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Policies

Contents

Philosophy of Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

For more information, please see Pedagogy and the Human Sciences Aims and Scope page.

Who Can Submit?

Anyone may submit an original article to be considered for publication in Pedagogy and the Human Sciences provided he or she owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article. Authors are the initial owners of the copyrights to their works (an exception in the non-academic world to this might exist if the authors have, as a condition of employment, agreed to transfer copyright to their employer).

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General Submission Rules

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note: "publication" in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication. In addition, by submitting material to Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, the author is stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process at Pedagogy and the Human Sciences. If you have concerns about the submission terms for Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, please contact the editors.

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Formatting Requirements

Pedagogy and the Human Sciences has no general rules about the formatting of articles upon initial submission. There are, however, rules governing the formatting of the final submission. See Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for details. Although bepress can provide limited technical support, it is ultimately the responsibility of the author to produce an electronic version of the article as a high-quality PDF (Adobe's Portable Document Format) file, or a Microsoft Word, WordPerfect or RTF file that can be converted to a PDF file.

It is understood that the current state of technology of Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) is such that there are no, and can be no, guarantees that documents in PDF will work perfectly with all possible hardware and software configurations that readers may have.

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What Types of Content Can I Submit?

Pedagogy and the Human Sciences accepts multiple types of submissions. We seek submissions, however, that are organized around a clearly articulated theoretical framework. Although we prize submissions founded upon solid theory, deliberately esoteric writing should be avoided. Attempts should be made to ground theoretical elaboration in some form of evidence or example, however broadly defined.

Conceptual Pieces that elaborate a theoretical model or conceptual framework related to some issue related to pedagogy and the human sciences. Conceptual pieces would often serve as a Feature Article.

Empirical Articles building upon quantitative or qualitative data, as long as the research reported is organized with reference to a solid conceptual superstructure.

Brief Reports which contain well articulated positions on particular issues related to the theme of the journal, short empirical articles, or particular teaching strategies founded upon an articulated theoretical framework. Brief reports often are selected as Reflective Corner pieces.

Commentaries contain reader responses to papers that are published in PHS. Readers are invited to comment on any and all papers that appear in PHS. Commentaries should generally be shorter in length than a brief report, but should nonetheless be treated as a scholarly piece of writing. Commentaries will be reviewed by the journal editors. A link to all accepted commentaries will be provided below the link to the paper or report upon which the commentary is based.

Book Reviews reviewing books related to pedagogy and the human sciences.

Manuscripts may be of any length, all submissions must be clear and concise. Manuscripts must be submitted via email in a single Microsoft Word attachment. All manuscripts must be submitted in APA format. Please avoid submitting papers as multiple files.

Please submit all illustrations, figures, images or other graphics in BMP, JPEG or GIF format. Please indicate where you would prefer to have the image located in the text as well as any special formatting preferences.

Please send manuscripts to Debra Harkins at . Please indicate PHS in the subject line of your email.

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Tips for Writing a Submission

Conceptual or Theoretical Papers (minimum of 3000 words)

These are papers that elaborate on a theoretical model or conceptual framework related to some issue related to pedagogy and the human sciences. In such a paper you can present a theoretical perspective of your own or write about perspectives or one perspective that you think should be applied in the process of teaching students in various fields.

  • When presenting a theoretical or conceptual framework it is acceptable to use broadly accepted facts or ideas as well as analyses of strict research and experimental data. Determine your audience in order to know what to include, how to organize your ideas, and how to best support your concept. Your audience can be anyone who thinks critically about any facet if education, so make sure you present your concept, theory or idea in a way that communicates to educators even if you are trying to communicate mainly with educators in your specific field.
  • Begin with an introduction raising a point, a question, or dilemma pertaining to your topic.
  • Present a brief, accepted definition of the topic followed by your additions to that definition. Include your thesis statement and a detailed foreshadowing of what is to be expected in your piece.
  • Clearly state and explain your position against opposing or alternative views without trying to show that your position is correct.
  • The body of the piece should be comprised of your opinion and debating arguments supported by evidence but evidence can be more broadly defined than the latest empirical research on the topic.
  • You might compare/contrast examples of accepted views and your views to highlight your concept.
  • In your conclusion, restate your thesis and tie all concepts together. Tell the reader what you plan to say, say it then tell them you said it.
  • Provide citations for research, concepts and ideas that are not your own.
  • Ask readers from outside of your field to read your theoretical paper to see if you are speaking to a broad audience.
  • Contrast the reactions of those outside of your field with one or two colleagues within your field to see if your perspective makes sense and adds any new insight into your field.

Empirical Articles (3,000 - 10,000 words)

These should present quantitative or qualitative analysis of your own original data, and in addition should be based within some theoretical framework.

  • In your introduction, introduce your topic and summarize any relevant background research.
  • By the end of the introduction, state the hypothesis or hypotheses, and your predictions and also tell the reader how your research will contribute something unique to pedagogy in your field.
  • The Method section needs information about participants, materials, and procedure of the research.
  • Results section must have descriptive statistics for relevant variables, statistical test, and statistical explanation of findings.
  • Tables/ graphs may be included.
  • In the discussion section, explain the results and state whether the results support or disconfirm your hypothesis.
  • In your conclusion, discuss limitations and ideas for further research into your topic, making sure to hit on the issue of why this research was done by you as a teacher in your field—what does it add to discussions around pedagogy and why should educators in your field want to read it.
  • Make sure to create a title page, abstract, reference page, and tables/figures page all in APA style.

Reflective Corner/Brief Reports (maximum of 3000 words)

These should contain well articulated positions on particular issues that you see as arising out of the work of other authors that you find to be particularly.

  • Begin with short summary of the main points of the research.
  • Include the names of the researchers, where they work and where the main report is published.
  • A general background section should give brief details of the subject and the state of present research.
  • Explain the purpose of the investigation and why it was carried out.
  • Procedure section should explain how the research was carried out, who the subjects were, how the data was gathered and any equipment used.
  • Results section should have details of any new information that came from an analysis of the data.
  • Conclusions should relate the findings to the wider context and explains why the research is relevant today.

Commentaries

Commentaries contain reader responses to papers that are published in PHS.

  • Commentaries should generally be shorter in length than a brief report, but should nonetheless be treated as a scholarly piece of writing.
  • Avoid using abbreviations and other colloquial speech.
  • Use quotations from the PHS paper to support your ideas and comments.
  • Make sure to be clear and respectful in your opinion of the paper.
  • It may be interesting to make suggestions for further research into the chosen topic.

Book Reviews (maximum of 1500 words)

These pieces should review books related to pedagogy and the human sciences.

  • The purpose of a book review is to give a summary of the content which includes a relevant description of the topic and its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
  • The writer should give a critical assessment of the content that involves his or her reactions to the work.
  • Be sure to comment on what you feel as worth mentioning to your readers and whether or not the work was effective.
  • Share whether the book did or did not enhance your understanding of the issues and explain your reasoning.
  • Comment on whether the relevant audience would appreciate the book and how.

Helpful Resources

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Rights for Authors and Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

As further described in our submission agreement (the Submission Agreement), in consideration for publication of the article, the authors assign to Pedagogy and the Human Sciences all copyright in the article, subject to the expansive personal--use exceptions described below.

Attribution and Usage Policies

Reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein, in any medium as permitted by a personal-use exemption or by written agreement of Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, requires credit to Pedagogy and the Human Sciences as copyright holder (e.g., Merrimack ScholarWorks © 2024).

Personal-use Exceptions

The following uses are always permitted to the author(s) and do not require further permission from Pedagogy and the Human Sciences provided the author does not alter the format or content of the articles, including the copyright notification:

  • Storage and back-up of the article on the author's computer(s) and digital media (e.g., diskettes, back-up servers, Zip disks, etc.), provided that the article stored on these computers and media is not readily accessible by persons other than the author(s);
  • Posting of the article on the author(s) personal website, provided that the website is non-commercial;
  • Posting of the article on the internet as part of a non-commercial open access institutional repository or other non-commercial open access publication site affiliated with the author(s)'s place of employment (e.g., a Phrenology professor at the University of Southern North Dakota can have her article appear in the University of Southern North Dakota's Department of Phrenology online publication series); and
  • Posting of the article on a non-commercial course website for a course being taught by the author at the university or college employing the author.

People seeking an exception, or who have questions about use, should contact the editors.

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General Terms and Conditions of Use

Users of the Merrimack ScholarWorks website and/or software agree not to misuse the Pedagogy and the Human Sciences service or software in any way.

The failure of Pedagogy and the Human Sciences to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the policies or the Submission Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the Submission Agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Submission Agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the Submission Agreement constitute the entire agreement between Pedagogy and the Human Sciences and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.

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