Theory Into Practice (TIP) is a thematic, refereed journal published in cooperation with the College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University and Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Each issue is devoted to a timely theme developed by a Guest Editor who has expertise in the theme area. Call for Proposals. The TIP office is interested in receiving issue proposals for the following themes: Teacher Quality/No Child Left Behind; School Administration/Leading for Learning; Bilingual Education; Rural Schools; The First Amendment in Schools. We will also consider other themes of interest to educators.

The Issue Theme. Choosing an issue theme is a creative endeavor. The theme must be broad enough to fit a range of articles but narrow enough to be clear and focused. Articles should be tightly integrated with the theme, with every article addressing the theme topic but providing different perspectives on or facets of the topic. Article topics should be even more clearly focused than the theme and represent the specific interest of the author.

The Issue Proposal. On the basis of a preliminary discussion with the TIP Editors, you should submit an outline indicating in detail the conceptualization for the issue and suggesting possible contributors and article topics. Approximately 8–10 articles should be listed, with a short abstract describing each article. Please contact the TIP office (tip@osu.edu) to receive a sample proposal.

Selection of Authors.The objective is to select contributors most competent to prepare engaging articles on particular topics. Dependability and the ability to write effectively for our audience are important considerations. Although in most cases authors are college or university personnel, the public schools are often represented (e.g., a school administrator, supervisor, or teacher).

You should avoid the temptation to select persons exclusively from your own school of thought to serve as authors for the issue. Rather, the authors should represent a range of viewpoints and backgrounds to achieve TIP's purpose of providing a forum for a variety of ideas on the topic. The selection of authors should also be based somewhat on geographic distribution (i.e., we do not want to include a disproportionate number of persons from a single university or from a limited geographic area).

Note: Prior to submitting the proposal to the TIP office, you should make a preliminary inquiry of interest with potential authors, letting them knowthat the proposal is being submitted but has not yet been accepted. It is also acceptable to ask a potential author to provide an article abstract to you, if s/he is interested in participating.

Acceptance of Proposal. Acceptance of the issue proposal is based on the timeliness of the idea, its prospects for success with the TIP audience, and the quality of the proposal in terms of its conceptualization and the approach it takes to the topic. The Guest Editor's experience and ability to carry out the project are also considerations.

When reviewing a proposal, one of our critical concerns is making sure the authors can write for the TIP audience—teachers who are not necessarily part of the Guest Editor's specific discourse community. It is up to the authors to make the articles accessible by avoiding educational jargon and using language familiar to the TIP audience. The writing style should be readable and engaging, with examples used freely to clarify difficult or technical material.

Soliciting Articles After Proposal Is Accepted. After a proposal is accepted, the Guest Editor contacts the authors with the go-ahead to begin writing. Authors should be made aware that TIP articles focus on concepts and ideas. Although authors are encouraged to include research and case studies to support ideas, an article should not focus on a single research study or case example. Manuscripts are generally 12 to 15 double-spaced, typewritten pages in length (3,000–4,000words). Articles should be original to TIP and not previously published.

The Guest Editor then gives the TIP office a list of authors' names, positions, institutions, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. The TIP office sends letters to the authors with details about deadlines and general guidelines. All articles are first sent to the Guest Editor, who should work with authors beforehand to make sure the articles fit in with the proposal.

Deadlines. Author deadlines are generally 10–12 months before the issue publication date. In order to give authors feedback on the articles as quickly as possible, Guest Editors and outside reviewers are asked to return their evaluations of the manuscripts to the TIP office within 4–6 weeks of manuscript receipt.