Submissions

Commentary

Submissions for commentaries should report opinions on topical issues in education, respond to current controversies and debates, or apply academic theories to practice. Perspectives on Urban Education encourages commentaries that are both traditional short essays or reflections as well as nontraditional in terms of their presentation and may incorporate multimedia such as videos, photo, blogs, podcasts, vlogs, etc. Commentaries need not include a literature review or description of methodology but should develop a coherent and well-informed interpretation or analysis of a current urban educational issue.

Length: 3,000 words max

Abstract: 100 words max

Photos/Images: Include as supplemental high-resolution attachments clearly labeled [Image 1; Image 2; etc.]. In the body of the text clearly mark [Insert Image 1]. If including pictures of minors, author(s) must submit a PDF of consent and release forms.

Voices From the Field

Voices From the Field is designed to encourage thoughtful reflection from those who are positioned to have current first-hand knowledge of critical issues of teaching and learning in an urban context. Perspectives on Urban Education encourages writing from a variety of voices within different urban educational settings: teachers, students, parents, social workers, community leaders, and others with experience in education. Voices From the Field should present what those working in education have learned through their practice and/or research or provide a commentary on educational practice, experiences, and ideas. We welcome early-stage reports on research in progress.

Length: 1,500 words max

Abstract: 100 words max

Photos/Images: Include as supplemental high-resolution attachments clearly labeled [Image 1; Image 2; etc.]. In the body of the text clearly mark [Insert Image 1]. If including pictures of minors, author(s) must submit a PDF of consent and release forms.

Book Review

Our goal is to provide readers with a timely guide to newly published literature on teaching, learning, and leading within an urban educational context. We encourage you to reach out to publishers to secure a copy of the book you are interested in reviewing. In some cases, the publisher will not release a copy of a book without a letter from Perspectives on Urban Education. If this is the case, please email us at gsejournal@gse.upenn.edu with the title of the volume; a brief blurb as to its relevance to the mission of this journal; and the publisher name, mailing address, and contact information. The book is yours to keep in appreciation for writing the review. If for any reason you will be unable to complete the review, we ask that you return the book to us so we might send it out to another reviewer.

Length: 800–1200 words

Suggested Content:

• An overview of the book's topic or argument
• An assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, and overall contribution
• An evaluation of its usefulness for readers' teaching or research
• Avoid citations of other works, but if you must use them, please include a reference list at the end of your review.

Format: Include the following information at the top of the first page of your review:

• The full book citation [see below for format]
• Your name and affiliation as you wish them to appear
• Print all text double-spaced, including block quotes
• Leave right margin "ragged" (unjustified)

Note: Reviewers of edited volumes are not obliged to mention each contribution separately, but please make brief reference to the overall size of the book (e.g., “…the book contains 12 chapters…”) and provide an overview of the chapters, sections, or themes presented.

Please refer to these samples for use on the first page information:

Format:

Book title in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case. Book Author(s) Name(s). Publisher, YYYY, ### pp.

Reviewed by Reviewer Name(s), Reviewer(s) Affiliation(s)

Example:

American Indian higher educational experiences: Cultural visions and personal journeys. Terry Huffman. Peter Lang, 2008, 228 pp.

Reviewed by Dorothy E. Aguilera, Lewis & Clark College

Reimagining civic education: How diverse societies form democratic citizens. E. Doyle Stevick & Bradley A. U. Levinson (Eds.). Rowan & Littlefield, 2007, 349 pp.

Reviewed by Jeannette Bellemeur, University of Texas at Austin

Cover Page Information

You will need to submit a cover page with your manuscript. It should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. It should be saved as a Microsoft Word document (using .docx extension). Include these items:

1. Author(s) full name(s) — indicate primary contact
2. Author email(s) — indicate primary contact
3. Affiliation/School/Organization
4. Submission Category
5. Manuscript title (15 words max)
6. Abstract (100 words max)
7. Keywords (5 words/themes max)
8. Acknowledgments (50 words max)
9. Author bio(s) (100 words max each)

Formatting of Body Copy, References, & Endnotes

Proper formatting and careful copy-editing ensure that our reviewers can focus foremost on the content of your manuscript and will increase the chances of your article being accepted for publication. After the initial review process, any articles that do not meet these formatting guidelines will be returned to author(s) with suggestions for reformatting prior to publication.

Body Copy Formatting

• Submissions should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font.
• The article should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, for reviewer/editor readability.
• The first line of each paragraph should be indented 0.5 inch.
• Place only one (1) space after punctuation.
• Do not include any running headings throughout the article. The article title should appear only at the top of the first page of your article, using Title Case.
• Neither authors’ names nor affiliations should appear anywhere in the initial submission, including in the header or footer, title page, in-text citations, or references (see the Masking tab).
• It should be saved as a Microsoft Word document (using .docx extension).

Reference Formatting

• The references list should be the last section of the article and be titled References.
• All references should conform to current APA Style guidelines (see APA Style Quick Tips).
• There should be no paragraph spaces between references.
• Format references so that the first line of each reference is not indented and all subsequent lines of each reference are indented 5 inch on the left side.

Endnotes

If necessary, use endnotes, not footnotes. However, be judicious in the inclusion of endnotes as these should comprise only essential information and will count toward the total word count for your submission.

Masking Your Submission

Neither your name nor affiliation should appear anywhere in the initial submission, including in the header or footer, title page, in-text citations, or references. Please obscure any references to personal work by replacing your name in citations and references to your own work with “Author” and remove all other information in citations and listed references after the publication year.

Example: In-Text Citation — (Author, 2006) / Reference — Author. (2006).

Tables and Figures

Tables (pp. 199–224)

The label “Table” followed by a corresponding numeral is placed above the table as a Level 2 heading (Flush Left, Bold, Title Case). The table title should appear on the line below Flush Left, Italic, Title Case. The table should then appear on the line below, centered.

Example:

Table 1

Title of Table Here

[Table 1]

Figures (pp. 225–250)

The label “Figure” followed by a corresponding numeral is placed above the figure as a Level 2 heading (Flush Left, Bold, Title Case). The figure title should appear on the line below Flush Left, Italic, Title Case. The figure should then appear on the line below, centered.

Example:

Figure 1

Title of Figure Here

[Figure 1]

Quotations (pp. 272–273)

• Quotations that are 39 words or fewer should appear in the text of the paragraph enclosed in double quotation marks ( “ … ” ).
• Use the Block Quotation format for all quotations 40 words or more in length.
  • Start on a new line; indent the entire paragraph approximately 0.5 inch from the left (the same as the first line of a paragraph).
  • Do not use quotation marks.
  • If there are additional paragraphs within the quotation, indent the first line of each paragraph an additional 0.5 inch.
  • At the end of the block quotation, cite the quoted source and the page or paragraph number in parentheses after the final punctuation mark.

Example:

… Jones's (1998) study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)

In-text Citations (pp. 261–269)

1. Cite only the publication date in parentheses, directly following the author’s name.
   Example: Doe (2006) said something important …
2. Cite author’s last name, followed by a comma and the publication date, all in parentheses.
   Example: In a recent article about citations (Doe, 2006), …
3. To cite a particular part of a source, add the page number.
   Example: Doe (2006) claimed “students often had difficulty using APA style” (p. 44).
4. To refer to the title of a source within your paper, 1) italicize the titles of longer works such as books, edited collections, movies, television series, documentaries, or albums, and 2) put quotation marks around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles, articles from edited collections, television series episodes, and song titles. In both cases, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source.
   Example:
   … on the television show Friends …
   … in the article “There Is Nothing Left to Lose: The Case of Natural-Born Cyborgs” …
5. Parenthetical citations should include a comma to separate the author’s name and the year of publication and a semicolon to separate individual references.
   Example: (Gupta, 2006; Jimenez, 2004)
6. In parenthetical citations that include more than one reference, the references must be listed in alphabetical order regardless of date of publication.
   Example: (Gupta, 2006; Jimenez, 2004; Smith et al., 2007)
7. Sources with three or more authors should be truncated to the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”
   Example: (Smith et al., 2007)

Reference List (pp. 281–309)

General formatting

Each entry should have a hanging indent of 0.5 inch. References must be organized first alphabetically by author surname and secondarily in ascending chronological order. This means if there are multiple works by the same author(s) the earliest works must be listed  first and the most recent works listed last.

Book

Format: 

Author, A. A. (YYYY). Title of book: Subtitle. Publisher.

Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (YYYY). Title of book: Subtitle. Publisher.

1. Book title in italic, Sentence case (capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns) followed by a period.

Example:

Weheliye, A. G. (2014). Habeas viscus: Racializing assemblages, biopolitics, and black feminist theories of the human. Duke University Press.

Book Chapter

Format:  Author, A. A. (YYYY). Chapter title. In B. B. Author & C. C. Author (Eds.), Title of  book: Subtitle (pp. ##–##). Publisher.

1. Chapter title/subtitle in Sentence case
2. Editors listed as initials then surname followed by Ed. (or Eds. for multiple editors) in parentheses and a comma
3. Book title in italic, Sentence case
4. Chapter page number range separated with an en-dash (–)

Example:

Gan, E., Tsing, A., Swanson, H., & Bubandt, N. (2017). Haunted landscapes of the Anthropocene. In A. L. Tsing, H. A. Swanson, & N. Bubandt (Eds.), Arts of living on a damaged planet: Ghosts and monsters of the Anthropocene (pp. G1–G14). University of Minnesota Press. 

Journal Article

Format:  Author, A. A. (YYYY). Title of article: Subtitle. Journal, Vol#(Issue#), pp–pp.

1. Article title/subtitle in Sentence case
2. Journal name in Italic, Title Case
3. Italicize only the volume number, then provide the issue number in parentheses without a space
4. Article page number range separated with an en dash (–)

Example:

Borba, R. (2015). How an individual becomes a subject: Discourse, interaction, and subjectification at a Brazilian gender identity clinic. Working Papers in Urban  Language & Literacies, 163, 2–23.

Webpage

Format:  Author, A. A. (YYYY, Month DD). Site title. Organization. http://www.url.com/

1. Include as much detail in the date as is listed on the page; if the only date shown is a copyright date range, use the most recent year as the date; if there is no date listed, use “(n.d.)” in place of the date
2. Page title in italic, Sentence case
3. If there is no listed author, move Organization name to beginning of reference
4. For websites that have content that is freely edited (e.g., Wikipedia, Urban Dictionary, etc. ), include “Retrieved Month DD, YYYY, from” before the URL

Example:

Fagan, J. (2019, March 25). Nursing clinical brain. OER Commons. Retrieved January 07, 2020, from https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/53029-nursing-clinical-brain/view

UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education. (2021). Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all – UNESCO IITE. https://iite.unesco.org/publications/education-2030-incheon-declaration-framework-action-towards-inclusive-equitable-quality-education-lifelong-learning/

Ethnic & Racial Identity Categories (pp. 142–145)

Capitalize all ethnic and racial identity categories. For example, use Black and White as opposed to black and white. Similar labels, such as Indigenous, Hispanic, Latinx, African American, Asian, Arab, and so on should be capitalized as well. Avoid using “other/Other” as a grouping for lesser-represented ethnic/racial identity categories.

More information

For more detailed style guidelines, please refer to the APA’s Publication Manual and the Style and Grammar Guidelines. For important changes between the sixth and seventh editions, refer to APA Style: What’s New or the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Sources

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

American Psychological Association. (2021). APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2020). APA Style (7th Edition). https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html