SLW News is soliciting articles on second language writing theory, research, and pedagogy in all ESL/EFL settings.

SLW News welcomes articles that focus on second language writers and characteristics and text features, classroom materials and practices, placement and assessment issues, writing program administration, teacher development, and other related areasx. SLW News encourages submissions related to any educational setting, especially traditionally underrepresented contexts (pre-K–12, 2-year colleges, community programs, international K–12 schools, etc.). In light of the newsletter’s electronic format, authors are encouraged to include hyperlinks.

Deadlines

Deadlines are 30 June for the October issue and 10 January for the March issue.

General Submission Guidelines

Articles should

• be no longer than 1,750 words (including the 50-word abstract, tables, bios, and references)
• contain no more than five citations
• include a 50-word (maximum 500 characters) abstract and two- to three-sentence author biography
• be accompanied by an author photo (.jpg)
• follow the style guidelines in the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style)
• be in an MS Word (.doc/.docx) document

All tables, graphs, and other images should be submitted as separate .jpg files.

Please direct your submissions and questions to

Elena Taylor, SLW News Managing Editor

E-mail: slwisnewsletter@gmail.com

See the following for more information concerning book reviews and submissions related to specific topics and contexts.

Action Research Projects

SLW News welcomes summaries of classroom-based action research projects. Submissions should include a discussion of the following items:

• statement of the problem
• research design
• proposed solutions
• analysis of results
• final reflections

Please include any relevant classroom materials that emerged from the research.

Book/Media Reviews

SLW News welcomes reviews of teacher resource books and student texts dealing with second language writing, teaching, research, and administration. Anyone interested in writing a review for SLW News may choose a recently published book in the field and contact the editor for approval and review copies. Reviews will be considered for publication based on the quality of the reviewer’s evaluation and description of the book as well as the book’s relevance and importance to the field.

Reviews should

• be in APA (7th edition) format
• be 600–900 words in length
• include a 50-word (maximum 500 characters) abstract and a two- to three-sentence author biography

Computer-Assisted Language Learning Submissions

SLW News welcomes computer-assisted language learning (CALL)-related articles, announcements, reports, and reviews in the following categories:

• Software/Hardware (e.g., organizing systems or integrating software/hardware in learning environments to enhance writing instruction, assessment, or program evaluation)
• Materials Design (e.g., using software such as Flash or MonoConc to design language-learning activities or materials that address specific language-learning goals, including discovery activities, practice exercises, storybooks, quizzes, or games)
• Curriculum Design (e.g., using course management software such as Blackboard or eCollege to design e-courses, e-programs, or hybrids for second language writing)
• Applied Writing Research (e.g., writing computer programs to identify lexicogrammatical features, discourse patterns, or errors/learner variation in writing, i.e., corpus linguistics).

EFL Submissions

SLW News welcomes submissions focusing on EFL contexts. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• statements of instructional problems

• summary of research
• literature review with pedagogical implications
• book/media review
• lesson plans
• handouts and activity sheets
• proposed joint research projects

In order to ensure diversity of interest and coverage of as many areas of instruction in the field of EFL writing as possible, SLW News encourages submissions on the following themes:

• university writing classrooms
• pre-K–12 writing instruction
• learner communities in the writing classroom
• computers and the Internet in the writing classroom
• writing for tests (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS)
• technical writing as a genre in the EFL context
• EFL writing instructors’ professional development

Writing Center Submissions

Given that many ESL/EFL students need (and want) more individualized or in-depth assistance with their writing than instructors can understandably provide, these students look to the writing center for support. This phenomenon has been reflected in the increasing number of writing-center-related sessions at professional conferences, as well as discussions on various e-lists.

To share information on this topic with a wider audience, SLW News encourages submissions highlighting

• research,
• programming,
• administration, and/or
• best practices.

Articles can focus on

• tutor development,
• one-on-one tutorial sessions,
• writing groups,
• workshops, and/or
• other models.