Guidelines for Authors


NEW!
Authors are requested to submit their manuscripts to Strani jezici via the Comet online submission system:


http://journal.sdewes.org/str-jez
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CONTRIBUTIONS

Types of contributions

Strani jezici accepts the following types of contributions: original research articles, preliminary communications, state-of-the-art articles, book reviews, and conference reports.

An original research article (izvorni znanstveni članak) is a type of scientific paper in which the results of an original unpublished study are presented in such a way that the study can be replicated or its results verified. Depending on the research type being reported, original research articles usually include the following sections:

Introduction: The idea/background and the goal of the study are stated, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the methodology and results.

Theoretical and/or empirical starting points: A detailed review of the most recent and relevant literature is provided – i.e., a view into the theoretical and empirical knowledge that laid the foundation for the current study.

Goals and/or research questions and hypotheses: It is appropriate to start the section in which the study is presented with goals and/or research questions and hypotheses that are motivated by previous research, are clearly articulated, and will be referred to in the subsequent sections of the paper, especially in the discussion section.

Methodology: Depending on the research type, this section should contain a description of materials (e.g., questionnaires, tests, etc.) and methods of data collection and analysis in sufficient detail to demonstrate methodological and ethical appropriateness and rigor, as well as to allow the work to be reproduced or verified.

Results: The presentation of results should be clear and concise, avoiding the display of the same data more than once (e.g., repeating data already reported in the running text of the article in the form of a table or graph).

Discussion: Referring to the goals and/or research questions, the obtained results are interpreted, hypotheses are confirmed or rejected, and the significance of the study findings are corroborated by comparison with the findings of previous research.

Conclusion: A synthesis of the study, its results, and the author(s)’ main conclusions are provided. The study’s limitations as well as recommendations for future research in the field are often provided in this section.

Finally – and very importantly – an original research article in the field of applied linguistics should consider the specific scientific or practical implications of the study.

A preliminary communication (prethodno priopčenje) is a type of scientific paper in which the (preliminary) results of an original, unpublished, and often unfinished study are presented or some new scientific insights are announced. By providing a thorough analysis of the relevant literature, the author(s) are expected to provide expert opinions on the validity and/or contribution of certain theories and/or research to the understanding of the subject matter and emphasize their theoretical (and practical) contribution and significance.

A state-of-the-art article (pregledni članak) is a type of scientific paper in which a critical review of the current knowledge in a given field is presented in such a way that the author’s original contribution to the field can be recognized. By analyzing and discussing previous scholarship, the author(s) of a state-of-the-art article should provide an expert assessment of the validity of individual theoretical and empirical studies, bringing to light their theoretical (and practical) relevance.

A professional paper (stručni članak) is a type of communication in which a useful contribution to the profession is given through description of the application of some theoretical knowledge or research results in the author’s own professional life, or the presentation of action research and its results. Under action research, we assume the studying of a social situation in which research participants take an active role with the goal of understanding and improving a particular practice. A report on action research should contain the following: an explanation of the observed research problem, a systematic description of the research process, results and conclusions substantiated by evidence (data), and the importance of the results for practice.

A book review (prikaz knjige) focuses on a particular book or edited volume (on rare occasions, more than one book), to cogently summarize its contents, strengths, and weaknesses. The author of a book review should assess the book’s quality and contribution to the field. A good book review utilizes the opening paragraph to place the book in the context of relevant scholarship and then proceeds to give a chapter-by-chapter evaluation of the contents. Alternatively, a more holistic structure is possible, where the key issues of the reviewed book provide the main structuring principle for the review.

A conference report (izvješće sa skupa) should mention the following key elements of the event: the theme and goal of the conference; its title, venue, and organizers; attendance; the key participants (i.e., plenary and invited speakers), including topics and a few highlights from their talks (it is possible to add some background and remind readers of the authority of the plenary speakers to speak about those topics). A conference report should also mention any other talks of special significance, highlighting their relevance to the theme of the conference and/or the research community concerned.

All types of contributions to Strani jezici must have a clear focus and should be well-organized and coherent. Authors should write in an academic style and avoid word choices and sentence constructions that might imply bias against persons on the basis of gender, racial, or ethnic group membership, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

Length of contributions

Original research articles, preliminary communications, state-of-the-art articles, and professional papers should not exceed 9,000 words (including abstract, references, tables, figures, and appendices). Book reviews should not exceed 2,000 words, and conference reports should be no longer than 1,500 words. Longer contributions may be accepted, depending on their merit.

REVIEWING PROCESS

The journal Strani jezici uses a two-stage reviewing process. In the first stage, the in-house review, all submitted manuscripts are initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief, who decides whether the article is to be considered for publication. After a positive initial assessment, in the second stage, all contributions (except book reviews and conference reports) undergo a peer review process. Strani jezici employs a double-blind peer review process, wherein the identities of authors and reviewers are not revealed and remain anonymous throughout the process.

The review process is carried out by two independent reviewers for each contribution. The reviewers assess whether the manuscript meets professional academic standards and the standards of the journal on a standard Review Form, on which the quality assessment criteria are clearly stated. Each reviewer recommends one of four options (to accept the article in its present form, to accept the article after minor revisions, to notify the author that major revisions are needed, or to reject the article) and gives a recommendation for the categorization of the article. The reviewer’s suggestions for changes (intended for the author) are provided in an anonymized document. If the two reviewer reports express contradicting opinions (e.g., one recommends the paper for publication as is or after changes have been made, and the other rejects it), a third review is commissioned. In case there is a discrepancy in the categorization of the paper, an Editorial Board member and the Editor-in-Chief shall make the final decision.

 

PUBLICATION ETHICS

The journal Strani jezici is committed to maintaining high standards of ethical conduct and expects all participants in the publication process – the publisher, editors, authors, and reviewers – to comply with established ethical research practices. The ethical standards to which the journal adheres are stated in the document Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement, which all authors should read before submitting their manuscripts to Strani jezici.

 

BEFORE SUBMISSION

Before sending in their contributions, authors should make sure that the topic of their work is relevant and consistent with scope of Strani jezici. It is also important that they make sure their manuscript has a clear focus, is well-organized and coherent, and exhibits high-quality linguistic expression, especially in terms of accuracy and appropriateness of style.

The manuscript should strictly follow the Manuscript Formatting Guidelines and should be submitted completely anonymously. Author(s) should make sure that their names are not announced explicitly on the manuscript itself and that the header and footer of the document do not contain any information about the authors of the text. In the body of the text, the use of the first-person pronouns I or we in references to the authors’ own published work must be avoided. Alternatively, formulations such as “At least one study (AUTHOR, year) has shown that …” can be used. In the reference list, the citation should be marked as “AUTHOR (year)”, with no further information (i.e., manuscript title, journal title, etc.). Such citations are listed alphabetically – i.e., at the beginning of the reference list.

Authors are also advised to read the journal’s Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement carefully before submitting the manuscript and to familiarize themselves with the quality assessment criteria provided in the Review Form and with the manuscript submission requirements.

SUBMISSION – NEW! (starting from January 2022)

Authors are invited to submit their manuscripts to Strani jezici exclusively through the Comet online submission system:

http://journal.sdewes.org/str-jez?register=1

In order to use the Comet electronic submission system, it is necessary to register (http://journal.sdewes.org/str-jez?register=1) using a valid and active e-mail address. Communication between the author and the editorial team is established via the Comet system using the email address registered in the system.

Manuscripts should be sent in .doc or .docx format. The file name should contain a shortened version of the manuscript title (up to 40 characters, including spaces).

Together with their manuscript, authors need to provide their contact information as follows:

  • Author name
  • Author’s institutional affiliation (e.g. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb)
  • Author’s complete postal address
  • Author’s mail address (institutional emails are preferred)
  • Author’s landline or mobile telephone number

In cases of multiple authorship, this information should be given for all authors, but the name of the corresponding author should be indicated clearly.

Considering the fact that the paper review process and its publication is conducted only through an electronic submission system, it is very important that the submitted paper does not contain any information about the author of the paper (in the header, the footer, the body of the text, or the metadata of the manuscript file).

The journal Strani jezici discourages authors from submitting multiple manuscripts to the journal until a final editorial decision has been made on the first submission.

AFTER SUBMISSION

The procedure after submission of the contribution includes the following steps:

  1. Initial in-house assessment

Each submission undergoes initial editorial assessment to determine its compatibility with the scope of Strani jezici and its appropriateness for double-blind peer-review. Submissions that clearly fall outside the scope of Strani jezici or those whose quality does not comply with the level required by a scientific journal will be rejected without sending it out for review.

If a submission is assessed as appropriate for review but deviates significantly from the journal’s style, it may be returned to the author(s) for style corrections at this stage.

The author(s) will be notified, usually within 4–6 weeks, of whether their submissions merit further consideration or not.

  1. Double-blind peer review

After a positive initial assessment, in the second stage, all contributions except book reviews and conference reports undergo a peer-review process. At this point, the submission is sent out to two evaluators. Each review will end with one of the following recommendations: (1) to accept the contribution in its present form, (2) to accept it after minor revisions, (3) to return it for major revisions, and (4) to reject it. Each reviewer also gives their opinion on the categorization of the manuscript. The possible categories are (a) original research article, (b) preliminary communication, (c) state-of-the-art article, and (d) professional paper.

If the two peer reviews express contradicting opinions (i.e., one recommends the paper for publication as is or after changes have been made, while the other rejects it), a third review will be commissioned. In case there is a discrepancy in the categorization of the paper, an Editorial Board member and the Editor-in-Chief make the final decision.

The review procedure lasts 4–8 weeks. Based on reviewers’ recommendations, the Editor-in-Chief and their editorial team make the final decision regarding the manuscript and inform the author(s) of that decision. Since the journal strives to handle the reviewing process as promptly as possible, authors may expect to receive an editorial decision, within three to four months of the manuscript’s submission.

  1. Revision and/or style adjustment

Authors of papers accepted pending revision are asked to revise their manuscripts within a given time frame and to submit them again via the journal’s electronic submission system. When resubmitting, authors must (a) state clearly in a separate file how they addressed each reviewer’s comments, (b) attach a version of the paper with clearly marked (highlighted) changes in the revised text, and (c) attach a final version of the paper without marked changes.

Any remaining style issues must be resolved at this stage. Authors of accepted papers are asked to address minor issues (if any) in their manuscript and, if necessary, make final style adjustments.

  1. Final decision

Depending on the scope of the requested revisions, the revised manuscripts may need to be sent out to the original reviewers for final evaluation. Alternatively, the Editor-in-Chief and their editorial team will decide whether the authors have sufficiently addressed and repaired any shortcomings of the original submission as specified by the reviewers, and will notify the authors of their final decision to accept (or to reject) the manuscript.

  1. Publication

Once accepted, the manuscript is prepared for publication. The Editor-in-Chief and their editorial team reserve the right to request authors to make adjustments in the content and/or language of the manuscript even at this final stage of preparing the manuscript for publication.

First proofs of the manuscript will be sent to the corresponding author as a PDF file attached to an e-mail for a final check. Only technical corrections that are absolutely necessary may be indicated at this point, but no changes to the content of the manuscript. The changes should be marked in the PDF file using the PDF reader’s Comment and Markup tools, and the corrected file must be returned to Strani jezici by e-mail.

 

AFTER PUBLICATION

After publication, authors receive a copy of the printed text.

If the authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they should promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate with him/her to publish an erratum, addendum, or corrigendum notice – or to retract the published article if such action is considered necessary.