Publication
International Journal of Science Education (IJSE) is published 15 times per year by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

All submissions should be made online at the International Journal of Science Education's Manuscript Central site to facilitate rapid accessibility of your work to the readers. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.

IJSE considers all manuscripts on condition they are the property (copyright) of the submitting author(s) and that copyright will be transferred to IJSE and Taylor & Francis Ltd if the paper is accepted.

Editor-in-Chief:
Professor John K.Gilbert, Institute of Education, The University of Reading, Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY, UK
Email: Editor_IJSE@hotmail.co.uk

The International Journal of Science Education attaches importance to applicable research, that is, research that is capable of being used in real educational settings. Studies in all settings for science education, i.e. informal, primary, secondary, higher, adult and continuing, and vocational, are regarded as of equal importance. All papers which appear in IJSE have been thoroughly peer-reviewed.

The Journal carries four types of article:

1. General articles
   These are theoretically-based papers (35 pages maximum) debating and exploring existing research, methodologies, and new perspectives.
   
   
2. Innovations and developments
   These are accounts of the nature of an innovation or a development, of how it was produced, and include an evaluation of its use in practice.
   
   
3. Research reports
   These are accounts of qualitative or quantitative enquiries that present conclusions and implications for future research and practice in the context of a critical review of relevant literature and an account of the methods and procedures used.
   
   
4. Book reviews
   These are concise critical reviews of books that address research into science education. Book reviews are prepared at the invitation of the editors. However, suggestions are welcomed.

Submissions
Submissions should be not more than 35 pages in length, and should be original and unpublished work not currently under review by another journal or publisher. Authors should upload their manuscript, typewritten in double line spacing using the format and reference standard set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001, 5th edition). Should authors wish to remain anonymous, the manuscript should be devoid of identifying information to ensure double-anonymous review. The following information can be provided separately during the online submission of the manuscript, and in the cover letter: the title of the article, running head, name(s) of author(s), affiliation(s), and postal and E-mail addresses for correspondence. Telephone and fax numbers can also be included.

Format of Manuscripts
Manuscripts should be typed on in 12-point font, double spaced throughout (including the reference section).

Cover Page
To facilitate blind reviewing, this should not form part of the uploaded files, but be entered separately where prompted during online submission.

Abstract
The first page of the main manuscript should begin with the title of the paper (at a maximum of 30 words) and an abstract which should not exceed 250 words. The name(s) of the author(s) should not appear on this page. For papers reporting original research, state in brief: the primary objective (the research questions addressed or any hypothesis tested); the research design; the methods and procedures employed; the number of subjects; the main outcomes and results; the conclusions drawn from these data and results, including their implications for further research or application/practice.

Notes on style
Please note that IJSE requires all authors whose first language is not English to have their papers read by a native English speaker prior to submission. Problems caused by poor English usage can lead to significant delays in the reviewing and publication process.

For all manuscripts, gender-, race-, and creed-inclusive language is mandatory. The preferred local (national) usage for ethnic and other minorities should be used in all papers. For the USA, 'African-American', 'Hispanic', and 'Native American' are used. For the UK, 'Afro-Caribbean' is used.

Writing should be clear and concise, with objectives stated and terms defined. Arguments should be substantiated with well-reasoned supportive evidence. Relevant articles in the area being addressed should be reviewed. Such articles must be referenced accurately.
Authors are asked to take account of the diverse audience of the IJSE. Explain clearly - or avoid the use of - terms that might be meaningful only to a local or national audience. At the same time, where appropriate, preference is given to papers which reflect the particularities of each social and cultural system. In some cases it may be helpful if those particularities are contrasted with well-informed accounts of comparable situations elsewhere.
Brief biographical details of significant national figures or institutions should be outlined in the text unless it is quite clear that they would be known internationally. For example, some suggested editorial recommendations to a 'typical' text are indicated in the following by square brackets: 'From the time of H. E. Armstrong [in the 19th century] to the curriculum development work associated with the Nuffield Foundation [in the 1960s], there has been a shift from heurism to constructivism in the design of [British] science courses'.
Material to be emphasized (italicized in the printed version) should be underlined in the typescript rather than italicized. Please use such emphasis sparingly.

Spelling and Punctuation
UK and not USA spelling is used i.e. colour not color; behaviour not behavior; [school] programme not program; [he] practises not practices; centre not center; organization not organisation; analyse not analyze, etc.
Single 'quotes' are used for quotations rather than double "quotes", unless the 'quote is "within" another quote'.
Punctuation should follow the UK style, e.g. 'quotes precede punctuation'. Punctuation of common abbreviations should follow the following conventions: e.g. i.e. cf.
Note that such abbreviations are not followed by a comma or a (double) point/period. Dashes (M-dash) should be clearly indicated in manuscripts by way of either a clear dash ( - ) or a double hyphen (--).
Apostrophes should be used sparingly. Thus, decades should be referred to as follows: 'The 1980s [not the 1980's] saw ...'. Possessives associated with acronyms (e.g. PA), should be written as follows: 'The APU's findings that ...', but, NB, the plural is APUs.

Abbreviations and acronyms
'US' is preferred to 'American', USA to 'United States', and UK to 'United Kingdom'. All acronyms for national agencies, examinations, etc. should be spelled out the first time they are introduced in text or references. Thereafter the acronym can be used if appropriate, e.g. 'The work of the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) in the early 1980s ...'. Subsequently, 'The APU studies of achievement ...', in a reference ... (Department of Education and Science [DES] 1989a).

Numbers
n (not N), % (not per cent) should be used in typescripts. Numbers in text should take the following forms: 300, 3000, 30 000. Spell out numbers under 10 unless used with a unit of measure, e.g. nine pupils but 9 mm (do not introduce periods with measure). For decimals, use the form 0.05 (not .05).

Tables and Figures
Tables and figures should be valuable, relevant, and visually attractive. Tables and figures must be referred to in the text and numbered in order of their appearance. Each table and figure should have a complete, descriptive title; and each table column an appropriate heading.
Tables and figures should be referred to in text as follows: Figure 1, Table 1. 'As seen in Table [or Figure] 1 ...' (not Tab., fig. or Fig).
The place at which a table or figure is to be inserted in the printed text should be indicated clearly on a manuscript:
[Insert table 2 about here ]

Each table and/or figure must have a title that explains its purpose without reference to the text.
All figures and tables must be on separate pages and not embedded in the text. All figures should allow for reduction to column width (130 mm) or page width (160 mm). Please avoid figures that would require landscape reproduction, i.e. reading from bottom to top of the page.
Do not type the caption to a figure on that figure; the legends to any illustrations must be typed separately where prompted on file upload. Tables should not contain vertical lines.

Acknowledgements
Any acknowledgements that authors wish to make should be included in a separate headed section at the end of the manuscript.

Citations in text
References should be cited in the text first alphabetically, then by date, thus: (Burbidge, 1989; Higins & Browne, 1989; Sherali et al., 1989); and listed in alphabetical order in the reference section at the end of the paper. Authors should follow APA style (Author-date). If there are three, four or five authors, all authors should be cited at the first mention, then the first author + et al. (roman). If the reference is mentioned again in the same paragraph, there is no need to repeat the year. If there are six or more authors, give the first surname only + et al., but list the first six in the refs. Use a comma between two references by the same author: (Smith, 2000, 2002). When authors are mentioned in text, i.e. not in parentheses, do not use ampersand: As suggested by Brown and Green (2003), but (as has been shown by Brown & Green, 2004). Personal communication should not be included in the reference list, but should be given a full reference in the text (P. B. Jones, personal communication, September 13, 1994). Use spaced initials, e.g. Smith, V. L.

Book title:
Bell, B., & Gilbert, J. (1996). Teacher development: A model from science education. London, Falmer Press.

Chapter in book:
Duit, R., & Glynn, S. (1996). Mental modelling. In G. Welford, J. Osborne, & P. Scott (Eds.) Research in science education in Europe: Current issues and themes (pp. 166-176). London, Falmer.

Journal article:
Van Driel, J. H., & Verloop, N. (1999). Teachers' knowledge of models and modelling in science. International Journal of Science Education, 21, 1141-1153.

Review
Manuscripts are sent for blind peer-review to members of the Editorial Board and/or Guest Reviewers. The review process generally requires three months. The receipt of submitted manuscripts will be acknowledged on submission. Papers will then be passed onto a suitable editor,from whom a decision and reviewers' comments will be received when the peer-review has been completed.