Dr. Rita Deyoe-Chiullán is the publications coordinator for TexTESOL V, our local affiliate of TexTESOL and of TESOL International. A few years ago, she advanced the suggestion that our organization could offer members a service by publishing a yearly issue of an online journal, affording those whose professional roles require publication in peer-reviewed journals another avenue to share their work and offering members in school settings current research information without the high costs of traditional professional journal subscriptions. To date, we have published Volume 1, Issue 1 (September 2012), available on our website.

We are looking for articles based on recent research and with recent sources to meet the contemporary educational settings of our membership. Submitting authors may expect to work with our editors and peer reviewers, who have an interest in mentoring educational practitioners through the process of revisions to shape their work for the requirements of publishing in an online peer-reviewed journal.

Our online peer-refereed journal is free on our website! Texas English Language Teaching (TexELT)Volume 1, Issue 1, September 2012.Please read below for the detailed description of TexELT:

Mission Statement

The mission of TexTESOL V is to provide information, direction, and support to its membership in promoting excellence in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages.

Purposes

1. Work cooperatively toward the improvement of instruction in all programs that seek to provide learners with an opportunity to acquire English language skills and proficiency.
2. Provide opportunities for study and research.
3. Encourage professional development, participation, and leadership at the local and state levels.
4. Promote intercultural understanding and effective cross-cultural communication.
5. Cooperate in appropriate ways with other groups having similar concerns.

Call for Papers

The publications officers are now accepting submissions for an online journal, a publication of Texas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages-Region V (TexTESOL V).

This is a peer-reviewed electronic publication which will be posted on the TexTESOL V website and will be available free of charge to members through an email newsletter link and to the general public through the public access portions of the TexTESOL V website. Submissions are due March 15. It is anticipated that manuscripts selected for consideration will be sent to members of the peer jury of readers by March 25, 2013, and returned to the publications officers with Level One Protocol advice by April 20, 2013. Online publication is tentatively scheduled for September 2014. All submissions should be sent electronically to ritadeyoe@yahoo.com. If you do not receive a return email confirming receipt within 3 days, please send a follow-up email.

Editorial Process

Manuscripts that meet the specifications listed will be reviewed by the publications coordinator and at least one other member of the TexTESOL V Board and/or other qualified readers, who will be selected for relevant background and interest in the topic.

If approved by both first readers, the manuscript will be assigned to a peer jury reviewer for general editing advice and review.

If approved by only one person, it will be submitted to an additional reader and the majority decision will be final.

If neither of the first readers supports further development of the manuscript for this publication, the author will be notified accordingly.

If only minor editing is needed, the publications officers will make minor corrections. If substantial changes are needed or missing information is required, the author will be given the option to revise as requested or to withdraw the manuscript from consideration.

Publication Priorities

Action Research Reports

These are brief reports on action research where the writer developed a plan to do something in a particular way to try to improve student outcomes and gives some evidence of having compared that approach with previous or simultaneous alternative approaches, evaluates the outcomes, and critically examines both implementation issues and outcomes. This does not need to be at the level of an experimental or quasi-experimental design, but ought to present evidence of thorough planning of details and be based on a review of relevant available literature.

Critical Reviews of Textbooks, Teaching Materials, and Teacher Preparation Texts and Resources

These are brief critical reviews of new textbooks and materials for teaching English or preparing teachers of English as a second language at any of the levels (elementary, secondary, adult, and higher education), pointing out personal experiences in using the text or materials—positive and negative—and/or detailing benefits and defects, as perceived by the reviewer, for the sorts of student populations our membership serves, within the North Texas context. TexTESOL V members work in both urban schools and colleges with extensive bilingual, newcomer, and ESL programs and in rural districts with limited programs and few ESL-qualified professionals. The reviewer should state clearly his or her own context and experience and the settings for which the text or materials reviewed were considered.

Research Syntheses for Application

Well-structured syntheses of the best practices for our regional needs or the needs of a particular type of situation that exists in our region, according to research from a wide variety of sources, but with critical attention to "applicability," and the perceived quality of the research cited, whether qualitative or quantitative.

Criteria for Consideration

1. The research topic should be of fairly general interest to practicing ESL teachers at one or more of the levels addressed by our Interest Sections: elementary, secondary, adult and/or parent education, higher education. This includes postsecondary ESL students and bilingual/ESL teacher preparation.
2. The manuscript should be in Times New Roman 12-pt font and should follow APA 6th edition format for citing all sources. You may request information on this format from the publications coordinator.
3. The manuscript should be sufficiently edited with regard to errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, idiomatic usage, and document format to resolve all errors identified by Spell Check.
4. All sources should be cited properly and completely so that the reader can easily consult the original source or access it electronically if it is available online.
5. All authors are solely responsible for ensuring that no plagiarism occurs in their submissions, and authors whose work is selected for publication will need to sign a statement to that effect. At their option, the editors may submit papers to an anti-plagiarism service for originality comparisons.