Language Teaching Futures is a peer-reviewed international journal devoted to exploring the future directions, innovations, and transformative practices in language education. These guidelines provide comprehensive instructions for preparing and submitting your manuscript to ensure the highest standards of scholarly publishing, ethical compliance, and successful review.

1. Scope of the Journal

Submissions should align with the journal’s mission to anticipate and shape the future of language education. We welcome empirical, theoretical, conceptual, and practice-based contributions on topics including, but not limited to:

• Futures thinking in language education: theoretical and applied studies anticipating changes in pedagogy, learner needs, and institutional practices.
• Sustainability and ecological approaches: research integrating environmental, social, and ethical concerns into language curricula and policies.
• Psychological and cognitive dimensions: studies examining motivation, affect, cognition, well-being, and resilience in language learning and teaching.
• L2 skills development: work on evolving methods and technologies for teaching and assessing reading, writing, listening, speaking, and interactional competence.
• Subfields with future orientation: including pragmatics, EAP (English for Academic Purposes), ESP (English for Specific Purposes), sociolinguistics, and their educational implications.
• Artificial Intelligence and educational technology: innovative uses of AI, digital games, adaptive learning platforms, virtual reality, and other tech-driven tools in language education.

2. Ethics and Publication Policies

2.1 Ethics in Publishing

All submitted work must comply with the principles of integrity and transparency outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Ethical misconduct—including but not limited to plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and unethical research involving humans—will result in immediate rejection or retraction.

2.2 Submission Declaration

By submitting to Language Teaching Futures, authors confirm that:

• The manuscript has not been previously published in any form (except as a preprint, thesis, or conference abstract) and is not under consideration elsewhere.
• All authors have agreed to the manuscript’s submission and take full responsibility for its content.
• The manuscript has been approved by any institution or ethics board involved.
• If accepted, the article will not be published elsewhere in the same form or language without prior permission.

2.3 Authorship Criteria

Each author must meet the following authorship criteria:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
• Participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for intellectual content.
• Approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.
• Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, especially in investigating and resolving integrity concerns.

A corresponding author must be designated to liaise with the journal during review, revisions, and post-publication communications.

2.4 Changes to Authorship

Requests to change the authorship list after submission will only be considered prior to acceptance and must include:

• A written explanation from the corresponding author.
• Signed agreement from all authors (including those added or removed).
• Justification for the proposed change.

Changes post-acceptance will only be permitted in exceptional cases and may delay publication. Unauthorized authorship changes can result in manuscript rejection or article retraction.

2.5 Declaration of Competing Interests

All authors must declare any affiliations, financial or personal relationships, or activities that may bias or appear to bias the work. Examples include:

• Grants, funding, or donations
• Employment or consultancies
• Stock ownership or equity interest
• Paid expert testimony or speaking fees
• Roles within the journal or publisher

If no competing interests exist, state: “The authors declare no competing interests.” This statement must be included on the title page.

2.6 Funding Disclosure

Clearly identify any funding source that supported the research, including the grant name, number, and funding body. State the role (if any) of the funders in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript writing, and decision to publish. If no funding was received, include: “This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

2.7 Use of Generative AI in Writing

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) for language editing or writing assistance. Such tools may be used only under human supervision and final responsibility for content rests with the authors. Authors may not list AI tools as co-authors.

Declaration of Generative AI in the Writing Process
During manuscript preparation, the authors used [name of AI tool] to [e.g., improve grammar or sentence clarity]. The authors reviewed and edited all AI-generated content and take full responsibility for its accuracy and integrity.

No disclosure is required for basic spelling or grammar checks.

3. Manuscript Preparation

3.1 General Formatting Requirements

• Word limit: Max 8,000 words (including references, tables, and appendices)
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
• Spacing: Double-spaced
• Margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides
• Pagination: Number all pages consecutively
• File type: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx); PDFs are not accepted

3.2 Title Page (submitted separately)

The title page should include:

• Manuscript title
• Author names and institutional affiliations
• Corresponding author’s full contact information
• Conflict of interest disclosure
• Funding statement
• Acknowledgments (if applicable)
• Author contributions

3.3 Main Document (Anonymous)

Prepare an anonymized version of your manuscript without identifying author information. Include:

• Title
• Abstract (max 250 words)
• 3–7 keywords
• Main text divided into clearly numbered sections (e.g., 1. Introduction, 2. Methods, etc.)
• Tables and figures inserted within or after the main text with appropriate captions
• References (APA 7th Edition)

Do not include acknowledgments, author names, or affiliations in the main document.

3.4 Writing and Language

• Write in clear, formal academic English
• Avoid discriminatory, biased, or exclusionary language
• Use gender-neutral terms when possible (e.g., "they" instead of "he/she")
• Define all acronyms and abbreviations at first mention

3.5 Referencing Style (APA 7)

All references must conform to the APA 7th Edition style. Examples:

All manuscripts submitted to Language Teaching Futures must conform to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (APA 7). Below are key components authors must follow:

8.1 In-Text Citations

• Narrative citation: Author (year) — e.g., Smith (2021)
• Parenthetical citation: (Author, year) — e.g., (Smith, 2021)
• Two authors: Always cite both names — (Smith & Jones, 2022)
• Three or more authors: Use first author + "et al." — (Chen et al., 2020)
• Multiple citations: Arrange alphabetically — (Adams, 2019; Chen et al., 2020; Smith & Jones, 2022)

8.2 Reference List Format

• Alphabetical by surname of first author
• Hanging indent: All lines after the first in each reference should be indented 0.5 inches
• Double-spaced
• Do not number references

8.3 Common Reference Types

• Journal Article:

Lee, K. (2021). Technology integration in EFL classrooms. Modern Language Journal, 105(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/mlj.12547

• Book:

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

• Chapter in an Edited Book:

Ortega, L. (2018). Second language acquisition and writing. In B. Street & S. May (Eds.), Literacy across the curriculum (pp. 89–105). Springer.

• Webpage:

British Council. (2022). Language trends survey 2022. https://www.britishcouncil.org/research/language-trends-2022

• Conference Paper:

Kumar, R. (2020, March). Corpus-informed vocabulary teaching in ESP. Paper presented at the International TESOL Convention, Denver, CO.

3.6 Tables and Figures

• Number consecutively (e.g., Table 1, Figure 2)
• Provide descriptive captions
• Reference each in the text
• Submit figures in high-resolution formats (TIFF, PNG, JPG at 300 dpi or higher)
• Tables must be editable text, not images

3.7 Supplementary Material

Supplementary materials such as datasets, appendices, and videos may be submitted to support the main manuscript. Reference all supplementary files in the main text and provide a brief description of their content.

4. Types of Submissions

4.1 Research Articles

Empirical, theoretical, or conceptual papers up to 8,000 words. These should include a clear methodology, data analysis (where applicable), and implications for future research or practice.

4.2 Futures of Language Teaching and Learning

This section is dedicated to contributions that explore how language education may evolve in response to cultural, technological, pedagogical, and ecological transformations. It encourages authors to engage with emerging theories and global shifts influencing future language learning and teaching practices, including the long-term implications of automation, AI, and machine learning for second language instruction. Authors may also consider how the roles of learners and educators are changing in digital, multilingual contexts, and examine innovative curricula, pedagogies, and institutional frameworks shaped by sustainability and futures thinking. Submissions that incorporate perspectives from foresight studies, scenario planning, or speculative design in education are especially welcome. This section is open to empirical, conceptual, or visionary work that provides insight into what language education might become—and how we might shape it.

5. Peer Review Policy

Language Teaching Futures uses a double-blind peer review process.

Review Procedure:

• All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening for relevance and quality.
• Manuscripts passing this stage are anonymized and sent to two independent reviewers with expertise in the field.
• Reviewers are asked to complete evaluations within 4 weeks.

Editorial Decisions:

• Accept
• Accept with minor revisions
• Revise and resubmit (major revisions)
• Reject

Authors receive detailed feedback regardless of the decision. Revised submissions may undergo a second round of peer review.

6. Submission Process

Submit your manuscript online via submission portal. Ensure:

• The title page is uploaded separately;
• The main document is anonymized;
• All figures, tables, and supplementary files are included.

7. Post-Acceptance

As an open access journal, Language Teaching Futures is committed to ensuring that research is freely available to the public, without barriers or subscription fees. Upon acceptance, the following post-acceptance procedures will apply:

7.1 Open Access Licensing

All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY 4.0), allowing for unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Authors retain copyright of their work.

7.3 Author Proofs

After acceptance, authors will receive proofs for final review. Only typographical or factual corrections will be allowed. Authors must return proofs within 48 hours to avoid publication delays.

7.4 DOI Assignment and Indexing

Each published article will be assigned a DOI and submitted for indexing in relevant academic databases. Our goal is to ensure discoverability and academic visibility across citation and archival platforms.

7.5 Article Sharing and Promotion

Authors are encouraged to share their articles via personal websites, institutional repositories, and social media. A unique Share Link will be provided for early and widespread dissemination.