Guidelines for Contributors to SSYL

The goal of Social Studies and the Young Learner is to (a) capture and enthuse elementary teachers across the country and (b) provide relevant and useful information about the teaching of social studies to elementary students. The editor especially encourages submission of manuscripts authored by PK-5 classroom teachers or co-authored by professors and classroom teachers. Currently there are no established issue themes; instead, every issue is open for possible social studies topics.

Submitting Your Manuscript

Please register at www.editorialmanager.com/ncssjournals to receive an email with a temporary user ID and password to upload a manuscript. Then follow the steps for uploading the manuscript, title page, figures, tables, or graphics.

Formatting

The authors' names should not appear within the paper for purposes of blind peer review. (It is okay if a citation to your own previous book or paper appears in the notes.)

With regard to citation notes, follow The Chicago Manual of Style. Articles formatted in APA will be converted to The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017). See examples of notes in the journal.

Margins & Spacing: 0.75 inch margins all around; 1.5 space between lines.
Font: 12-point, Times New Roman
Length: 3,500 words maximum, including notes, references, or tables.

Images and Examples

Evidence of learning from an elementary classroom is encouraged, but not required. If possible, include examples of student work and learning—writing, photographs of projects, art, or other media. Submit tables, graphics, photos, etc. as part of the submission profess. Please set your digital camera at high resolution if you take action photos of "students doing social studies." Authors must obtain parental permission allowing publication of photographs of students, as well as permission for the reprinting (in SSYL) of copyrighted materials used in a lesson (e.g., a historical painting in a museum or a recent photograph published in the news).

Peer Review

SSYL is peer reviewed. If a manuscript is considered for publication, the author must be willing to work with the editor on revisions. SSYL is published by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Reprints

Authors of published manuscripts receive up to five complimentary copies of the journal in which the article appears, courtesy of NCSS. Authors are not paid for contributions.

If you have questions as you are planning your paper, please feel free to contact Editor Scott Waring (University of Central Florida), at Scott.Waring@ucf.edu.

Icon

Tips for Authors

Who May Submit an Article?

Anybody may submit an article to Social Studies and the Young Learner. The editors especially look for manuscripts co-authored by classroom teachers and professors or authored by classroom teachers alone.

What are Good Topics?

Articles in Social Studies and the Young Learner show how social studies (history, geography, civics, economics, psychology, sociology, or anthropology) is taught in the PK–5 classroom. The lead article often provides background on the theme for that issue. A children’s literature piece describes how to use quality books in the classroom. A pullout usually includes a lesson with handouts.

How Will My Paper Be Judged?

This checklist shows the features that editors and reviewers will be watching for. Read your own paper against this checklist.

I have described the basic setting (grade level, time required to teach each activity, materials and resources needed)
The social studies content is strong (students learn history, civics, geography, economics, or anthropology, etc.). See the themes 1–10 in National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, which is summarized at www.socialstudies.org/standards/curriculum.
I have used inquiry methods when appropriate (see www.socialstudies.org/standards/c3).
Other teachers could use these ideas and methods. (Can this lesson or activity be applied to other classrooms, in other states, with a low budget, and with a reasonable commitment of time and materials?)
There is a clear assessment of student learning. (How is student learning measured at end of the lesson? Are discussion questions or test questions included?)
I have linked the subject matter in my paper to state and national content standards and to the required curriculum of my school for this grade level.
I have avoided using the passive voice.
Right: The teacher corrects and grades the papers.
Wrong: Papers are corrected and graded by the teacher.
I follow the Chicago Manual of Style for notes and do not use Endnote or Reference Manager programs.
Here is an example of the editors' preferred style-
BOOKS: Alfie Kohn, What to Look for in a Classroom (San Francisco: Josey-Bass, 1998), 45.
ARTICLES: Bruce E. Larson, "The Makah: Exploring Public Issues During a Structured Classroom Discussion," Social Studies and the Young Learner 10, no. 1 (September/October 1997): 10–13.
WEBSITES: "Creating the United States," (Library of Congress), myloc.gov/exhibitions/creatingtheus.
When citing online resources, I recommend specific, student-friendly websites on the topic under study, avoiding statements like, "Have students check Wikipedia," or "Just Google it."
Optional: I have included examples of classroom experience (what students said, how they responded, and pedagogical pitfalls that arose and how to avoid them).
Optional: I have included examples of young students’ work (writing, art, quotations, photographs of students in action).

Proofreading?

Ask a colleague to read your paper and check it for grammar, organization, and writing style.

Who, When, and How?

Be sure to follow the basic advice found at the “Guidelines” tab to Social Studies and the Young Learner when you format text, type references, shoot photographs, and submit your manuscript online.

Guidelines for Contributors to SSYL

Guidelines for Contributors to SSYL