Submissions Guidelines for Young Children

(Updated January 2010)

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Formatting Requirements

About Young Children

Young Children is the peer-reviewed, bimonthly journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Each issue offers practical, research-based articles on timely topics of interest. Our readers—nearly 90,000 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, university professors, students, policy makers, and others.

• reflect the current knowledge base in early childhood education
• share numerous examples and vignettes from the author’s experience
• provide practitioners with practical strategies
• cite relevant research findings, when appropriate
• suggest ways to involve families, when appropriate
• discuss the roles of culture, ethnicity, and 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

Writing style

We ask writers to use an informal, conversational style. Write in the active voice (e.g., “The teacher planned…” rather than “Plans were made by the teacher…”). 

Young Children looks for articles written in plain language—that is, language that is clear, straightforward, and easy for the reader to understand. (Information about the plain language movement can be found at the Web site of the Center for Plain Language.)

We encourage authors to include visuals (high-resolution photographs, children’s work samples, charts, graphs) that enhance clarity and promote understanding. For more information, see our Photograph Submission Guidelines.

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Types of articles 

Because the readers of Young Children have diverse backgrounds and interests, articles vary in content, length, and writing style. We do not seek term papers, literature reviews, or reports of research methodology and findings. The best way to learn what kinds of articles are appropriate for Young Children is to read several back issues. 

General Feature Articles (Do not require submission of an article proposal.)

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 (Require submission of an article proposal.)

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 here. 

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. Here are the steps in this new 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 1- to 2-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 1/3 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

Proposals should reflect the intended tone of the article and be written in plain language. Authors should submit proposals for cluster articles using Manuscript Central. Each proposal will be assigned an ID number. Authors should include their name, contact information, affiliation, and a brief cover letter.

2. Proposal review. Proposals are peer reviewed by members of the NAEYC Consulting Editors Panel and the Young Children editorial team. Consulting editors are experts in early childhood education and child development who apply for their positions and are appointed by the NAEYC Governing Board for three-year terms. Editors will provide feedback on cluster article proposals four to six weeks after the cluster proposal due date.

3. Cluster article submission. After reviewing the cluster proposals and feedback from peer reviewers, Young Children’s editors will determine which ones are most promising, and invite their authors to write and submit full-length articles that will be subject to peer review. Authors whose proposals are not selected will be notified of this decision.

Cluster articles are due 4 months prior to the date a cluster will appear in Young Children. They will be subject to the review and editing process outlined on below. Please note that the invitation to write a cluster article does not guarantee acceptance.

Young Children Cluster Topics for 2010—2011

The chart that follows provides Young Children's cluster topics for 2010—2011, 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.

Regular and periodic features

In addition to cluster topic and general articles, Young Children includes several standard features. 

• 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 building relationships with families to support children’s development and learning.
• Research in Review articles familiarize readers with 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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Formatting requirements

When submitting an article to Young Children please follow the following formatting and submission guidelines. If an article does not follow the requirements, we will ask the author to reformat it before review. 

References for style

Young Children follows Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, for spelling and the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, for style and reference formatting.

Follow length requirements

To be considered for publication, the manuscript must meet page-length requirements.

• General and cluster articles and Viewpoints are from 3 to 12 pages, double-spaced, including references and tables. Images are not included in the page count.  Please note: Our readers find articles 3–9 pages in length most useful, and these shorter articles tend to be published more quickly.
• Teachers on Teaching and Family Ties are 2–3 pages, double-spaced.

Format the document as follows 

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

Include a separate cover page 

Prepare the cover page as a separate document from the article.

• List the title.
• List the name, affiliation, title, address, phone, fax, and e-mail for each author.
• Designate one author as the primary contact.
• Indicate the type of article (cluster theme, general, Teachers on Teaching, and so on).
• Provide a brief summary of how one-third of the text is devoted to providing information for practitioners. 

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References, citations, and excerpts 

Authors should provide accurate and complete information for references and resources, focusing on those 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. Follow Chapter 17, "Documentation II," in the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition (available at libraries and bookstores). Examples follow. 

Edited book, new edition
Copple, C., & S. Bredekamp, eds. 2009. Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Text citation: (Copple & Bredekamp 2009)

Volume, more than three authors
Campbell, S., G. MacNaughton, J. Page, & S. Rolfe. 2004. Beyond quality, advancing social justice and equity: Interdisciplinary explorations of working for equity and social justice in early childhood education. In Social contexts of early education, and reconceptualizing play, Vol. 13 of Advances in early education and day care, eds. S. Reifel & M. Brown, 55–91. Greenwich, CT: JAI.
Text citation: (Campbell et al. 2004)

Chapter from an edited book Jennings, J. 2005. Inclusion matters. In Birth to three matters, eds. L. Abbott & A. Langston, 89–104. London: Open University Press.
Text citation: (Jennings 2005)

Old book reissued
Fulghum, R. [1986] 2004. All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten. New York: Ballantine Books.
Text citation: (Fulghum [1986] 2004)

Journal article
Miles, L. 2009. The general store: Reflections on children at play. Young Children 64 (4): 36–41.
Text citation: (Miles 2009)

Newspaper
Lieberman, J. 2009. An opportunity that works for D.C. schoolchildren. Washington Post, June 21.
Text citation: (Lieberman 2009)

Online resource
Mosle, S. 2009. The education experiment we really need: What the Knowledge Is Power program has yet to prove. http://slate.com/id/2214253.
Text citation: (Mosle 2009) 

Unpublished paper
DaRos-Voseles, D. 2009. Caring and caregiving: It all starts here. Presentation at the International Infant Toddler Conference, Tulsa, OK.
Text citation: (DaRos-Voseles 2009)

Monograph
Fox, N.A. 1994. Introduction to Part 1. In The development of emotion regulation: Biological and behavioral considerations, ed. N.A. Fox, 3–6. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, vol. 59, nos. 2–3, serial no. 240. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Text citation: (Fox 1994)

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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.

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Photographs

We encourage authors to supply informative, interesting, high-resolution photographs to illuminate their points. This is not a requirement. Photography guidelines are available online or by contacting Meghan Dombrink-Green.  

To submit photographs with your article, put them in separate files as JPEGs or TIFFs. Please do not include them in the body of the article. Photos should be at least 1MB.

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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 page, article, and photographs as separate files. (Please note: Use your e-mail address as your Manuscript Central ID, not your NAEYC ID.)

Frequently asked questions

Why does Young Children use an online submission service?
Manuscript Central allows authors to track the progress of their manuscript through the peer review process. Consulting editors and Young Children editors can access articles via the Internet, improving workflow and tracking.

What if I mail my manuscript?
We will ask you to register and submit your article online using Manuscript Central. If you do not have Internet access, we will make other arrangements.

What if I get an e-mail saying my manuscript has been unsubmitted?
Articles are unsubmitted when they do not meet the submissions guidelines listed here. The most common reasons for an article to be unsubmitted include the following: the article exceeded the page length requirement, the article was not double spaced, the article contained a cover page that was not uploaded separately, the article contained the author’s name or other identifying information, or the article was in an incorrect type size or font. If an article is unsubmitted, the authors must make the changes needed to meet the guidelines. After the changes are made, authors can resubmit the article through Manuscript Central.

What if I have questions about the system?
Authors can contact Manuscript Central for assistance. For support, visit Manuscript Central and click on “Get Help Now.” The Manuscript Central support phone number (available Monday - Friday, 12:00 am to 8:30 pm EST) is 1-888-503-1050. You can also contact Young Children's editorial staff.

What if I’m using Windows VISTA?
At this point Manuscript Central does not support VISTA. Manuscript Central currently supports the following operating systems: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows XP Service Pack 2, and OSX Version 10.3.8. If you are experiencing difficulty submitting your manuscript, we recommend you submit from a computer that uses a supported operating system.

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Review and editing process

The review process generally takes six to eight months from receipt of manuscript. The process is compressed for cluster articles. 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 needed updates before submitting a final version of the article and to complete biographies, copyright transfer, and photograph submission and credit forms. All forms are provided electronically. The copyright transfer includes permission for publication in Young Children and online.

Editing involves the editor in chief and a copy editor. Authors will hear from one or both editors and may be asked to update, clarify, or expand article content or references. 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. 

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Contact information

Derry Koralek, Editor in Chief
202-232-8777
or 800-424-2460, ext. 8853

Susan Friedman, Senior Editor
202-232-8777
or 800-424-2460, ext. 8421

Meghan Dombrink-Green, Senior Editorial Associate
202-232-8777
or 800-424-2460, ext. 8419

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