Submissions

Revolutionizing Education: A Journal of Education Policy and Practice will begin accepting submissions on March 1, 2025. Revolutionizing Education is the official journal of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. We invite researchers, educators and advocates to submit their work to our open-access journal dedicated to advancing education policy and practice in Massachusetts. Our journal prioritizes innovative research that challenges entrenched inequities within education, amplifies voices that are often marginalized, advocates for transformative practices that dismantle power hierarchies, and understands education as a tool for liberation rather than the reproduction of inequality.  

We welcome scholarship from diverse disciplines, multiple methodologies, and topics covering prekindergarten to higher education, including: 

• The history of education union organizing.  
• Labor education practices and approaches.  
• The charter school movement.  
• High-stakes testing and alternatives. 
• Educator labor, political trends and the evolving economy.  
• Political, economic and social context of education in Massachusetts. 
• The politics of school finance and the economics of education.  
• Participatory budgeting. 
• Full-service community schools.  
• Public policy and its intersection with educational policy and practice.  
• Curriculum and instruction.  
• Trends in education privatization.  
• Governance and finance of local and state schools and higher education institutions.
• Privatization in public higher education.  

The journal also accepts:  

• Reviews of relevant books, films and curricula.  
• Reflective pieces on pressing topics in education.  

We encourage submissions from a diverse range of voices and backgrounds, especially those who have been historically underrepresented in educational research. By amplifying these perspectives, we aim to foster a richer understanding of the challenges and opportunities in education policy and practice. 

Submission Guidelines  

• Submissions are accepted throughout the year.  
• Manuscripts should be original, not exceeding 9,000 words.
• Include an abstract of between 150-250 words summarizing your work. 
• All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process. 

Join us in shaping a more just and equitable future for education! 

Frequently Asked Questions for Authors

OPEN ACCESS

• What is an open access journal? 

Open access is the process of making published academic articles freely and permanently available online. Anyone anywhere can read and build upon this research without a subscription.

Revolutionizing Education is a platinum, open access journal and never will charge authors for publication or anyone for access.

• Why does open access matter?

• Increase the visibility and readership of research

Research that is published open access is available to anyone worldwide, at any time. Greater visibility can result in increased readership and citations of your research. 

• Improve Community Engagement and Increase Impact

Open access publishing can help your work reach new readers, beyond those with easy access to a research library, such as non-governmental agencies, policymakers, practitioners, the media and educators. 

Community organizations, clinicians and practitioners may not have comprehensive access to subscription journals, or the resources to pay costly copyright fees. Opening research allows publications to become actualized in the form of policies, treatments, funding allocations and decisions. 

• Accelerate Research

Increasingly, research is being done by large and diverse teams spanning across institutions and geographic regions. Copyright agreements often inhibit the open sharing of publications. Open access publishing enables equal access to vital information. 

• Financial

Library budgets remain the same, while serials costs continually rise. Institutions are in the position of funding research and then purchasing it back through journal subscriptions.

• Is it easier to publish in open access journals? How do I know that the open access journal is of high quality?

Publishing in an open access journal like Revolutionizing Education is not any easier or harder than a subscription journal. The processes in place for publishing your work, in either case, are very similar. 

Any good quality, open access journal will have a clear submission and peer review process in the same manner as a subscription journal. The only major difference will be that your published research is open access and that there will be NO Article Publishing Charge (APC) to pay to publish in Revolutionizing Education.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Who can submit? 

We encourage submissions from a diverse range of voices and backgrounds, especially those who have been historically underrepresented in educational research. We invite researchers, educators, activists, organizers, practitioners, parent(s)/guardian(s), students and community partners to submit their work to our open access journal dedicated to advancing education policy and practice in Massachusetts. By amplifying these perspectives, we aim to foster a richer understanding of the challenges and opportunities in education policy and practice. 

• What types of articles can I submit? 

We publish a variety of different article types, from original research, review articles (including book and media reviews), to commentary and opinion pieces. We only require that the work be original and align with the journal’s mission and vision.

• Are there any publication charges for this journal?

There are NO submission fees, Article Publishing Charges (APC), or page charges for this journal. Color figures will be reproduced in color in your online article free of charge. 

• How should I prepare the manuscript? 

Generally, a manuscript includes the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgments, Statements and Declarations section, and References. 

Be sure to remove any identifying information from the main manuscript because the journal has a double-anonymized peer review policy; instead include this information on a separate title page. 

The title page should include any information removed from the main manuscript document for the purposes of anonymity. The title page will not be sent to peer reviewers.  

Your title page should include:  

• Article title.  
• The full list of authors including all names and affiliations. 
• The listed affiliation should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a note at the end of the manuscript – please indicate this on the title page.  
• Everybody eligible for authorship must be included at the time of submission.
• Contact information for the corresponding author: name, institutional address, phone, email.  
• Acknowledgments section.  
• Statements and Declarations section.  
• Any other identifying information related to the authors and/or their institutions, funders, approval committees, etc., which might compromise anonymity. 

• How to format the research paper? 

At Revolutionizing Education, we understand that formatting a paper can be extra work on top of other demands. That’s why we have decided to accept format-free submission. 

• What is format-free submission? 

Format-free submission means that, provided you include everything necessary for review and use a consistent citation format, you can submit your paper without needing to worry about formatting your manuscript to meet the journal’s requirements.

All you need to do is follow the simple steps outlined below, when submitting your manuscript: 

Guide to submitting format-free to Revolutionizing Education journal

Use consistent citations
Your references can be in any scholarly citation format, as long as you use the same approach throughout the article. It is essential to include:

• Author name(s)
• Journal or book title
• Article or chapter title 

• Page numbers

• Year of publication
• Volume and issue (where appropriate)

We recommend that you include DOI (Digital Object Identifier) numbers, but they are not mandatory. 

Include everything needed for peer review
There are still some minimum requirements that are essential for evaluating an article. These will usually include:

• Abstract (150-250 words)
• Author affiliation
• Figures
• References
• Research-funder information
• Conflict-of-interest disclosures and other ethics statements

Completing your submission
When you make your submission, upload your manuscript as a single file including text, figures and tables.

• We suggest that your manuscript be formatted so that it is easy to read and comment on, using Times New Roman font in size 12, with double spacing and line numbers. The preferred format is a Word document.
• If your article is accepted for publication, in most cases we will reformat it to the journal’s style. At this point we may ask you to send us any extra items required for publication. These could include keywords, a public interest statement, author biography and editable source files. 
• Occasionally you may be asked to complete some formatting on your paper, either at the point of acceptance or if you are invited to make revisions. There are various reasons why this might be needed, including formatting references to fit the journal style, or if the editor has specifically requested a formatted version following revisions but before acceptance. If this is the case, you’ll be guided through exactly what is needed.
• How do I prepare my manuscript for double-blind peer review process? 

Since Revolutionizing Education uses a double-blind peer review process, authors are required to submit:

1. A version of the manuscript which has had any information that compromises the anonymity of the author(s) removed or anonymized. This version will be sent to peer reviewers.
2. A separate title page which includes any removed or anonymized information. This will not be sent to the peer reviewers.

Anonymizing your manuscript

Where present, the following identifiable information should be treated as follows:

• Remove author names, emails and affiliations.
• Remove the Acknowledgements.
• Anonymize the Conflict-of-Interest statement where a competing interest exists, e.g.:
  • The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: [details omitted for double-blind peer review.]
• Anonymize the trial registration number and date.
• Anonymize the funding source(s), e.g.:
  • The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This work was funded by [details omitted for double-blind peer review.]
• Avoid using self-citations. If you include an essential self-citation, then:
  • The citation should not be anonymized.
  • If necessary, it should be referred to in the third person, e.g. write “Jones and Xi (2020) have shown”, not “we have previously shown (Jones & Xi, 2020)”.​

Author Response to Reviewer Comments

Author Responses to Reviewer comments can be entered directly in and/or attached to the submission form. When attaching responses, authors should ensure that file metadata and any comments are anonymized.

ARTICLE DECISIONS

• What does the publication process look like?

Once a manuscript is submitted to a journal, the editorial team initiates the peer review process, which typically follows these key steps:

Editorial Evaluation: Upon submission, the editorial board assesses the manuscript’s alignment with the journal’s scope and basic standards of quality. If deemed suitable, the manuscript proceeds to the next stage.

Assignment to Reviewers: The editorial board selects experts in the field — typically researchers or academics with relevant expertise — to evaluate the manuscript. Reviewers are chosen based on their knowledge, impartiality, and absence of conflicts of interest. They will also include educators knowledgeable about the topic, particularly concerning practice.

Peer Review: Reviewers critically evaluate the manuscript based on several criteria, including originality, significance, methodology, interpretation of results, and adherence to ethical guidelines. They provide constructive feedback and may recommend acceptance, revision or rejection.

Editorial Decision: After receiving reviewer feedback, the editorial board decides on the manuscript. This decision considers the reviewers’ comments, the manuscript’s quality, and the manuscript’s fit with the journal’s objectives. Possible outcomes include acceptance, acceptance with minor revisions, major revisions and resubmission, or rejection.

Author Notification: Authors receive the editorial board’s decision along with reviewers’ comments. For accepted manuscripts, this may include instructions for preparing the final version. Rejected manuscripts may be accompanied by constructive feedback to guide future revisions or submissions elsewhere.

Revision and Resubmission: If revisions are requested, authors revise their manuscript, addressing each point raised by the reviewers and editor. Upon resubmission, the revised manuscript may undergo further review to ensure the revisions adequately address concerns.

Final Decision: The editorial board evaluates the revised manuscript and decides whether it meets the journal’s standards for publication. Once accepted, the manuscript moves toward publication in the journal.

Throughout this process, confidentiality is maintained to uphold the integrity of the peer review system. Reviewers provide feedback anonymously to encourage impartial evaluation, while editors oversee the process to ensure fairness and consistency. The goal of peer review is not only to uphold academic standards but also to foster scholarly discourse and advancement in knowledge.

• When will I be informed whether my article/manuscript has been accepted or not after the initial screening? 

Once the manuscript is submitted, the editorial board will assess the manuscript’s alignment with the journal’s scope and basic standards of quality. If deemed suitable, the manuscript proceeds to the next stage. This initial decision to proceed or not might take somewhere between 1-2 months. 

• I have submitted my manuscript. What do I do next? 

After you submit your manuscript, it will undergo an initial evaluation to check that it conforms to the submission requirements. If it doesn’t, it will be returned to you for amendments prior to peer review. Manuscripts may be desk rejected without peer review at this point if they are out of scope for the journal or otherwise unsuitable. In the meantime, authors wait to hear from the journal editors. 

• I was informed that my manuscript has passed the initial evaluation and is under peer review. What happens when the article is under peer review process? 

After passing the initial evaluation, your manuscript will then be sent for peer review. Details of how the peer review process works for the journal can be found on the journal website. You can log in at any time on the online submission system to check the status of your manuscript. The journal editor will notify you when a decision has been reached.

• My manuscript has been accepted with major/minor revisions, and I have received comments from peer reviewers. How do I respond to the peer review comments? 

For help on how to respond to peer review comments, see this helpful guide: Response to reviewers template.

Instructions for authors: 

 

• Add each individual comment from reviewers and editors to the first column. 
• If you are responding to more than two reviewers, copy and paste one of the tables and edit the first column to read ‘Reviewer 3 Comment,’ for example. 
• Highlight the changes made in a copy of your revised manuscript. 
• Add page numbers to the highlighted version of your revised manuscript.  
• Describe what you have changed in the Author Response column.
• State the page number where each change can be found. 
• If you feel unable to address a comment or implement a suggestion, state why. 
• IMPORTANT for journals with double-blind peer review: Use Document Inspector to remove all personal information. 
• When submitting your revised manuscript, upload this form under the View and Respond to Decision Letter step. 
• Upload two copies of your revised manuscript under the File Upload step: 
  • One clean copy, using the file designation ‘Main Document.’ 
  • One copy with changes highlighted, using the file designation ‘Main Document.’ 

Top tips 

• Consider reviewer and editor comments carefully – don’t rush!  
• Submit your revision on time.  
• Be positive and constructive. 
• Keep your comments clear and concise. 
• Comprehensive updates and responses to reviewer and editor comments will minimize the need for future revisions. 
• What is the timeline for the publication process? 

The publication process can take several months as the manuscripts go through rounds of peer reviews to ensure that the work upholds academic standards, rigor, credibility, and quality.