to another journal.
It is the author’s sole responsibility to acquire any necessary permissions to use material protected by copyright, and they are personally responsible for the payment of any fee related to copyright that may be applicable. Authors are also responsible for obtaining any ethical clearance necessary for the publication of their paper.
All contributions must be in English, using consistent spelling conventions.
The APA 7th ed. (2020) referencing system must be used (click to download).
The following files must also be uploaded while submitting a manuscript:
The title page which includes authors’ full names, affiliations and research interests
The manuscript in doc/docs format without author's information
Download and use thejournaltemplate(click to download)for the manuscript. Use it as a model to format your manuscript or simply cut and paste your work into it and replace the existing text. Use the predefined styles to easily reformat your work. Click here to dowanload and watch a short instruction video below to learn how to apply the template to your manuscript:
Only direct quotations require a page number in the in-text citations.Otherwise, do not provide a page number in the citations.
Indirect quotations do not need a page number.
If direct quote is more than 40 words, it is formatted as a block quoteand is indented 0.5 cm from the right and left and is typed with 10-point Times New Roman font.
Footnote numbers should be automatically assigned and be continuous across the paper.
Number the examples mentioned (use numbered examples).
If an examples is in a language other that English, provde a literal English translation for it following the model:
علی به مدرسه رفت.
[Lit. Ali went to school.]
The manuscript must roughly have the following main sections:
Introduction
Literature Review (or theoretical framework)
Methodology
Findings (results)
Discussion (and Conclusion)
Headings and subheadings should be clearly numbered (e.g., 2.1, 2.2., 2.3, etc.)
Each figure, table and formula should be numbered and mentioned in the text. There should be a clear boundary and space between the tables/figure and and the content preceding and following them.
The journal can accept, reject or edit manuscripts at will.
The doior URLof all the sources must be added to the works in the reference list.
Examples for ALS's referencing style
Article
Aparicio, M., Bacao, F., & Oliveira, T. (2017). Grit in the path to e-learning success. Computers in Human Behavior, 66(2), 388-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.009
Book
Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Edited Book
Antonini, R., Cirillo, L., Rossato, L., & Torresi, I. (Eds.). (2017). Non-professional interpreting and translation: State of the art and future of an emerging field of research. Oxford.
PHD and Mater theses/Dissertations
Ameri, S. (2020). An empirical study of amateur subtitling reception in Iran [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.
Chapterin a book
Bosseaux, C. (2019). Investigating dubbing: Learning from the past, looking to the future. In L. Pérez-González (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of audiovisual translation (pp. 48-63). Routledge.
Paper presented in a conference
Di Giovanni, E., & Romero Fresco, P. (2016, February). Are we all together across languages? An eye tracking study of original and dubbed films [Paper presentation]. Linguistic and Cultural Representation in Audiovisual Translation, Rome, Italy.
https://audiovisualrome2016.wordpress.com/
Paper publsihed in a conference Proceedings
Cismas, S. C. (2010). Educating academic writing skills in engineering. In P. Dondon & O. Martin (Eds.), Latest trends on engineering education (pp. 225-247). WSEAS Press.
Highlights/key findings of the manuscript
It is necessary to upload a research highlight file while submitting a manuscripts follwing the specifications provided below:
Highlights are three to five bullet points that help increase the discoverability of your article via search engines. These bullet points should capture the novel results of your research as well as new methods that were used during the study (if any). Think of them as the "elevator pitch" of your article. Please include terms that you know your readers will be looking for online. Don't try to capture all ideas, concepts or conclusions as highlights are meant to be short: 85 characters or fewer, including spaces.
Highlights offer your paper a considerable advantage in the online world, as they ensure that search engines pick up your article and match it to the right audience. (Nowadays, machines read your work just as often as humans do!). Highlights have been proven to widen the reach of your work and help to ensure that your article is brought to the attention of interested colleagues, both inside and outside your usual research community. Apart from a wider distribution of your research, we hope that this will also lead to new collaborations and help accelerate the pace of science.
Example for Reaserach highlight file
Adult learners can achieve native-like syntactic competence, resetting deep grammatical parameters, given sufficient exposure and proficiency.
Gesture serves as a crucial communicative and cognitive precursor, signaling readiness for accelerated vocabulary growth even when speech is delayed.
LLMs trained predominantly on SAE corpora encode and perpetuate dialectal biases, highlighting fairness and representational issues in NLP.
phonetic variation serves as a rich resource for constructing and signaling intricate social identities beyond basic demographics.
Book Review Author Guidelines for "Applications of Language Studies"
Purpose of the Book Review
A book review in Applications of Language Studies aims to critically evaluate the contribution of a book to the fields. The review should inform readers of the book's relevance, academic rigor, and practical implications, helping them assess its value for research, teaching, or professional practice.
Length: Reviews should be circa 2000 words
Structure of the Review
Introduction
Bibliographic Details:
Title, author(s)/editor(s), publisher, year of publication, number of pages, ISBN, and price.
Context:
Situate the book within the field of language studies (e.g., sociolinguistics, syntax, phonology, language education).
Identify its intended audience (e.g., researchers, educators, students, or practitioners).
Thesis Statement:
Provide your overall assessment and a brief outline of the book’s significance and main contributions.
Summary of Content
Overview:
Summarize the book’s main themes and arguments.
Provide a brief chapter-by-chapter breakdown to highlight its structure and progression.
Core Contributions:
Emphasize key findings, methodologies, or theoretical frameworks.
Critical Evaluation
Theoretical Rigor:
Assess the depth and validity of the theoretical perspectives employed.
Methodology:
Evaluate the research methods or analytical approaches used in empirical or theoretical studies.
Strengths:
Highlight innovative aspects, significant contributions, or areas where the book excels.
Weaknesses:
Identify limitations, gaps, or areas needing further exploration.
Comparative Analysis:
Compare the book with other works in the field to situate it within the broader academic discourse.
Relevance and Practicality
Applications:
Discuss how the book’s insights can be applied in research, teaching, or professional settings.
For language teaching or pedagogy books, evaluate their practical usability in classroom or curriculum development.
Interdisciplinary Impact:
Address connections to other disciplines such as cognitive science, anthropology, or education.
Conclusion
Summarize your overall evaluation.
State whether you recommend the book and identify its ideal audience.
Offer any final reflections or insights.
Tone and Style
Scholarly yet Accessible: Maintain an academic tone while ensuring clarity for a broad audience within language studies.
Constructive Criticism: Offer balanced and professional critique.
Cultural Sensitivity: Be mindful of cross-cultural and multilingual contexts when discussing the content.
Quotations and References
Quotations:
Use page numbers for direct quotes and avoid excessive quoting.
References:
Include a complete list of citations if referencing other works, formatted per the journal’s guidelines.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Excessive Description: Focus on evaluation rather than a detailed summary of the book’s content.
Overgeneralization: Be specific and provide examples from the book to support your claims.
Jargon Overload: Use technical terms judiciously and define them when necessary.
Special Considerations for Language Studies Books
Multilingual Content:
Evaluate the accessibility and presentation of multilingual examples, glosses, and translations.
Linguistic Data:
Assess the quality and relevance of linguistic data, such as examples, case studies, or corpora.
Pedagogical Value:
For books focused on language teaching or learning, discuss their practical applicability and alignment with current pedagogical approaches.
Submission Checklist
Before submitting your review, ensure that:
The review adheres to the word count and formatting requirements.
All bibliographic details of the book are accurately included.
Citations and references follow the journal’s preferred style.
The content is free of grammatical errors and maintains a professional tone.
Any potential conflicts of interest are disclosed (e.g., connections to the author or publisher).
Additional Notes
Timeliness: Submit reviews promptly to ensure relevance within the fast-evolving field of language studies.
By following these guidelines, your review will contribute to the scholarly discourse in language studies and serve as a valuable resource for readers of Applications of Language Studies.
