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Editor's Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2014

Charlene Polio
Charlene Polio*
Affiliation:
Washington, DC
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Extract

Numerous people have helped shape each issue of the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, but there is always one person who has been particularly generous in sharing his or her time and expertise. For this issue, I would like to thank Merrill Swain for her Skype calls about the issue and for, as always, her amazing breadth of knowledge. She not only knows about research in every area of applied linguistics but also, it seems, in every corner of the world. She contributed greatly to not only this, but every issue during my tenure as editor. As this is my last issue, I would like to thank the other editorial directors as well.

Information

Type
Introduction
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 34 , March 2014 , pp. v - vi
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Numerous people have helped shape each issue of the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, but there is always one person who has been particularly generous in sharing his or her time and expertise. For this issue, I would like to thank Merrill Swain for her Skype calls about the issue and for, as always, her amazing breadth of knowledge. She not only knows about research in every area of applied linguistics but also, it seems, in every corner of the world. She contributed greatly to not only this, but every issue during my tenure as editor. As this is my last issue, I would like to thank the other editorial directors as well.

  • • To Mary McGroarty: Thank you for your help in getting me started on the journal. You provided a wealth of information.

  • • To Sylvina Montrul: Thank you for immediate responses to email and your prompt and helpful article reviews.

  • • To Patsy Duff: Thank you for your wonderful article suggestions and for stepping up to the plate to contribute two outstanding articles over the last five years.

  • • To Kees de Bot: Thank you for helping the journal expand the geographical range of its contributors. You, too, are well versed in a huge range of areas.

  • • To Tim McNamara: Thank you for the variety of your author and article suggestions. The scope of your knowledge of the applied linguistics field is staggering.

  • • To Kendall King: Thank you for quick and lengthy responses about proposed topics as well as your prompt and helpful reviews.

The focus of this issue is research methods, very broadly defined. In some cases, the focus of an article is on a specific research tool, such as fMRI, while other times, the focus represents a specific theoretical orientation, such as critical discourse analysis. Some articles are firmly rooted in psycholinguist approaches, whereas others are more socially oriented. The authors were asked to make the articles accessible to a wide range of readers who were not versed in the method, yet the articles are not how-to articles with detailed instructions for novices who might want to use the method. Instead, they review research using the method and refer readers to helpful, more detailed sources about the method. As in the past, review articles in the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics are expected to focus on recent research. Of course, sometimes the authors need to refer to older research to define terms or set the context for more current research.

As with all issues, I am grateful to the reviewers who gave their time and expertise. These reviewers include: Alan Beretta, Melissa Bowles, Peter De Costa, Anna De Fina, Alice Foucart, Debra Friedman, Paula Golombek, Csiér Kata, Hanh Nguyen, Junko Mori, Lia Plakans, Miyuki Sasaki, and two anonymous reviewers.

In addition to the editorial directors, many others have helped during the last five years. Sally Behrenwald Hatfield, again, has contributed her editing skills and APA expertise. She has been a joy to work with as together we have battled numbered headings, British spellings, missing references, and the dreaded scare quotes. From Cambridge University Press, I thank Morrell Gillette for his patience with fluctuations in the production schedule, and Melissa Good, our current editor, who has made great efforts to promote the journal. I wish the best to Alison Mackey, who takes over the journal with the next issue. I am happy to see it remain in good hands and hope it will continue to thrive and improve.