Author Guidelines

Article Types

Demo Journal publishes the following types of papers:

  • Research Articles report on an empirical research study conducted by the author(s), guided by research question(s) or a hypothesis or hypotheses, using specific methods, which reports on the results of the study, explains the significance of the study for practice, with limitations noted.
  • Overview Papers serve as an introduction to a topic. Its audience is individuals, whether professional or general, who wish to acquire introductory information on the topic treated in the paper. The aim of these papers to educate and/or instruct.
  • Methods Papers demonstrate how to apply a technique. These would be useful as class hand-outs.
  • Fact Sheets provide current information of a factual nature related to a topic. As appropriate, it also interprets and discusses the facts presented. Its primary audience is policymakers, administrators, and other decisionmakers; its secondary audience is other professionals and members of the general public who are interested in factual information on the topic.
  • Issue Papers define and describe a controversial topic. It does not resolve controversies in the literature or practices, but it delineates the various perspectives related to the topic. Its audience is individuals, both professional and general, who wish to become informed about alternative perspectives on educational issues.
  • Practice Applications provide specific, concrete examples of how practitioners can apply research results in practical settings. Its primary audience is educational practitioners, while its secondary audience is other educators interested in the topic.
  • Research Findings which present the current status of research in an area. It summarizes and synthesizes recent findings from relevant research. Its primary audience is those individuals who wish to become informed about research findings, including researchers, graduate students, policymakers, administrators, and teachers.

Regarding appropriateness of submissions to the aims and scope of the journal, the two key considerations are the extent to which the submission and any findings or results reported generalize, and whether the manuscript is likely to impact practice. Thus, Demo Journal does not accept evaluations of local programs without generalization potential or validity studies of test instruments. These decisions are at the discretion of the Co-Editors.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All submissions adhere to the following technical specifications:

  • Length: 2,000 to 8,000 words, or about eight to ten pages in length, exclusive of tables and references.
  • Content: Clear, unique, and generalizable implications for practice in education, certification, or licensure.
  • Format: Submissions must be double-spaced, with 12 point font and 1 inch margins. PDF, Microsoft Word, or RTF are accepted. LaTeX can be submitted for review, but accepted manuscripts must be submitted in PDF and/or Word.
  • Blind Submission: Manuscripts should be submitted without author names. In addition, submitting authors should do their best to keep their identities anonymous by not citing their own work excessively or gratuitously. For example, references to unpublished reports or conference papers should be avoided if possible. Please do not blind a reference to a previous publication by the author("Author, 2012").
  • Style: Articles should be prepared with sections and subheadings in accordance with the APA Publication Manual, and should be written clearly and concisely.
  • Manuscripts must be submitted without the title or abstract in the body of the submission. You will be asked to enter the title and an abstract of 200 words or less on the online submission form.
  • Tables and graphs should appear in the body of the submission, not at the end.
  • Manuscripts should be submitted electronically on the journal website, at Submit Article.

GENERAL FORMATTING GUIDANCE

Manuscripts submitted must adhere to the principles and format outlined in the current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

The APA Publication Manual provides detailed information about the entire process of publication - from organizing, writing, formatting, and submitting a manuscript, to seeing the accepted manuscript through production and publication.

There is additional guidance that authors may find helpful governing the formatting of the submission. See Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for details. Although bepress can provide limited technical support, it is ultimately the responsibility of the author to produce an electronic version of the article as a high-quality PDF (Adobe's Portable Document Format) file, or a Microsoft Word or RTF file that can be converted to a PDF file.

It is understood that the current state of technology of Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) is such that there are no, and can be no, guarantees that documents in PDF will work perfectly with all possible hardware and software configurations that readers may have.

INSTRUCTIONS TO SPECIAL VOLUME ORGANIZERS

The Co-Editors welcome proposals from authors that identify a cluster of 3-5 papers for publication together as a special volume of PARE. Special volumes should be organized around a topic of current interest in assessment and evaluation and should offer a range of perspectives and/or investigate the topic from multiple approaches

The organizer of the special volume should send the Editors a short proposal by email that includes:

  • An abstract (about one page) to introduce the topic. This abstract must also explain the importance of the topic, give reasons for dedicating a special volume of PARE to it, and provide details as to how the proposed special volume will appeal to the broad readership of PARE.
  • A list of manuscripts included in the special volume proposal and authors with affiliations.
  • Abstracts of about half a page in length for each manuscript.
  • A proposed timetable for the final submission of all the materials that are included in the proposal for the special volume.

If the Co-Editors accept the special volume proposal, the authors must upload the full manuscripts into PARE's submission system on the timeline agreed upon.

Each paper submitted as part of a special volume will go through a peer review process and all authors will receive feedback on the submitted manuscripts. Authors must address comments and edits received prior to final acceptance and publication.