Reviews of Peer-Reviewed Journals in the Humanities and Social Sciences
We give you the scuttlebutt on academic journals—aiding you in selecting the right journal for publication—in reviews that are sometimes snarky, sometimes lengthy, always helpful. Written by Princeton University graduate students and Wendy Laura Belcher.
International Journal of Science Education (A)
For those interested in publishing articles on science education from early childhood to university, with a focus on applying research to practice in various educational settings.
International Journal of Science Education (IJSE) appears in two series: A and B. This review concerns IJSE(A), which publishes scholarly papers that “focus on the teaching and learning of science in school settings ranging from early childhood to university education,” and which “bridge the gap between research and practice, providing information, ideas and opinion.” (By contrast, ISJE[B] publishes scholarly papers that focus on matters of communication and public engagement with regard to science and technology.) As the journal’s title indicates, ISJE(A) focuses specifically on science education. However, the editors will also consider manuscripts that discuss “the integration of science education with other disciplines, in particular, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) or, geography, social sciences and the arts.”
Contributors to ISJE(A) can choose between several different article categories, each of which is outlined on the journal’s website. Categories include empirical research papers, position papers, theoretical papers, and short (i.e., 2,000-word) essays of commentary or criticism. As this range of submission categories suggests, ISJE(A) is amenable to research across a variety of empirical, analytical, and theoretical modes, making it welcoming to many different junior as well as senior researchers. Additionally, to ensure that the journal is truly international in its scope, the editors place no geographical limits on the research country of origin. Thus, in the last five years the journal has published many papers examining globe issues across particular geographic contexts (for example: gender differences in access to STEM education in India and Poland). Given the journal’s international reach, authors should demonstrate the relevance of their particular research and research context(s) to a more global audience.
Review: September 2021
Word count: 8,500 words or fewer, inclusive of references
Issues per year: Eighteen
Current volume number: 43
Articles per year: Around 162 (9 articles per issue)
Citation style: APA
Abstract length (if required): 250 words or fewer
Upcoming special issues (if available): See “News & Calls for Papers” page on the journal website
Relevant editors: Jan van Driel and Gail Jones (editors-in-chief); Valarie Akerson, Sarah Carrier, Justin Dillon, Sibel Erduran, Hans Fischer, Ron Blonder, David Treagust, and Chin-Chung Tsai (editors)
Open access? Authors have the option to pay to make their articles freely available
Online? Yes
Submission method: Online
Submission fee: None
Bibliography (articles in the journal consulted for this review)
Ferguson, R.L., & Trombetta, A. (2021). Urban high school students’ perceptions of race, gender, and benefits from participating in a STEMM pipeline programme: A sociocultural case study. International Journal of Science Education. DOI: 10.1080/09500693.2021.1959957
Guo, S., Liu, E., & Liu, C. (2021). Development and validation of an instrument to assess Chinese upper-level elementary students’ attitudes towards science. International Journal of Science Education. DOI: 10.1080/09500693.2021.1963879
Wan, Z.H., So, W.M.W., & Hu, W. (2021). Necessary or sufficient? The impacts of epistemic beliefs on STEM creativity and the mediation of intellectual risk-taking. International Journal of Science Education, 43(5), 672–692. DOI: 10.1080/09500693.2021.1877368
About Wendy Belcher
