We are delighted to begin our term as editors with a stimulating special-feature article by Anne Burns on action research. While the term ‘action research’ is not new in the wider field of research methodology, it remains a relatively recent phenomenon in the field of language teaching, but one which is increasingly the subject of much debate. Anne Burns takes a critical look at the origins, purpose, scope and impact of action research in the area of English language teaching, and describes both the challenges to its status as a research methodology and the issues which need to be addressed by language teachers if it is to remain a sustainable methodology. In addition to being an authoritative overview of the paradigm, the article provides excellent background for a state-of-the-art article on the development of the language teacher written by Steve Mann, which will appear in the next issue of this journal.