Submissions

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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

  • Format

    • Has someone other than the authors proofed the manuscript?
    • Is the manuscript neatly prepared?
    • Have you checked the CTER website (https://careertechresearch.org) for instructions to authors regarding specific formatting requirements for submission?
    • Is the entire manuscript double-spaced?
    • Are the lines numbered?
    • Are the margins 1 inch?
    • Are the figure captions on the same page as the figures?
    • Are all pages numbered in sequence?

  • Title Page & Abstract

    • Does the title page include the running head, article title, byline, and author note?
    • Is the abstract less than 200 words?

     

  • Paragraphs and Headings

    • Is each paragraph longer than a single sentence but not longer than one manuscript page?
    • Do headings accurately reflect the organization of the paper?
    • Do all headings of the same level appear in the same format?

     

  • Tables and Figures

    • Does every table column have a heading?
    • Are all tables referred to in text, BUT NOT REPLICATED in the prose?
    • Are elements in figures large enough to remain legible after reduction to the width of a journal column or page?
    • Is lettering in a figure no smaller than 8 points and no larger than 14 points?
    • Are figures being submitted in an acceptable file format?
    • Has the figure been prepared at a resolution sufficient to produce a high-quality image?
    • Are all figures numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals?
    • Are all figures and tables mentioned in the text and numbered in the order in which they are mentioned?

     

  • Abbreviations, Mathematical and Statistical Symbols

    • Are unnecessary abbreviations eliminated and necessary ones explained?
    • Are abbreviations in tables and figures explained in the table notes and figure captions or legends?
    • Are Greek letters and all but the most common mathematical symbols identified on the manuscript?
    • Are all non-Greek letters that are used as statistical symbols for algebraic variables in italics?

     

  • References

    • Are references cited both in text and in the reference list?
    • Do the text citations and reference list entries agree both in spelling and in date?
    • Are journal titles in the reference list spelled out fully?
    • Are the references (both in parenthetical text citations and the reference list) ordered alphabetically by authors’ surnames?
    • Are inclusive page numbers for all articles or chapters in books provided in the reference list?
    • Are references to studies included in your meta-analysis preceded by an asterisk?

     

  • Copyright and Quotations

    • Is written permission to use previously published text; test; or portions of tests, tables, or figures provided?
    • Are page or paragraph numbers provided in text for all quotations?

     

  • Cover Letter

    • Is a cover letter included with the manuscript?
    • Does the letter include author’s postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, and fax number?
    • Does the letter state the manuscript is original, not previously published, and not under concurrent consideration elsewhere?
    • Does the letter inform the journal editor of the existence of any similar published manuscripts written by the author?
    • Does the letter mention any supplemental material you are submitting for the online version of your article?
    • Does the letter provide the date of and assurances for IRB approval?

Author Guidelines

Authors should carefully consult the following guidelines before submitting manuscripts for review. Manuscripts that deviate from these guidelines will not be reviewed.

  1. We encourage authors to become members of the Association for Career and Technical Education, HOWEVER membership is NOT REQUIRED for manuscript submission.
  2. Manuscript should be written following APA 7th Edition style guidelines.
    Reference:
    1. Tables – Sections 5.07 to 5.19 b.        
    2. Figures – Sections 5.20 to 5.25
    3. Seriation – Section 3.04
    4. Headings – Section 3.03
    5. Quotes – Sections 6.03 to 6.10
      1. Use quotation marks only to attribute a direct quote to an author.
      2. Otherwise, use italics to emphasize a word or introduce a technical term (see Italics sections 4.07, 4.21)
    6. Using Italics – Sections 4.07 and 4.21
    7. Dashes (Hyphens) – Section 4.13
    8. Expressing Numbers (words vs. numerals) – Sections 4.31 and 4.32
    9. References in Text – Sections 6.11 to 6.21
    10. Reference List – Chapter 7
      1. DOI Numbers must be included if available.
      2. For conference papers/proceedings, see example below.
  3. Manuscript Format
    1. Manuscript should be submitted as a Word file (.doc, .docx, or .rtf).
    2. Times-New Roman 12-point font, standard character spacing, and one-inch margins should be used throughout the document.
    3. Use two spaces following the punctuation mark at the end of each sentence.
    4. Manuscripts, excluding tables/figures and references, must be no more than 20-25 typed, double-spaced pages. The entire manuscript (including tables and references) must be double-spaced.
    5. Line numbers should be inserted into the document.
    6. Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each page.
    7. Tables and figures should be placed within the manuscript body as soon as feasible after their first mention in the text.
    8. Tables MUST be prepared using the “Table” function in Microsoft Word.
    9. The manuscript should be prepared for blind review. Information that would identify the author(s) and/or university should be omitted and replaced with [brackets].
  4. Manuscript Components
    1. Abstract (a single paragraph of no more than 150 words).
    2. The introduction, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework of the manuscript should start immediately after the abstract.
    3. Authors MUST report effect sizes when reporting statistical significance for quantitative data analyses.
  5. Specific reference examples:
    1. If you are citing a presentation that you observed at a conference, cite as:

Presenter, A. A. (Year, month). Title of paper or poster. Paper [or poster] presented at the meeting of[organization name]. City, State.

                 2. If you are citing a paper (or poster abstract) that you obtained from the proceedings, cite as:

Presenter, A. A. (Year). Title of paper (or poster [Abstract]). Proceedings of the [conference name], volume, pages. Retrieved from [url]

 

Copyright Notice

Copyright Notice

ACTER retains literary property rights on copyrighted articles. However, articles published in CTER can be reproduced for academic and not-for profit activities with the stipulation that credit is given to CTER. All other forms of use require written permission from the publisher. Contact the Managing Editor, Dr. Sara Shaw ([email protected]) for an application to reproduce articles published in CTER.

Authors do retain all other proprietary rights including the right to use all or part of the material in any book by the author(s) and make oral presentations of the material.  All copies of the published work will include a notice of the copyright of CTER and the ACTER. 

Authors ensure the manuscript has not been previously published or accepted for publication in any other journal in its present form.  Further, the manuscript reflects the original work and does not infringe on the rights of others.

All persons listed as authors of this manuscript agree to the terms of the copyright notice.