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From: Anna Silliman <anna@handsonenglish.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:5379] Re: Are refereed journals in language education fair and objective?
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Hi, Charles--
I wanted to respond to your question about publishing
an article with just a few points:
1. In my opinion, we don't really have enough journals in
this field; where there are a handful there should be dozens.
That would make it more likely that good ideas and articles
would find a niche somewhere.
2. While I'm not familiar with your article or with the journal,
I can tell you as an editor myself (of a NON peer-reviewed publication)
that it is quite common to receive excellent, well-written,
interesting materials that just aren't suitable for the publication's
audience. An editor has a responsibility to the readers (think of
them as students in a classroom) who expect and want to read certain
types
of articles. He or she also has a responsibility to keep the journal
"in character." In my case, my Hands-on English readers will want their
money back if what I print doesn't seem relevant to them or isn't what
I'd promised.
3. If you need an academic publication for your resume, you might
consider submitting the paper to other journals or even ranging outside
the strictly ESL journals. There are reading journals, language teaching
journals, general education journals, journals with a cross-cultural
focus, etc. Just keep trying until you find the right one.
4. If you are interested mainly in bringing your ideas to the
teaching public, there are other options such as self-publishing
on a website, or submitting your work to NCLE for inclusion in the
ERIC database (see www.cal.org/ncle).
5. Don't take things personally in academics--realize that each journal
has its own policies and they aren't required to help you by
providing feedback. TESOL journals are very good about feedback and
mentoring, as I understand it, but that's a choice they've made--it's
often not the case for other journals even in other fields.
The oldest and most prestigious science magazine, for example,
the 200-year-old "Nature", never sends the author feedback when they
reject
an article that isn't suitable for them. They only provide feedback if
they
want to publish the article, in order to get certain changes made. If you
think about it, that is the most cost-effective way for their editors to
spend their time.
I'd encourage people to write more articles--I think it would
be great for the field. But keep in mind it takes persistance to
get something accepted. Charles, if we chat further about this maybe
we should do it "off list"--I'm worried this may not seem on topic
to most people.
Good luck!
Best wishes,
Anna
---------------------------------------------------
Anna Silliman, Editor
Hands-on English "A helping hand for ESL"
P.O. Box 256, Crete, NE 68333
Toll-free: 1-800-ESL-HAND (1-800-375-4263)
Phone:402-826-5426
Fax: 402-826-3997
Email: anna@handsonenglish.com
Website: <http://www.handsonenglish.com/>
---------------------------------------------------
Hello, Charles Jannuzi! On 12/14/00 2:45 AM you wrote:
>I just had this experience: a paper I worked long and hard on for much of
>this year was submitted to ELT Journal (Oxford University Press) in
>September. I was told it would take a couple of months. More than a couple
>months passed and there was no contact, so I contacted the editor, Keith
>Morrow.
>
>KM replied quite politely but succinctly that the article, it had been
>decided, was inappropriate for the audience of ELT Journal (which, whether
>he meant it or not, was a pretty scathing thing to say about an article
>meant for language teachers). HOWEVER, no actual explanations or criticisms
>were given. In another e-mail KM said that this was not possible under blind
>review. But, of course, this is evasion, because readers' remarks can (AND
>SHOULD) be forwarded anonymously by the editor.
>
>A couple of interesting things about this article. Since it is an attempt to
>apply a somewhat technical aspect of crosslinguistic knowledge, I think that
>perhaps a periodical such as ELTJ--however esteemed it might be--doesn't
>have the expertise on the editorial staff or EAB to deal with the article.
>Certainly nothing KM wrote implied even the remotest interest in the topic
>of the paper.
>
>Also, KM said that the article received considerable, lengthy discussion,
>which means what? That, no doubt, the paper was controversial and opinion
>among the editorial readers was DIVIDED.
>
>My point about an article on which opinion divides is this: it might well
>prove to be the type of article that proves of the most interest to readers,
>since it may be on to something about which people in ELT have not thought
>about in depth or about which opinion is strongly divided, and so further
>discussion and synthesis might help. Something to keep in mind if you ever
>find yourself editing a periodical and you want to develop your content and
>your readership.
>
>Finally, my last point. Don't believe blind reviewing guarantees objectivity
>or fairness in treatment. It doesn't. George Braine at Asia Journal of ELT
>in Hong Kong summarily refused to accept an article from me simply because
>of earlier trouble over an article by Oda Masaki (which George Braine had
>edited separately for a book with Lawrence Erlbaum Associates--in the
>article Oda had confused my views with someone else's, and I had written
>asking for acknowledgement of the error and correction).
>
>Anyone else had similar experiences they care to share? Reply on or off
>list, I'd love to hear about them. Do such problems exist at any JALT
>publications?
>
>Yours,
>Charles Jannuzi
>Fukui University, Japan
>
>
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