Submissions

Author Guidelines

Assessment and Practice in Educational Sciences welcomes original contributions that reflect high standards of academic quality and rigor. To ensure smooth processing and uniformity across published articles, authors are required to adhere strictly to the following submission and formatting guidelines. Submissions not conforming to these standards may be returned for revision prior to peer review.

1. Manuscript Types Accepted

The journal accepts the following types of submissions:

• Original Research Articles (4,000–7,000 words)

• Review Articles (5,000–8,000 words)

• Theoretical or Conceptual Papers (4,000–6,000 words)

• Case Studies (3,000–5,000 words)

• Short Communications (2,000–3,500 words)

All word limits are inclusive of references, tables, and figures.

2. General Formatting

• File Format: Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

• Font: Times New Roman, size 12.

• Spacing: Double-spaced throughout (including references, tables, and footnotes).

• Margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides.

• Page Numbers: Inserted at the bottom-right of every page.

• Language: English (British or American spelling is acceptable, but must be consistent throughout).

• Line Numbering: Continuous line numbers should be included.

3. Manuscript Structure

The manuscript should be structured as follows:

Title Page (separate file)

• Full article title (no more than 20 words)

• Author(s) full name(s) with affiliations

• ORCID iDs (highly recommended)

• Corresponding author’s full contact information

• Acknowledgments (if any)

• Funding information (if applicable)

• Conflict of interest disclosure

Main Manuscript (blinded)

Do not include any identifying information in this file.

Sections:

1. Title

2. Abstract (150–250 words)

   • Must summarize the objectives, methods, results, and conclusion.

3. Keywords (3–6 keywords, separated by commas)

4. Introduction

5. Methods or Materials and Methods

6. Results or Findings

7. Discussion

8. Conclusion

9. Limitations and Recommendations

10. References

11. Tables and Figures (embedded or placed after references)

4. Headings and Subheadings

Use APA-style heading levels:

• Level 1: Centered, Bold, Title Case (e.g., Introduction)

• Level 2: Left-aligned, Bold, Title Case

• Level 3: Left-aligned, Bold Italic, Title Case

• Level 4: Indented, Bold, Sentence case, ending with a period.

• Level 5: Indented, Bold Italic, Sentence case, ending with a period.

5. In-Text Citations (APA Style, 7th Edition)

All citations must follow APA guidelines:

One Author:

(Smith, 2021)

Two Authors:

(Jones & Wang, 2020)

Three or More Authors:

(Ahmed et al., 2019)

Direct Quotations:

Include page numbers:

“Student motivation is context-dependent” (Taylor, 2017, p. 45).

Multiple Sources in One Citation:

(Brown, 2018; Lee, 2020; Morris & Chan, 2021)

Use alphabetical order.

6. Reference List (APA Style, 7th Edition)

Start on a new page and use hanging indent (0.5 inch). Examples:

Journal Article:

Smith, J. A., & Lee, H. (2022). Teacher beliefs and instructional change. Journal of Educational Studies, 58(3), 212–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/jes.2022.03.005

Book:

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman.

Edited Book Chapter:

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory. In P. R. Shaver & M. Mikulincer (Eds.), Motivation and emotion in education (pp. 85–110). Routledge.

Website:

World Bank. (2023, March 15). Improving education outcomes through better policy. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/overview

7. Tables and Figures

• Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2).

• Each must have a clear, descriptive title and caption.

• Embed tables/figures where they first appear in the text or place them after the references.

• Use APA format for table/figure presentation.

• Do not submit tables or figures as separate image files unless requested.

8. Ethical Considerations

Authors must declare:

• Ethical approval for research involving human subjects (with approval code if available).

• Informed consent of participants.

• Conflict of interest statement.

• Funding sources.

The journal strictly adheres to COPE guidelines and reserves the right to reject or retract manuscripts in violation of ethical standards.

9. Submission Process

• Submit manuscripts through the online submission system on the journal’s website.

• Include:

  • Cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief

  • Title page file (with author info)

  • Blinded manuscript file (no author info)

  • Plagiarism check certificate (optional but recommended)

All submissions are acknowledged via email.

10. Review and Revision

Submissions undergo double-blind peer review by 2–3 reviewers. Authors will receive reviewer feedback and editorial decisions within approximately 4–6 weeks. Decisions may include:

• Accept

• Minor Revision

• Major Revision

• Reject

Authors must revise and resubmit within the deadline specified by the editor, usually 2–3 weeks.

11. Post-Acceptance and Publication

Once accepted:

• Authors will receive galley proofs for final review.

• No major changes are allowed at this stage.

• Articles are published online first, followed by inclusion in a regular issue.

12. Article Processing Charges (APCs)

A fee of 1,500,000 Iranian Tomans is payable only upon acceptance to cover editorial handling, peer-review, publication, indexing, and archiving.

There is no submission fee.

13. Copyright and License

Authors retain full copyright of their work. All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This allows reuse, distribution, and adaptation for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.