The Journal of Special Education (JSE) is a multidisciplinary publication presenting primary research and scholarly reviews related to special education. Guidelines specified herein were prepared for the convenience of authors and supersede those previously announced in JSE. Information concerning types of articles appropriate for submission to JSE, acceptance criteria used to select manuscripts for publication, and details concerning manuscript preparation, submission, and other aspects of the publication process follows. JSE is published quarterly.
Types of Articles
Scholarly reviews and reports of research are appropriate for submission to JSE.
Reports of empirical research are descriptions of research studies that include students with disabilities or remedial education students, their teachers and other service providers, and/or parents. These studies must have clear and important implications for special education research and practice. JSE considers research representing diverse methodologies, including group design, single-subject research, and ethnographic studies. The major criteria for publication are quality of design, implementation, and writing, as well as importance to the field. Reports of emperical research typically are 15 to 25 typewritten, double-spaced pages, including references, and are accompanied by a 75- to 150-word abstract. Tables and figures should be used judiciously. Camera-ready figures must be provided; they may be prepared after the manuscript is accepted for publication.
Scholarly reviews are integrations of research bases that are important to the practice of special or remedial education. These reviews can be qualitative integrations, quantitative syntheses, or combinations of these methodologies. Such reviews are usually 20 to 30 typewritten, double-spaced pages, including references, and are accompanied by a 75- to 150-word abstract.
Acceptance Criteria
In selecting articles for publication, manuscripts initially are assigned to one coeditor and screened for (a) appropriateness of content for JSE (see description above), (b) adherence to guidelines specified in the APA Publication Manual, (c) readability of text, and (d) explicit statement of implications for the practice of special education. When these criteria are met, the manuscript is reviewed by two or three evaluators who have documented expertise in the content area addressed and/or in the methodology employed in the article. When reviews are returned, the coeditor assigned to the article considers reviewers’ comments, independently evaluates the manuscript, and makes an editorial decision to reject, request a revision with the stipulation of further peer review, request a revision subject to review by the coeditor, or accept as is. Authors receive copies of reviewers’ comments that preserve reviewers’ anonymity. Reviewers are informed of the final disposition of the article and receive all reviewers’ comments, which maintain the authors’ and reviewers' anonymity.
Manuscript Preparation
JSE prefers to receive all manuscript submissions electronically.
Please note: This journal does not accept Microsoft Word 2007 (for Vista operating system) documents at this time. Please use Word’s “Save As” option to save your document as an older (.doc) file type.
Guidelines specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA; 6th edition, 2010) should be followed. Pay particular attention to the sections concerning guidelines for nonsexist language, avoiding ethnic bias, and disabilities. JSE will not be following the rule of two spaces between sentences.
General
1. Because this journal uses blind peer review, make sure that the files you load during submission DO NOT CONTAIN ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, such as author names, acknowledgments, or bios. You will provide this information later if your manuscript is accepted for publication. Make sure your file names do not include an author name.
2. Articles should be double spaced, using left alignment, a nonproportional font, and 12-pt. type. Include the title of the paper, an abstract of no more than 150 words, and 4 to 5 keywords.
3. Set all margins to 1 inch.
4. Format for 8½ in. x 11 in. paper. Do not format for A4 paper.
5. Please type all copy upper and lower case—do not use all capitals or small capitals.
6. Place figures and tables in separate files. Tables need not be double spaced, but please use Word's table functions. Indicate the location of tables and figures in text in boldface, enclosed in angle brackets, on a separate line.
Example: <Fig. 1 here>
7. Please use your tab key and centering functions to do head alignment, paragraph indents, etc. DO NOT USE THE SPACE BAR.
8. Use endnotes as sparingly as possible. Number them with Arabic numerals starting with 1 and continuing through the article; for example: “(see Note 1).” Do not use footnotes.
Artwork
Figures must be provided as production-ready. Do not use rules or tick marks smaller than 1 point in size. Acceptable electronic formats for figures or other art are: TIFF, EPS, Word, or Excel. If you have trouble loading Excel files, copy and paste them into a Word document. Scans must be at least 300 dpi (also sometimes called lpi). Scans done at lower resolutions will have a very poor print quality even if they look crisp and clear on a laser printout.
Permissions
Obtaining written permissions for material such as figures, tables, art, and extensive quotes taken directly—or adapted in minor ways—from another source is the author’s responsibility, as is payment of any fees the copyright holder may require. Because permissions often take a considerable amount of time to be granted, authors should start the request process as soon as possible. Authors should never assume that material taken from software or downloaded from the Internet may be used without obtaining permission. Each source must be investigated on a case-by-case basis. Authors can download the Sage Permissions Request form at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jse. The form has been written to cover all necessary provisions; however, copyright holders may require use of their own form. In these cases, the author should read any forms carefully to make sure that the language is broad enough to allow publication in all formats, worldwide, as well as in both electronic and print versions. Failure to obtain permission will result in either removal of the particular item or the article being pulled from the journal issue.
Manuscript Submission
Manuscripts should be submitted online through ScholarOne Manuscripts.
Starting the Submissions Process
1. Launch your Web browser (Internet Explorer 5 or higher, Netscape 6 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox) and go to the journal's ScholarOne Manuscripts homepage (https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jse).
2. Log in or click the “Create Account” option if you are a first-time user of ScholarOne Manuscripts.
3. If you are creating a new account:
- After clicking on “Create Account” enter your name and e-mail information and click “Next.” Your e-mail information is very important. Continue entering information as prompted.
- Enter a user ID and password of your choice (we recommend using your e-mail address as your user ID) and then select your areas of expertise. Click “Finish” when done.
4. Log in and select “Author Center.”
Submitting Your Manuscript
Make sure you have the following items and information available: your original manuscript files; keywords for the manuscript subject matter; all coauthors’ full names, addresses (city/state), and e-mail addresses; # of figures, # of tables, # of manuscript pages; if the manuscript is for a special issue; if you submitted manuscript previously, and if so, ID number assigned by the journal editorial office.
5. After you have logged in, go to the Author Center and click the “Submit a Manuscript” link.
6. Enter data as prompted, clicking the “Next” button to save your work and advance.
7. You will be prompted to upload your files:
- Click on the “Browse” button and locate the file on your computer.
- Select the description of the file in the drop down next to the Browse button.
- When you have selected all files you wish to upload, click the “Upload” button.
8. Review your submission (in both PDF and HTML formats) before sending. Click the “Submit” button when you are done reviewing.
Copyright
After your article has been accepted for publication, please go to the journal’s ScholarOne Manuscripts website to obtain the Transfer of Copyright form. Please download, fill this out, and send it to the JSE editorial office: Fax: 704/687-2916 (ATTN: Dr. Ya-yu Lo); e-mail: ylo1@uncc.edu
Ordering Reprints
Information regarding reprints will be sent with the complimentary printed copy of the journal issue in which your article appears.
Journal Contact Information
Editors in Chief
Dr. Fred Spooner
Special Education & Child Development
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
fhspoone@uncc.edu
Dr. Bob Algozzine
Educational Leadership
COED/EDLD/BRIC
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC 28223
rfalgozz@uncc.edu
Managing Editor
Dr. Ya-yu Lo
Special Education & Child Development
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
ylo1@uncc.edyu
FAX: 704-687-2916
Authors who want to refine the use of English in their manuscripts might consider utilizing the services of SPi, a non-affiliated company that specializes in editing and correcting English-language manuscripts written by authors with a primary language other than English. Visit http://www.prof-editing.com for more information. (Please be aware that SAGE has no affiliation with SPi and makes no endorsement of the company. An author’s use of SPi’s services in no way guarantees that his or her submission will ultimately be accepted. Any arrangement an author enters into will be exclusively between the author and SPi, and any costs incurred are the sole responsibility of the author.)
