Guidelines for Journal Submissions

Guidelines for Writers

The Quarterly Journal, Illinois ASCD's flagship publication, is intended for everyone interested in preK–12  education issues, including curriculum, instruction, supervision, and leadership. Each issue contains articles written by educators for educators. We particularly look for articles that inspire improved teaching and learning.

 

The Journal is known for its theme issues. The more appropriate an article is for a theme issue, the more likely it is we will be able to publish it. We also accept articles on non-theme-related topics if the subject is compelling and timely.

 

The editorial staff and publications committee makes all decisions regarding publication. Illinois ASCD reserves the right to reject material, whether solicited or otherwise if it lacks quality or timeliness. Illinois ASCD offers no remuneration for articles.

 

What We Look For

The best way to determine what kinds of articles we publish is to read our latest edition. Most published articles are between 1,000 and 1,500 words, are written in a conversational style, and cover topics that are useful for preK–12 educators. These are some of the qualities we look for:

 

  • Articles describing research-based solutions to current problems in education.

  • Reasoned debate on controversial subjects.

  • Opinion pieces that interweave experiences and ideas.

  • Program descriptions (school, district, or state).

  • Practical examples that illustrate key points.

  • An emphasis on explaining and interpreting research results rather than on methodology.

  • International contributions.

We are not looking for term papers or reviews of literature, and we rarely publish conventional research reports. We cannot review drafts and usually do not find query letters helpful; we prefer to read the manuscript. We do not publish articles that have been previously published, in print or electronic form.  While your article is under review with us, we ask that you not submit it to another publication or post it on a website or blog—not even your own.

 

How to Prepare Your Article

  • Double-space all copies and leave generous margins.

  • Number all pages.

  • Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.

  • Include your name, address, phone number, short bio, and e-mail address on the cover sheet. We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references. For other matters of style, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.).

 

*Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.

 

How to Submit Your Article

Send your article as an attachment to an e-mail message, preferably as a Word document. Please do not paste the text into the e-mail message or link to a Google doc. Use the subject line "Illinois ASCD Journal Article submission." You can expect an e-mail response verifying that we received your manuscript within a few days; an-e-mail from the editor should follow once reviewed. If you discover a small error after submitting your manuscript, please do not send a correction; we can correct errors in the editing process.

 

What Happens Next

If your writing makes it through our first round of reviews, it enters the pool of articles on hand for a particular theme issue, or for use as a special topic. When we assemble a particular issue, we review all submissions that fit that issue's theme, as well as any nontheme-related submissions. We consider many factors, such as the balance of perspectives, locations, grade levels, and topics. All articles are tentative until we go to press. During the editing and layout process, we may have to make last-minute space adjustments and thus, very occasionally, must omit an article we had provisionally accepted. In such cases, we often are able to publish the article online. We will notify you if this happens to your article.

 

About Artwork and Photographs

We appreciate receiving any photographs and artwork related to your article.  Digital photos must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Send photographs and artwork only when we request them. Please include the name of the photographer or the source. And please add a note to explain photos and artwork, including the name and location of the school, if applicable. This information helps us when we write captions. Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions to use any photographs or artwork they provide. Please send all photographs and artwork as separate attachments and not within the body of your article.

 

When Your Article Comes Out

As soon as the edition is published, you are free to promote it where ever you like.

 

Illinois ASCD is committed to diversity. We encourage writers from diverse backgrounds to submit articles.

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