ECJ

Types of Manuscript

Types of Manuscript

English Community Journal (ECJ) publishes scholarly manuscripts that advance knowledge and practice in English language education. The journal welcomes empirical research and critical reviews addressing English language teaching and learning, instructional practices, curriculum development, language assessment, and related areas with clear relevance to English education.

The following manuscript categories provide guidance on the scholarly contributions suitable for consideration within the journal’s Research Article and Review Article sections.

All manuscripts must be original, academically rigorous, ethically prepared, relevant to the journal’s Aim and Scope, and compliant with the English Community Journal Author Guidelines and Publication Ethics. Submissions undergo editorial assessment and peer review in accordance with the journal’s policies.

1. Original Research Article

Original Research Articles report original and previously unpublished empirical research that contributes to English language education.

ECJ welcomes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, including experimental and quasi-experimental studies, surveys, classroom action research, case studies, ethnographic research, and other appropriate research designs.

Relevant topics may include:

  • English language teaching approaches and instructional strategies;
  • teaching and learning listening, speaking, reading, and writing;
  • vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation development;
  • second and foreign language acquisition;
  • learner motivation, engagement, confidence, and autonomy;
  • English teacher education and professional development;
  • curriculum, textbooks, and instructional materials;
  • technology-supported language learning; and
  • language assessment and classroom evaluation.

An Original Research Article should generally include:

  1. Abstract and Keywords;
  2. Introduction;
  3. Methods;
  4. Results;
  5. Discussion;
  6. Conclusion; and
  7. References.

Authors should clearly explain the research problem, relevant literature, research gap, objectives or questions, methodological procedures, principal findings, and implications for English language education.

Research involving students, teachers, or other participants must address informed consent, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and ethical approval where required. Studies involving children should explain the additional safeguards applied, including parental or guardian permission and children’s assent where appropriate.

2. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Systematic Reviews provide transparent and rigorous syntheses of existing research addressing clearly formulated questions in English language education.

This category may include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, mapping reviews, and qualitative evidence syntheses, as appropriate to the research objective.

Authors should describe:

  • Review objectives and research questions;
  • Eligibility criteria;
  • Databases and other information sources;
  • Search strategies and search dates;
  • Study screening and selection procedures;
  • Data extraction procedures;
  • Quality appraisal or risk-of-bias assessment, where appropriate;
  • Methods of synthesis; and
  • Limitations of the evidence and review process.

The review should explain how its findings contribute to understanding English language teaching, learning, assessment, or educational practice.

Authors should use reporting guidance appropriate to the review design. Where meta-analysis is conducted, the manuscript should explain effect-size calculations, statistical models, heterogeneity, and relevant sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions should reflect the strength, consistency, and contextual limitations of the available evidence.

3. Review Article

Review Articles present comprehensive, critical, and balanced examinations of established or emerging topics in English language education.

A Review Article should go beyond summarizing previous publications. Authors should synthesize relevant scholarship, evaluate theoretical or empirical disagreements, identify research gaps, and propose justified directions for research or educational practice.

Suitable contributions may examine:

  • Developments in English language teaching;
  • Theories of second or foreign language learning;
  • Curriculum and instructional materials;
  • Language assessment practices;
  • Digital technologies in English education;
  • Teacher learning and professional development; and
  • Cultural, linguistic, and contextual issues in English classrooms.

Review Articles should generally include:

  1. Abstract and Keywords;
  2. Introduction;
  3. A description of the review scope and literature-selection approach;
  4. Thematic or conceptual sections;
  5. Critical Discussion;
  6. Conclusion; and
  7. References.

Authors should explain how the literature was identified and selected. Narrative reviews should describe their approach accurately and avoid presenting themselves as systematic reviews unless their procedures support that designation.

4. Conceptual and Theoretical Contributions

Conceptual and theoretical contributions develop, integrate, examine, or critically evaluate ideas, frameworks, models, and propositions relevant to English language education.

These manuscripts may be considered within the Review Article section when they provide substantial engagement with existing scholarship and a clear contribution to the journal’s scope.

Contributions may include:

  • Critical evaluation of language teaching and learning theories;
  • Development of conceptual frameworks for English education;
  • Integration of complementary educational or linguistic perspectives;
  • Examination of assumptions underlying instructional practices;
  • Conceptual models of learner engagement, autonomy, or teacher development; and
  • Propositions for future empirical investigation.

Manuscripts should establish a clear problem, explain their conceptual foundations, engage critically with relevant literature, and demonstrate the originality and usefulness of the argument.

Authors should distinguish theoretical propositions from findings supported by empirical evidence. Proposed frameworks should identify their limitations and explain how they could be examined or applied.

5. Research on Language Assessment and Instrument Development

Empirical studies developing, adapting, or evaluating instruments relevant to English language education may be submitted as Original Research Articles.

These studies may address:

  • English language proficiency tests;
  • Classroom assessment tasks;
  • Speaking and writing assessment rubrics;
  • Measures of language learning motivation, anxiety, or engagement;
  • Teacher knowledge and instructional practice questionnaires;
  • Needs-analysis instruments; and
  • Digital assessment tools.

Instrument-development studies should explain the construct, intended purpose, target population, item or task development, expert review, piloting, sampling, and analytical procedures.

Authors should provide evidence appropriate to the instrument’s intended interpretation and use, including relevant aspects of validity, reliability, fairness, and scoring consistency.

Adaptation studies should describe permissions where applicable, translation procedures, cultural and linguistic adaptation, and supporting evidence. Claims that an instrument is appropriate across different populations or settings must be justified.

6. Classroom-Based and Practitioner Research

ECJ welcomes classroom-based empirical research that contributes to understanding and improving English language teaching and learning. Such manuscripts should be submitted as Original Research Articles.

Relevant approaches include classroom action research, reflective practitioner inquiry supported by systematically collected evidence, and evaluations of instructional interventions.

Manuscripts should explain:

  • The educational context and instructional problem;
  • The rationale for the intervention or inquiry;
  • Participants and the researcher’s role;
  • Procedures and implementation stages;
  • Data collection and analysis;
  • Evidence of learning processes or outcomes; and
  • Implications and limitations.

Classroom action research should describe its planning, action, observation, and reflection processes, including how evidence informed subsequent decisions.

Authors should distinguish research findings from personal impressions. Where teachers research their own students, manuscripts should explain how potential pressure to participate, researcher bias, and confidentiality were addressed.

Cultural, Linguistic, and Educational Diversity

ECJ recognizes that English language teaching and learning occur within diverse cultural, linguistic, social, institutional, and geographical contexts.

The journal encourages authors to:

  • Describe the context necessary to interpret their findings;
  • Recognize learners’ multilingual backgrounds and linguistic resources;
  • Consider the contextual suitability of teaching approaches and assessments;
  • Avoid unsupported generalizations across educational settings;
  • Address inclusion, accessibility, and equitable participation where relevant; and
  • Respect the dignity, privacy, and rights of participants.

Studies involving literary texts, discourse, translation, or linguistic analysis should clearly explain their contribution to English language education.

Research involving underrepresented learners, institutions, regions, and linguistic communities is welcome when it offers a well-supported contribution within the journal’s scope.

Editorial Consideration

The inclusion of a manuscript category does not guarantee acceptance. All submissions are assessed for relevance to the Aim and Scope of English Community Journal, originality, scholarly contribution, methodological adequacy, clarity, and ethical compliance.

The Editorial Team may recommend a more suitable classification based on a manuscript’s content and approach. Empirical contributions should normally be submitted under Research Articles, while evidence syntheses and substantial conceptual or theoretical reviews should normally be submitted under Review Articles.

Authors must follow the journal’s current requirements for manuscript structure, length, references, formatting, and submission procedures. Publication decisions depend on editorial evaluation, peer-review findings, and the adequacy of revisions.