English Education

The journal of English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE)

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English Education

English Education Submission Guidelines

English Education (published October, January, April, July) is the journal of the English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE), formerly the Conference on English Education (CEE), a constituent organization of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). ELATE serves those NCTE members who are engaged in the preparation, support, and continuing education of teachers of English language arts/literacy at all levels of instruction.

PLEASE NOTE: Work continues, but given current events, please understand that typical timelines for the journal are likely to be disrupted.

English Education publishes three types of articles: (1) research articles, (2) book reviews, and (3) reflective essays. Please direct inquiries about submissions to the editor, Melanie Shoffner, at EnglishEd@ncte.org.

Research Articles
These pieces are empirical or theoretical manuscripts that examine, illuminate, and expand our understandings of English language arts teacher education.

Historically, the focus of the journal has been on the education and development of secondary teachers of ELA. While this remains the principal focus, manuscripts may address a wide range of topics spanning all levels of instruction that address the connections and intersections of ELA, literacy, and teacher education.

Manuscripts that address related disciplines are also welcome as long as their relevance to ELA teacher education is clear.

Book Reviews

Book reviews are brief examinations of recently published works relevant to ELA teacher education.

Reviews should include a summary of the book, notable strengths and limitations of the books, and implications for the discipline and the practice of ELA teacher education.

NOTE: Book reviews will be published only as open-access works on the English Education website.

(Re)Active Praxis

These types of manuscripts are reflective essays that examine our pedagogical efforts to engage in ELA teacher education—through coursework, with students and teachers, in personal and public spaces.

Bearing in mind Dewey’s admonition from his 1933 book How We Think that “the person who really thinks learns quite as much from [their] failures as from [their] successes,” these solidly supported essays focus on how we maintain, enact, and advocate for our praxis as ELA teacher educators.

Manuscript Submission Guidelines

All manuscripts should be submitted via Editorial Manager, a web-based manuscript submission and review system. First-time users will need to register with the system. If a manuscript has more than one author, the person submitting the manuscript should identify as the corresponding author and add additional authors. Once logged in to the system, follow the instructions to upload the manuscript and designate which type you are submitting: Research, (Re)Active Praxis, or Book Review.

Submitted manuscripts should be double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12 pt. font (or equivalent) with 1” margins. For all manuscripts, authors should follow the APA 7th Edition style guide and use language consistent with the NCTE Statement on Gender and Language.

To ensure impartial review, information that identifies the author should not appear in submitted manuscripts. All in-text references to the author should be formatted as (Author, year). In the reference section, the work should be placed alphabetically by the name Author and follow the same formatting of (Author, year).

Research Articles
Manuscripts submitted for review should be no more than 6,000 words, exclusive of references. For initial submission, manuscripts should include tables and figures in the text, rather than appended at the end. If required, use endnotes rather than footnotes.

(Re)Active Praxis
Manuscripts submitted for review should be no more than 2,000 words, exclusive of references. Although written in first person, manuscripts should blind identifying author information.

Book Reviews
Manuscripts submitted for review should be no more than 600 words, exclusive of references. NOTE: Please contact the editor if you are interested in writing a book review prior to making a submission.

Manuscripts submitted to English Education should not have been previously published or included in previously published material. Manuscripts should not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All reported data that involve human participants should be collected and analyzed under appropriate ethical standards.

Review Process

Manuscripts that are sent out for external review will typically be reviewed by three scholars with expertise in the field. The editor will normally reach a decision about a manuscript within three months of submission.

When evaluating research manuscripts for publication, EE reviewers consider the following dimensions:

  • significance and relevance to ELA teacher education
  • clarity of theoretical/conceptual framework
  • connections to relevant research/scholarship
  • adequacy of methods (if manuscript is an empirical study)
    • appropriateness of questions
    • description of data collection and analysis
    • rigor of method
  • support for findings/conclusions (whether literature- or data-based)
  • overall advancement and contribution to the field
  • originality and interest of the argument
  • writing style/composition/clarity

When evaluating (Re)Active Praxis manuscripts for publication, EE reviewers consider the following dimensions:

  • focus on pedagogical activities and actions in ELA teacher education
  • reflective consideration
  • support for conclusions (whether literature- or data-based)
  • originality and interest of the conclusions
  • writing style/composition/clarity

When evaluating book reviews for publication, EE reviewers consider the following dimensions:

  • inclusion of the required components
    • summary
    • strengths and limitations
    • implications for discipline and practice of ELA teacher education
  • writing style/composition/clarity

Agreements and Permissions

Authors must submit an NCTE Consent to Publish form prior to publication in English Education. Written permission from the copyright holder is required before English Education can publish copyrighted material. Authors are responsible for securing permissions to reprint tables, figures, and/or images used in or adapted from other sources. Use of student work (e.g., writing, artwork) will also require written permission from the student. If student work is collected as part of an approved study, the following may be submitted in lieu of student permissions: a copy of IRB approval, a blank copy of participants’ consent form, and a brief statement attesting that all participants have signed the given consent form.

The editor reserves the right to make editorial changes in any manuscript accepted for publication to enhance clarity, conciseness, and/or style. Authors of accepted manuscripts will generally have five to ten days to respond to copy edits and page proofs. The editor’s decisions are final.