ELTE Journal (English Language Teaching and Education) is committed to ensuring that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated through a fair, objective, transparent, and rigorous peer-review process. The review process aims to assess the originality, relevance, methodological quality, academic contribution, and ethical integrity of manuscripts in the field of English language teaching and education.
1. Initial Editorial Screening
Upon submission, each manuscript will be examined by the editorial team to determine its suitability for publication in ELTE Journal. The initial screening will consider the manuscript's alignment with the journal's aims and scope, compliance with the author guidelines, originality, academic quality, language, and adherence to publication ethics.
Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's basic requirements may be returned to the authors for technical corrections or rejected without external peer review. Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will proceed to the peer-review stage.
2. Peer-Review Process
ELTE Journal uses a double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another throughout the review process.
Each eligible manuscript will be evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject area of the submission. Reviewers will be selected based on their academic qualifications, research expertise, and ability to provide an impartial and constructive assessment.
The peer-review process evaluates the following aspects:
Originality and novelty: The extent to which the manuscript presents original research, new insights, or meaningful contributions to existing knowledge.
Relevance and significance: The manuscript's relevance to English language teaching, language education, applied linguistics, or related areas within the journal's scope.
Theoretical framework and literature review: The adequacy of the theoretical foundation and the use of relevant, current, and credible scholarly references.
Research methodology: The appropriateness and clarity of the research design, participants, instruments, data collection procedures, and analytical methods.
Results and discussion: The accuracy of the findings, the quality of the analysis, and the extent to which interpretations are supported by evidence and relevant literature.
Conclusions and implications: The consistency of the conclusions with the findings and the contribution of the study to research, teaching practice, or educational development.
Academic writing and presentation: The clarity, organization, coherence, language quality, referencing, and overall presentation of the manuscript.
Research ethics: Compliance with applicable ethical standards, including appropriate citation practices, research permissions, informed consent where required, and the disclosure of relevant conflicts of interest.
3. Reviewer Recommendations
After evaluating the manuscript, reviewers will provide written comments and recommendations to the editor. Reviewers may recommend one of the following decisions:
Accept: The manuscript meets the journal's standards and requires no substantial revisions.
Minor Revision: The manuscript is potentially publishable but requires limited corrections or improvements.
Major Revision: The manuscript requires substantial revisions to address important concerns before further consideration.
Reject: The manuscript does not meet the journal's requirements for publication or has fundamental weaknesses that cannot be adequately addressed through revision.
Reviewer recommendations serve as an important basis for editorial decisions. The final decision rests with the editor, who considers the reviewers' comments, the manuscript's academic merit, and the journal's editorial standards.
4. Editorial Decision
After receiving the reviewers' reports, the editor will evaluate the recommendations and determine the appropriate course of action. The editor may accept the manuscript, request revisions, reject the manuscript, or seek additional expert opinions when the reviews are conflicting or further assessment is necessary.
The editorial decision will be communicated to the corresponding author through the journal's online submission system or official editorial communication channel. Authors will receive relevant reviewer comments and revision instructions, subject to appropriate confidentiality requirements.
The submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance or publication.
5. Revision and Resubmission
Authors whose manuscripts require revision must address the reviewers' and editor's comments carefully. A revised manuscript should be accompanied by a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed. If the authors disagree with a recommendation, they should provide a clear and evidence-based explanation.
Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation, particularly when major revisions have been requested. The editor may also assess the revised manuscript directly when additional external review is unnecessary.
Failure to submit a revision within the specified period, without prior communication with the editorial team, may result in the manuscript being closed or treated as withdrawn. Extensions may be considered upon reasonable request.
6. Review Duration
ELTE Journal aims to conduct the peer-review process as efficiently as possible while maintaining appropriate academic standards. The duration of review may vary depending on reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, the need for additional review, and the extent of revisions required.
Authors will be informed of important developments or delays when appropriate. The journal does not guarantee acceptance or a fixed publication date at the time of submission.
7. Confidentiality and Reviewer Ethics
All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not disclose manuscript contents, share unpublished material with unauthorized individuals, or use information obtained during the review process for personal or professional advantage.
Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations. They must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and decline review invitations when their impartiality may be compromised.
Reviewers must not contact authors directly about a manuscript under review without the editor's permission. Editors and reviewers must respect the intellectual property rights of authors and uphold the highest standards of publication ethics.
8. Conflicts of Interest
Editors and reviewers must disclose any financial, professional, personal, or academic relationships that could influence their judgment of a manuscript. Individuals with a relevant conflict of interest should not participate in the evaluation or editorial decision concerning that submission.
The editorial team will take appropriate measures to ensure that manuscripts are assessed fairly and independently.
9. Plagiarism and Research Integrity
All submissions are expected to represent original scholarly work and must appropriately acknowledge the contributions of other researchers. ELTE Journal may use plagiarism-detection software or other appropriate methods to identify potential plagiarism, redundant publication, inappropriate text reuse, or other research-integrity concerns.
If potential misconduct is identified during the review process, the editorial team will investigate the matter in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies and relevant international guidance. Manuscripts that violate ethical or publication requirements may be rejected.
10. Final Editorial Responsibility
The editor retains final responsibility for decisions concerning acceptance, revision, or rejection. Editorial decisions will be based on the manuscript's scholarly merit, relevance to the journal's scope, reviewer feedback, research integrity, and compliance with the journal's requirements.
The journal is committed to protecting the integrity of the peer-review process and ensuring that all authors receive fair and professional consideration.
This policy is informed by the ethical principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
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