Policies
Language Policy
The current official language policy of IJIE is as follows:
- The official languages of the journal are English and American Sign Language.
- All journal correspondence takes place in English via email; however, additional correspondence may take place in ASL via videoconferencing at the discretion of the Editor at an agreed time and by negation via email.
- All manuscripts must be submitted in written English with video clips used when possible.
- All communications about manuscripts will take place in English.
Editorial Policy
The International Journal of Interpreter Education (IJIE) is an international peer-reviewed journal covering topics of interest to all those researching and working in interpreter education and training.
The Editors welcome material on any aspect of interpreter education research, theory, policy, application, or practice that will advance thinking in the eld. IJIE addresses issues of current and future concern to interpreter educators, encouraging interdisciplinary discussion.
IJIE seeks to understand better the principles that underpin the effective development and delivery of interpreter education. It aims to understand how policy and practice can be built on sound theoretical or heuristic foundations to achieve a greater impact on educational outcomes and practical application.
Research articles based on empirical or action research are welcomed. We also seek submissions that discuss effective teaching practices and opinion pieces that highlight trends and debates in the interpreter education field.
IJIE volumes regularly feature the following sections:
- Research Articles – Theoretical evidence-based articles that present findings from research on, or related to, interpreting education and training. Articles should be 5,000-6,000 words in length (including notes and references). All manuscripts submitted for publication in the Research Articles section will be double-blind peer-reviewed.
- Commentary – Practice-based presentations of reflections on educational practices and teaching activities that provide meaningful advancements in the processes of preparing future interpreters, maintaining the skills of current interpreters, or promoting the professional development of practicing interpreter educators. This section also welcomes original reviews of books, curricula, or resources that may be of interest to interpreter educators and trainers. Submissions should be no more than 3,000 words in length. All manuscripts submitted for publication in the Commentary section will be reviewed by one Editorial Board member.
- Open Forum – Publishable interviews with leading scholars, transcripts of debates or presentations of case studies that extend our understanding, and analyses of trends in interpreter education and training. Submissions should be no more than 3,000 words in length. All manuscripts submitted for publication in the Open Forum section will be reviewed by one Editorial Board member.
- Student Work – Featuring aspiring interpreter education scholars, this section highlights graduate students’ research projects related to interpreter education. This section encourages interpreter educators studying in Master’s or Doctoral programs to share their work alongside established scholars in the field. Submissions should be 3,000-5,000 words in length. All manuscripts submitted for publication in the Student Work section will be double-blind peer-reviewed.
- Dissertation and Thesis Abstracts – Abstracts of Master’s theses or Doctoral dissertations related to interpreter education. If you have recently completed your Master’s thesis or Doctoral dissertation (or know of someone else who has) on a topic related to interpreter education, please submit the following to the Editors: name of the graduate, title of the thesis or dissertation, conferring Department and University, 150-200 word abstract, up to six keywords, and graduate’s email address.
Authors must submit papers via the online portal. Contact the Editors at if you have any questions or concerns.
Refereeing
For Research Articles, the journal adheres to a rigorous double-blind reviewing policy for all manuscripts submitted. The identity of both the reviewer and author is concealed from both parties unless this proves impossible because of extensive self-citation or other identifying features in the text.
Editorial Review Process: All manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editor. Only those papers that meet the scientific and editorial standards of the journal and are within the aims and scope of the journal will be sent for review.
Peer-Review Process: Each Research Article manuscript is reviewed by at least two referees. One Editorial Board member will review opinion pieces submitted for the Commentary section.
All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, with reviewers asked to respond within four weeks. An editorial decision is generally reached within six weeks of submission unless the paper is highly specialized, requiring longer to find reviewers prepared to contribute.
Ensuring a Blind Peer Review
To ensure the integrity of the blind peer-review for submission to this journal, every effort should be made to prevent the identities of the authors and reviewers from being known to each other. Authors, editors, and reviewers take the following steps regarding the text and the file properties of submissions:
- The document authors have deleted their names from the text, with "Author" and "Year" used in the references and footnotes, instead of the authors’ name, article title, etc.
- With Microsoft Office documents, author identification should also be removed from the properties for the file.
Manuscript Preparation and Guidelines
At present, contributions must be written in English using consistent American English spelling conventions. In addition, the Editors encourage the use of video clips wherever possible.
All authors must submit their manuscripts using the style outlined below. Manuscripts not conforming to the IJIE style will be returned to the author. The journal will provide final copyediting and typesetting services for accepted articles.
Abstracts
An abstract is a brief representation of the entire paper. The abstract should consist of one paragraph that is no more than 200 words in length. For research articles, the abstract should contain the rationale, methods, results, and conclusion or implications of the study.
Keywords
A keyword is a word or phrase that signifies the meaning or central ideas of an article. Authors should provide 3 to 5 keywords for each submission.
Organization
Section headings (major, minor, and sub) must be used appropriately to organize the text and aid in readability. Typical sections for research articles include introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions, and references.
Diagrams, Figures, Images, and Tables
Diagrams, figures, images, and tables need to be high quality and may be submitted in color. All should be captioned and referred to by number in the text of the article.
Acknowledgments
Authors may include an acknowledgment after their reference list to recognized key assistance received. This section should be used to acknowledge support given, including administrative and technical assistance, financial aid, specific grant funding, and donations in kind.
Appendices
This optional section can contain details and data supplemental to the main text to aid readability and usability. For example, an appendix might contain explanations or details that would disrupt the flow of the main text but nonetheless remain crucial to understanding the research shown. Appendix material can be reproduced in full as needed.
Article Length
The average length of Research Articles is 5,000-6,000 words (including notes and references). Commentary and Open Forum submissions should be no more than 3,000 words in length. Student Work submissions should be 3,000-5,000 words (including notes and references). Dissertation and Thesis Abstracts should be no more than 200 words in length.
Writing Style
Authors submitting to the journal should generally follow the most recent published version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (currently the Seventh Edition). When writing, authors should avoid unnecessary jargon and explain any technical terms used. Authors can often use the most recently published journal issue to understand further the style defined here.
Spelling and Style of Common Terms
As detailed in the first editorial in IJIE Volume 1 (Napier, 2009, pp. 3-4), the journal has a policy with regards to using the convention ‘D/deaf’:
Many readers will be familiar with the fact that in deaf/signed language linguistics and interpreting literature, the “D/d” convention is used to distinguish between members who use the signed language of a linguistic and cultural minority community (Deaf) and those who have a hearing loss but do not use sign language or identify themselves with this linguistic minority (deaf)... Given the evolving nature of the deaf community due to medical advancements and changes in educational policy, greater numbers of deaf people come to the community as late learners of signed language. Thus, definitions of deaf community membership are changing. In order to be inclusive rather than exclusive, the focus of this journal will be on the languages used and interpreting as social practice with empowered and disempowered communities in both conference and community contexts. No judgment is made about the hearing and linguistic identity or status of people who use a signed language. If articles are submitted that refer to deaf people or the deaf community, all references to deafness will be edited so as not to distinguish between Deaf/deaf.
Another convention is to refer to “signed language interpreter/interpreting” rather than “sign language interpreter/interpreting” when referring to the modality. References to named signed languages (such as British Sign Language or American Sign Language) should retain the term “Sign.” Capitalization is only used when referring to a named sign language (i.e., not Signed Language Interpreting).
Furthermore, other commonly used words should be spelled as follows:
- fingerspell
- lipread
- speechread
Punctuation of Common Abbreviations
Except for the term et al., each standard abbreviation is only used in the text within parentheses, with careful noting of the punctuation used. Within the general text, use the full English form. Authors may use the abbreviation et al. (from the Latin et alia) in parentheses or the general text. The accepted forms of abbreviation are as follows:
| Abbreviation | Full English Form |
|---|---|
| et al. | and others |
| e.g., | for example |
| etc. | and so forth |
| & | and |
| i.e., | that is |
| viz., | namely |
| cf. | compare |
Other Miscellaneous Style Notes
Use one space after a period at the end of a sentence and use the Oxford or serial comma before “and” in a list within a sentence. When using an acronym, please spell out the words followed by the abbreviation in parentheses for the first usage.
Referencing
All references cited in the text (including tables, appendices, and supplemental materials) must be presented in a list of references following the manuscript’s text in a standard format. IJIE is guided by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, commonly known as “APA style.” The references must be cited using APA style and listed alphabetically. Non-compliant manuscripts will be returned to the author for correction.
Citations in the Text
Include only the surname(s) of the author(s) and the date of publication of the source using et al. as appropriate. When referring to a chapter from an edited book (where a different author writes each chapter), give the surname(s) of the author(s) who wrote the chapter, not of the editor(s) who collated and published them. If there is an unavoidable need to cite work from a source (secondary reference) that has not been directly accessed, write “Jones (1968, cited in Brown, 1986) ...”. The list of references includes only Brown (1986) since this is the only reference that was accessed.
Quotations in the Text
For a direct quotation, include the page number of the quote. Incorporate any short quotations (fewer than 40 words) into the body of the text and enclose the quote with double quotation marks. If you do not use the entire passage, use an ellipsis (…) between parts of the sentence. If you need to insert a word so that it makes sense, place it between square brackets. Display a quotation of more than 40 words in a free-standing block without quotations marks. Avoid using such lengthy quotes unless necessary. Start such a block quotation on a new line, with a left margin indented one tab space.
Footnotes
Ordinarily, footnotes should not be used. Under most circumstances, authors should instead include the information in the body of the paper. If footnotes are necessary, ensure that they are brief and provide specifically relevant information.
Reference List
All papers require a reference list. Each reference should commence on a new line with the second line indented one tab setting. All citations in the text should appear in the reference list. Do not include books or articles that you have not referred to in the text. Pay close attention to the punctuation used. The list should be in alphabetical order of the first authors’ surname. If including two or more references by the same first author, use the second author’s name to determine the order. If including more than one reference by the same author(s), then list in chronological order. If including more than one reference by the same author published in the same year, add letters after the year (a, b, c, etc.) to delineate between publications.
Video Clips
Digital Commons supports native streaming of video files. Files can be directly uploaded or embedded from other platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and “Other rich media.” Files supported include 3GP, ASX, AVI, F4V, FLV, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG/MPEG, and WMV. Note that the streaming player supports captions embedded in the video and will recognize .srt or .vtt file extensions as caption file types.
Some tips for recording professional videos include:
- Plan your videos in advance and create a script or storyboard as needed.
- Pick a quiet location with plenty of sunlight or indoor lighting. Avoid having a light source behind the subject which can cause darkness and shadows.
- Keep the background simple and clean, avoiding clutter. Be careful not to film with a window or another reflective surface in the background of the shot.
- Avoid wearing patterns or clothes that blend in with the background.
- Keep the camera steady and at eye level by using a tripod or mount.
- Shoot in a horizontal format (landscape mode) using the highest possible video resolution.
- Edit the video by trimming, cutting, and adding text and captions as necessary. If not needed, we recommend removing the audio from the video file.
Additional Guidelines for Commentary Section and Reviews
Reviews submitted to IJIE should be written in English, but the books, curricula, or resources reviewed may be in any language. A review should not exceed 3,000 words in length. It should consist of a detailed overview of the publication in question, followed by a critical assessment and an attempt to compare it with similar publications on the market or curricula and resources in the field.
For books, reviewers should detail why the book may interest spoken and signed language interpreter educators and other interested parties, such as translator educators, interpreter and translator practitioners, language teachers, etc. For curricula and other resources, reviewers should detail why the curriculum/resource under review is effective, how it can be applied in other contexts, or how it could be improved.
