Applied Linguistics Inquiry considers several types of manuscripts for publication. Each type has specific guidelines and word count limits, which are detailed in our Author Guidelines. The primary categories are:

Original Research Articles: Reports of original empirical studies.

Review Articles: Systematic and comprehensive analyses of existing literature on a specific topic.

Conceptual Papers: Manuscripts that advance theoretical frameworks or scholarly debate within the field.

Book Reviews: Critical evaluations of recent and significant scholarly books.

No. Applied Linguistics Inquiry is a diamond open access journal. There are no submission fees, article processing charges (APCs), or any other fees required of authors to publish their work. All publication costs are covered by our sponsoring institution, the University of Birjand, ensuring that research is disseminated globally without financial barriers to authors or readers.  

All manuscripts must be submitted through our online submission portal. First-time users will need to register for an account. Please ensure your manuscript is prepared in accordance with our Author Guidelines before beginning the submission process.

Manuscripts must be submitted as Microsoft Word files and formatted according to the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). To facilitate our double-blind peer review process, the main document must be fully anonymized, with all author-identifying information removed. A separate title page containing author details should be uploaded as a supplementary file.

Yes. Maintaining academic integrity is a core principle of our journal. All submitted manuscripts are systematically screened for plagiarism using professional software (e.g., iThenticate). Submissions that show evidence of plagiarism will be rejected immediately in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Applied Linguistics Inquiry employs a rigorous double-blind peer review process. This means that the identities of both the authors and the reviewers are concealed from each other throughout the review. This model is used to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scholarly merit, objectivity, and contribution to the field.

We are committed to providing authors with a timely and efficient review. While times can vary depending on reviewer availability and the complexity of the manuscript, our goal is to provide a first editorial decision within approximately 8 to 12 weeks of submission. For precise, up-to-date information, please refer to the Operational Metrics on our Journal Metrics page. 

The Editor-in-Chief holds the final responsibility for all editorial decisions. This decision is informed by the expert recommendations provided by the peer reviewers, the assessment of the assigned section editor, and the Editor-in-Chief's own evaluation of the manuscript's quality and alignment with the journal's scope.

Authors may suggest potential reviewers with relevant expertise during the submission process. However, the selection of reviewers is at the sole discretion of the editors. To maintain the integrity of the peer review process, the editorial team will independently verify the qualifications and contact details of any suggested reviewers and will ensure that the final reviewer panel is balanced and impartial. 

Yes. Applied Linguistics Inquiry is a fully open access journal. All articles are published under a Creative Commons license and are made immediately and freely available to the public upon publication. This means users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, and reuse the content for any lawful purpose, provided the original work is properly cited. This policy is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access.

Authors retain the full copyright of their work. The journal does not require a copyright transfer. Instead, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish the article as the original source of publication. 

All articles are published under the (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license. This license allows for the maximum dissemination and reuse of the work, requiring only that proper attribution is given to the original authors.

Authors may use AI-based tools to improve the language and readability of their manuscripts. However, authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all content. AI tools cannot be listed as an author, and the use of such tools must be clearly disclosed in the manuscript. The use of AI to generate original hypotheses, data, or text that the author cannot personally vouch for is not permitted.

If you believe you have found a significant error in a published article, please contact the editorial office with a detailed description of the issue. The editors will investigate the matter in accordance with COPE guidelines and, if necessary, issue a formal correction.

Retractions are a mechanism for correcting the scholarly literature. An article will be considered for retraction if there is clear evidence of unreliable findings, research misconduct (e.g., data fabrication), or redundant publication. The purpose of a retraction is to ensure the integrity of the academic record, not to punish authors. All retraction decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief in line with COPE's Retraction Guidelines.

Yes. We strongly encourage authors to share their work. The CC BY license allows you to post the final published version of your article on personal websites, in institutional repositories, on academic social networks, and through any other channel, provided that you cite the original publication in Applied Linguistics Inquiry.

Applied Linguistics Inquiry is published on a biannual schedule, with new issues released in March and September each year.

The journal is indexed in several major international databases to ensure the widest possible visibility for our authors' work. These include Islamic World Science Citation Database (ISC) and Google Scholar along with several local databases located in Iran. As of the year 2025, this jouranl is in the process of being indexed within Scopus and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and EBSCO. For a complete and up-to-date list, please see our Indexing & Abstracting page.

We welcome qualified scholars to join our pool of peer reviewers. If you hold a doctoral degree in applied linguistics or a related field and are interested in contributing your expertise, please register an account on our online submission system and be sure to include your specific areas of expertise in your user profile. The editorial team consults this database when seeking reviewers for new submissions.