Call for Papers

The ELT Practitioner invites original and previously unpublished articles for its forthcoming issues. The journal accepts full-length research papers on English literary studies, Book reviews, Author interviews, Poems, and Short Stories. Articles can be submitted throughout the year. However, articles received before the following dates will be considered for the corresponding issues:

1. 30 October for January issue

2. 30 January for April issue

3. 30 April for July issue

4. 30 July for October issue

1.1. How to Submit

The editorial board of The ELT Practitioner is constantly trying to raise the standards of our publications. We expect the same kind of commitment from authors to conform to the ethical norms by following our guidelines.

Authors should read the “Guidelines for Submission” on the journal’s page before making a submission. The manuscript should be prepared according to the style and specifications that are given in the editorial policy and guidelines for authors.

Articles can be submitted throughout the year. However, articles received before the following dates will be considered for the corresponding issues: 30 October for January issue; 30 January for April issue; 30 April for July issue; and 30 July for October issue.

THE ELT PRACTITIONER uses double-blind review, which means the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa. More information is available in the Peer Review Process section. To facilitate the double-blind review, authors must send two separate word documents: the submission form and the blinded manuscript.

1. Submission Form: Dully fill in the details such as the title of the manuscript, authors' names, affiliations, acknowledgement and declaration by all authors.

(a) Authors listed on the submission form should have met the requirements for authorship specified in the editorial policy.

(b) The contact information of all authors – names, affiliation, emails, and phone numbers – should be stated. Any change of address before the publication of the paper should be notified immediately to the Editor-in-Chief of THE ELT PRACTITIONER.

(c) A brief description of each author in about 100 words indicating their name, position, institutional affiliation, research interests and key achievements must be furnished.

(c) One author must be designated as the corresponding author with contact details.

(d) All authors should approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission. Once a manuscript is submitted, it is therefore assumed that all authors have read and given their approval for the submission of the manuscript.

(e) Authors must assure that the manuscript has not been submitted or will be submitted to other journals while the review process is going on.

(f) Authors must assure that they have a proper understanding of the plagiarism issues and that nothing has been copied in any form without proper acknowledgement or legal permission in any way that may violate other’s rights.

2. Blinded manuscript (no author details): The main body of the paper should not include any identifying information, such as the authors' names or affiliations.

(a) Include the title, abstract, keywords, references, figures, and tables (if any).

(c) Do not include any of the authors’ names and their affiliations in the blinded manuscript.

(b) Do not include the acknowledgement in the blinded manuscript. It must be furnished in the submission form.

(d) The title of the paper must be the file name of the blinded manuscript.

(e) The authors must use bias-free language in the manuscript while expressing their views on issues pertaining to gender, race, ethnicity, language and culture.

Further considerations:

The authors must further ensure that

· they have prepared the manuscript in A4 size with a 1-inch margin on all four sides.

· they have used the font ‘Cambria’, 12 points and 1.5 lines of space throughout the paper.

· their manuscript does not exceed the word limit

· They have spell checked and grammar checked the manuscript.

· all references mentioned in the list of Works Cited are cited in the text, and vice versa

· they have read and understood the journal policies detailed on the website.

Both the submission form and the blinded manuscript should be submitted only as email attachments to theeltpractitioner1@gmail.com with a copy to eltai_india@yahoo.co.in, mentioning ‘Submission’ in the subject line.

Every submission will be acknowledged within 48 hours. In the unlikely case of an acknowledgement not received within two days, authors are requested to resend the mail.

Upon submission of an article, the review process will be initiated by the Editor-in-Chief. Please read more about the review process in the Peer Review Process section. The review process usually takes a maximum of 45 days. Hence, authors must submit their articles will in advance and must be patient.

1.2. Guidelines for Preparation of Manuscripts

Articles submitted to THE ELT PRACTITIONER undergo a three-stage review process – editorial office, external review and editors’ decision. Authors can speed up the review process by submitting their works in accordance with the following guidelines:

1) Prepare your manuscript in A4 size with a 1-inch margin on all four sides.

2) Use the font ‘Cambria’, 12 points and 1.5 lines of space.

3) The title of the manuscript should not exceed 10 words.

4) Please follow MLA format (either 7th or 8th edition) for documenting sources.

5) The submission must be only in English. Quotes of other language texts must be accompanied by an appropriate English translation.

6) Authors are requested to carefully proofread the articles for grammatical and typing errors before submitting.

1.2.1. Full-Length Research papers

7) Length of the research paper, excluding the abstract, keywords, works cited and appendices, should not exceed 5000 words.

8) The manuscript of the research paper must be thoroughly blinded for the double-blind peer review. The guidelines must be followed in preparing the blinded manuscript.

9) The paper must be accompanied by (a) an abstract in about 150 words; (b) three to five keywords; (c) works Cited; and (d) appendices (if any)

1.2.2. Book Reviews

10)The length of the book review, excluding references and appendices, should be between 1000 and 1500 words.

11)Complete details regarding the book under review (Name of Author, Year of Publication, Publisher, Price, ISBN/ISSN etc.) should be given.

12)Books being reviewed must have been published within 18 months from the date of submission. Concession can be made with respect to important books, in consultation with the editorial board.

13)The review should not be a mere paraphrase of its contents. It should indicate the reviewer’s critical and analytical engagement with the context and specific location of the book.

14)The language of the book review may not be conversational, but that indicating the optimum use of academic language aiding comprehension.

15)The book review must be accompanied by (a) an abstract in about 100 words; (b) three to five keywords; and (c) The cover image of the book under review in JPEG format.

1.2.3. Author interviews

16)Transcripts of interviews with famous authors, poets, litterateurs, and academics may be submitted for publication.

17)The ideal length should be between 1500 and 3000 words.

18)The submission should contain details of when and where the interview was taken.

19)All interviews must carry the declaration by the interviewer that the interview was taken with clear consent of the author/interviewee.

20)The interviews submitted for publication should not be older than six months from the date of submission. However, the final decision will be vested with the editors.

21)The interview must be accompanied by (a) an abstract in about 100 words; (b) three to five keywords; (c) an introduction to the author (interviewee) and his/her literary oeuvre or academic achievement (not exceeding 200 words); (d) the contact details of the author (interviewee); and (e) an uncopyrighted photograph of the author (interviewee) in JPEG format.

1.2.4. Poems/short stories

22)Poems / short stories, not more than three pages, can be submitted for publication in THE ELT PRACTITIONER.

23)The editorial board reserves the right to publish or reject as many entries as they deem fit.

1.3. Author Fees

THE ELT PRACTITIONER is completely free to read and download. Its publication is funded by the English Language Teachers’ Association of India, Chennai. Hence, there is no publication or processing fee for authors. However, papers from ELTAI short-term and donor members will be given preference. Authors are expected to mention their ELTAI membership number at the time of submission and their membership must be active. Authors of accepted papers will be asked to obtain either short-term or donor membership if they are not a member of ELTAI. Visit http://eltai.in for more details about the membership benefits and rates.