Submissions

Founded in 1966, the McGill Journal of Education (MJE) is now an online open access journal that supports thoughtful and critical discussion of issues related to education, broadly conceived to include formal, non-formal, informal, and incidental forms of teaching and learning in a range of social settings. The MJE aims to engage an academic readership, as well as practitioners and the broader public.

Since we anticipate a wide readership, we encourage authors to write for a well-informed, interested, but possibly non-specialist audience. This means providing sufficient background information and defining key terms clearly, albeit briefly, where appropriate. We accept English- and French-language articles in the form of theoretical essays, descriptive research reports, book reviews, and commentaries on current educational issues and policies. Please note that authors may only submit one manuscript at a time.

The journal publishes scholarly submissions that undergo double-anonymous peer review, accepts certain types of editorially reviewed (non–peer reviewed) material (see below), and serves as a medium for interactive forums, discussions, dialogues, and interviews. The MJE also welcomes the inclusion of multimedia, such as podcasts and videos, in both peer-reviewed and editorially reviewed submissions.

ANONYMOUS REVIEW PREPARATION

Articles meeting our criteria for peer-reviewed contributions will be sent for double-anonymous peer review. Authors’ names must not appear anywhere on the manuscript or in its file properties.

ONLINE SUBMISSION PROCESS

All submissions must be sent online on the MJE website (see above). 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. Please note that all submissions require you to register as an author at http://mje.mcgill.ca/user/register and follow the manuscript submission steps. The MJE does not charge any submission fees. If you have any difficulty, please contact us at mje.education@mcgill.ca.

• Peer-reviewed submissions should be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 120 words, which outline: a) a concise statement of the article's purpose; b) a brief explanation of the study's materials and methods; c) a summary of the study's results; and d) conclusions supported by the investigation's results. Please also include 5-7 keywords to enhance the searchability of the article.
• Manuscripts must be prepared according to the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (https://apastyle.apa.org/). Manuscripts that do not meet this requirement will be returned to the author.
• Heading levels must be clearly indicated – FIRST LEVEL: UPPER CASE; Second level: Upper/lower case, italicized. Third level: Upper/lower case, italicized, underlined. Please limit manuscripts to three levels of headings.
• All figures and tables must appear in their proper place within the text and must not exceed our page size: 4.25᾿ x 7.25᾿ (10.75 cm x 18.4 cm), using 8pt font.
• Use single quotation marks only for quotes within quotes, double quotes should be used in all other instances (e.g., scare quotes, special terms, etc.).
• Peer-reviewed manuscripts undergo a double-anonymous review. Please remove any references to the author both in the body of the text and the reference list, as well as from the file properties. (Steps on how to do this can be found by following the link "Ensuring an Anonymous Review" at Step 3 of the 5 step submission process.
• Submission date must be shown in upper right corner of the first page of the manuscript. If the manuscript is a revision of the original submission, "Revised" and the date of the revised submission must be shown in the upper right corner of the first page of the revised manuscript.
• Reference lists must be complete, must correspond with every and only citation in the body of the text, and must comply with APA 7 requirements exactly. Submissions with incomplete or improperly formatted reference lists will be returned to authors. Instructions on proper APA reference list formatting can be found here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED

Articles (Peer-reviewed)

Conventional journal articles (up to 7000 words including references, tables, appendices, etc. NOT INCLUDED IN WORD COUNT: Abstract [120 words max] and keywords). These are understood as original contributions to theory, practice and research likely to be of interest both to practitioners and researchers and are expected to be of a high intellectual standard and well-written.

Review essays (4000-6000 words including references, tables, appendices, etc. NOT INCLUDED IN WORD COUNT: Abstract [120 words max] and keywords). These are overviews of particular literatures, particular theoretical traditions and so on, and are intended as expert introductions to their subject for the benefit of researchers and practitioners who are not yet familiar with the area.

Make a new submission to the Articles section.

Notes from the Field (Editorially-reviewed)

The MJE welcomes “Notes from the Field,” notes, shorter papers, or multimedia/photo essays concerning particular issues, themes, and challenges that may be of broad interest. These Notes should be between 1000 and 3000 words (including references, tables, appendices, etc. NOT INCLUDED IN WORD COUNT: Abstract [120 words max] and keywords). The purpose of the Notes is to provide timely information of interest to a wide range of MJE readers. “Field” here can refer to any area of educational practice, including teaching and learning in formal, non-formal, and informal contexts, as well as work that researchers and practitioners do “in the field”. Papers/essays that present perspectives on practice-related issues and that connect theory with practice are especially welcome. Although success stories and good practices are welcome, discussion of difficult lessons learned is also strongly encouraged (e.g., to help inform educational efforts and spread the word, or to spark dialogue about strategies, initiatives, and programs).

Currently published Notes from the Field includes the following types of works:

Reflections on Practice: These are papers/essays that draw on theory, where applicable, to relate authors’ experiences, self-reflections, and lessons learned as educational practitioners. These are intended to serve as a resource for other practitioners in the field.

Past examples: Deutsch(49-3), Morand (49-2), Reis (49-2), TAUE-AGSEM (48-3), Worthen (48-3), Fullerton (48-2), Itzkowitz (48-2), Yoder (48-2).

Reflections on the Research Process: These are papers/essays that draw on theory to relate authors’ experiences, self-reflections, and lessons learned as researchers. These are intended to serve as a resource for other researchers in the field.

Past examples: Bryant (49-1), Thompson (49-1).

Translations of Research: These are papers/essays that are written for the purpose of explaining research (in education or in fields related to education) to a broad, general audience of practitioners and researchers engaged in all aspects of the field of education. These may be based on already published research.

Past examples: Masson et al, (49-2).

Policy Proposals and Scholarship-Activism: These are papers/essays that call for action and are intended to encourage policy changes and/or scholarship-activism. 

Past examples: Carani et al. (49-2), Carter (49-1), Elayassa (48-3), Sinyai et al. (48-3).

Submissions will be judged on clarity of objectives, applicability and utility to educators, and creativity. In collaboration with the author(s), submissions will be edited for length and clarity.

If you are uncertain about whether your paper is suitable for this section, please contact the MJE (mje.education@mcgill.ca).

Make a new submission to the Notes from the Field section.

The MJE Forum (Editorially-reviewed)

The MJE offers a forum to educational practitioners, researchers, and/or those involved in community/ies (e.g., activists, organizers, etc.) interested in initiating conversations, dialogues, and debates around contemporary issues in education. The MJE Forum submission may take the form of a response or a moderated discussion / interview and incorporate multimedia (e.g., be a video or podcast):

1. Response: Responses to articles and materials published in the MJE, whether solicited as part of a debate around a particular paper or submitted as a response to a previously published paper. In the latter case, the author of the original paper will be given the opportunity to respond.
2. Moderated discussions / interviews: The discussions / interviews may focus on classroom practice, the intersection between social media and learning, informal community contexts, or any other topic of interest to MJE readers. They may be presented online in digital formats (e.g., blog, video, podcast). For example, a facilitated discussion or interview might focus on environmental education in Canada, with invited participation from activists, educational leaders, policy-makers, researchers, and/or teachers.

We welcome other Forum formats and contributions proposed by our readers. The MJE or MJE readers may initiate these discussions/interviews. If you are interested in initiating or participating in a Forum, contact the MJE (mje.education@mcgill.ca).

Make a new submission to the The MJE Forum section.

Book Reviews (Editorially-reviewed)

We invite individuals to write and submit book reviews for publication in the MJE. Reviews should be no longer than 1000 words in length. A good book review does more than summarize, it places the book in a larger context of scholarship. Ideally it describes the value and usefulness that the book might have for scholars, and practitioners. Your review should provide readers with an overview of the book, including basic content and structural organization, the recommended audience and scholarly aim(s) of the book, and how the author situates this work within the larger context of the area or field. The review should provide a critical commentary of the book, assessing its contribution to the field. When reviewing edited volumes, authors should provide a sense of the range of contributions in the collection. The review should be written in a language and style that is accessible to readers across various disciplines. Please cite book details at the start of your review, including author(s)/editor(s), title, city of publication, publisher, year of publication, number of pages, price, ISBN number, For example:

Wayne Martino, Michael Kehler, & Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower (Eds.). The Problem with Boys’ Education: Beyond the Backlash. New York, NY: Routledge. (2009). 290 pp. $43.95 (paperback). (ISBN 978-1-56023-683-2).

Make a new submission to the Book Reviews section.

Artistic and Creative Inquiries (ACI) (Editorially-reviewed)

The MJE encourages the submission of editor-reviewed multi-modal forms of representation(s) of arts-based research.

This section offers scholars and practitioners the opportunity to share their educational research and/ or its processes in shorter pieces (3000 words) of an innovative and engaging format. Through songs, digital images, recorded videos of dance performances and plays, among others, ACI offer a means of expanding the form and function of arts-based and creative research.

Submissions should be accompanied by a 120-word description of the artwork and how it connects to research in the field of education.

Make a new submission to the Artistic and Creative Inquiries section.