Message from the Editor
Dear friends and colleagues,:HOFRPHWRWKHÀUVWLVVXHRI OnCUE Journal for 2012. I expect that thenew cover design may have taken some of you by surprise, even though it has
been announced in recent weeks. Gone is the familiar squiggly-tailed red Q
logo, too, replaced by a more contemporary one. The overall cover is meant topresent a more professional image than the previous design that had all sans
VHULI IRQWW\SHZKLOHVLPXOWDQHRXVO\DGGLQJDELWRI ÁDLUDQG,KRSH\RXIHHOwe have accomplished just that. The end product is the result of input frommany people and countless hours of scrutinizing to be most appropriate andDWWUDFWLYHIRUWKH&8(6,*:KHQ2&-ÀUVWEHJDQZLWKWKHSUHYLRXVGHVLJQLQ
2007, a close eye could see minor changes in the cover sometimes from issue
to issue. We might tweak things a bit with the latest design, but not as muchas that, I hope! I would like to give special thanks to CUE coordinator Juanita
Heigham for her creativity, drive, and patience in helping to put this together.
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Issue 6.1 kicks off with an intriguing article on mindsets by Stephen Ryanand Sarah Mercer, taking us from Japan to Austria in their investigations ofhow students think. The Research Digest cupboard is bare this time around,
but we are hoping to rectify that in issue 6.3 at the end of the year. Meanwhile,
our own Keith Ford has contributed with a well-researched article in theOpinion and Perspective section, calling for a brand of more qualitative
research reports. I am happy to be able to present not one but two articles inRXU QHZO\ UHQDPHG #&8( VHFWLRQ SHUKDSV UHÁHFWLQJ VHFWLRQ HGLWRU 7HUU\Fellner’s effort to attract authors with his descriptions in issue 5.1. In @CUE,
Graham Taylor provides us with a critique of Powerpoint and tips on how toXVHLWDQG*DU\:ROII ÀOOVRXUSODWHVZLWKGHVFULSWLRQRI L3DGDSSOLFDWLRQV
that he feels we can’t live without. Don’t let the date of the conference review
deter you from reading a succinct description about KOTESOL by Douglas1

From the EditorMeyer. His article only enforces OCJ’s desire to bring news to its readers about
any and all conferences that are worth attending, not just those in Japan orsponsored by JALT entities. I think you will enjoy Tim Murphey’s review ofDrive, a book on self-motivation that paints a unique picture of how we should
perceive ourselves and the reasons we do things we do.
In the previous issue, we commissioned a call for papers for @CUE withan up-to-date description of that section. Issue 6.1 follows suit by offering
readers similar pieces by Paul Moritoshi (Professional Development) andKeith Ford (Opinion and Perspective). Most people probably don’t look at theback inside cover to see what OCJ wants in its sections, so with these blurbs,
we are reaching out directly to you and explaining what we want. PD has been
underutilized in the history of OCJ, and with job security not as strong as
we would like it, I would hope that more people would write in to describe
how we can all help ourselves to attain better and more stable careers. Of thedetails that Keith has written about submitting to OP, you will see something
I am personally very excited about (interviews in OCJ). We would like to offer
more than just articles and reviews, and Keith’s description of entertaining
proposals for readers to interview people in EFL should result in a real shine
to the journal to accompany its new cover.
This issue marks the last time we will see Dexter Da Silva at the helm of
the book reviews section. His contributions to that part of OCJ and more
have been invaluable. Of course, he will still be with us as one of the CUE
coordinators. Taking the reins as section editor will be Ellen Head from Kansai
Gaidai University. Her experience as the editor of the Learner Development
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and attract more book review offerings.
You will see a few new names on the list of proofreaders and reviewers.
They are a welcome addition to the OCJ family, and I hope we can bringmore on board. Another new face is our layout manager Gavin Brooks, whosucceeds Mike Hood’s excellent and tireless efforts in getting the digitizedwords into print. Welcome, Gavin, and many thanks to you, Mike, as always. I2

OnCUE Journal, 6(1), pages 1-3

do not want to leave out Germain Mesureur. While he is not on staff with thejournal directly, he and Gavin are CUE’s newest co-webmasters, taking overfrom Matthew Apple who served a long time and whose contributions areimmeasurable. Germain and Gavin have revamped the CUE web site, including
the OCJ page, and for that immense job I just want to extend gratitude as chief
editor for a job well done.
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Format for abstracts is one of them. Keeping track of dates that articles arereceived and accepted is another. A more noticeable change is the move toa serif font (Garamond), which was felt would give the journal a better (yes,academic) look and which might be easier on the eyes.
But enough of this preface. If you read it all the way through, you’ve done
more than I imagined. Now get to the real writing, from our authors.

Sincerely,
Glen Hill
Chief Editor, OnCUE Journal3