Research in the Teaching of English
RTE is the flagship research journal of NCTE.
Submission Guidelines
Please direct queries and general correspondence to coeditors Gerald Campano, Amy Stornaiuolo, and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas at rte@ncte.org. All manuscripts should be submitted via Editorial Manager (see details below).
Thank you for considering Research in the Teaching of English (RTE), the flagship research journal of the National Council of Teachers of English, as a venue for your work. A refereed, scholarly journal, RTE encourages submissions of previously unpublished empirical articles on topics of significance to those concerned with the teaching and learning of language and literacies, both in and beyond schools and universities.
We invite manuscripts on a wide range of topics related to research on the teaching of English, especially in the following areas:
- Critical perspectives on race/ethnicity, sexuality, class, religion, dis/ability in language, literacy, and literary research and scholarship
- Digital and social media practices and their relation to educational contexts
- Discourse(s) and other semiotic forms (e.g., genre, media, modes of delivery) shaping literacy teaching and learning
- English teacher education, professionalization, and professional development
- Global, political, and economic forces shaping literacy teaching and learning
- Identity, power, and culture in the teaching and learning of English
- Language and literacy policies
- Multilingualism and World Englishes in literacy practices and/or contexts
- Social, ideological, and ethical values embedded in texts, textual practices, and teaching
- Students’ literacy development over time and across contexts
- Teaching and interpretation of literature, media, and culture
- Writing and reading in P-12 and postsecondary school settings
- Writing and reading in family, community, and other settings
RTE recognizes the plurality of approaches to scholarship in literacy studies and English language arts. Our publications span a range of perspectives particular to the diverse situations of literacy learning and their transnational and historical resonances. Along with longstanding considerations of race, gender, class, and colonialism in the teaching of English, the editorial vision encompasses current critical perspectives on ethnicity, sexuality, religion, dis/ability, and research ethics. Committed to issues of equity across the educational life span, RTE examines these and other topics, as consistent with the realities of our increasingly globalized society and with the high standards for which the journal is known. We also invite research from countries and cultures around the world where the teaching and learning of English(es) happen alongside, oftentimes in tension with, the teaching and learning of other languages.
General Submission Guidelines
All submissions to RTE should conform to the requirements of the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Manual) and be consistent with NCTE’s Statement on Gender and Language.
We prefer that submissions be written in a way accessible to diverse readers, including those who are not experts on the topic of the paper. Research based on highly focused contexts or questions should be framed to appeal broadly to a wide variety of audiences. Work in RTE tends to reach audiences across several research communities or topical areas.
Because RTE reports substantive findings and models research in the field, articles submitted for publication must meet high research standards. In addition to traditional genres of reporting empirical research, we welcome narrative and other genres of research reporting, as appropriate to inquiry traditions within which authors are working.We recommend authors consult the following paper by former RTE editor Peter Smagorinsky:
Smagorinsky, P. (2008). The method section as conceptual epicenter in constructing social science research reports. Written Communication, 25(3), 389-411.
Submission Instructions
- We currently accept manuscripts that present original empirical research. When submitting the manuscript, please confirm that 1) the manuscript is your own original work and does not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published scholarship; and 2) that the manuscript has been submitted only to RTE and is not under consideration or peer review or accepted for publication or published elsewhere.
- Articles should be no more than 10,000 words (including references, notes, and tables). Please include the word count at the end of your submitted manuscripts in parentheses.
- Include an abstract no longer than 200 words and 4-5 keywords (not included in word count).
- All manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review. Make sure your manuscript is blinded, with no author identifying information included. If you refer to your own work in self-referential ways (e.g., “in my previous study”), please replace references with “Author” and the publication date.
- Manuscripts should be formatted in accordance with APA (6th edition); however, please include tables and figures in the text itself for ease of reading, and do not include a title page or DOIs in the reference list. Please double space the submission and format it in 12-pt font.
- Submit a manuscript through the Editorial Manager system. First-time users will be asked to register. If a paper has more than a single author, the person submitting the manuscript needs to identify as corresponding author and to add other authors. We do not accept manuscripts submitted by email.
- All persons who have a reasonable claim to authorship must be named in the manuscript as coauthors; the corresponding author must be authorized by all coauthors to act as an agent on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript, and the order of names should be agreed by all authors.
- To respect reviewers’ time, RTE restricts submissions to one per author at any given time. We will return multiple, simultaneous submissions without review.
- Read the “Ten Tips for First-Time RTE Authors.”
If you have questions about the submission process or general queries, please contact current editors Gerald Campano, Amy Stornaiuolo, and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas at rte@ncte.org.
Both established and early-career researchers will review manuscripts sent out for review. When evaluating manuscripts for publication in RTE, reviewers consider the following categories and questions:
- Significance to the Field. Does the manuscript identify a problem and is it a significant one for the field of English education and literacy research? Is the problem identified, or the approach to the problem that is taken, original? Do the findings or conclusions deliver new insights in relation to that problem?
- Methodological Soundness. Does the manuscript clearly describe and employ a methodology consistent with the theoretical orientation that informs the investigation and the goals of the paper?
- Analysis & Interpretation. Are the claims insightful and clearly grounded in the analysis of the evidence?
- Quality of Scholarship. To what extent does the article demonstrate strong scholarly grounding? How well is the theory that grounds the article extended or reconceived as a consequence of the analysis?
- Quality of Writing. To what extent is the writing clear, fluent, and engaging?
Agreements and Permissions
Manuscripts submitted to RTE should not have been previously published nor should they include 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.
Authors must secure permission to reprint tables or figures used in or adapted from another source. Written permission from the copyright holder is required before RTE can publish the material. RTE editors reserve the right to make editorial changes in any manuscript accepted for publication to enhance clarity, conciseness, or style. Authors of accepted manuscripts will generally have five to ten days to respond to copy edits and page proofs. The editors’ decisions are final.