Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Authors must submit their manuscripts online through the TATEFL journal website. Authors must register as authors before submitting a manuscript.

All submitted manuscripts must comply with the TATEFL author guidelines, manuscript template, and publication ethics policies.

General Requirements

  • Submitted manuscripts must be original scholarly works that have not been previously published and are not under consideration by another journal.
  • The journal welcomes empirical research, conceptual papers, theoretical studies, and critical discussions relevant to English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English Language Teaching (ELT), and related areas within the journal's focus and scope.
  • Manuscripts must be written in English using Arial, 12-point font, single spacing, and a single-column format.
  • Manuscripts should contain between 4,000 and 8,000 words, including the abstract, tables, figures, and references.
  • The abstract should contain 200–250 words and be followed by three to five keywords.
  • Manuscripts must use A4 paper with the following margins: top 1.4 inches, bottom 1.5 inches, right 1.4 inches, and left 1.4 inches.
  • Authors must use the official TATEFL Manuscript Template.
  • Manuscripts must follow the journal's publication ethics policies and must not contain plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified findings, or other forms of research misconduct.

Manuscript Structure

Research articles should generally follow the structure below:

1. Title

The title should clearly and concisely represent the main topic of the manuscript and should not exceed 14 words.

2. Author Details

Provide the full names of all authors without academic titles or degrees, their institutional affiliations, and their email addresses.

3. Abstract

The abstract should be between 200 and 250 words and clearly present the research background, objectives, methods, principal findings or contribution, and conclusions.

4. Keywords

Provide three to five keywords that represent the main concepts and topics of the manuscript.

5. Introduction

The introduction should establish the research background, explain the problem, review relevant literature, identify the research gap, and state the research objectives or questions. It should demonstrate the significance of the study and its contribution to EFL teaching and learning. Avoid an excessively broad literature review or a detailed presentation of findings in this section.

All ideas and information derived from other sources must be properly cited. Direct quotations must be clearly indicated and accompanied by the appropriate page number when available.

6. Method

This section should explain the research design, context, participants or population and sample, instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis methods, as applicable. The description should be sufficiently detailed to allow readers to understand how the study was conducted.

7. Findings and Discussion

Present the research findings clearly using appropriate text, tables, or figures. Highlight the most important results rather than simply repeating all the information presented in tables or figures.

The discussion should interpret the findings, relate them to relevant theories and previous studies, explain their significance, and identify their implications for EFL teaching, learning, research, or policy. The findings and discussion may be combined into one section.

8. Conclusion

The conclusion should synthesize the principal findings and explain their significance in relation to the research objectives. It should not merely repeat the results. Authors may also discuss the implications of the study, acknowledge relevant limitations, and suggest directions for future research.

9. References

References must follow the APA 7th edition style. Every source cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and every entry in the reference list must be cited in the text.

Authors are required to use reference management software, such as Mendeley or EndNote, to manage citations and references consistently.

For further guidance, consult the official APA Style website.

Reference Examples

1. Books

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book: Subtitle if applicable. Publisher.

2. Journal Articles

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

3. Websites

Format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the webpage. Website Name. URL

4. Edited Books

Format: Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

5. Chapters in Edited Books

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of the book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

6. Conference Papers

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the paper. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of the conference proceedings (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. URL or DOI, if available.

7. Theses and Dissertations

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the thesis or dissertation [Master's thesis or Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution]. Database or Repository. URL, if available.

8. Government Reports

Format: Name of Government Agency. (Year). Title of the report (Report number, if available). URL

9. Online Videos

Format: Author, A. A. [Username]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Platform. URL

10. Podcasts

Format: Host, H. H. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of the episode (Episode number, if available) [Audio podcast episode]. In Title of the podcast. Production Company. URL

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal.
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or RTF format.
  • The manuscript follows the official TATEFL template and author guidelines.
  • The manuscript contains at least 25 relevant references, where appropriate to the article type and research topic.
  • In-text citations and references follow APA 7th edition style and are managed consistently using reference management software.
  • The manuscript complies with TATEFL's publication ethics, similarity screening, and responsible AI use policies.
  • All necessary permissions have been obtained for copyrighted material, including figures, tables, and images reproduced from other sources.
  • All authors have approved the submitted manuscript and agree to its submission to TATEFL.

Article Submission and Publication Process

TATEFL follows a structured editorial process to assess the quality, originality, relevance, and scholarly contribution of submitted manuscripts. The process consists of the following stages.

Stage 1. Online Submission

Authors register or log in to the TATEFL journal website and submit their manuscripts through the online submission system. Authors must provide the required manuscript files, author information, and other requested submission details.

Stage 2. Initial Editorial Screening

The editorial team checks whether the submission falls within the journal's focus and scope and complies with the basic author guidelines. The manuscript may also be screened for similarity, potential plagiarism, and inappropriate use of AI-generated content.

Submissions that do not meet the journal's requirements may be returned for correction or rejected before peer review.

Stage 3. Editor Assessment and Reviewer Assignment

The editor evaluates the manuscript's relevance, originality, academic quality, and suitability for the journal. Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment are assigned to appropriate reviewers with relevant expertise.

Stage 4. Double-Blind Peer Review

TATEFL applies a double-blind peer review process in which reviewers do not know the authors' identities and authors do not know the reviewers' identities. The editorial team manages the anonymization of manuscripts before they are sent to reviewers.

Reviewers evaluate the manuscript's originality, theoretical foundation, research methods, analysis, clarity, and contribution to EFL research and practice.

Stage 5. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviewers' reports and the editor's assessment, the manuscript may be accepted, accepted subject to minor revisions, returned for major revisions, or rejected. A decision to invite revisions does not guarantee eventual acceptance.

Stage 6. Revision and Resubmission

When revisions are requested, authors must revise the manuscript in response to the reviewers' and editor's comments and submit the revised version within the specified deadline. Authors should provide a clear response explaining how each comment has been addressed or why a suggested change has not been made.

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation when necessary.

Stage 7. Final Editorial Decision

The editor evaluates the revised manuscript and the authors' responses before making the final decision. Acceptance is granted only when the manuscript meets the journal's scholarly, ethical, and publication requirements.

Stage 8. Copyediting and Proofreading

Accepted manuscripts proceed to editorial preparation, including copyediting, formatting, and reference checks. Authors may be asked to review page proofs and correct typographical or production errors before publication.

Stage 9. Publication

The final article is published on the TATEFL journal website as part of the relevant issue or through the journal's online publication system. Publication details and article metadata are made available to readers.

Important: The time required for each stage may vary depending on the manuscript, reviewer availability, the extent of revisions, and editorial workload. TATEFL does not guarantee acceptance or publication within a fixed period. Authors can monitor their submission status through the online journal system.