Focus and Scope

Journal of Curriculum and Instruction  was a peer-reviewed, open access journal that provided a forum for the dissemination of articles focused on research, practice, and related issues relevant to promising and effective educational practices in rural schools, educator preparation for rural P-16 institutions,  and issues related to distinct rural populations.

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The audience for this journal includes higher education faculty, PreK-12 teachers, graduate students in education, pre-service teacher education candidates, school administrators, and educational policymakers with an interest in curriculum and instruction. Themes were chosen in an effort to identify common threads across content areas related to curriculum and instruction.  Contributors to the journal included researchers and practitioners from PreK-12 schools, colleges, and universities.

Statistics, as recorded by Google Analytics, reported that between August 1, 2007 through August 28, 2015, JoCI received

• 118,525 visits, by 88,506 users
• 509,197 page views 
• 74.6% new visits
• 34.5% visits came from 174 countries/territories outside the United States 
• 65.5% came from the United States.

The acceptance rate for JoCI was 14.7%.

All manuscripts were peer-reviewed and were evaluated on the basis of their innovation, quality of scholarship, and contribution to the field of curriculum and instruction. Submissions were accepted for the following journal sections. {The text in 2014 has been preserved) as follows:

Research Forum - This section includes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research.  Manuscripts use APA format that includes clear details in the method sections. Literature reviews are current and address research questions. Discussion draws conclusions from extant literature and research findings and states implications for future research or practice  Author's Rubric for the Research Forum

International Research Forum - This section includes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research with an international focus.  Manuscripts use APA format that includes clear details in the method sections.  Literature reviews are current and address research questions. Discussion draws conclusions from extant literature and research findings and states implications for future research of practice. Author's Rubric for the Research Forum

Practitioner's Platform - This section includes descriptions of action research and professional practice in K-12 grades and preservice teaching programs. Descriptions of practice, which have been implemented in school settings, are supported by current evidence-based research. Recommendations for practice are made based on extant literature and lessons learned from implementations. Manuscripts use APA format for citations and references.   Author's Rubric for Practitioner's Platform

 

International Practitioner's Platform - This section includes descriptions of action research and professional practice in PreK-12 grades and preservice teaching programs with an international focus. Descriptions of practice, which have been implemented in school settings, are supported by current evidence-based research. Recommendations for practice are made based on extant literature and lessons learned from implementations. Manuscripts use APA format for citations and references.  Author's Rubric for Practitioner's Platform

Perspective - This section includes commentaries, position papers, and policy analyses. Manuscripts provide an empirically-based point of view on topics that discuss current issues in curriculum and instruction. Author's Rubric for Perspective submission

Book/Media Review - Authors may submit a proposal that includes the title, author, relevance to JoCI readership, and a brief (100-word) overview of the book. Upon acceptance of the proposal, the manuscript should be 1000-1500 words and provide an overview of the book and its relevance or timeliness to current issues in education; a background of the author's credentials; a comprehensive explanation of the specific topics covered; the prospective audience; and a summary/review/opinion.

Digital Project Submssions - A cover letter should outline the impact of the information being presented in the project and the fit with the scope of the journal. The manuscript (800-1200 words) should include the rationale for the creation of the project, details about its conception and creation as well as a statement of the impact of the project for the rural education field. Description of the technology and other resources and funding resourses are required. Provide a permalink to the project.

Section Policies

From My Point of View...

This section provides an overview of the contents of this issue and is written by the guest editor.

Editors

• Diane Kester

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

By Invitation

Editors

• Diane Kester

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Research Forum

Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research. Manuscripts use APA format that includes clear details in the method sections. Literature reviews are current and address research questions. Discussion draws conclusions from extant literature and research findings and states implications for future research or practice.

Editors

• Diane Kester

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

International Research Forum

This section includes research manuscripts with an international focus. Manuscripts should be theoretically supported, innovative, and substantially contribute to the international view of curriculum and instruction in PreK-12 grades and preservice teacher programs.

Editors

• Diane Kester

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Practitioner's Platform

This peer-reviewed section includes descriptions of professional practice and action research projects in PreK-12 settings that are supported by research literature.  Manuscripts are evaluated on the basis of their innovation, quality of scholarship, and contribution to the field of curriculum and instruction.This section includes descriptions of action research and professional practice in PreK-12 grades and preservice teaching programs. Descriptions of practice, which have been implemented in school settings, are supported by current evidence-based research. Recommendations for practice are made based on extant literature and lessons learned from implementation. Manuscripts use APA format for citations and references.

Editors

• Diane Kester

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

International Practitioner's Platform

This section includes descriptions of action research and professional practice in PreK-12 grades and preservice teaching programs with an international focus. Descriptions of practice, which have been implemented in school settings, are supported by current evidence-based research. Recommendations for practice are made based on extant literature and lessons learned from implementation. Manuscripts use APA format for citations and references.

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Perspective

This section includes commentaries, position papers, and policy analyses. Manuscripts provide an empirically-based point of view on topics that discuss current issues in curriculum and instruction.

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Book Reviews

This peer-reviewed section features book reviews of 1000-1500 words with complete publication citations and book authors' backgrounds and credentials. The reviews are comprehensive explanations of specific topics covered, prospective audiences, summaries, and reviewers' opinions.

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

News

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Editorial Board and Review Board

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Call for Manuscripts

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Review Process (2014)

   When a manuscript has been submitted by an author, the author will receive an acknowledgement e-mail.  Manuscripts are initially screened by the editors. Manuscripts that are clearly inappropriate for JoCI or fail to follow the submission guidelines, will be returned promptly. Manuscripts undergo a double-blind review process.

    Once  submitted, the author can loginto the system to check on the status.  Approximately three months after the submission deadline, confirmation will be sent to the submitting author with details regarding the final status of their manuscript.

Publication Frequency

JoCI has been refocused and renamed as Theory & Practice in Rural Education.  We welcome submissions as described at the above link.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

Information for Reviewers as published in 2014

 JoCI welcomes professionals interested in being a peer reviewer. Please be sure your reviewing interests are updated and assignments are made as closely to your interests as possible.

While we believe that the experience of reviewing a manuscript has the potential to be a valuable learning tool for doctoral students, we do not allow them to serve as reviewers for the Journal of Curriculum & Instruction for Practitioners (JoCI) in order to uphold the integrity of the review process.