A Tale of Two Handbooks

• Published in: The Modern language journal (Boulder, Colo.) Vol. 95; no. 4; pp. 640 - 642
• Main Authors: LONG, MICHAEL H., DOUGHTY, CATHERINE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01-12-2011; Wiley Subscription Services; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Editing; Graduate students; Handbooks; Journal writing; Language; Language instruction; Linguistics; Literature; Publishing industry; Reference books; Second language acquisition; Second language learning; THE COMMENTARIES; World language instruction
• ISSN: 0026-7902; 1540-4781
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01248_7.x

Long and Doughty discuss their editing of two books in the Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics series; the Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and the Handbook of Language Teaching (LT). As judged by published reviews and sales figures, the Handbook of Second Language Acquisition was a success. As a result, Long and Doughty subsequently agreed to co-edit the second volume in the series. Their approach was similar, and the logistics, including the use of anonymous reviewers, broadly the same. The major difference was the relative scarcity of work in some areas of LT that met the standards expected of an academic field and for the series concerned.