Who owns, manages and funds Language in Japan?
The Society for Japanese Linguistics (日本語学会), founded in 1944 and headquartered in Tokyo. LiJ is the English-language sister journal of the Japanese-language journal Studies in the Japanese Language (日本語の研究), first published in 1948 as 国語学.
For the next several years, as well as regular submissions, LiJ will also publish English translations of selected seminal works published in its sister journal and currently only available in Japanese.
LiJ is not connected with, nor affiliated to, any publishing company, corporate body, government institution, political organization or religious grouping.
With the sole exception of the Manuscript Editor, all members of the LiJ Editorial Board, including the Editor-in-Chief and Vice Editor-in-Chief, provide their services gratis.
Are submissions to LiJ restricted to members of the Society for Japanese Linguistics?
No, submissions are welcome from all, though please check carefully our Rules for Submission.
Does LiJ accept submissions in Japanese?
No, English only. For submissions in Japanese, use LiJ’s sister journal, Studies in the Japanese Language (日本語の研究).
Are there any submission, reviewing or publication fees?
No. LiJ will never ask you for money or ‘donations’.
Is LiJ peer-reviewed?
Yes, double-blind.
Will all submissions be automatically peer-reviewed?
No. Manuscripts which violate LiJ’s Rules for Submission will be ‘desk-rejected’ and will not be peer reviewed. Manuscripts which are overly long or short, or whose content falls well below academic journal standards, may also be desk-rejected.
Do LiJ reviewers receive remuneration?
No. But they do receive our gratitude.
What is the estimated turnaround time for a peer review?
It’s impossible to give a definite answer. It depends on the quality of the submission (a poorer quality manuscript means more time required on revisions), its content (lesser researched fields have fewer available reviewers), how quickly the author(s) respond(s) to editorial feedback, and the time of year the submission is made (LiJ is currently published once a year). At a rough estimate, between 12 and 18 months between initial submission and final publication. Be aware, however, that a manuscript can still be rejected at the peer-review stage and may not be published.
Is there a fasttrack option for publication?
No.
Is LiJ available in print?
No. LiJ is online only and open access, available to all at no charge on J-STAGE. If the applicable laws in the country or territory providing your research funding require that taxpayer-funded work be freely available to the public, then open access may be your best option. Our major competitor journals are available in print, but behind paywalls and not freely available to the public.
Does LiJ accept colour as part of a manuscript?
Yes. LiJ is online only and colour incurs no extra costs for us or for you.
Does LiJ accept video or sound files as part of a manuscript?
Please contact the editors to discuss.
Does LiJ accept data file attachments as part of a manuscript?
Please contact the editors to discuss.
How often is LiJ published?
For the foreseeable future, LiJ will be published once a year. LiJ aims to carry at least four academic papers, two book reviews and one translation per issue.
Does LiJ have a mailing list?
No. Please use the J-STAGE portal to set up notifications (free registration required).
I am the author of an LiJ relevant book. How can I have it reviewed?
Please contact the LiJ editors to discuss.
I am interested in reviewing a book for LiJ. What should I do?
Please contact the LiJ editors so we can add you to our book reviewer list.
I am interested in translating into English a seminal paper previously published in 日本語の研究 or 国語学. What should I do?
Please contact the LiJ editors to discuss.
Does LiJ print advertisements?
Currently, no.
Does LiJ accept donations?
Please contact our owners, the Society for Japanese Linguistics (日本語学会), for details.