Author Guidelines

Alicante Journal of English Studies / Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses (RAEI) establishes these guidelines that authors must follow when submitting manuscripts. Failure to comply will result in the rejection of the manuscript. For any information or related queries please write to the journal’s contact email address. Once the manuscript has been submitted, authors must communicate with the assigned editors using the platform’s “Discussions” tool.

The journal publishes scientific research articles and book reviews on the topics listed in the Aims and Scope section.

Deadlines for submitting papers to the “Monographic Dossier” section will be set out in a Call for Papers, which will be published in the Announcements section and on the journal’s home page. Submissions for the “Miscellaneous” and “Book Review” sections are open year-round. However, no editorial activities will be carried out by the journal during the holiday period in August.

In addition to these guidelines, authors are advised to consult all relevant sections of the journal’s website before submitting, such as our Peer Review Process, Publication Ethics Policy, Artificial Intelligence Use Policy, our Anti-plagiarism Policy, etc.

1 Requirements

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should make sure that the work meets the following general requirements:

  1. Originality. Only original and unpublished works will be accepted. Translations of previously published works—whether in full or in part, in any other medium or in languages other than that of the submitted manuscript—will not be considered. Submissions must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  2. Compliance with the submission procedure. Manuscripts must be submitted via the journal’s platform. To do so, authors must log in via the platform or register to create a user profile if they do not already have an account. Registered authors are advised to add their ORCID identifier to their profile.
  3. Languages. Manuscripts must be submitted in English. Either British or American English conventions may be used, but consistency must be maintained throughout.
  4. Authorship. Authors must provide on the platform:
    • Name and surnames.
    • Main institutional or professional affiliation (written in full, without acronyms).
    • Country.
    • Email address (preferably institutional or professional).
    • ORCID identifier (https://orcid.org/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX).

    When giving their name and surnames, authors are advised to follow the format recommended for indexing in international databases (see the FECYT [Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology] recommendations for standardising formats of author names and email addresses).

  5. Manuscript Requirements:
    • The manuscript must be prepared using the provided template (.docx).
    • Manuscripts must be fully anonymised: author names and institutional affiliations should be removed and replaced with the label “Author” or “Author(s)”. Any other elements that could directly or indirectly reveal the identity of the authors must be deleted and marked as anonymised.
    • The manuscript must not include any information regarding conflicts of interest, authorship and contributions, funding sources, or acknowledgements.
  6. Cover letter. Authors must complete and submit the following cover letter (.docx), which includes information on:
    • The originality and relevance of the work.
    • Competing interests.
    • Copyright and ownership of images, figures, etc.
    • Use of artificial intelligence.
    • Authorship and contributions.
    • Sources of funding.
    • Acknowledgements.
  7. Tables and Figures. Tables that have not been created with the word processor, i.e. that have been inserted into the work as an image, and figures (images, photographs, graphs, diagrams, etc.) should be attached in separate files and in the highest possible quality.
  8. Datasets: The datasets used in the research that led to the work may be attached in separate files in .xlsx, csv, or ods format. If the article is published, the data will be deposited alongside the work and will be linked by the same persistent identifier.

2 Articles

Research articles shall consist of original research, case studies, or systematic reviews, in accordance with the standards of the scientific community for each type of work.

2.1 Structure

The following elements must be provided at the beginning of the manuscript:

  • Title: The title must be clear, concise, and informative (avoid rhetorical expressions or questions), and unambiguous, without acronyms or overly specific terms. It should include keywords that define the subject of the article.
  • Abstract: The abstract (between 200 and 300 words) should be a single paragraph placed immediately before the main body of the text. It is recommended that it includes four elements: objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions. Narrative abstracts are also accepted, provided they contain the above information. No subsections or citations should be included.
  • Keywords: A minimum of six keywords must be provided, there is no maximum number, separated by semicolons. Use keywords found in the title and common terms in the relevant field. Consider including terms that help contextualise the article:
    • Topical (themes, concepts, ideas): e.g., English linguistics; literary studies; critical discourse analysis; corpus linguistics.
    • Geographical (place names): e.g., Spain; Europe; English-speaking world.
    • Chronological (periods, historical context): e.g., 21st century; contemporary literature; digital age.
    • Onomastic (names of people, entities): e.g., William Shakespeare; Virginia Woolf; University of Cambridge.

Following these guidelines will improve the article’s visibility on the internet and in academic databases.

The recommended structure for the body of a research article is as follows:

  • Introduction: This section must explain the background and purpose of the study (objectives). Use citations only when strictly necessary. Do not include data or conclusions from the research. A detailed literature review should be avoided.
  • Development: This section should present, in the appropriate place, the theoretical framework and methodology supporting the study. It may be divided into as many numbered and titled sections as needed.
  • Conclusions: This section should summarise the main ideas derived from the results and their discussion.
  • Use of artificial intelligence: The use or non-use of AI tools in the preparation of the manuscript must be declared.
  • Bibliography: This section should list all bibliographical references following the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.

Total word count: Between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including title, abstract, keywords, and references.

2.2 General Formatting Guidelines

The general format of manuscripts, notes, and references must follow the guidelines of the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.

2.2.1 Text format

The text should be justified at both ends and written in 1.5 line spacing, except for footnotes and indented quotations (of more than three lines). Use 12 point Times New Roman font for the main text. Except for the first line of each section, the first line of all paragraphs should be indented 0.5 cm, as should the first line of footnotes.

2.2.2 Headings and Subheadings

Headings and subheadings should not be indented and should not end with a period. Capitalise only the first letters of content words. Arabic numerals are used for numbering headings and their corresponding subheadings, e.g.:

3. Results
3.1. Quantitative Results
3.1.1. Analysis of Denominal Bases

2.2.3 Tables and Figures

All illustrations, figures, charts, tables, and graphs must be placed in the appropriate position within the text, not at the end of the document. They must include a title, be consecutively numbered, and referred to in the body of the article.

Each must include a heading with its number and title. Examples:

  • Table 3. Distribution of data by subject
  • Figure 7. Representation

Each item must also include a caption indicating the source. Examples:

  • Source: Author’s own
  • Source: The British Library

Images, drawings, photos, figures, tables, charts, etc. must either be original works by the author(s), rights-free, or under Creative Commons licences that allow for reuse and specify usage terms. If copyrighted materials are used, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright holders.

2.2.4 Punctuation

Periods and commas should be placed before closing quotation marks, e.g., “its pairing of function and form.”

Avoid using the Oxford comma in lists of three or more items.

Use square brackets for incomplete data or adapted quotations, e.g., “[a] slightly productive process”. Use slashes (/ /) for phonetic transcription.

2.2.5 Numbers and Dates

Spell out numbers from zero to one hundred, as well as those followed by "hundred," "thousand," etc. Also, spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence.

Dates are written without commas when only month and year are used (e.g., June 1998), but with a comma when the day is included (e.g., July 12, 1998). Decades are preferably written in numerals (e.g., the 1930s).

2.2.6 Italics

Italics are used for emphasis, foreign terms, technical vocabulary, and lemmas used or cited as discussion topics. Book titles, journal names, films, etc., should also appear in italics.

2.2.7 Quotations

In-text citations should include the author’s surname, year of publication, and page number(s) where needed:

As Wilson (1997a, 16) suggests...

This has been noted by several authors (Wilson 1996, 123–126; Thompson 1998).

Quotations must maintain the original spelling and formatting of the source. If emphasis is added, it should be indicated: “these functions belong to the global metacognition” (Cruise 2014, 34; italics added). If the emphasis appears in the original: “the teaching and acquisition not of a foreign but an international language” (Prieto-Aranz & Jacob 2019, 13; italics in the original).

Use […] to indicate omitted sections within a quote, but avoid using it at the beginning or end of grammatically complete quotations.

2.2.8 Block Quotations

Quotations longer than approximately 75 words must be presented as block quotes: indented (0.5 cm), no quotation marks, 11-point font, and 1.5 spacing.

2.2.9 En Dashes

Use en dashes (–) instead of parentheses to add parenthetical information. Do not include spaces before or after the dash.

2.2.10 Footnotes

Footnotes should be numbered, single-spaced, and indented 0.5 cm. Use footnotes sparingly and not for bibliographic references.

2.2.11 Examples

When providing examples, number them, indent 0.5 cm, and use 11-point font:

(1) That stinko seems aggressive.

(2) Yes, that’s the one. That’s the sicko I told you about.

3 Book Reviews

RAEI accepts book reviews of books published within the last two years prior to the date of submission.

Book reviews should be around 1,500–2,000 words long. These should follow, as far as possible, the same guidelines indicated for manuscripts.

In the “Abstract” section, the following bibliographical information must be provided: Author’s surnames, author’s name. Title of the book. Name of the editor, translator or coordinator. Publisher, year of publication, number of pages, ISBN.

The city of publication is not required.

Book reviewers are advised to enter a minimum of 3 terms in the “Keywords” field. There is no maximum number.

With regard to bibliographical references, at least the reference to the book reviewed shall be indicated.

4 Bibliographical References

All the references mentioned throughout the text must be added to the section ‘References’.

Specific pages should be used for all the quotation.

Leave page number in full for both in text-citations and for pages in the works cited (e.g., Nilsson 2000, 115-126). Do not use abbreviated forms, as in 115-26.

Do not use Latin reference tags (op. cit., ibidem, etc.).

Use abbreviations to indicate that some information is not available:

  • (n.p.) for ‘no publisher’, ‘no place of publication’ or ‘no page’.
  • (n.d.) for ‘no date’.

Publisher names or publishing company names should be abbreviated as much as possible: avoid using ‘Co.’ or ‘Inc.’ and descriptive words (Publishing, etc.). The words ‘university’ and ‘press’ will be abbreviated in any of the accepted forms: U of Chicago P or Oxford UP.

The full names of authors must be provided.

If any of the author-date citation cases are not listed here, please consult the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style for further reference.

4.1 Digital Object Identifier

If the publication has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), it must appear at the end of the entry as a secure URL link, without prefixes or a final full stop. The DOI replaces any web address in the reference.

CrossRef’s Simple Text Query can be used for checking DOIs included in a reference list.

4.2 Examples

Books and book chapters

Chomsky, Noam. 1986. Knowledge of Language: Its nature, Origin, and Use. New York: Praeger.

(Chomsky 1986, 36)

Huggins, Mike and James Anthony Mangan. 2004a. “Prologue: All Mere Complexities.” In Huggins and Mangan 2004b, ix-xx.

(Huggins and Mangan 2004a)

Bauer, Laurie, Rochelle Lieber and Ingo Plag. 2015. The Oxford Reference Guide to English Morphology. Oxford: Oxford UP.

(Bauer et al. 2015)

Edited books

Gippert, Jost, Nikolaus P. Himmelmann and Ulrike Mosel, eds. 2006. Essentials of language documentation (Trends in Linguistics, Studies and Monographs 178). Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

Both chapter books and the edited volume should be cited:

Simpson, Clare S. 2007. “Capitalising on Curiosity: Women’s Professional Cycle Racing in the Late-Nineteenth Century.” In Horton, Rosen and Cox 2007, 47-66.

Horton, Dave, Paul Rosen and Peter Cox, eds. 2007. Cycling and Society. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Conference proceedings

Przedlacka, Joanna, John Maidment and Michael Ashby, eds. 2013. Proceedings of PTLC 2013. Papers from the Phonetics Teaching and Learning Conference. London: PTLC.

Translations

Holquist, Michael. 1984. Prologue to Rabelais and his World, by Mikhail Bakhtin, xiii-xxiii. Translated by Hélène Iswolsky. Bloomington: Indiana UP.

Reprints

Booij, Geert. (2005) 2007. The Grammar of Words. Oxford: Oxford UP.

Articles

Kastovsky, Dieter. 1986. “The Problem of Productivity in Word-formation.” Linguistics 24: 585-600.

Bergh, G., & Ohlander, S. 2019. “A Hundred Years of Football English: A Dictionary Study on the Relationship of a Special Language to General Language”. Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses / Alicante Journal of English Studies 32: 15-43. https://doi.org/10.14198/raei.2019.32.02

Journal and Website Articles

When quoting online texts, the URL and date of access should be included.

Plath, Sylvia. 1965. “The Colossus.” Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89119/the-colossus [Accessed online on June 4, 2020]

Unpublished dissertations

Baker, Will. 2009. “Intercultural Awareness and Intercultural Communication through English: An Investigation of Thai English Language Users in Higher Education.” PhD diss., University of Southampton.

Lectures/paper presented at conferences

Edwards, Paul. “Girl Reading: Wyndham Lewis and Iris Barry.” Lecture given at the Leeds Art Fund, Leeds, March 2016.