JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS (JREE)
INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

JREE CONTENT

We aim to publish articles with the highest standards of methodological rigor that are relevant to practitioners, policymakers, and/or researchers. JREE publishes substantive research on factors important to educational success and methodological studies that improve our ability to conduct educational research. With a focus on educational effectiveness, most JREE articles have a connection to causal inference.

We welcome manuscripts in the following categories:

• Evaluation
• Theory, Contexts, and Mechanisms
• Methodology

The Evaluation section publishes studies of educational interventions/programs, policies, or practices. These evaluations typically use research designs that support causal inference, such as randomized controlled trials or rigorous quasi-experimental designs. Although all papers submitted to this section should address questions regarding effectiveness, we encourage the inclusion of findings on implementation, fidelity, service contrast, cost, etc. We welcome papers with strong methods that find null or negative results as well as replication studies. We prefer papers with pre-registered analysis plans.

The Theory, Contexts, and Mechanisms section includes meta-analyses and syntheses, high-quality descriptive studies that illuminate educational conditions and contexts, and studies that rigorously investigate education processes and mechanisms. Aligned with JREE’s focus on effectiveness, most papers in this section have a connection to causal inference - often highlighting the conditions, contexts, and processes that shape, underlie, exacerbate and/or inhibit the effects of education practices and policies.

The Methodology section publishes work aimed at improving applied research on educational effectiveness. This work often advances (or advances our understanding of) the theoretical and technical features of research design, data analysis, data modeling, and measurement. We prefer work that directly contributes to the improvement of evaluations of programs, policies, or practices. We will consider work that deals with the statistical properties of measurement in so far as it relates to policy evaluation. Applications and case studies that demonstrate cutting-edge methods in educational contexts are welcome, as are brief “best practice” guides.

JREE endorses the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines from the Center for Open Science to encourage and promote reproducibility and research transparency. See Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines section.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word or LaTex. 

Where to Submit:  Authors should submit manuscripts via the Manuscript Submission Portal at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/uree.

Page Length and Formatting

• Manuscript should not exceed 45 pages including main text, references, appendices, tables, and figures. (online only appendices do not count toward page limits). Shorter articles are appreciated!
• Manuscripts should be typewritten, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins on all sides.
• Pages should be numbered.
• Authors should supply a shortened version of the title suitable for the running head, not exceeding 50 character spaces.

Structure: Please compile your paper in the following order:

• Cover page (this must be a separate document);
• Abstract;
• Main text;
• References;
• Appendices (as appropriate)
• Table(s) and figure(s).
• TOP Guidelines Disclosure Form (not required for initial submission)

Cover page: The cover page must contain the title; authorship; author’s affiliations; any statements of credit or research support; and contact information (mailing address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address) for each author listed.

Abstract: Each article should be summarized in an abstract of no more than 180 words. The abstract should be on a separate page. Abbreviations, diagrams, and reference to the text should be avoided.

References: Cite in the text by author and date (Tournaki, 2003). Prepare reference list in accordance with the APA Publication Manual, 6th ed. Examples:

Journal: Beck, A.T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R.A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 893–897. Doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.56.6.893

Book: Wechsler, D. (1987). Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

Contribution to a Book: Chow, T.W., & Cummings, J.L. (2000). The amygdale and Alzheimer’s disease. In J.P. Aggleton (Ed.), The amygdale: A functional analysis (pp. 656–680). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

Tables and Figures: Tables and figures (illustrations) should not be embedded in the text, but should be included as separate sheets or files. A short descriptive title should appear above each table with a clear legend and any footnotes suitably identified below. All units must be included. Figures should be completely labeled, taking into account necessary size reduction.

One-pagers: JREE is committed to encouraging the dissemination and impact of all work published in JREE by releasing broadly accessible (and free) one page summaries of each final article. All authors of accepted articles that were first submitted after January 1, 2021 are required to create these one-page summaries using jargon-free, accessible language. Corresponding editors will support this process. This is not required upon initial submission. For substantive papers, the audience is policymakers and/or practitioners. For an example, please see: Edmunds et al. (2017). For methods papers, the audience is applied researchers. For an example, please see: Bloom et al. (2017).

Anonymous review:  To facilitate anonymous review, only the article title should appear on the first page of the manuscript, and every effort should be made to see that the text of the manuscript contains no identifying information. Note that in text self-citations should not be blinded—that is, do not cite your own work as “(Author, 2016).” Instead, make sure that the surrounding text does not identify cited work as that of the authors.

Copyright:  Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material from other sources and are required to sign an agreement for the transfer of copyright to the publisher. This applies to direct reproduction as well as "derivative reproduction" (where you have created a new figure or table which derives substantially from a copyrighted source). All accepted manuscripts, artwork, and photographs become the property of the publisher.

Illustrations: Illustrations submitted (line drawings, halftones, photos, photomicrographs, etc.) should be clean originals or digital files. Digital files are recommended for highest quality reproduction and should follow these guidelines:

• 300 dpi or higher
• Sized to fit on journal page
• EPS, TIFF, or PSD format only
• Submitted as separate files, not embedded in text files

Color Reproduction: Color art will be reproduced in color in the online publication at no additional cost to the author. Color illustrations will also be considered for print publication; however, the author will be required to bear the full cost involved in color art reproduction. Please note that color reprints can only be ordered if print reproduction costs are paid. Print Rates: $900 for the first page of color; $450 per page for the next three pages of color. A custom quote will be provided for articles with more than four pages of color. Art not supplied at a minimum of 300 dpi will not be considered for print.

Proofs: Page proofs are sent to the designated author using Taylor & Francis’ Central Article Tracking System (CATS). They must be carefully checked and returned within 48 hours of receipt.

Reprints: Authors for whom we receive a valid email address will be provided an opportunity to purchase reprints of individual articles, or copies of the complete print issue. These authors will also be given complimentary access to their final article on Taylor & Francis Online™.

TRANSPARENCY AND OPENNESS PROMOTION (TOP) GUIDELINES

JREE supports the movement in the scientific ecosystem toward empirical research that is more transparent, open, and reproducible. Consistent with  JREE’s values, it is our view that open science facilitates the alignment of scientific practice with scientific ideals, accelerates scientific discovery, broadens access to scientific knowledge, and improves the credibility of empirical research on the effectiveness of educational interventions. To operationalize this support of open science,  JREE is a signatory of the  TOP Guidelines: a set of modular standards for moving published empirical research toward greater openness.

As of Q1 2022, JREE is a “Level 1” implementer of all standards in the TOP Guidelines. As a “Level 1” implementer, JREE will require authors to disclose whether or not they have used open science practices in the TOP Guidelines. We recommend (but do not require) that authors use these open science practices, when possible. To implement this policy, all accepted manuscripts will be required to complete and submit a TOP Guidelines Disclosure Form as a condition of publication, in which authors will disclose whether or not their study included the following open science practices codified in the TOP Guidelines:

• Study and Analysis Plan Registration: whether or not the study was registered—and, if so, whether the registration was prospective and included an analysis plan. Examples of independent, institutional registries include the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies and OSF Registries.
• Data, Code, and Materials Transparency: whether or not the data, code, and other materials (e.g., questionnaires, surveys, instructions) used to conduct the research are publicly available—and, if available, where and how to access them. Please use these templates to develop these availability statements.
• Citation Standards: citation of data, code, and other materials in-text and in the references section, if possible. Please use this style guide for formatting in-text citations and reference section entries. We recognize some data, code and materials are not citable.
• Design and Analysis Reporting Guidelines: for randomized trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, authors are encouraged to use the following checklists to write their manuscripts prior to submission to the journal. These checklists will help JREE ensure consistency in the evaluation of submitted work:

• Checklist for randomized trials
• Checklist for systematic reviews and meta-analyses

• Publication Bias: confirmation that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported.
• Replication: indication of whether the study is a replication of a previous study—and, if so, provide a citation to that study.

TOP Disclosure Forms and the relevant checklists (if applicable) should be uploaded as “Supplementary Material for Review” at submission, included at revise and resubmit, or emailed to the journal team prior to acceptance. Retroactive Open Research forms for content already published or in production will not be accepted.

If you submit a TOP disclosure form, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed during peer review.

JREE welcomes replication studies as well as papers with strong methods that find null or negative results.

Authors with any questions about JREE’s open science policies should email the Methodological Transparency Editor, Sean Grant: spgrant [at] uoregon [dot] edu.

 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Authors must comply with SREE"s conflict of interest policy.