Submission Guidelines of the Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies (IJALS)
Please scan the completed and signed forms and then submit them as an electronic file along with your manuscript at online submission. No manuscripts will be accepted for review without these forms.
The editors highly appreciate if the following points are observed in the structure of the articles:
Manuscript Submission
• Authors are requested to submit their papers electronically by using the Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies online submission and review web site http://ijals.usb.ac.ir. This site will guide authors stepwise through the submission process.
• Submissions should consist of original work that has not yet been published and/or is not under consideration elsewhere.
• The language of the journal is English. Non-native speakers should make every effort to consolidate on the language style, which should conform to the international English standards. Either British or American spelling may be used but it must be used consistently throughout the paper.
• The author’s name, address, and affiliation should be included on a separate page and not given on the first page or elsewhere in the article to ensure anonymous evaluation.
• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that telephone numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address. Contact details must be kept up to date by the corresponding author.
Article structure
Subdivision - numbered sections
Divide your article into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ...), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included in section numbering). Any subsection may be given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line.
Formatting Guideline
Article pages including: abstracts, notes and reference lists, are to be typed 1.5 spaced with margins of 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all four sides. Use 12 pt font size in the main text, 10 pt in the footnotes, 15 pt for main titles and 13 pt for subtitles. Sheets should be numbered consecutively.
• The overall content of the article should CLEARLY INCLUDE the following features:
a. Abstract
b. Introduction
c. Review of related literature/Theoretical Grounding
d. Research Questions
e. (Research Hypotheses)
f. Method
g. Results
h. Discussion and conclusions
i. References
Abstract
The abstract, placed at the very beginning of the article and ranging between 150 to 200 words, the abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. Please ensure that your paper does not exceed 5000 words, including abstract, references and footnotes.
Keywords
Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 5 keywords
Introduction
State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.
Literature Review
Research Questions
Material and Methods
Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be replicated. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described.
Results
Results should be clear and concise.
Discussion
This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.
Conclusions
The main conclusions of the study should be presented in a short Conclusions section, which should not simply repeat earlier sections.
Appendices
If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate numbering: Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix, Eq. (B.1) and so on. Similarly for tables and figures: Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.
Reference
References should contain only cited works, but make sure that all cited works are indeed included. The works should be listed in alphabetical order at the end of the article and with single line space. Citations in the text should follow the referencing style used by the American Psychological Association. You are referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition
Figure captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.
Tables
Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Tables can be placed next to the relevant text in the article. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Please avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.
Changes to authorship
• Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been submitted and only if approved by the journal Editor.
Article Processing Charges
Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies is an Open Access journal. Publishing an article in Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies requires Article Processing Charges that will be billed to the submitting author following the acceptance of an article for publication.
• International contributors submitting to IJALS are not charged for the review process or for publication.
• For Iranian contributors, after final acceptance issued by the journal, 5000,000 Rials wired into the below bank account for publication.
• شماره حساب دانشگاه سیستان و بلوچستان4001073603018951 نزد بانک مرکزی جمهوری اسلامی ایران
• شماره شبا: IR440100004001073603018951
• شناسه واریز: 347073663119000032100000000045
• We advise prompt payment as we are unable to publish accepted articles until payment has been received.
Peer Review Process
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Upon submission, an e-mail message or letter from the Journal Management System will acknowledge manuscript receipt. All submitted manuscripts are evaluated by one of our editors within one month to determine suitability for review in IJALS. If accepted for external review, manuscripts are peer reviewed by two anonymous reviewers and the editor. Typically, one has broad general knowledge of the field, and one has expertise in the particular topic or methodology. Within six months, authors can expect to receive one of four decisions: (a) manuscript acceptance, (b) acceptance with revisions, (c) nonacceptance with an invitation for revision and resubmission for another round of review, or (d) rejection and recommendation for submission to a different publication. IJALS. Attempts to keep the review process as short as possible to enable rapid publication of new scientific data. We seek to provide authors with an understanding of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of their manuscript, the basis for the decision, and advice on how to proceed. By following this procedure, we expect to make sound decisions on all manuscripts and provide consistently thorough, constructive, and fair reviews of all manuscripts. It should be noted that the recommendations of reviewers are advisory to the editor, and final responsibility for acceptance or declination rests with the editor.
Correspondence
All correspondence about your manuscript should be emailed to the editorial office at Sarani_ling@hamoon.usb.ac.ir. You may also call the Journal’s office (054-31132428), Saturdays to Wednesdays 8:00 AM to 14:00 PM and find out about the status of your paper submitted to the journal. The designated corresponding author should communicate with the editorial office on behalf of all authors during the review process. The corresponding author is expected to coordinate with co-authors as necessary.
Plagiarism Check
The editorial office runs a plagiarism check on every submission using iThenticate. By submitting your manuscript to this journal you accept that your manuscript may be screened for plagiarism against previously published works. Individual authors and researchers can now check their work for plagiarism before submission. Please click here for more details.
Authorship
Authors submitting a paper do so on the understanding that the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors and that all authors agree on the submission of the manuscript to the Journal. The corresponding author should carefully check that all those whose works contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors. ALL named authors must have made an active contribution to the analysis and interpretation of the data and/or the drafting of the paper and ALL must have critically reviewed its content and have approved the final version submitted for publication.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the manuscript content. They should also sign an agreement form confirming their contribution in writing the manuscript. Papers are only considered for publication once consent is given by all contributing authors.
Conflict of Interest and Source of Funding
Authors are required to disclose any possible conflict of interest. These include financial issues (for example patent, ownership, stock ownership, consultancies, speaker's fee). Author’s conflict of interest (or information specifying the absence of conflicts of interest) will be published under a separate heading entitled ‘Conflict of Interests’.
Identification of and dealing with allegations of research misconduct
The publisher and the editor of the journal take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, under/over citation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others at any stage even after the issuance of the 'acceptance letter'. In no case shall the journal or its editor encourage such misconduct, or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. In the event that the journal’s publisher or editor is made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a published article in the journal –the publisher or editor shall follow COPE’s guidelines (or equivalent) in dealing with allegations. Please click here for details.
Reversion of rights
Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in "Articles in Press" form, in which case all rights will revert to the author.