Write for the Iowa Science Teachers Journal

We encourage all science teachers to submit their activities and ideas to ISTJ. To ensure that articles appearing in the Journal have the greatest positive impact on improving teaching practices and student learning, the managing editor and editor will first review the manuscript for the following guidelines before deciding whether or not to send it to reviewers.

Guidelines

Read the ISTJ Manuscript Review Form and ensure the manuscript addresses all relevant criteria;
Include a 100-150 word abstract that clearly summarizes the manuscript, and explicitly states what Iowa Professional Development Standards and National Science Education Standards are addressed in the manuscript for the targeted audience (Elementary, Middle School, or High School);
If the manuscript is an instructional activity, clearly describe what the teacher must do during the activity for it to work (e.g., sample questions used to determine students’ prior knowledge and thinking, questions to help students connect ideas, use of wait time 1 and 2, responding to students’ ideas whether they are right or wrong, etc.);
Explain misconceptions or struggles that students faced, and strategies used by the teacher to help students through these struggles;
Clearly describe ALL safety issues, hazards and precautions that must be addressed (refer to NSTA Minimum Safety Guidelines at http://www.nsta.org/main/pdfs/440.pdf);

Formatting

Your manuscript should not exceed 2,500 words. Longer manuscripts will likely be returned for revision without being reviewed;
Tables, graphs, and charts should be appropriately labeled;
SI (metric) units should be used throughout the article, unless an exception is granted by the Managing Editor;
Bibliographies and resource lists should be alphabetized and limited to current, readily available items;
Referencing must comply with APA formatting standards.

Photographs

If photographs are submitted for inclusion with your manuscript, students must be shown following appropriate safety guidelines and wearing proper safety attire. A signed model release will be required of each student pictured.

How to submit

Manuscripts should be submitted via email to the Managing Editor, Joe Taylor ( ). Submit your manuscript as a MS Word document. Save your file using your initials (e.g., Michael Oliver Lewis would be mol.doc), and do not include a cover sheet as part of the file. The Managing Editor will rename your file before sending to reviewers to keep authorship anonymous during the review process.

All graphics should be scanned and embedded in the document. When embedding a document, please only use low-resolution files (72 dpi). If we decide to use the images in print, we will contact you to obtain high-resolution (300 dpi) versions of the files.

Copyright Policy

If you have any problems submitting a manuscript, contact the Managing Editor.

Joe Taylor, Managing Editor, , (515) 294-8931
Mike Clough, Editor, , (515) 294-1430