Author Guidelines

Peer Review

Detailed instructions can be found at Taylor & Francis Online.

Our manuscripts go through a double-blind peer-review process. We require two versions of the manuscript, one with author  and institution information included, and one that has been anonymized. For the anonymous version, do not include names or institutions within the text of your manuscript. Both versions will go into the Author Submission Portal.

File Format Requirement

Submit the main body of your manuscript as a Word document (.doc or .docx). If your manuscript is not submitted as a Word document, it will be returned to you—which will delay the review process.

Figures, Photos, and Graphics

Figures, photos, and other graphics must be uploaded as separate files during the submission process (see Supplemental Materials section). Manuscript Central will convert all of the elements into a PDF for our reviewers. The main body of your manuscript should be approximately 2,000 words. References, captions, and other supplementary text are not included in the word count. 

Word Count & Abstract

• You may go over the 2,000 word count if asked to revise your manuscript
• Your manuscript should be double spaced, use 12-point font and have one-inch margins. Avoid extra formatting of any kind.
• A 200-word abstract should accompany your submission.

Reviewers are notified of a review assignment and provide input to the Science and Children Field Editor through the Author Portal. Reviewers are asked to provide feedback on a set of questions, which you may preview. After the reviews have been received and considered, the Field Editor will take one of the following actions with regards to your manuscript: Accept, Send for Minor Revisions, Send for Major Revisions, Reject with Encouragement to Resubmit, or Reject. You will be sent a detailed letter informing you of the decision. If your manuscript is not rejected, you will have the option of revising it according to the submission directions and reviewers' suggestions contained in the Field Editor's decision letter.

All revised manuscripts are submitted via the Author Portal, and like the original, must include both blinded and unblinded versioins before being submitted. Once we are in receipt of your revision, it will go through another blind peer review. Reviewers will look for your responses to their suggestions and consider if the manuscript has been revised to meet the format and quality of Science and Children. Please note that the review/revision process may go on for a few rounds.

NSTA supports three-dimensional teaching and learning as expressed in the Framework for K–12 Science Education (Framework; NRC 2012). Manuscripts with specific connections to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) are most beneficial to teachers. NSTA recommends that all activity-based lessons/units include a fully completed NGSS chart. See recommendations for NGSS chart inclusion.

• If your state hasn’t yet adopted the NGSS, please visit www.nextgenscience.org to familiarize yourself with the document and see how your manuscript correlates with the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Cross Cutting Concepts.

• When describing activity-based lessons, you are asked to use a chart that describes how those articles are correlated to the elements of the dimensions of the NGSS. Please review the following Appendices:

  • Science and Engineering: APPENDIX F

  • Crosscutting Concepts: APPENDIX G

• Please arrange the NGSS references in a table using the format shown here: sample blank NGSS chart.

• Additionally, we have an annotated NGSS chart with specifics about completing the chart.

• In the chart, the classroom connections box should describe what STUDENTS are doing in the article/lesson that is evidence of this element of the dimension.

• Engineering articles should include a life science, phy sical science, or earth science standard in addition to an engineering standard.

We take classroom safety seriously. Before you submit your article, please review our safety guidelines.

Upload the following as separate files rather than embed them in the text of your manuscript. Authors are responsible for permissions for the use of any graphics or photos and for the accuracy of permissions, citations, quotations, figures, and facts used in their manuscripts.

Photos

Photos of students involved in the work you are describing. Be sure students are participating in a safe manner and have appropriate safety attire. Photos of students should be candid; they should be engaged in the activity, not posing for the camera. If photos of students are used, a signed Model Release Form is required for each identifiable student. Signed forms can be submitted to use after manuscript acceptance. Photos should be high resolution (a minimum of 300 dpi), so please check your camera settings before taking any pictures. You may also include photos of student work (with all identifying information removed), examples of apparatus used, the activity in progress, or images to be used in instruction.

Support Materials

Support materials you use to organize your lesson and support students. These include tables, charts, graphs, record sheets, assessments, rubrics, etc. Supplemental materials may be used in the journal article or we may provide a link to them in our Online Connections. Note that these materials will be evaluated by the reviewers.

Trade Books

Trade books directly related to the Disciplinary Core Idea(s) presented in your manuscript. These must be scientifically accurate and grade level appropriate. Refer to the trade books in the manuscript text and include them in a Resources section at the end of the manuscript.

Author Videos and Other Supplemental Multimedia Files

Author videos and other supplemental multimedia files, which can be posted on our NSTA Connections web page, embedded in the digital edition of the journal, and added to NSTA's YouTube channel. We are interested in audio and video files, slideshows, presentations such as PowerPoint files, Google slides, and other digital resources that enhance your article. You can also provide links to other online resources, such as YouTube videos and educational websites. If you would like to submit a file, please use www.wetransfer.com to upload your file and share it with S&C@nsta.org using the box found on the left of the screen at wetransfer.com (see image at right). Be sure to include your name and the title of your manuscript in the Message box.

Many of our authors find it helpful to ask a colleague to read their manuscript prior to submission. Ask them to consider whether you have shared the complete experience and identified the grade level, assessment techniques, safety considerations, and how it aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards. You might want to share the section "What our reviewers look for" with your colleague. This will help them provide you with valuable input.

Many of our authors find it helpful to ask a colleague to read their manuscript prior to submission. Ask them to consider whether you have shared the complete experience and identified the grade level, assessment techniques, safety considerations, and how it aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards.

You might want to share the section “What our reviewers look for” with your colleague. This will help them provide you with valuable input.

Checklist

Is it your first time submitting?

Detailed instructions can be found at Taylor & Francis Online.

Our manuscripts go through a double-blind peer-review process. We require two versions of the manuscript, one with author  and institution information included, and one that has been anonymized. For the anonymous version, do not include names or institutions within the text of your manuscript. Both versions will go into the Author Submission Portal.

You will be notified when your manuscript has been successfully posted to the Author Portal. A notice will also be sent to the Science and Children Field Editor who will first check your manuscript for compliance with the guidelines in the above sections. If no compliance problems are found, your manuscript will be sent to three selected members of the Science and Children Review Panel whose background and expertise match the content of your manuscript. If there are problems with compliance to guidelines, you will be sent a letter detailing what needs to be done before resubmitting your manuscript under the same identification number it was initially given.

Submit

The process is not over when your manuscript is accepted. You will be asked to clarify and provide additional information as the manuscript is reviewed by our editorial team. You will also be asked to update your material:

• identify the people and institutions you had omitted during the blind review

• complete your biography

• provide model releases, credits, and captions for photos if you have not done so

• submit other support material you may want to include.

Even if your manuscript was for an issue on a particular theme and then accepted, it may not appear in that issue of Science and Children. Space is limited, and the Field Editor may choose to save your article for a future issue in order to balance the grade level and subject matter of the content presented in the current issue. Articles are typically published within three years of acceptance.

Once your article is published, you will receive five complimentary copies of the issue in which it appeared. NSTA will hold copyright to your manuscript, but our Copyright Transfer Agreement gives authors broad rights to reuse their work as long as the original source material is properly cited.