About this journal
Aims and scope
Language & Intercultural Communication promotes an interdisciplinary understanding of the interplay between language and intercultural communication. It therefore welcomes research into intercultural communication, particularly where it explores the importance of linguistic aspects; and research into language, especially the learning of foreign languages, where it explores the importance of intercultural perspectives. The journal is alert to the implications for education, especially higher education, and for language learning and teaching. It is also receptive to research on the frontiers between languages and cultures, and on the implications of linguistic and intercultural issues for the world of work.
The journal seeks to advance a perception of the intercultural dimension of language within a complex and pluralist view of the world. To this end, it seeks always to resist reductive and hegemonic interpretations, and is stimulated by contemporary, critical perspectives in understanding cultural practices and intercultural relationships. Its aspiration to promote an understanding of the position and politics of language(s) in intercultural communication is conceived as a contribution to personal development and to interpersonal understanding, dialogue and co-operation. The journal also seeks to make an effective contribution to disseminating new ideas and examples of good practice in educating students in language and intercultural communication.
Is LAIC the right journal for your paper?
In order to ensure that LAIC is the right journal for you, please read the following specifications thoroughly and thoughtfully before sending us your paper.
1.1 Focus
Language and Intercultural Communication (LAIC) is an interdisciplinary journal which draws on several disciplines within the social and human sciences. These include modern languages, applied linguistics, education, anthropology, (social) psychology, sociology, religion, philosophy, cultural studies, media studies, drama and visual arts. We consider papers which focus on the relationship between these disciplinesand intercultural communication, i.e., all papers submitted to LAIC should be about intercultural communication.
LAIC focuses on the language and communication which takes placebetween people of different cultural groups. Papers published in LAIC normally consider aspects of the relationship between the following elements:
- Culture and interculturality: While the nation state is often regarded as the principal type of cultural grouping, we consider this only one among many cultural and social groupings. The notion of ‘interculturality’ as the process of ‘being intercultural’ is often preferred to avoid the reification which can be implied by the concept of ‘culture’.
- Language and communication: LAIC is neither a linguistics nor a translation journal. Analysis of language and communication in empirical papers published in LAIC normally takes place at the level of discourse. While this can include the analysis of spoken and written language, it also includes the analysis of other forms of (visual) communication.
1.2 Article types
We publish research articles which may be empirical or theoretical. We also publish solicited book reviews and commentaries.
Research articles. The length of the first draft of a research article should not exceed 8,000 words, including footnotes, references and all data, with two abstracts of up to 100 words each and up to 5 key words. The second abstract should be in a language other than English. Most papers published in LAIC are empirical studies, but we also welcome well-argued theoretical papers. We encourage authors to read previously published papers in LAIC to see how they have been written.
Book reviews. We do not accept unsolicited book reviews. Book reviews should be around 1,000 words and reviewed by one author only. As well as giving readers a sense of the contents of the book, reviews should also include a critical commentary. To write a book review, please contact our book reviews editor Vivien Zhou ([email protected]).
Commentaries. Readers might want to respond to a paper published in the journal, or comment on an issue of importance in the field. Commentaries should be 1,000-2,000 words and avoiding any polemical or defamatory language.
1.3 Empirical papers
Empirical papers published in LAIC include the usual elements: introduction and research focus, literature review and theoretical framework, findings and discussion (either integrated or sequentially). Most of the papers we publish engage with qualitative data, but we will also consider the use of mixed methods and quantitative research.
- Introduction and research focus. Your paper should have an introduction setting out its background, context and rationale. The aim of the study should be stated clearly.
- Literature review and theoretical framework. Your paper should have a critical review of the relevant literature, including previous studies which have explored the phenomenon under investigation.
- Methodology. Where human language data is analysed, the study should set out the demographic details of the participants, and informed consent should be gained and briefly explained. Where a corpus of written texts is used, the source(s), size and time period of the data collection should be stated.
- It should be made clear what the original language(s) of the data was. Extracts used to support the findings should be translated into English.
Findings. Qualitative data will normally be set out as quotations of text or talk. Quantitative data will be set out as tables. Each extract from talk or text (or table) must be interpreted in the text, i.e., what the participants are saying, and how they are saying it, must be highlighted in relation to the argument in the paper.
Discussion. One of the aims of LAIC is to make theoretical advances to the field based on novel empirical insights. Papers should discuss their findings either by relating them critically to the literature review, or by relating them to the theoretical framework. A simple summary of the findings is insufficient.
1.4 Quality of papers
In keeping with the aims and scope of LAIC, all articles should be original, critical and accessible.
Original. Papers should make an original contribution to the field of intercultural communication. While addressing an under-researched context is valuable, this is insufficient to constitute an original contribution. Original contributions should develop novel theoretical conceptualisation, or derive new insights into the interpretation of data.
Critical. LAIC seeks to advance a perception of the intercultural dimension of language within a complex and pluralistic view of the world. Critical perspectives in understanding cultural practices and intercultural relationships are essential. LAIC seeks to improve the relations between people on both a personal and political level, and to reveal hidden communicative practices which are oppressive or exploitative. The journal also seeks to disseminate new examples of good practice in educating students in language and intercultural communication.
Accessible. Papers published in LAIC should be accessible and enjoyable to read as well as informative. Please read some of LAIC’s highly cited published papers to get a sense of our preferred writing practice, and check that your paper conforms to the journal’s style sheet before you submit it.
1.5 Does your paper fit a journal in critical intercultural communication?
While we welcome papers which explore the interface between the areas below and intercultural communication, papers which solely address the following subject areas should be submitted elsewhere.
- Papers that focus on translation rather than on the interculturality of translation;
- Papers which draw exclusively upon psychological approaches to intercultural communication;
- Papers in linguistics which analyse single words, clauses or sentence structures;
- Papers that focus solely on English Language Teaching or English for Academic Purposes;
- Papers that focus on literature or an artistic genre.
Refereeing procedures
Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis and published in accordance with editorial priorities for themed or special conference issues. All papers are anonymously reviewed by a minimum of two experts.
Journal metrics
Usage
- 160K annual downloads/views
Citation metrics
- 1.8 (2023) Impact Factor
- Q1 Impact Factor Best Quartile
- 2.0 (2023) 5 year IF
- 3.0 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
- Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile
- 1.394 (2023) SNIP
- 0.637 (2023) SJR
Speed/acceptance
- 16 days avg. from submission to first decision
- 78 days avg. from submission to first post-review decision
- 26 days avg. from acceptance to online publication
- 21% acceptance rate
Understanding and using journal metrics
Journal metrics can be a useful tool for readers, as well as for authors who are deciding where to submit their next manuscript for publication. However, any one metric only tells a part of the story of a journal’s quality and impact. Each metric has its limitations which means that it should never be considered in isolation, and metrics should be used to support and not replace qualitative review.
We strongly recommend that you always use a number of metrics, alongside other qualitative factors such as a journal’s aims & scope, its readership, and a review of past content published in the journal. In addition, a single article should always be assessed on its own merits and never based on the metrics of the journal it was published in.
For more details, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
Journal metrics in brief
Usage and acceptance rate data above are for the last full calendar year and are updated annually in February. Speed data is updated every six months, based on the prior six months. Citation metrics are updated annually mid-year. Please note that some journals do not display all of the following metrics (find out why).
- Usage: the total number of times articles in the journal were viewed by users of Taylor & Francis Online in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Citation Metrics
- Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal within a two-year window. Only journals in the Clarivate Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) have an Impact Factor.
- Impact Factor Best Quartile*: the journal’s highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest Impact Factors.
- 5 Year Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal within a five-year window.
- CiteScore (Scopus)†: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal over a four-year period.
- CiteScore Best Quartile†: the journal’s highest CiteScore ranking in a Scopus subject category. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest CiteScores.
- SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper): the number of citations per paper in the journal, divided by citation potential in the field.
- SJR (Scimago Journal Rank): Average number of (weighted) citations in one year, divided by the number of articles published in the journal in the previous three years.
Speed/acceptance
- From submission to first decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision. Based on manuscripts receiving a first decision in the last six months.
- From submission to first post-review decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision if it is sent out for peer review. Based on manuscripts receiving a post-review first decision in the last six months.
- From acceptance to online publication: the average (median) number of days from acceptance of a manuscript to online publication of the Version of Record. Based on articles published in the last six months.
- Acceptance rate: articles accepted for publication by the journal in the previous calendar year as percentage of all papers receiving a final decision.
For more details on the data above, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
*Copyright: Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics
†Copyright: CiteScore™, Scopus
Editorial board
Malcolm N. MacDonald - University of Warwick, UK
Hans J. Ladegaard - The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Reviews and Criticism Editor:
Amina Kebabi - Canterbury Christ Church University
Editorial Assistant:
Vaishnavi Sivakumar
Editorial Board:
Claudia Borghetti – University of Bologna, Italy
Constadina Charalambous - European University Cyprus
Melinda Dooly - Faculty of Education, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Giuliana Ferri - University College London
Sara Ganassin - Newcastle University
Manuela Guilherme - Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
Adrian Holliday - Canterbury Christchurch University, UK
Prue Holmes - University of Durham, UK
Flavia Monceri – University of Molise, Italy
Alison Phipps - University of Glasgow, UK
Cristina Ros i Solé - Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
International Advisory Board:
Michael Byram, University of Durham, UK
Claudia Borghetti , University of Bologna, Italy
Donal Carbaugh, University of Massachusetts, USA
Rey Chow, Duke University, USA
James A Coleman, The Open University, UK
John Corbett, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Robert Crawshaw, University of Lancaster, UK
Michael Cronin, Dublin City University, Ireland
Peter Cryle, University of Queensland, Australia
Lynn Mario T. Menezes de Souza, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Fred Dervin, University of Helsinki, Finland
Giuliana Ferri, University College London, UK
James Paul Gee, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA|
Evelyne Glaser, University of Linz, Austria
Janet Holmes, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Gavin Jack, LaTrobe University, Australia
Jane Jackson, Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK
Adam Jaworski, Hong Kong University, HK
Michael Kelly, University of Southampton, UK
Marwan M Kraidy, American University, Washington, UK
Juergen Kramer, University of Dortmund, Germany
Claire Kramsch, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Raj Mesthrie, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Bernd Müller-Jacquier, University of Bayreuth, Germany
Kumiko Murata, Waseda University, Japan
Abhik Roy, Loyola Marymount University, USA
Farzad Sharifian, Monash University, Australia
Boaventura de Sousa Santos, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, University of Colombia, USA
William Starosta, Howard University, Washington, USA
Crispin Thurlow, University of Bern, Switzerland
Alice Tomic, Richmond University, UK
Roberto A. Valdeón, University of Oviedo, Spain
Robert Westwood, University of Sydney, Australia
Robert Young, University of Sydney, Australia
Shi-xu, Hangzhou Normal University, China
Geneviève Zarate, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Paris, France
Editorial Assistant Editor:
Michelle Panis
Abstracting and indexing
Abstracted/ Indexed in: Communication and Mass Media Complete; Current Abstracts; E R I C; Education Research Index; Educational Management Abstracts; Linguistics Abstracts Online; Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts; M L A International Bibliography; Multicultural Education Abstracts; Sociology of Education Abstracts; Thomson Reuters Arts & Humanities Citation Index and Thomson Reuters Social Sciences Citation Index.
Open access
Language and Intercultural Communication is a hybrid open access journal that is part of our Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research.
Why choose open access?
- Increase the discoverability and readership of your article
- Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
- Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
- Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
- Rigorous peer review for every open access article
Article Publishing Charges (APC)
If you choose to publish open access in this journal you may be asked to pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC). You may be able to publish your article at no cost to yourself or with a reduced APC if your institution or research funder has an open access agreement or membership with Taylor & Francis.
Use our APC finder to calculate your article publishing charge
6 issues per year
The Editorial Board of Language and Intercultural Communication (LAIC) invites researchers and practitioners in the field of intercultural communication to submit proposals for Special Issues on themes of interest to scholars and researchers in the area covered by the journal.
A Special Issue should present a collection of articles that focus on a theme or issue relevant to the journal’s aims and scope. Usually Special Issues consist of around eight papers (c. 60,000 - 70,000 words) on a particular theme, although it is possible to include more papers in consultation with the Executive Editor of the journal. Each Special Issue is produced by one or more Guest Editor(s), who are responsible for liaising with contributing authors and overseeing the peer-review process.
How to submit an Initial Proposal
The proposed Guest Editor(s) provide an outline proposal (maximum of two A4 pages). Inter alia, an initial proposal should address the following (though not necessarily in this order, and some may coalesce).
I think that this, plus perhaps the second bullet point, could also usefully say something about how it will engage with existing discussions in the field – perhaps either taking further or opposing dominant views.
- A well-defined and delimited title for the Special Issue;
- A rationale which sets out compelling reasons why the Special Issue is worthy of commissioning, and how it will engage with existing discussions in the field.
- A clearly defined focus for the Special Issue (rather than a general subject area)
- The aim(s) of the Special Issue and an explanation of why these particular aims and focus is of current concern within the field of intercultural communication;
- Suggestions as to the coverage of the Special Issue;
- An indication of what the specific contribution of the Special Issue will be to the field of intercultural communication.
- A summary of why the guest editor(s) are particularly qualified/experienced to undertake the Special Issue.
In particular, we have found in the past that a successful special issue proposal is able to identify a clearly defined niche or ‘gap’ within the field of intercultural communication which it is able to address; and/or takes further or opposes dominant views in the field.
The initial proposal will be reviewed by two members of the Editorial Board, who will decide whether the proposal meets the journal’s aims and scope. If approved, the Special Issue Guest Editor(s) will be asked to submit a full proposal.
Forthcoming Special Issues:
Diversity and Epistemological Plurality: Thinking interculturality ‘otherwise’(2022 Lisbon IALIC Conference Special Issue)
Guest edited by Ana Sofia Pinho & Ana Luísa Paz
Dialoguing inter-epistemically: intercultural knowing, knowing the intercultural
Guest edited by Vivien Xiaowei Zhou, and Hans J. Ladegaard
Researching vulnerable multilinguals: Developing an inclusive research practice
Guest edited by Sara Ganassin, Alexandra Georgiou, Judith Reynolds & Mohammed Ateek
Rethinking intercultural communication beyond verbal language: affect, materiality, and embodiment in times of 'crises'
Guest edited by Constadina Charalambous, Michalinos Zembylas and Xanthia Aristidou
Published Special Issues:
Volume 23, Issue 6, 2023
Intercultural Knowledge Production: Against Epistemic Violence and Towards Restorative Integration
Guest edited by Alison Phipps, Fernando Fernandes, Hyab Johannes, Jailson Silva
Volume 23, Issue 3, 2023
Nationalism: threat or opporunity to critical intercultural communication?
Guest edited by Hanne Tange and Christopher J. Jenks
Volume 23, Issue 1, 2023
Language, culture and interculturality: global debates, local challenges
Guest edited by Beatriz Peña Dix and John Corbett
Volume 22, Issue 5, 2022
Intercultural teaching and learning in Chinese higher education: integrating practices and perspectives
Guest edited by Jan Van Maele and Lixian Jin
Volume 22, Issue 3, 2022
Twentieth Anniversary Special Issue: Issues, Controversies and Difficult Questions
Guest edited by Malcolm N. MacDonald
Volume 22, Issue 2, 2022
Beyond and besides language: Intercultural communication and creative practice
Guest edited by Lou Harvey, Gameli Tordzro, Jessica Bradley
Volume 21, Issue 6, 2021
From Ivory Tower to Social Arena: Critical Approaches to Cultural Identity in the Public Sphere
Guest edited by Mélodine Sommier, David Bousquet, Alex Frame
Volume 21, Issue 4, 2021
Critical pedagogy and quality education (UNESCO SDG-4): the legacy of Paulo Freire for language and intercultural communication
Guest edited by John Corbett & Manuela Guilherme
Volume 21, Issue 3, 2021
News production and intercultural communication at the crossroads of disciplines
Guest edited by Roberto A. Valdeón
Volume 21, Issue 1, 2021
Translating Cultures, Cultures in Translation
Guest edited by Maria José Coperias & Juan José Martinez Sierra
Volume 20, Issue 5, 2020
Vibrant Identities: vitalism, post-humanism and materiality
Guest edited by Cristina Ros I Solé, Jane Fenoulhet and Gerdi Quist
Volume 20, Issue 4, 2020
Arts, Intercultural education and citizenship - emergent perspectives
Guest edited by Ana Matos & Silvia Melo-Pfeifer
Volume 20, Issue 2, 2020
Translating Language and Intercultural Communication Research into Social Action
Guest edited by Hans J. Ladegaard & Alison Phipps
Volume 20, Issue 1, 2020
The 'good' interculturalist yesterday, today and tomorrow: Everyday life-theory-research-policy-practice
Guest edited by Prue Holmes
Volume 19, Issue 1, 2019
Interrogating the ‘third space’: negotiating meanings and performing ‘culture’
Guest edited by Vivien Xiaowei Zhou & Nick Pilcher
Volume 18, Issue 5, 2018
Education and the discourse of global neoliberalism
Guest edited by John Gray, John O'Regan and Catherine Wallace
Volume 18, Issue 4, 2018
Language, Mobility and Work
Guest edited by Melissa Moyer
Volume 18, Issue 1, 2018
Bridging across languages and cultures in everyday lives: new roles for changing scenarios
Guest edited by Melinda Dooly and Claudia Vallejo Rubinstein
Volume 17, Issue 4, 2018
Education and migration: Languages foregrounded
Guest edited by Prue Holmes, Richard Fay and Jane Andrews
Volume 17, Issue 1, 2017
Dialogical Perspectives on Intercultural Communication as Social Practice
Guest edited by Gao Yihong, John Corbett and Zheng Xuan
Volume 16, Issue 3, 2016
Perspectives and discourses on student mobility and interculturality
Guest edited by Ana Beaven and Claudia Borghetti
Volume 16, Issue 1, 2016
Linguistic resources and intercultural (communicative) competence: bridging a theoretical and empirical gap
Guest edited by Maria Helena Araújo e Sá and Ana Raquel Simões
Volume 15, Issue 3, 2015
Languages in contact, cultures in conflict: English and Spanish in the United States
Guest edited by Roberto A. Valdeón
Also available as a book
Volume 15, Issue 1, 2015
Language and intercultural communication in the workplace: critical approaches to theory and practice
Guest edited by Hans J. Ladegaard and Christopher J. Jenks
Also available as a book
Volume 14, Issue 3, 2014
MIGRATING LANGUAGES: MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON REFUGEES, ASYLUM, MIGRATION AND LANGUAGE
Guest edited by Alison Phipps and Rebecca Kay
Also available as a book
Volume 14, Issue 1, 2014
Intercultural dialogue: current challenges, future directions
Guest edited by Prue Holmes
Also available as a book
Volume 13, Issue 3, 2013
Romanticising Language Learning
Guest edited by Cristina Ros i Solé and Jane Fenoulhet
Volume 13, Issue 2, 2013
The discourse of culture and identity in national and transnational contexts
Guest edited by Christopher Jenks, Aditi Bhatia and Jackie Lou
Also available as a book
Volume 13, Issue 1, 2013
THE DISCOURSE OF ETHICS AND EQUITY
Guest edited by Shanta Nair-Venugopal
Also available as a book
Volume 12, Issue 4, 2012
Cross-cultural Communication at a Theoretical and Methodological Crossroads: Cultural and Media Interfaces
Guest edited by Marie-Noëlle Guillot
Volume 12, Issue 2, 2012
Conflict and Coexistence: Conversations, Demonstrations and Communications in the MENA
Guest edited by Miri Gal-Ezer and Khalil Rinnawi
Volume 11, Issue 4, 2011
Travelling Languages: Culture, Communication and Translation in a Mobile World
Guest edited by John O'Regan, Jane Wilkinson and Mike Robinson
Also available as a book
Volume 11, Issue 2, 2011
Citizenship, Education and Global Spaces
Guest edited by Hugh Starkey
Volume 10, Issue 3, 2010
COMMUNICATION, DISCOURSES AND INTERCULTURALITY
Guest edited by Tony Young and Peter Sercombe
Special Issue Executive Editor
The Executive Editor in charge of special issue is Malcolm MacDonald (University of Warwick). Just email Malcolm directly if you have any initial queries about your special issue, or about the procedures involved: m.n.macdonald:warwick.ac.uk
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