Submissions

Author Guidelines

Colleagues are encouraged to contact the editor-in-cheif in advance of submission to identify research directions and ensure alignment with the journal’s multidisciplinary, applied and theoretical foci. Educare accepts submissions continuously throughout the year. For special issues, the deadlines for submission are stated in the call for papers.The accepted manuscripts are typically published within 12 months of submission.

Educare accepts original research articles that use all forms of theoretically-oriented and empirical research within the broad field of educational sciences, in English, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. The journal does not favour any particular theoretical approach or research method. Position papers and book reviews are also invited. Research Article Guidelines are appropriate for quantitatively and qualitatively oriented manuscripts that include any form of empirical data, e.g. statistics, interview/observation data, text analysis. Position Paper Guidelines are appropriate for manuscripts articulating the author’s informed position on a particular issue within the field of education and educational sciences. Examples of content for a position paper are arguments for a particular theoretical standpoint on an issue, response to a publication, suggestions for methodological choices, outlines of noteworthy areas for further research. While the format for book reviews is not specified, book reviews, which are not peer reviewed, will contain correct publishing information of the book under review, a brief summary of its main points, and a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the book in relation to seminal work in the relevant area. 

All articles submitted to Educare are screened for plagiarism by the Crossref Similarity Check (powered by iThenticate). 

Publication with Educare is free of charge at any stage.

Content

Authorship and Author Information

Languages

Formatting Text and References

Preparing for Double Blind Peer Review

Research Article Guidelines

Position Paper Guidelines

Contact Information

Authorship and Author Information

Each author and co-author needs to meet criteria listed in Educare's Authorship Policy.

Any case of conflict of interest should be stated clearly within the article.

Submitting authors are required to provide the following information for all authors of the article/paper:

Name, affiliation, ORCID, email.

Languages

Educare accepts submissions in English, Swedish, Norweigan and Danish. Before submission, make sure that the manuscript has been proof read thoroughly and that the language is of high academic standard.

Formatting Text and References

The text should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file, and formated according to the journal template.

References should be formatted according to APA style. For instructions on formatting references, see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (latest edition). There are plenty of free guides to APA style online, for instance Purdue Online Writing Lab from Purdue University.

Preparing for Double Blind Peer Review

Follow instructions to ensure the integrity of the blind peer-review for submission to a peer-reviewed section of the journal. Every effort should be made to prevent the identities of the authors and reviewers from being known to each other. This involves the authors, editors, and reviewers (who upload documents as part of their review) checking to see if the following steps have been taken with regard to the text and the file properties:

• The authors of the document have deleted their names from the text, with "Author" and year used in the references and footnotes, instead of the authors' name, article title, etc.
• With Microsoft Office documents, author identification should also be removed from the properties for the file (see under File in Word), by clicking on the following, beginning with File on the main menu of the Microsoft application: File > Save As > Tools (or Options with a Mac) > Security > Remove personal information from file properties on save > Save.

Research Article Guidelines

Research articles and systematic literature reviews promote empirical research, hypothesis-driven research, and explorations into the state-of-the-art within particular areas of the relevant field. The complete manuscripts should be no longer than 10000 words including the references. The authors are encouraged to organise content as suggested below and address the issues specified under each heading.

Abstract
The abstract (up to 200 words, in English irrespective of the original language of the article) should include a clear rationale for the study, its aim and research questions, methodology, results, and conclusions. The abstract should present a comprehensive overview of the study.

Introduction and Literature Review
The introduction section should position the study within the educational research field. This section should include information on the following: the study’s focus, the study’s relevance to readers of Educare, and the research question or problem statement that the study addresses. The introduction section should conclude with a brief overview of the significance of the study. The literature review should position the reported research in the context of work by other researchers, identify needed advances, and establish justification for the present study.

Aim and Research Questions
The aim and research questions should be framed in terms of needed work identified in the literature review.

Research Methodology
The method section should consist of a comprehensive description of how the study was executed and should also align with the study’s aim and research questions. The structure should typically include information on design, data collection, and analytic method. When describing the method, the authors should provide information about the following aspects, as appropriate for the study:  

• Authors should provide a description of the general study design and position the study within known and developing research methodologies.
• Authors should identify the methods used in the study and the aims of these methods. They should describe the kind of information collected, with qualification established as necessary to aid later discussion.
• When applicable, authors should include a section indicating that the study has followed ethical research guidelines (e.g. those at vr.se), and was either approved by a Research Ethics Committee or exempted from approval by a Research Ethics Committee.
• Authors should describe how the data was analysed and provide justification for the analytic methods used.

Results
The results section should provide evidence that the research questions have been addressed. Results should be reported accurately and comprehensively using appropriate graphics if needed. When applicable, categories of evidence related to fairness, validity and reliability and application should be addressed.



Discussion
The discussion section should provide interpretation, use, and consequences of the results. Attention should also be given to claims, warrants, qualifications and applications for the results. Authors should conclude the section with directions for further research intended to advance the body of knowledge and research reported in the study.

Conclusions
The conclusion section should provide justification that the results have answered the research questions with necessary qualifications. Special attention should be paid to theoretical advances and future applications, especially to groups of diverse learners, policy and curricula development.



Reviewers’ Expectations
See the Research Article Review Guidelines for the review criteria used by reviewers.

Position Paper Guidelines

Position papers are short features (up to 5000 words excluding the references) concentrated on introducing the author’s novel research ideas, hypotheses, identification of significant knowledge gaps within the field, methodological breakthroughs, possible solutions to significant problems and other newsworthy issues within the field of education and educational sciences. Position papers will typically outline a position, validate it, and identify its consequences. Position papers can be organised into paragraphs with clear topic sentences instead of sections with headings.

The proposed structure is the following.

Abstract
The abstract (up to 200 words, in English irrespective of the original language of the position paper) should include a clear position statement, a clear rationale for the position, and the consequences for the position. The abstract should present a comprehensive overview of the position paper.

Introduction
The introduction section should provide a clear identification of the research area and issue, a brief description of the state-of-the-art, an argument for why the issue is problematic and significant, and the statement of the position.

Body
The body section should provide informed and well-structured arguments for the position as well as address alternative views.

Conclusion
The conclusion section should provide a brief summary of the main points of the paper, and a clear description of its consequences, e.g. a solution to the problem, a call for action, a suggestion for future research.

Reviewers’ Expectations
See the Position Paper Review Guidelines for the review criteria used by reviewer.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or complaints regarding your submission to Educare, please contact us.

In the case of formal complaints, disputes, or appeals, authors should contact the editor-in-chief, who is responsible for ensuring that a fair, deliberative, and thorough investigation is conducted.