ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Asian Journal of English Language Studies (AJELS)

The Asian Journal of English Language Studies (AJELS) is the official journal of the Department of English of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the oldest university in Asia. It is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that aims to provide current literature to those concerned with research in the realm of English language studies and English language teaching and learning either as a second or a foreign language.

AJELS annually publishes research articles, brief reports, review articles, and book reviews primarily concerned with the following: (1) the theories that underpin English language acquisition, teaching, and learning; (2) the contentious issues relevant to the international and intranational use of English; and (3) the structure of English. Thus, the Journal features empirical and descriptive studies marking significant academic and practical advances in the fields of theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, psycholinguistics, multilingualism, stylistics, language and the law, language education, and language policy.

As an open-access journal, which is free to readers or users, AJELS does not charge any fees for submission or processing of papers for publication. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access.

AJELS is committed to meet the highest standards in research and academic publication. The Journal is guided by the principles stated in the Publication Ethics and Copyright section.

HISTORY

For decades, the university-wide Department of Languages managed disciplines covering English, Filipino, Spanish, and Literature. But in 2010, English was spun off as an independent department under the Faculty of Arts and Letters for the purpose of laying the groundwork for the establishment of an academic program called Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies (AB-ELS) at the University of Santo Tomas.

Corollary to this change, a journal was established to create a platform for faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students to publish their research papers. The publication was intended to support the development of a research culture and, at the same time, promote excellence among the faculty members and students under the Department of English. This publication was called the Asian Journal of English Language Studies (AJELS). Although the publication is based in the University of Santo Tomas, it also welcomes contributions from other universities and academic organizations, both local and international. With such orientation, the AJELS presents itself as an Asian platform reaching a wide audience internationally in the field of linguistics and language education.

The first volume of AJELS was released in October 2013, with Dr. Marilu Rañosa-Madrunio, as the founding editor-in-chief, at the helm. She was supported by an editorial board composed of Dr. Alejandro S. Bernardo, Mr. Roy Randy Y. Briones, Dr. Veronico N. Tarrayo, and Dr. Camilla J. Vizconde, and 13 scholars from international universities who served as the advisory board. The journal was officially launched on February 10, 2014. At present, it has in its roster 27 outstanding academics from reputable institutions around the globe who serve as peer reviewers.

From 2013 to 2017, AJELS was published on print mode. In 2018, the journal became fully online and open-access to make it more available to as many readers and researchers as possible worldwide.

This shift to online publication was made possible through the University’s full support. Moreover, because open-access publications are paperless, the bold decision the Department took to upgrade AJELS to a fully digital mode is a significant step toward reducing our carbon footprint and ultimately taking better care of the environment.

ABSTRACTING &  INDEXING

Google Scholar

Linguist List

MLA Directory of Periodicals & MLA International Bibliography

The International Research Foundation (TIRF) for English Language Education

Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory (ProQuest)

WAC Clearinghouse Journal Listings