Call for Papers

Shiken is seeking submissions for future issues on an ongoing basis. After checking the guidelines for publication below, please send your submission to the editor at tevalpublications@gmail.com.

Overview

Shiken aims to publish articles concerning language assessment issues relevant to assessment professionals, researchers, classroom practitioners and language program administrators. Shiken is dedicated to publishing articles on assessment in various educational contexts in and around Japan.

Article formats include research papers, replication studies, and review articles, all of which should typically not exceed 8000 words; as well as informed opinion pieces, technical advice articles, and interviews, all of which should typically not exceed 3000 words. Please note that the 8000-word limit for research papers includes the main text but does not account for tables, figures, and appendices. Authors should be aware that reaching the full 8000-word limit is not obligatory. Reviewers generally appreciate shorter, well-focused articles over longer, less coherent ones. Please contact the editor if you wish to submit an article that differs from these formats.

Novice researchers are encouraged to submit, but should aim for papers that focus on a single main issue. Please review recent issues of Shiken to understand the level of detail, depth of discussion and provision of empirical evidence that is required for acceptance.

Format

To facilitate double-blind peer review, the name(s) of the author(s) should not be mentioned in the manuscript. All citations and references to the author or co-author's work should read (Author, Year) e.g. "(Author, 2017)."

Articles should be formatted according to the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition. Submissions should be formatted in Microsoft Word (.docx format) using 12-point Times New Roman font. The page size should be set to A4, with a 2.5 cm margin. The body text should be block justified, and single-spaced. Paragraphs should be separated by a blank line space. Each new section of the paper should have a section heading. Please review recent issues of Shiken for examples of section headings.

Research articles must be preceded by an abstract that succinctly summarizes the article content in less than 200 words. The reference section should begin on a new page immediately following the body text. Authors are responsible for comprehensive and accurate referencing. Tables and figures should be numbered and titled. Separate sections for tables and figures should follow the references. Any appendices should be numbered and should follow the tables and figures.

Evaluation

All papers are double-blind peer-reviewed by at least two expert reviewers. Initial evaluation is usually completed within four weeks. The whole process from submission to publication is normally completed within six months. Submissions should be sent to the editor at tevalpublications@gmail.com.