Guidelines for Writers

Educational Leadership, ASCD's flagship journal, is intended for everyone interested in preK–12 education issues, including curriculum, instruction, supervision, and leadership. Each issue contains articles written by educators for educators. We particularly look for articles that inspire improved teaching and learning.

Educational Leadership is known for its theme issues. The more appropriate an article is for a theme issue, the more likely we will be able to publish it. We also accept articles on non-theme-related topics if the subject is compelling and timely.

The EL editorial staff makes all decisions regarding publication. ASCD reserves the right to reject material, whether solicited or otherwise, if it lacks quality or timeliness. ASCD offers no remuneration for articles.

What We Look For

The best way to determine what kinds of articles we publish is to read the magazine.

Most published articles are between 1,500 and 2,500 words, are written in a conversational style, and cover topics that are useful for K–12 educators. These are some of the qualities we look for

• Articles describing research-based solutions to current problems in education.

• Reasoned debate on controversial subjects.

• Opinion pieces that interweave experiences and ideas.

• Program descriptions (school, district, or state).

• Practical examples that illustrate key points.

• An emphasis on explaining and interpreting research results rather than on methodology.

• International contributions.

We are not looking for term papers or reviews of literature, and we rarely publish conventional research reports. We cannot review drafts and usually do not find query letters helpful; we prefer to read the manuscript. While your article is under review with us, we ask that you not submit it to another publication or post it on a Web site, even your own.

How to Prepare Your Manuscript

• Double-space all copy and leave generous margins.

• Number all pages.

• Indicate the number of words in the manuscript, including references and figures.

• Include your name, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address on the cover sheet.

We use the reference style outlined by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Cite references in the text like this (Jones, 2000) and list them in a bibliography at the end of the article. Please do not use footnotes or endnotes for the references. For other matters of style, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.).

Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy of citations, quotations, figures, and facts.

How to Submit Your Manuscript

If submitting by mail, send two copies of your manuscript. If you are submitting for a specific issue, the manuscript should be postmarked by the deadline date listed for that issue. You can expect to receive a postcard telling you that the manuscript has arrived; a letter from the editor should follow within eight weeks.

If submitting by e-mail, send your manuscript as an attachment to the e-mail message, preferably as a Word document. Please do not paste the text into the e-mail message. Use the subject line "Educational Leadership manuscript submission." You can expect an e-mail response verifying that we received your manuscript.

If you discover a small error after submitting your manuscript, please do not send a correction; we can correct errors in the editing process.

What Happens Next

If your manuscript makes it through our first round of reviews, it enters the pool of manuscripts on hand for a particular theme issue, or for use as a special topic. When we assemble a particular issue, we review all manuscripts that fit that issue's theme, as well as any non-theme-related submissions. We consider many factors, such as the balance of perspectives, locations, grade levels, and topics. Some articles will be selected for the print issue, and others will be online only. You will be notified regarding whether your manuscript is selected for the issue.

If your manuscript is accepted, we will ask for an electronic version. If you are including figures or charts with the article, please save each figure as a separate file and indicate those file names; do not embed the figures in the text.

All manuscript selections are tentative until we go to press. During the editing and layout process, we may have to make last-minute space adjustments and thus, very occasionally, must omit an article we had provisionally accepted. In such cases, we often are able to publish the article online. We will notify you if this happens to your article.

How to Survive the Editing Process

If your manuscript is selected for the issue's table of contents, it will be assigned to a staff editor, who will shepherd it through the editing and layout process. The style requirements of Educational Leadership—as well as space limitations—often dictate heavy editing, and we appreciate your collaboration with the editors in the process.

You will receive an edited version of your manuscript for your review, correction, and approval. At this time you will have a chance to correct errors, answer our queries, and update any information. Please do not retype the manuscript! Just mark your corrections directly on the manuscript and fax it back to us or send a list of corrections by e-mail. If you have insertions, please type or write them out separately and indicate on the manuscript where to insert them.

We will ask you to certify that the article, in whole or in part, has not been previously published, in print or in electronic form, including on the Internet. When you receive the edited version of your manuscript, you will also receive a publishing agreement form, which includes permission for ASCD to use your article online and in other electronic formats. Please sign and return the original form by first-class mail, and by fax, as soon as possible.

About Artwork and Photographs

We appreciate receiving any photographs and artwork related to your manuscript. We consider photos (color or black-and-white), slides, and examples of student work for publication. Digital photos must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Send photographs and artwork only when we request them. Send photos to us by e-mail or overnight mail. We will return artwork and hard-copy photos.

Please include the name of the photographer or the source. When sending hard copies, on the back of each item, tape a small piece of paper with your name and address. (Do not write directly on the back of the photo.) And please add a note to explain photos and artwork, including the name and location of the school, if applicable. This information helps us when we write captions.

Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions to use any photographs or artwork they provide. If we decide to use your photographs for publication, you will be asked to sign and return a photo permissions form giving ASCD permission to use the photographs in your article and warranting that all persons in each photograph have given their permission for the photograph to be published.

When Your Article Comes Out

As soon as the issue is off the press—shortly before the first of the month—we'll send your five complimentary copies. We'll also send an author's feedback form to gather your comments about our work. Fill out that form and return it quickly. Then it's time to arrange your autograph party!

ASCD is committed to diversity. We encourage writers from diverse backgrounds to submit articles.