Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Fees

1) Is there any author fee?

No; authors pay no fees.

2) Is there any publication fee?

No, if you accept our publication policy. Negotiable, if you prefer to make your content Open Access.

BACK TO TOP

Publication management

1) I submitted my manuscript to the journal but received no confirmation. Why?

Normally this does not happen, and you get a message within 24 hours telling you that your submission has been received; in rare cases where this happens, it is because you have not followed our author guidelines or codes of conduct.

2) How long do I have to wait for my manuscript to be processed?

At least a minimum of 4 to 6 months of external review (in addition to 2-4 weeks of internal review). This depends on how many trustworthy reviewers are out there, and also on how fast they handle their review assignments. We do NOT push reviewers to expedite the review task since this may have unwanted effects on review outcomes.

3) Does my manuscript get published as soon as it is accepted?

We will make the bibliographical details of your accepted manuscripts available HERE, but you will have to wait for the page proofs to be produced and sent to you for a final check.

4) Do I receive off-prints of print copies of my published papers?

No; you will only receive a PDF copy of your published paper, but you can place orders HERE to buy print copies.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

To join in the fight against climate change and global warming, we have stopped the just-in-case print version of the journal beginning with Volume 14, Number 3. Nevertheless, published authors (and interested readers) may request to receive--free of any charge--the digital-print-ready inside and the cover art of each journal issue which they can then deliver to the nearest digital-print shop in their neighborhoods and have the journal issue published in just-in-time digital-print-on-demand crown-quarto-size perfect-bound print format. We hope this small step can save at least some trees and help to fight climate change.

5) Do I have to cite papers published in the back issues of IJLS in my own manuscript? Does it affect the fate of my submission?

No; we do not force authors to cite the works published in the back issues of IJLS (or by our board members), but we strongly recommend that prospective authors see if any of the papers published in the back issues of IJLS has any important direct bearing on the topic covered by their submissions, and cite it ONLY IF it is directly relevant in an important way; IT IS FOR YOU TO DECIDE; here is the COMPLETE LIST.

6) Who is considered my co-author?

Your co-author is any person who has made a significant contribution to your manuscript. Your coauthor shares responsibility and accountability for the results of your research as well as any legal issues that might be caused by your publication. If you name a colleague or friend as your co-author, this means that they (1) have made a significant contribution to your study (i.e., to its conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or the whole of your work), (2) have drafted or written, or substantially revised or critically reviewed your article, (3) have agreed on the journal to which your article will and should be submitted, (4) have reviewed and agreed on all versions of your article before submission, during revision, the final version accepted for publication, and any significant changes introduced at the proofing stage, and (5) DO willingly-and-consciously agree to take responsibility and be accountable for the contents of the article and to share responsibility to resolve any questions raised about the accuracy or integrity of the published work. Whatever you do, please do NOT name (1) unaware authors, (2) ghost authors, (3) fake authors, and/or (4) honorary authors as your co-authors.

7) Is it acceptable to list multiple affiliations for an author?

Your affiliation should reflect your current and primary employment (reflected in your institutional email address). We verify this by inspecting the academic email address that you provide in the title page you include in your submission packet. Nevertheless, if you have been transferred to a different institution during the publication process, it is quite acceptable to list both affiliations in your paper. Typically, the purpose of listing affiliations is to make sure readers know where to reach you if required. More than two institutions CANNOT be listed as your affiliations in your author byline (i.e., below the article title), but they can appear in an endnote or in your bio-blurb, but then you will have to provide us with the corresponding academic email addresses and web-links that could be checked to help us verify your association with them.

8) What about author's misrepresentation of institutional affiliations?

This is what you should absolutely avoid; from a legal point of view, your affiliation implies (1) that you really worked at the institute, (2) that it has overseen the research integrity of your paper, (3) that it will be proud of your work, (4) that it will NOT be criticized for your study, and (5) that your work has been funded/supported by your institution.

BACK TO TOP

Publication Ethics

1) What do you mean by plagiarism?

Some memory researchers and/or university professors would define plagiarism as direct copying of materials or 5-to-7-plus consecutive words from other people/sources without appropriately mentioning the source. This is just a rule of thumb, a flag that shows author dishonesty might have happened, but plagiarism is a legal precept; it is non-attributed use of original and unique wording; it is stealing original ideas, art, word choices, and constructions which you then pass off as your own original creations. Since submissions are supposed to be totally blind, this also applies to your own previously-published works, so please also avoid self-plagiarism.

2) What do you mean by fraud?

Any content that is not genuinely scientific.

3) What do you mean by double/parallel submission?

Submitting the same material to more than one journal or venue simultaneously; submissions should be made to ONLY one journal at a time, and you CANNOT submit your work to more than one journal simultaneously. You should wait for a final decision from IJLS, and then submit your work another journal IF and ONLY IF your work has been rejected by IJLS or you have withdrawn your submission.

4) What do you mean by self-plagiarism?

Direct copying of content from your own previous publications and pasting it in the submission you make to IJLS without appropriate parenthetical citations--and, if direct, enclosure within quotation marks. All in all, you may "cite" only less than 10% of a previously published work of your own, and this must be limited to the 'literature' section or to connecting the works in the 'discussion' section of your submission to IJLS.

5) Does anything happen to me if I am flagged as an unethical author?

Absolutely; your published work, if plagiarized, will be retracted (see examples HERE and HERE), and you will get black-listed and will be denied future publication opportunities (for at least 5 years--or for ever depending on the importance of your dishonest act).

6) What if I submit my work to the journal without following its author guidelines and/or code of conduct?

You will be flagged as a dishonest author and five years of non-negotiable submission embargo will be imposed on you (without any notification).

BACK TO TOP

Legal Issues

1) Which organization should I name as my affiliation?

This is a tricky issue. By default, graduate students in many countries are not considered as affiliated members of the organizations in which they are being educated. Moreover, some prospective authors may have planned to start their graduate studies in near future--but have not started yet. In cases like these, naming such organizations as your affiliation can create legal issues and troubles for the journal. Please check with your organization management and provide formal written documents in your submission package to help us guard the journal against unnecessary legal troubles.

2) What happens if my co-authors raise cases after our co-authored paper is published?

As the corresponding author, you are liable for all the possible/probable legal aftermath.

BACK TO TOP

Copyright © International Journal of Language Studies 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Template by OS Templates