Electronic Submission
All manuscripts must be submitted electronically using the following link: http://innovations.theaste.org/submit/
Title of the Manuscript
The title of the manuscript should be 15 words or less.
Key Words
Please provide up to 10 keywords (3 required) that describe the focus of the manuscript being submitted to the Innovations in Science Teacher Education journal. Each keyword should be separated by a semicolon.
Abstract
The abstract should be 250 words or less.
Manuscript Guidelines
Submitted manuscripts to the Innovations in Science Teacher Education journal must be completely blinded. Manuscripts must not have author names, institution names, acknowledgements, or any running headers that might identify the author or institution. Manuscripts that are not completely blinded will be returned to the submitting author and not reviewed.
The manuscript (including tables, figures, references, and supplemental files) must adhere to format guidelines presented in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition. The manuscript must be double-spaced with one-inch margins, New Times Roman, 12-point font, on standard 8.5 x 11” paper.
Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts (excluding abstract, tables, figures, references, and supplemental files) no longer than 15 pages.
Articles should include:
- a grade-level reference (e.g., elementary, middle, secondary) and address practical and timely ideas and strategies that will inform readers in their work with pre-service or in-service science teachers;
- examples of instructor and pre-service or in-service teacher interactions that demonstrate that your manuscript is an authentic, classroom-tested activity (e.g., these examples might include student work, quotes from students and instructors, evaluation data, or other “snapshots” of the learning experiences);
- suggestions for managing the activity that include examples of what may have gone wrong, unexpected results, and unforeseen challenges;
- all aspects of the learning experience from pre-assessment through summative assessment;
- safety precautions, if relevant;
- support for claims made in the manuscript, including research citations and evidence from implementation.
Questions that author(s) should consider:
- Is there anything in the activity or program that can go wrong? If so, what should instructors/facilitators do to avoid these potential problems?
- What are the different things that instructors/facilitators should do to ensure that this activity or program is as successful as possible?
- Are there specific things that instructors/facilitators should not do when implementing the activity or program? Why?
- What are the different things that the instructor/facilitators should do/say during the different parts of the activity or program?
- Would this activity or program need to be modified or adapted at other institutions? If so, how?
- Has the activity or program evolved over time? Why?
Supplemental Files and Multimedia
Supplemental files must be in a format that can be read by reviewers, such as MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or PDF. All photos (highest quality preferred) must be saved and uploaded as a “.gif”, or “.jpeg” file. All supplemental files, photos, and graphics must be submitted as separate files, and must be clearly labeled and referenced within the body of the manuscript. Authors should provide captions for all submitted photos and graphics. Authors may choose to embed a video link or audio link for a URL to an online site such as YouTube or Vimeo within the body of the manuscript.
We do not publish articles that:
- have been previously published in either print or digital format (e.g., websites, blogs, e-books, etc.);
- focus on research without providing the practical details necessary for the application of your ideas;
- contain material that is not original or does not provide a unique approach to a classic activity that provides teachers with a new teaching approach;
- are strictly opinions, personal experiences, travelogues, personal reflections, or diary-type submissions;
- are term papers, dissertations, university writing assignments, unsupported lesson plans, lists of ideas, or materials reviews;
- solely promote a commercial product such as materials, books, software, or professional services;
- do not apply to work with pre-service or in-service science teachers.
Blinding an Online Manuscript Submission
Grant-funded Programs
The manuscript should not include references to grant-funding sources. Additionally, the manuscript should not include the title (or acronym) of a grant-funded program or the grant number.
Institutional Names
The manuscript should not include the institutional name of the author(s).
Title Page, Running Headers, Footnotes, Figures and Tables
The manuscript should not include any title page, running headers, footnotes, figures, or tables that contain author identifying information.
Acknowledgements
The manuscript should not include any acknowledgements. Acknowledgements can be added to the manuscript after it is formally accepted for publication in the journal.
Self-Citations
If you refer to your work, or the work of your co-authors within the text of the manuscript, please replace all author identifying information with: (Author citation, Year). For entry of your work in a references list, all bibliographic information (e.g. title, journal name, proceedings, volume, pages, location, publishers, etc.) must be omitted and replaced with only the words “Author Citation” followed by the date of the publication. Please note that the author citation in the references list should be in alphabetical order under author, and not where the first author’s last name would appear alphabetically. Here are some examples:
Citation in Text: (Author citation, 2016)
Citation in References List: Author citation. 2016.
Revisions with Tracked Changes
If you are submitting a manuscript revision with tracked changes online, please be sure to completely blind your edits and comments. The following link from Microsoft provides step-by-step directions for blinding your Word document using the track changes feature: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Change-the-author-name-for-review-comments-cdd4b8ac-fbca-438d-a5b5-a99fb1c750e3
Removing Hidden Data and Personal Information by Inspecting Documents
Because hidden information can reveal author or reviewer identifying information, please be sure to completely remove all hidden data and personal information in your Word documents before you submit your manuscript online by using the following steps:
How to remove hidden identifying information on a Mac (on Word 2016, at least):
To remove personal info in Mac Word go to Tools> Protect Document or click the Protect Document button on the Review tab of the Ribbon, then check the “Remove personal information from this file on save” box at the bottom of the dialog window. [In prior Mac versions this was located in the Privacy & Security Preferences.]
Word 2007
Click the Microsoft Office Button. Point to Prepare, and then click “Inspect Document.” Make sure that “Document Properties and Personal Information” is checked. Click the “Inspect” button. Click the “Remove All” button. Close. Save the document.
Word 2010
File/Info/Check for Issues/Inspect Document. Click the “Inspect Document” button. To the right of “Document Properties and Personal Information” click the “Remove All” button. Close. Save the document.
Word 2013/2016
File/Info/Inspect Document. Click the “Inspect Document” button. Make sure that “Document Properties and Personal Information” is checked. Click the “Inspect” button. Click the “Remove All” button to the right of “Document Properties and Personal Information.” Close. Save the document.
Additionally, the following support document from Microsoft helps to ensure author and reviewer anonymity when submitting a new or revised online manuscript by describing how the “Document Inspector” feature in Word can help you find and remove hidden data and personal information in your document: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Remove-hidden-data-and-personal-information-by-inspecting-documents-356b7b5d-77af-44fe-a07f-9aa4d085966f#__toc312143397