The Nebraska Educator

The Nebraska Educator is an open access peer-reviewed academic education journal at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This journal is produced by UNL graduate students in the College of Education and Human Sciences and publishes articles on a broad range of education topics that are timely and have relevance in the field of all levels of education.

Guidelines for Authors

The Nebraska Educator accepts contributions from researchers, scholars, policymakers, practitioners, teachers, students, and informed observers in education and related fields in educational settings in the United States and abroad.

The Nebraska Educator has a three-stage review process. In the first stage, all submitted manuscripts go through an initial screening process and are read by a minimum of two Editorial Board members. During the second stage, manuscripts that have passed the first stage are considered by the full Editorial Board and receive written feedback based on the Board’s discussion. The final stage consists of an external review by two or three scholars from the specific research area consistent with the submission (ideally, at least one professor and one graduate student). Authors will then be given the opportunity to make necessary changes.

Types of Articles

The Nebraska Educator seeks original manuscripts in the form of research articles or essays that cover topics which include but are not limited to: (a) curriculum, teaching and professional development; (b) education policy, practice and analysis; (c) literacy, language and culture; (d) school, society and reform; and (e) teaching and learning with technologies.

Research Articles

This type of manuscript should report original research related to education. This research may be empirically, theoretically, or historically based. The literature should be relevant to the research topic and findings/results. The methods need to be clearly outlined and should match the research question or stated purpose of the manuscript. Please include a brief description of any methodologies that are less familiar to educators and the educational research community. The analysis should be clear and the arguments set forth should emerge from the data presented in the manuscript.

Each submission should explicitly include the following components, preferably in this order:

1. Objectives or purposes
2. Perspective(s) or theoretical framework
3. Methods, techniques or modes of inquiry
4. Data sources, evidence, objects, or materials
5. Results/findings with warrants for arguments/point of view
6. Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work

(Adapted from AERA, 2013)

Essays

An academic essay should have a well-developed argument that answers a particular question or several related questions. These may range from theoretical or historical analyses to analytical literature reviews or practitioner reflections. The essay should begin with a review of previous work on the chosen topic, followed by subsequent reasoning, evidence and examples that prove the author’s thesis on the question(s) addressed. Essays are non-fiction, but often take on a subjective point of view. Essays can often be expository in nature, but may also be narrative in style.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Significance and clarity of the problem investigated
2. Adequacy of conceptualization and development of research questions
3. Quality of review of relevant theoretical and research literature
4. Appropriateness and rigor of research designs and methods (for empirical studies)
5. Clarity of reporting finding/results
6. Appropriateness of interpretation of the research implications for theory, policy, practice, and further research
7. Quality and clarity of writing evidenced in the abstract and written manuscript

Based on the above criteria, reviewers will recommend that the manuscript be considered for the following:

• Accept
• Revise and Resubmit (with minor revisions)
• Revise and Resubmit (with major revisions)
• Reject