Music Educators Journal Guidelines for Contributors

Clarity

Articles should be written in a straightforward, conversational style that avoids unnecessary jargon, technical language, and excessive reliance on long quotations from other sources.

Grounding

While MEJ is not a research journal, submissions should be grounded in the professional literature. Articles with no citations or reference to previous work in the area will not be considered for publication.

Brevity

The main text of manuscripts should be no more than 12 pages in length, excluding the abstract and references. Text should be presented in 12-point font with 1-inch margins and double-spacing throughout. Endnotes (beyond references) should be kept to a minimum and may be edited for brevity prior to publication.

Usefulness

Articles should address the needs of the many music educators who read the journal and should not have been previously published elsewhere. Authors should avoid including any content not relevant to the primary topic and content that promotes a person, a performing group, an institution, or a product.

Strategic Plan

Authors should briefly review the NAfME Strategic Plan at http://www.nafme.org/about/mission-and-goals/ to include information in their submissions on one or more of the following topics: Advocacy, Serving the Profession and the Music Educator, Research, and NAfME Organizational Vitality.

Manuscript Submissions

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/MEJ. Authors will be required to set up an online account on the SAGE Track system powered by ScholarOne. From this account, a new submission can be initiated.

Authors will be asked to provide the required information (author names and contact information, abstract, keywords, etc.) and to upload (1) a Cover Letter, (2) a Title Page, (3) an Abstract, (4) the Main Document (the body of the article), and (5) any Music Scores, Figures, Photographs, and Illustrations, all as separate documents to ensure that the manuscript is ready for a blind review (The site contains links to an online user’s guide [Get Help Now] for help navigating the site. Submit a manuscript file, plus a separate page with the title, authors’ names and affiliations, keywords, and complete contact information for the corresponding author [postal mail and e-mail addresses as well as telephone and fax numbers]).

Manuscripts should follow the Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.). The main text of manuscripts should be approximately 3,500 words (12 double-spaced typed pages). See “MEJ Departments” for manuscripts that are significantly shorter than 3,500 words. Authors of manuscripts with main texts exceeding 12 double-spaced typed pages may be asked to shorten their manuscripts prior to review. Especially welcome are topics of value, assistance, or inspiration to practicing music teachers.

Digital/media content associated with a scholarly (featured) Music Educators Journal manuscript is considered manuscript content. All such content will be evaluated by members of the MEJ Editorial Committee as part of the manuscript review process.

Submission of a manuscript implies commitment to publish in the journal. Please state in your cover letter that the material has not been published elsewhere in substantially similar form or with similar content.

Format of Submissions

The Cover Letter includes the author’s name, address, daytime phone number, e-mail address, mailing address, and title or position.

The Title Page includes the article title and author(s) name(s) and school(s).

Your Abstract is a way to inform readers of the contents of your article and entice the reader to continue investigating your work. Another way to think about an abstract is that it should explain or summarize what your first paragraph cannot explain. For our purposes, please submit an abstract that contains four sentences:

Note: The Abstract submitted here is intended for reviewers; it will serve as the basis for the published abstract written in collaboration with the NAfME editorial staff.

The Main Document should be double-spaced with pages numbered. The author’s name and current institution should not appear anywhere in the manuscript itself but should be included in the accompanying cover letter. Manuscripts may be written using a first-person point of view. However, when referencing their own work, authors should either write in the third person (allowing for complete references) or create placeholders for corresponding references listing only “Author’s Work” and nothing further. The inclusion of title and journal information allows for an author’s identity to be readily established. Once the manuscript reaches the final stage of review, complete reference information may be requested so that the submission can be fully assessed.

Music Scores, Figures, Photographs, and Illustrations must be checked for accuracy before submission. If any copyrighted materials are used, documentation verifying that the author has permission to use the material must be included. You will be asked to complete a Request for Permission to Reprint Material form.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any author-submitted photographs or illustrations and written permission to SAGE of a parent or guardian of any minor pictured is needed before such images are published. You will be asked to complete an Audio/Visual Likeness Release form.

Tables and figures should be kept to a minimum, be self-explanatory, and supplement (not duplicate) the text. Tables should be placed at the end of the file, following text and references, with callouts for each in the text. Elements in tables should be separated by tabs, not cells or lines. High-resolution figures should be uploaded as separate electronic files, with callouts for each in the text. Acceptable file formats for figures include TIFF, EPS, and JPEG, and PDF Microsoft Application Files are acceptable for vector art (line art). (Please do not send glossies.)

Up to three photographs are a welcome part of accepted articles. Each photograph must be accompanied by a short caption and photo credit information. Please contact Ella Wilcox at EllaW@nafme.org if you feel it is necessary to have more than three photographs included with your article. Acceptable file formats for photographs include TIFF, EPS, and JPEG, and PDF Microsoft Application Files are acceptable for vector art (line art).