Submissions
Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.- The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
- The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format. Please use JECER article template (dowload it to your own computer).
- Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
- The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
- The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
- Manuscript submitted for peer-review is be anonymized carefully. Cf. Instructions for writers.
- The submission should contain three documents: A) the anonymized manuscript (without any author information) and B) title page containing detailed author information, and C) a cover letter containing author information along with any other identifying information removed from the manuscript.
- Submissions intended for non-peer reviewed articles should contain A) Article manuscript (with author information), B) title page, and C) cover letter.
Peer-reviewed articles
All manuscripts submitted for JECER must be original. Please note that articles or significant parts of them are unpublished, and you may not submit manuscripts to other journals.
The length of the articles written in English should normally be a maximum of 8000 words, excluding references. The abstract at the start of each article should not exceed 200 words. The article should be prepared in accordance with the journal’s general guidelines. Reference style and the reference list follow APA format (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition, http://www.apastyle.org/). The size of the article file will be limited to a maximum of 8 MB, which should be considered when using photographs or graphics.
The submission file should contain three documents: A) the anonymized manuscript laid out in the JECER article template, B) title page, and C) a cover letter containing detailed author information along with any other identifying information removed from the manuscript. A cover letter can be a separate file. An anonymized manuscript does not contain any direct citations to the authors. In addition, the manuscript should be carefully checked so that it excludes all references to universities, institutions, or research projects that might reveal the authors’ identity. Careful anonymization allows for an independent and just peer review for the paper.
Editors evaluate each submitted manuscript in terms of its scientific quality, and they decide on whether to send the manuscript for peer review. Two independent reviewers will assess the submitted article based on its scientific merits and readability.
After receiving the reviewers’ evaluation, authors will make the required amendments to the manuscript and send the revised copy to JECER editors within two months. Authors’ amendments and changes are indicated in a different color in the manuscript text. In addition to the revised manuscript, authors will prepare a separate response letter including a detailed description and justification of their changes. The editors of JECER will decide whether to accept the revised manuscript; they will either send it for another round of reviews or reject it.
The evaluation process ends either when the accepted manuscript is published or in cases where the authors have not sent the revised manuscript to JECER within three months after receiving the reviewers’ evaluation. After this, the manuscript will be considered as a new submission.
Non-peer reviewed writings
We also publish scientific writings, which can be theoretical or meta-theoretical in nature or can discuss research methodology. The writings can also be reviews, critical commentaries, or position statements, e.g., with regard to previously published scientific articles or research. In addition, the journal welcomes examinations related to societal issues or educational policy in ECE, along with discussions and book reviews. The main objective of these writings is to advance scientific discussion on current thematic, conceptual, and methodological issues and questions in ECE and early childhood education science, as well as on emerging and potential future themes. The maximum length of these writings should be 5000 words. The submitted manuscript will not undergo peer review; the evaluation and editing of the manuscript is completed by the editors of JECER. There is no need to anonymize these writings. The scientific writings should follow JECER’s general instructions for writers, and the submission files should contain two documents: A) the manuscript should be laid out in the JECER template, and B) title page. Reference style and the reference list follow APA format (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition, http://www.apastyle.org/).
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