Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. Submission Information

Submission agreement

Submission of a manuscript implies the following:

• The work described has not been previously published.
• The work is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• Approval for its publication has been obtained from all co-authors (if applicable) and the responsible authorities at the institute where the work was conducted.
• The publisher will not be held legally liable for any claims for compensation.

Permissions

Authors who intend to incorporate figures, tables, or text passages that have been previously published elsewhere must secure permission from the copyright owner(s) for online formats. Furthermore, they should include verifiable evidence of obtaining such permission when submitting the manuscript. Materials received without this evidence will be presumed to originate from the authors.

Online Submission

Please click on “About (Submission)” and then on the “Make a new submission” hyperlink and then upload all your manuscript files in accordance with the instructions provided on the screen.

Source Files

To ensure your submission is considered for review, please remember to provide all relevant editable source files during each submission and revision. Failure to submit a complete set of editable source files will result in your article not being considered for review. For your manuscript text, please use common word processing formats such as Word (.docx).

2. Title Page

Please make sure your title page contains all of the following information. 

Title

The title should be a concise  and informative. Avoid titles that are general in nature. Strong titles include such information as content area, population studied, location of study, grade level/academic setting, etc.

Author information

• The name(s) of the author(s)
• The affiliation(s) of the author(s), i.e., institution, city, (state), country
• An active e-mail address of the corresponding author
• The 16-digit ORCID of the author(s), if available
• For authors who are temporarily unaffiliated, we recommend listing them as “Independent Researcher” and providing their city (state), country, and email address.

Abstract

Provide a text abstract of 150 to 250 words. Ensure that the abstract does not include any unexplained abbreviations or unspecified references. The abstract should include the following information: introduction/background to the problem, purpose/objectives, methods, results, discussion of significance of results.

Keywords

Please provide 4 to 6 keywords, which can be used for indexing purposes.

Statements and Declarations

Under the section titled "Statements and Declarations," please make sure to include the following statements for publication. Please be aware that submissions lacking these declarations will be returned as incomplete.

Author Contributions: All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Authors are encouraged to use the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) available at https://credit.niso.org/ to identify the nature of the contributions of each co-author.

Funding: This research received no external funding or received funding from….(include funder name and project number if available).

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank .....

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Large Language Models (LLMs): LLMs  are not acceptable.

3. Text

Text Formatting

Manuscripts should be submitted in Word. Here are some formatting guidelines to follow:

• Utilize a standard, straightforward font like 10-point Times New Roman for the main text.
• Apply italics to emphasize text when necessary (do not use underlining).
• Enable automatic page numbering for page numbers.
• Avoid using field functions.
• Use tab stops or other formatting commands for indents rather than the space bar.
• Employ the table function within your word processing software to create tables instead of using spreadsheets.
• Do not include endnotes or footnotes.
• Utilize the equation editor or MathType for any mathematical equations.
• Save your file in either .docx format (for Word 2007 or higher) or .doc format (for older Word versions).

These guidelines will help ensure consistent and professional formatting of your document for online publishing.

Text Length

The text length is from 3,000 to 10,000 words including abstract and references.

Headings

Please use no more than three levels of displayed headings.

Article Type and Structure

IJESE accepts several types of manuscripts:

i. Research Articles

Research articles present original research conducted by the authors on the specified topics (Earth systems teaching and learning). These articles should include at minimum an introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions (supported by empirical data). The organization and development of each section may vary based on the study's methodology.

ii. Literature Reviews

Literature reviews explore, integrate, and/or synthesize significant literature within the journal's scope.

iii. Best Practice Articles

Best practice articles are research-based pieces that describe current best practices in the field, present new educational ideas, or analyze educational programs, practice, or theory.

iv. Essays and Commentaries

Essays and commentaries provide professional commentary on current educational practices, policy, theory, or reforms.

v. Special Issue

International Journal of Earth System Education (IJESE) will occasionally publish special issues on compelling topics within the field of Earth Systems Education.

Research Articles must include at least the following first-level headings:

• Introduction: The introduction should state the problem to be solved, place the study in the context of the research literature, and highlight why the study is important. A theoretical framework and research question(s) and/or working hypotheses must be provided.
• Materials and Methods: Describe with sufficient detail to allow others to replicate and build on published results.
• Results: Provide a concise and precise description of the pertinent data results using figures and tables.
• Discussion: Authors should discuss the interpretation of the results and how they relate to previous studies and the research questions/ working hypotheses.
• Conclusions: Summarize the main findings of the study and the broader implications for Earth systems education.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be defined upon their initial mention and consistently used thereafter to enhance clarity and comprehension in your document.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments for individuals, grants, funding sources, and other support should be presented in a dedicated section on the title page. When acknowledging funding organizations, it is important to write their names in full."

4. Scientific Style

Please use internationally accepted signs and symbols and standard notation for formulae, symbols, etc.

5. References

Citation Style

All manuscripts should use the APA 7th edition citation style. Manuscripts in other citation styles will be desk rejected.

Reference List

The reference list should exclusively encompass works cited within the text that have either been published or accepted for publication. (If available, please always include DOIs as full DOI links within your reference list at the end of the article.)

Personal communications and unpublished works should be referenced within the text itself and not included in the reference list.

6. Tables and Figures

• All tables and figures are to be numbered using Arabic numerals and placed within the body at the place where they are referenced.
• For each table, provide a table caption (title) explaining the components of the table. Name the tables in order as Table 1, etc. and place at the name and caption directly above the table.
• For each figure, provide a caption (title) explaining the figure. Name the figures in order as Figure 1, etc. and place the name and caption directly below the figure. Figures should be in JPG or PNG format (300 dpi resolution).

7. Supplementary Information

IJESE accepts supplementary files (only text, figures, presentation, and spreadsheets, not electronic multimedia files) to be published online along with an article.

Submission: To accommodate user downloads, please keep in mind to not submit large files. Supply supplementary material (Text, figures, Presentations, Spreadsheets ) in .pdf and/or .xlsx formats. Please include in each supplementary file the following information: article title, journal name, author names; affiliation and e-mail address of the corresponding author.

8. English Corrections

International Journal of Earth System Education (IJESE) provides minor English editing by native English speakers for all accepted papers, included. The IJESE does not cover extensive English editing. Submitted papers should be written in good English and require no more than minor English editing before publication. Papers could be returned to the authors at the English editing stage of the publication process if extensive editing is required, which could delay the publication of the article.

9. Reviewer Suggestions

Authors are welcome to suggest 2-3 suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.

9. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors need to avoid distorting research findings, as such misrepresentation has the potential to erode trust in the journal, compromise the professionalism of scientific authorship, and undermine the overall scientific pursuit. Adhering to the principles of good scientific practice, including maintaining the integrity of research and its presentation, contributes to upholding the standards of the field.

• It is imperative that the manuscript is not concurrently submitted to multiple journals for review.
• The submitted work must be entirely original and not previously published in any form or language, unless it involves an extension of prior research. To prevent concerns about text-recycling (“self-plagiarism”), authors should transparently disclose any reused material.
• Fragmenting a single study into multiple submissions to increase quantity across various journals or over time (i.e., “salami-slicing/publishing”) is strongly discouraged.
• While concurrent or secondary publication may be justifiable under certain conditions (such as translations or when targeting a different readership), it requires careful consideration.
• Authors are obligated to present results clearly, honestly, and without any fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation, including image-based manipulation. Adherence to discipline-specific data acquisition, selection, and processing rules is essential.
• 'Plagiarism,' presenting others' data, text, or theories as one's own, is strictly prohibited. Proper acknowledgment of other works is mandatory, encompassing close copying (near verbatim), summarization, and paraphrasing. Verbatim material should be enclosed in quotation marks, and permissions must be obtained for copyrighted material.

Important note: The journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.

11. Authorship Principles

The IJESE editorial board recommends that authorship adheres to the guidelines put forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)^a. As adapted from ICMJE, all authors whose names are on the manuscript:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and
• Drafted the work or reviewed it critically for important intellectual content; and                        
• Gave final approval of the version to be published; and
• Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.            

Contributors who do not meet the criteria above should be listed in Acknowledgements. Contributors from the location where the work is conducted should be included as co-authors if they fulfill the criteria above (e.g., local researchers and community partners). IJESE strongly encourages authors to provide these co-authorship opportunities to local contributors whenever possible.

Authors are encouraged to list specific contributions of each co-author to the work using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) available at https://credit.niso.org/

1. ICMJE, Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors, http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html

12. After Acceptance

After acceptance, the articles go through a final formatting process during the Production phase.

Proofreading

A proofreading process is employed to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the text, tables, and figures. Following the completion of proofreading, the main author will receive a link to confirm and accept the final version of the publication. Substantial changes in content, such as introducing new results, correcting values, or altering the title and authorship, require approval from the Editor.

Publication online only

After the confirmation and acceptance of the final version, the article will proceed to be published online. The International Journal of Earth Systems Education (IJESE)  is an open-access journal and there are no publication fees or page charges for individual authors. Following online publication, any additional modifications can only be implemented through an Erratum, which will be hyperlinked to the article.