Closing Open Call
Q: My article is in the queue for first screening, but I haven’t heard anything in ages, what can I expect?
A: Editors are working hard to move all current submissions through the queue and will notify you when a decision is made on your manuscript. If you have any questions, please contact the Content editors at HER_manuscripts@gse.harvard.edu
Q: I wrote an article for HER, isn’t there any way to submit during the pause?
A: During the pause in open call submissions, if you think your manuscript is a strong fit for HER, we welcome your request for an invitation from HER (please see Invitations process below for details on submitting your request). If Editors agree to invite your manuscript, you will have an opportunity to receive feedback and to submit your piece as an invited manuscript during our pause for open call.
Deadlines
Q. Are there any deadlines for open calls for papers?
A. PLEASE NOTE, beginning July 1, 2020, we are pausing the open call submissions. The pause will end in Fall 2020. [Most of the time, there are no deadlines for HER open call submissions. Manuscripts are submitted, screened, and decisions on publication made, year-round.] We have a hard submission deadline for single-themed special issue and symposium related open call projects with a targeted issue for publication. The deadline will figure prominently on the description page for the call. There are no special calls planned at this time.
Fit with aim and scope
Q. I have a manuscript that I think will be a good fit. What do you suggest?
A. As a generalist scholarly journal, HER publishes on a wide range of topics within the field of education and related disciplines. We receive many articles that deserve publication, but due to the restrictions of print publication, we are only able to publish a very few in the journal. The originality and import of the findings, as well as the accessibility of a piece to a diverse international audience, are the criteria at the top of the list for our editors in determining if an article will be selected for publication.
Suggestion:
If you have time, please do a quick search at the HER public website, http://www.harvardeducationalreview.org using your keywords. It will give you an idea of how often HER has published in related topic areas and when. If you would like to read a specific piece for tone and style, and we will send one PDF to you gratis.
Alternative:
If you have written an abstract and selected keywords, it might be worth your time to email a query to the content editors and ask if they think it would be of interest. Contact them at HER_manuscripts@gse.harvard.edu
Formatting questions
APA formatting for citations and references
Q. Do I have to present the references, and foot notes of bibliography in APA or Chicago Norms.
A. HER is slowly transitioning from Chicago Manual of Style to full APA style. At this time, we require all citations and references in APA style. A great resource for questions about APA style is online at: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html For other questions of style, please use Chicago.
Blinding
Q. We are trying to figure out the best way to mask our names in the references. Is it OK if we do not cite any of our references in the reference list? Our names have been removed in the in-text citations. We just cite Author (date).
A. This solution will work for the review process. Any references that identify the author/s in the text must be masked or made anonymous (e.g., instead of citing “Field & Bloom, 2007,” cite “Author/s, 2007”). For the reference list, place the citations alphabetically as “Author/s. (2007)” You can also indicate that details are omitted for blind review. Articles can also be blinded effectively by use of the third-person in the manuscript. For example, rather than “in an earlier article, we showed that” substitute something like “as has been shown in Field & Bloom, 2007.” In this case, there is no need to mask the reference in the list. Please do not submit a title page as part of your manuscript. We will capture the contact information and any author statement about the fit and scope of the work in the submission form. Finally, please save the uploaded manuscript as the title of the manuscript and do not include the author/s name/s.
Word count
Q. In the formatting section, it is indicated that the manuscript should be maximum of 9,000 words – including abstract, appendixes, and references. Is this applicable only for research articles, or the word count limit should be followed for other manuscripts, such as essays?
A. We confirm that the 9,000 word limit is the same for all categories of manuscripts. There is also a minimum word count of 4,500 words for all submissions. If you have a question about your particular manuscript, or about other formats, poems, artwork, videos, please contact us via email before you send in the manuscript. Contact the content editors at HER_manuscripts@gse.harvard.edu
Invitations process
Q: Can I be invited to submit? How?
A: Yes, if you think your manuscript is a strong fit for HER, we welcome your request for invitation. To submit information about your manuscript for the Board to consider for invitation, please fill out the Invitation Request Form. Please provide as much details as possible. Whether we could invite your manuscript depends on the interest and availability of the current Board. Once you submit the form, we will give you an update in about 2-3 weeks on whether there are Editors who are interested in inviting your manuscript.
Review timeline
Q. I am considering submitting a manuscript of an article to HER. Would you be able to give me an idea of what the typical time period is from submission, to review, and then publication?
A. HER has a two-stage review process:
Upon submission, every manuscript receives a preliminary assessment by the content editors to confirm that the formatting requirements have been carefully followed in preparation of the manuscript, and that the manuscript is in accord with the scope and aim of the journal.
- In the first stage of review, all manuscripts are read by a minimum of two Editorial Board members. It usually takes 12 to 16 weeks for a manuscript to complete the first stage of review and for a decision letter to be sent by email. Due to time constraints and the large volume of manuscripts received, HER does not provide comments on unsolicited manuscripts that are rejected at the first stage of review.
- During the second stage of review, manuscripts are read by the full Editorial Board at the weekly meeting. Any manuscript that is not accepted at this stage of review will receive written feedback based on the Board’s discussion. It usually takes an additional 12 weeks for a manuscript to complete the second stage of review.
- If the piece is accepted for publication, it would be assigned to editors and be on the production calendar for a publication date as soon as possible. The actual date of publication depends entirely on how many manuscripts are already in the queue for an issue. For example, a manuscript accepted at this week’s editorial meeting will likely be published in an issue close to 6 months later.
Submission process
Q. I need information on how to submit a manuscript for publication in your journal.
A. HER uses an online author-driven submission system at https://hepg.submittable.com/submit In order to complete the process, kindly go to the page and submit the piece in the appropriate category. There will be a registration process for first-time submitters. Our formatting instructions are near the bottom of the landing page if you have any questions.