Submissions Guidelines for Young Children

(Updated November 2011)

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Formatting requirements

About Young Children

Young Children is the peer-reviewed journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It is published five times per year in January, March, May, September, and November. Each issue offers practical, research-based articles on timely topics of interest. Our readers—nearly 80,000 members and subscribers—work with or on behalf of young children from birth through age eight (infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and primary school children). They include teachers, family child care providers, child development program administrators, resource and referral counselors, early intervention specialists, elementary school principals, teacher educators, students, researchers, policy makers, and others.

• reflect the current knowledge base in early childhood education
• share numerous positive examples and vignettes from the author’s experience
• provide practical strategies for practitioners
• cite relevant research findings, when appropriate
• suggest ways to involve families, when appropriate
• discuss the roles of culture, ethnicity, and home language, when relevant to the content
• support inclusion of children with a range of abilities
• show respect for individual characteristics such as gender, religion, and age 

Types of articles

Young Children articles vary in content, length, and writing style because our readers have diverse backgrounds and interests. The best way to learn what kinds of articles are appropriate for Young Children is to read articles published in the journal.  Access previous issues. 

Many of our authors have observed a particular classroom, school, or teacher prior to their writing process. If you could not have written your article without documentation of someone else's good practice, please consider crediting him or her as coauthor. 

Young Children does not publish term papers, literature reviews, or reports of research methodology and findings. The journal does not accept articles already published elsewhere in print or electronic format. We expect that articles have not been simultaneously submitted to other publications.

Writing Style

Successful authors have an informal, conversational style. They write in the active voice (e.g., “The teacher planned…” rather than “Plans were made by the teacher…”). They use language that is plain and clear. This makes the text easier and more enjoyable to read.

In addition, try to avoid using the words “should” and “must” when describing teaching practices (“Teachers can consider engaging children while...” versus “Teachers must engage children while...”).

General Feature Articles (Note: Article proposal is not required, but see the Formatting Requirements section for formatting guidelines.)

These articles address important issues for the early childhood community. Here are examples of the types of articles found in Young Children. 

• Innovative, research-based teaching strategies.
• Early childhood theories and research, along with recommended practices.
• Specific issues affecting young children. 

Cluster Topic Articles (Note: Article proposal is required.)

Each issue includes a group of articles that consider different aspects of the same topic. Cluster topics are decided on many months in advance (see below). Read an example of a cluster article. 

Young Children requires authors to submit an article proposal before submitting a full article for a cluster topic. This process provides authors with useful feedback from peer reviewers and editors before they write and submit full-length articles. Not all authors are invited to submit full articles. The following steps detail the submission process for cluster articles.

1. Write and submit an article proposal. Authors who are interested in submitting an article for a specific cluster should first write and submit a 2- to 3-page proposal, at least 9 months prior to the cluster publication date.

The proposal should include

a.       Intended audience for the article

b.       Why the topic is important for early childhood educators

c.       An outline of the topics to be addressed

d.       How one-third of the article will be devoted to practical strategies for practitioners

e.       A description of any tables, exhibits, or images that will accompany the article

f.        A reference list

To submit proposals for cluster articles, use Manuscript Central. Each proposal will receive an ID number. Include the author(s) name, contact information, affiliation, and a brief cover letter.

2. Proposal review. Consulting editors and the Young Children editorial team review the proposals. Editors provide feedback four to six weeks after the cluster proposal due date.

3. Cluster article submission. Young Children’s editors invite selected authors to write and submit full-length articles that will undergo peer review. Please note that the invitation to write a cluster article does not guarantee acceptance. Authors whose proposals are not selected will be notified of this decision. Cluster articles are due 4 months before the cluster issue comes out.

Periodic features

In addition to cluster topic and general articles, Young Children includes several periodic features. We accept submissions for these features on an ongoing basis. 

• Viewpoint columns allow authors to express their research-based opinions about specific issues or practices.
• Teachers on Teaching articles are brief pieces in which authors share ideas, reflections, and insights about teaching and learning in all age groups and in a range of settings.
• Family Ties articles are brief, practical pieces about effective strategies for engaging families.
• Research in Review articles summarize research and describe implications for practice. Authors work with the journal’s Research in Review editors. For more information, contact the editor in chief.   

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Young Children cluster topics 2012–2013

The chart that follows provides Young Children's cluster topics for 2012–2013, the date of publication, and due dates for proposals and articles. Designations of "N/A" means that Young Children is no longer accepting proposals for that cluster.

 *NAEYC staff had to revise the order of the cluster topics, so authors had the chance to submit articles for this issue in prior months.

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Formatting requirements

When submitting an article to Young Children please adhere to the following formatting and submission guidelines.

Length

All manuscripts must meet page-length requirements.

• General and cluster articles and Viewpoints are from 3–12 pages, double-spaced, including references and visuals. Our readers find articles 3–9 pages in length most useful; these shorter articles tend to be published more quickly.
• Teachers on Teaching and Family Ties are 2–3 pages, double-spaced. These shorter articles tend to be published more quickly.

Format

If manuscripts are not formatted correctly, they will be unsubmitted until the appropriate changes are made.

• Make sure the name(s) of author(s) do not appear on any pages of the article; all manuscripts are subject to blind review.
• Use pseudonyms in place of children's real names.
• Include subheads throughout the article. (Make sure the subheads do not contain information that could identify the author to reviewers.) 
• Use Times New Roman font, 12-point type, double space lines, and at least 1-inch margins. 
• Number the pages.
• Include the title and date in the footer.

Cover letter

• Prepare the cover letter as a separate document.
• List the title.
• Indicate the type of article (cluster topic, general, Teachers on Teaching, and so on).
• List the name, affiliation, title, address, phone, fax, and e-mail for each author.
• Designate one author as the primary contact.
• Give the Manuscript ID for any manuscript written by a primary author or coauthor that was accepted for publication in Young Children within the last two years.
• Provide a brief summary of how one-third of the text offers useful and relevant information for teachers and other practitioners. 

Style guides

Authors should provide accurate and complete information for references and resources. Young Children expects authors to focus on references published within the last 10 years in order to reflect the most recent research and data. Authors should also use the number of resources appropriate for the length of their manuscript.

Young Children follows Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition, for spelling and The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, for style and reference formatting, especially Chapter 15, "Documentation II." Examples are available here.

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Visuals

We encourage authors to include informative, interesting visuals (e.g., high-resolution photographs, children's work samples, charts, graphs) that enhance the content of the article and promote understanding. This is not a requirement. Photographers must obtain and keep model releases for all recognizable people in each photo (signed by all adults who appear in the photo and by the parents or legal guardians of all the children photographed). Visuals should be uploaded in Manuscript Central as part of the manuscript submission. Do not include them in the body of the article. Young Children does not pay authors for their own photos when they are integral to the content of the article. 

To make a photograph submission, please see our photography guidelines.

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Permissions

Authors are responsible for seeking and maintaining written permission from parents or legal guardians to include children’s art and work samples.

For quoted material longer than 100 words, authors must seek and submit written permission from the copyright holder prior to publication.

How to submit an article

Young Children receives all submissions electronically through Manuscript Central. After creating an account, authors will find instructions for manuscript submission. Be sure to submit the cover letter, article, and photographs as separate files. Authors can contact Manuscript Central for assistance or e-mail the Young Children editorial staff.

With the exception of cluster articles, articles are generally published 12 to 24 months after acceptance. Authors may check the status of their submissions in Manuscript Central by logging into the account and clicking on the "Submitted Manuscripts" link on the left hand side of the dashboard.

Please note: Individuals may submit only one article within a six-month period. Young Children's preferred practice is to publish a particular author only once per 12-month period. On rare occasions when we make exceptions to best meet the needs of our readers. 

Authors may submit only one article at a time. This holds true whether they are the only author, or one of several. If authors have written several articles for submission, they must decide which one to submit first.

After the article has been reviewed, the authors will be notified of its status. After receipt of this notification, the author may submit another article. Thus, only one article per author can be under initial consideration and review at a time.

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Review and editing process

The Young Children review process generally takes six to eight months from receipt of manuscript. The process is compressed for cluster articles. The schedule may vary according to the schedule of our reviewers, many of whom are on the academic calendar. The review and editing steps are explained in the table below:

After revisions

The editor in chief reads the revised manuscript, considers the author’s responses to the reviewers’ feedback and suggestions, and determines one of the following as the next step:

• Accept the article.
• Ask the author to make additional revisions.
• Advise the author that the manuscript still does not meet criteria for publication in Young Children.

With the exception of articles submitted and accepted for publication in a particular cluster, articles are generally published 12 to 24 months after acceptance.

From acceptance to print

It is not possible to determine in advance the exact publication dates of accepted articles (unless for a particular cluster). When planning issues, the editor in chief considers the content, style, intended audience, and length of articles, as well as articles’ submission dates.

Authors are notified when their articles are scheduled for publication. They are asked to make updates and to complete biographies, copyright transfer, and photograph submission and credit forms. The copyright transfer includes permission for publication in Young Children and online.

Editing involves the editor in chief and copy editing team. The copy editor returns the edited article to the author via e-mail for final approval before the manuscript enters production. On occasion, last-minute changes in an issue’s content may cause publication of an article to be postponed.

Authors receive two copies of the issue in which their article appears. 

Frequently Asked Questions for Submitted Authors

Contact information

Derry Koralek, Editor in Chief

Amy Shillady, Senior Editor

Mabel Yu, Assistant Editor 
202-232-8777
or 800-424-2460, ext. 8417

Manuscript Central: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/youngchildren

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