Freely Accessible L2 Research

Unfortunately, access to good L2 research isn't easy. Many, if not most, of the top L2 research journals are behind steep paywalls. Books range from somewhat reasonable (say, $30 for a paperback) to astronomically expensive (hardback encyclopedias costing several hundred dollars). Researchers typically rely on their university libraries to pay for access to these materials, and occasionally pay out of pocket for maybe a few books a year that they'd like to keep on their bookshelf. For practicing teachers, independent researchers, and researchers working in contexts with limited resources, these costs are too much to bear. However, there are a number of good sources of freely-accessible L2 research.

This post, a continual work in progress, is my compilation of what I think are really good, free L2 research. If you have any suggestions for additions, I'd love to hear from you (though I ultimately reserve the right to curate for quality!).

Journals

•  Language Learning & Technology (http://llt.msu.edu/)
• Reading in a Foreign Language (http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/)
• TESL-EJ (http://tesl-ej.org/wordpress/)
• Vocabulary Learning and Instruction (http://vli-journal.org/wp/)
• Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (http://www.ncolctl.org/jncolctl/jncolctl-editions) 
• L2 Journal (https://escholarship.org/uc/uccllt_l2) 
• Language Research (http://s-space.snu.ac.kr/handle/10371/84326)

White Papers/Research Reports

• ETS Research Reports (https://www.ets.org/research/policy_research_reports/ets) - ETS is the publisher of the TOEFL, TOEFL Junior, and TOEIC exams. Their research reports contain a lot of interesting research on L2 English testing and relevant applied linguistic studies.
• IELTS Research Reports (https://www.ielts.org/en-us/teaching-and-research/research-reports) - The IELTS is a major international L2 English exam, and like ETS, the publisher carries out and disseminates relevant research, much of it openly accessible.
• CaMLA Working Papers (http://cambridgemichigan.org/about-us/research/working-papers/) - Another English language testing organization with a great set of research papers. Although the title uses the term "working papers" (see below), these CaMLA publications are reports on fully-developed projects.

Working Papers
Working papers are like journals, but the overall caliber of work is a bit lower. These are often initial research ideas or preliminary reports by graduate students and sometimes faculty. So although that should be kept in mind when reading, working papers can still provide interesting ideas, reliable reports of research, and adequate topical syntheses.

• MSU Working Papers in SLS (http://sls.msu.edu/soslap/journal/index.php/sls) - From the Second Language Studies program at Michigan State University. I've heard good things about these guys...
• SLS Papers (http://www.hawaii.edu/sls/research/publications/sls-papers/) - From the great folks at the University of Hawai'i's Second Language Studies program
• Working Papers in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (https://tesolal.columbia.edu/) - From the fine, fine folks at Teacher's College, Columbia University
• Arizona Working Papers in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/AZSLAT) - From the fantastic folks at the University of Arizona