7 Editorial Josephine Taylor* Initiation and Order in Academic Publishing First time authors face a number of difficulties when submitting and publishing articles for the first time. The context of academic publishing is in general a closed order of discourse which allows participation only by the initiated. Newcomers are subtly or overtly discouraged. As Foucault describes, the order of this discourse is dictated from above and its hegemony is protected, often violently, through the filters of peer reviewers, editors and outside evaluating entities. This order is imposed in the interest of “quality;” in the case of Colombia, a clear preference for original research or exhaustive literature reviews over other forms of academic expression, for example short articles, research reports, teaching ideas or editorials. As the governing and evaluating entities in Colombia mention explicitly, this quality is necessary to fuel the desired broad exchange of views which extend beyond the boundaries of the publishing institution, the region or the country. Nevertheless, this supposed broad exchange of views adheres even more closely to one standard univocal discourse than sometimes within country-specific publications, where less attention may be paid to the rigors of the reigning stamp of the word, and more freedom of expression and liberty of form may be evident. In general, publication in international journals requires authors to master a set of very rigid standards of discourse and form, as well as a clear preference for one standard format for research articles. Editors in particular are entrusted with the task of enforcing this set discourse through a process of sometimes violent interventions into the voice of the author and the words she chooses to use to express herself. By aiding new authors to publish for the first time, more novices are initiated into the elite group of the published. Being published is the mark of arriving as an academic today. Those who have published vs. those who have not, and what they have published is constantly under review and speculation by the community at large and the specific discipline. In spite of the daunting prospect of writing for publication for the first time, new initiates readily accept the challenge and the sweat of multiple revisions and corrections of their work for the privilege of membership in this select group. No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) 8 The dichotomy of exclusion and inclusion, of novice and expert, of first-time author and established expert is a pervasive reality in academic publishing in Colombia and elsewhere. While it is certainly worthwhile to encourage alternative forms of expression within the academic community, it remains the charge of academic journals such as GIST to publish within the accepted scope of academic discourse. It is also incumbent upon publications such as ours to disseminate, in first order, original research in the field of bilingual and language education and learning. It is with this task that GIST set out this year to recruit and mentor a number of first-time authors in this seventh number of the journal. The fruits of our labor can be seen in this year’s issue of the journal, in the form of first-time publications by local teacher-scholar- researchers, whose work rests alongside studies by well-established and veteran authors from several countries. The result is a testimony to the interest, perseverance and talent within our own community, and the potential of local authors to join, if they wish, the order of academic discourse internationally. It is our hope that this number of GIST manages to establish the rich exchange of viewpoints which is the proposed intention of academic scholarship. GIST this year features a number of related articles clustered around several areas of interest, including culture, community, teaching, language policy and teacher development. In terms of the bond between language and culture, Sasan and Moghadam examine teachers’ beliefs about teaching culture and contrast that with their actions in the classroom, exploring the apparent discord between the two. Leonardo Herrera explores the changing linguistic standards in mass cultural media. Three articles deal with the value of connections to the community, beyond the walls of the classroom, and how this might be particularly beneficial to teachers in training as well as students’ education. Alma Rodríguez describes how pre-service teachers work within real-life contexts to develop meaningful community-based projects, such as pet welfare campaigns. Peralta and Galaviz both argue the impact of recognizing the home culture and understanding the relationships between home, school and community in pre-service teachers’ students’ education. Castillo and Camelo explore how parental involvement can be beneficial to children’s English language education even though parents may not speak the language themselves. The thread of teacher education extends to two articles which explore crucial junctures in the lives of teachers in training. Rebeca No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) 9 Tapia explores pre-service teachers’ expectations of thesis supervisors and points out the fundamental role they play in guiding students through this final stage of becoming licensed teachers. Mary Anne McDanel de García addresses the issue of how novice student teachers acquire the ethical and moral judgment required to assume personal and administrative responsibilities in professional contexts. A number of articles in this issue deal with information and communication technology (ICT). Ariza and Súarez Sánchez share a study in which the integration of ICT tools in autonomy training resulted in significant steps on the part of teachers-in-training towards autonomous learning processes. Carolina Rodríguez argues for the need for general ICT and e-moderating competencies in training programs for online English language tutors. Related to the use of strategies for language learning, Margarita Arango presents evidence that strongly supports the integration of writing strategies in general task-based language classes for teenagers. An important contribution that Colombian scholars can make to the broader academic debate is by sharing local language education issues. This enriches the understanding more generally of language and pedagogy and may possibly encourage reciprocal scholarship from countries with similar conditions and challenges. In this year’s issue, GIST is privileged to share a number of reflections on the issue of bilingualism policies in Colombia and the complexity inherent in their articulation and implementation in real academic settings. Joya and Cerón argue the need to examine bilingual language policy within the context of globalization, particularly in the case of Latin America. Carlo Granados shares the challenging task of implementing language policies and practices in the concrete setting of university language education in Bogotá and points to the need for a systematic approach to their implementation. In terms of implementing language practices in Colombian contexts, Yamith Fandiño argues for the need for the English language teaching community in Colombia to move far beyond the existing paradigm of 21st century skills and to promote the development of language programs that are designed to develop these skills in an integrated fashion. Another localized but increasingly relevant area of research on use of English in university settings is presented by Ricardo Nausa, who reviews the relevant literature on the use of lexical bundles in academic presentations by non-native speakers of English. The international connection of this issue completes its circle as GIST is particularly honored this year to feature an article No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) 10 by Stephen Krashen, renowned linguist, researcher and scholar. His article explores the role of the monitor under conditions of direct pronunciation instruction. Continuing the thread, our seventh number closes with a review of a publication on teaching pronunciation for language teachers in training. It is GIST’s hope and conviction, in keeping with the institution’s mission, to continue aiding and mentoring novice researchers and first- time authors from within our own community. We would encourage any newcomers who have completed research articles to submit their work to the journal in the hopes that our publication might continue to open new threads of inquiry and usher in a new generation of teacher- scholar-researchers into the discourse community Editor *Josephine Taylor received her BA in English and French from Emory University and her MS in the Teaching of English as Second Language from Georgia State University, both in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been a teacher of English language and linguistics for more than 25 years, as well as administrator, curriculum designer, and external reviewer of language education programs in the U.S. and Colombia. She has also worked extensively in English language publishing, as author, course developer and editor. Josephine is currently the new Editor of GIST Education and Learning Research Journal and Adjunct Professor in the undergraduate and graduate bilingual teaching programs at the Institución Universitaria Colombo Americana, ÚNICA. No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013) No. 7 (Nov. 2013)