Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal

Readership

The intended audience of this journal includes researchers and practitioners interested in issues connected with self-access language learning, including skills support centres. These issues include (but are not limited to):

learner autonomy and self-access
advising learners in a self-access centre
writing centres
self-directed learning and self-access
motivation and self-access
self-access materials design
conversation lounges
self-access centre management
theoretical underpinnings of self-access learning
CALL and self-access
Contributions

Before you submit an article, please make sure:

That your manuscript falls within the scope of the journal and has applications to the field of self-access.
That your manuscript is formatted according to our style guidelines.
That your literature review is relevant and up to date.
That your manuscript is clear and well organised, and has been proofread by a colleague.
There is no information on your submission that can identify you (for the blind review process). PLEASE ANONYMISE your submission.

AI fair use

To maintain academic rigor in light of emerging technologies, SiSAL Journal explicitly prohibits the use of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) to fabricate data, participant narratives, or references in any part of a submission.

Authors may use AI tools for non-substantive writing support (e.g., grammar correction or summarizing previously written content), but any such use must be clearly disclosed within the manuscript or in a footnote.

The editorial team may request evidence of research authenticity—such as anonymized data, timelines, or ethics approvals—during the review process. Suspected research misconduct, including fictitious research or invented sources, will be investigated and may result in desk rejection, retraction, or notification of the author’s institution.

SiSAL Journal welcomes submissions in a number of categories:

Articles

We welcome articles of around 5000 words that highlight research and issues connected with self-access learning or skills support centres. The articles should be scholarly, yet generally accessible to ELT professionals, highlighting practical applications where possible.

Contributors are asked to take into account the following important factors when writing their articles:

Articles should be of interest and relevance to the readers of SiSAL Journal.
Articles should be well written and proofread by at least one peer before submission.
SiSAL Journal may also consider reprinting previously published articles if permission is obtained from the original copyright holder.

Summaries and work in progress

Short summaries and progress reports of no more than 1500 words are welcome. References are not necessary.

Column: Ethnographies of self-access language learning

Contribute your language-learning story or another aspect of self-access. Length: varies; typically serialised over several issues.

See:

Mynard, J. (2020). Ethnographies of self-access language learning. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 11(2), 86-92. https://doi.org/10.37237/110203

Werner, R. J. (2020). ‘A puzzle that needs to be fitted together’: The beginning of my autoethnographic journey of learning French through music. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 11(2), 93-107. https://doi.org/10.37237/110204

Perspectives (opinions and reflections)

General opinion pieces and reflections on research or practice of around 2000 words are welcome.

*Reviews of books, resources, and events

Reviews of events and conferences, academic books or articles, self-access materials or useful websites of around 1000 words are welcome. Read more details. Examples of self-access resources with accompanying explanations are also welcome.

Style

Articles may be submitted in any language, but an English summary of around 200 words must accompany the original manuscript. When preparing your English manuscript, please use British English or American English (be consistent) and follow the APA 7 style guidelines.

Copyright

The authors retain copyright over their work under a creative commons 3.0 agreement and may submit it for publication elsewhere. SiSAL Journal retains the right to publish the journal in multiple formats to maximise exposure.

Submissions

All submissions are initially screened by members of our editorial board. After this initial screening, submissions are double-blind peer reviewed by experts in the field. Where possible, the editorial team provide feedback in order to help authors to reach the required publication standard. Please ensure that your manuscript is formatted according to APA 7 style guidelines and has been proofread by a colleague. Please note that SiSAL Journal does not charge authors or potential authors any processing fees.

Submission and publication dates

Please send articles, reports, opinions, reflections, reviews and works in progress for upcoming issues. Issues of SiSAL Journal are published in March, June, September and December of each year. Currently, authors can expect accepted articles to be published within nine months of submission. You are welcome to submit papers at any time. However, please note that we have been receiving a larger number of submissions than usual recently, and your manuscript may take several months to be processed and reviewed. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.