Submissions | Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL)

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).
Plagiarism declaration:
I acknowledge in submitting this manuscript to the journal that I have included all relevant citations and references necessary. I further acknowledge that this manuscript presents my own original work, and does not copy, borrow from, or represent other published research in a way that would constitute academic plagiarism. Please see our Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement for clarity.
The submission file is in OpenOffice or Microsoft Word format only. I am submitting a copy of my paper that is prepared for blind peer review. ALL references to me (or my co-authors) have been removed. See instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review.
The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
- There is an abstract of 150 words and at least 4-6 keywords.
- The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font.
- All illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
Note: all images and illustrations MUST also be attached as supplementary files. All images and illustrations must be high-res images, saved in TIFF, JPEG or .eps format only. Where required, images that have not been generated by the author must have the necessary permissions.
I have declared any funding that supported the research included in the manuscript, including project or funding reference numbers if necessary.
Note: this declaration can be included in the acknowledgements, and should not be included in the peer review version if it compromises blind peer review.
I have the necessary ethics approval to conduct and publish the research included in this submission, where relevant. Please ensure that you do have ethics approval if this is required for the kind of research you are writing on.
We note that book reviews will not require ethics approval, nor will review essays or articles that are conceptual or theoretical in nature. Please check this box regardless.

Author Guidelines

COVID-19 and impact on peer review

As a result of the significant disruption that is being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic many researchers have difficulty in meeting the timelines associated with our peer review process during normal times. Timelines for papers can therefore be delayed.

All article submissions must be house styled in accordance with the Journal’s style guide, and must not be under consideration at any other journal. If any part of the paper has been published elsewhere, contributors are responsible for securing the necessary permissions required. All submissions are screened by the editorial panel, and if accepted for further consideration, are subject to a blind peer review process managed by an associate editor. All contributors must be prepared to wait for between 12 and 16 weeks for a final decision on their submission if it is peer reviewed.

Article submissions must be original research, and must be between 6000 and 8000 words excluding references and endnotes. This self-assessment guide will be useful to consult in preparing your manuscript for submission.

Book reviews must be between 800 and 1000 words, and can include references to additional texts, although these should be kept to a minimum. Book reviews must be critical in nature - by this we mean that they need to summarise, locate and critique the argument of the book in reference to the broader field in which the book is located. We do not publish book reviews that simply offer a precis of the book. Reviewers need to consider the contribution the author makes to current and/or historical research within the relevant field; the accessibility of the book for readers of this journal; and the way in which the book makes and supports its contribution to scholarship.

Review essays should be 2000 - 3000 words in length, and should make use of at least three connected books to make an original argument that extends on our book review criteria. Please look carefully at the aims and scope of the journal before considering or proposing a review essay.

Please see here for the style guide.

We publish one special issue per volume, and we welcome proposals from prospective guest editors for special issues. The guidelines for developing a proposal, information about the expected role of guest editors, and information on timelines and scheduling can be obtained from the Managing Editor, A/Prof Daniela Gachago, cristaljournal@gmail.com. In general, proposals need to take into account a lead time of at least 15-18 months (e.g., if you wish to have the special issue published in September 2020, the proposal must reach the editorial committee by March/April 2019).

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