About the Journal

ELT Journal is a quarterly publication for all those involved in English Language Teaching (ELT), whether as a second, additional, or foreign language, or as an international Lingua Franca. The Journal links the everyday concerns of practitioners with insights gained from relevant academic disciplines such as applied linguistics, education, psychology, and sociology.

ELT Journal aims to provide a medium for informed discussion of the principles and practice which determine the ways in which English is taught and learnt around the world. It also provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among members of the profession worldwide.

The Editor of ELT Journal is supported by an Advisory Board which assists the Editor in guiding the development of the Journal, and by an Editorial Panel whose members referee submissions.

Highlights and Features

• Key Concepts features twice a year, proving clear and concise accounts of important concepts in the field of ELT

History and Origins

• 75th anniversary celebrations 
• The origins of ELT Journal, by Richard Smith

  "In October 1946, the first issue of English Language Teaching, now known as ELT Journal, was sent out around the world from the British Council’s offices in Hanover Street, London. Since then the journal has continuously served as a focal point for the profession, to the extent indeed that its title, abbreviated to 'ELT', began to be adopted as an umbrella term for the whole enterprise of teaching English as a foreign or second language."

• Listen to an interview with the founder of the ELT Journal, A.S. Hornby.
• A brief history of ELT Journal, by Richard Smith

"Whereas in Hornby's time, both ELT and applied linguistics were in their infancy as fields of knowledge generation, both have since expanded their reach enormously. Especially since the 1980s, ELTJ has developed a unique identity as a journal which attempts to build bridges between the two fields, however incommensurate they may sometimes seem. In this role, the journal has both witnessed change and contributed much to shaping the overall field of ELT."

Abstracting and Indexing Services

ELT Journal is covered by the following abstracting/indexing services:

Arts and Humanities Citation Index (from 2009)
Social Sciences Citation Index (from 2009)
British Education Index
Expanded academic ASAP
Infotrac
Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts
Periodicals Index Online (PIO)
PROQUEST DATABASE : Arts & Humanities Full Text
PROQUEST DATABASE : ERIC PlusText
PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest 5000
PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest 5000 International
PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Central
PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Education Journals
PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Wilson Databases
Scopus
The Standard Periodical Directory
Wilson OmniFile Full Text Mega Edition

Impact Factor

This information is taken from the Journal Citation Reports (Web of Science Group, 2024).