Author Guidelines
Instructions for authors
The journal accepts:
- Original research studies presenting results and findings obtained by specific research methods. The results presented must be the result of empirical research carried out. The empirical study should include source data that support these results. The research paper should be structured as follows: introduction (summary of the issue, which shows the need for the research presented, a clear formulation of the problem and hypotheses, or a brief description of the research findings). The theoretical framework of the research and a review of relevant international literature (it should be clear how the presented research builds on already known results), the research methods and procedures used (research methodology), empirical data analysis, results and their interpretation, discussion in the light of relevant research (it should be clear how the presented research enriches the existing knowledge, how it brings similar results and how it differs from existing research results), limitations of the research (see e.g. here: http://www.uefap.com/writing/function/limit.htm), conclusion. The quality of an empirical study is determined by the degree of objectivity, reliability and validity of the presented results and their backward verifiability. The study should only refer to high-quality peer-reviewed sources.
- Theoretical studies presenting/discussing various theoretical approaches to problems in the selected thematic area. They are evidence of the author's high degree of abstract and analytical thinking and ability to view the problem comprehensively. A general structure of the paper is not recommended, but it should contain a clear formulation of the problem addressed, an outline of the theoretical or philosophical background, clearly stated views of the author and implications for research in the field.
- Surveys providing a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the nature and developmental or historical changes of the phenomenon, concept or theory under study. A prerequisite for a successful review study is a comprehensive analysis of the issue under study and its interpretation from various specific aspects through a synthesising perspective.
- Discussion papers presenting expert discussion on current didactic and pedagogical problems and phenomena in science and mathematics education at all levels and types of schools. Discussion papers must be sophisticated and grounded in historical, empirical or theoretical evidence or research.
Upon agreement with the editorial board, it is possible to publish articles exceeding the limits of scope listed below.
The journal publishes only original papers that have not been published anywhere else and have not been submitted for publication in another journal or proceedings. The author is responsible for the originality of the paper.
Formal editing of the manuscript
The manuscript can be submitted in doc, rtf or TeX format (and pdf simultaneously). When submitting it to OJS, all article authors must be listed, not just the author submitting the article to the system.
Language. The text can be written in Czech, Slovak or English. Due to the international character of the journal, the editors prefer articles in English.
Length. Research studies (maximum length approx. 10 000 words), theoretical studies (maximum length approx. 10 000 words), surveys (maximum length approx. 7 000 words), discussion papers (maximum length approx. 3 000 words).
Text format. Left justified, 1.5 line spacing, single, standard font (e.g. Times New Roman, Courier New, Calibri), 12 pt character height and no word splitting. Chapter headings and paper title in bold. The text must include continuous line numbering (in MS Office Word, Page Layout menu, Line numbering).
Title page of the paper. (1) Title of the paper. (2) Unabbreviated names of all authors without titles, on the next line authors' workplace (name and address of the workplace [street, city, state], e-mail:, ORCID ID). The asterisk indicates the corresponding author. (3) Abstract (150-200 words; longer abstracts will not be accepted). (4) Keywords (maximum 5, separated by comma).
The abstract provides background information on structuring the article's text. It includes information on the purpose of the communication, the structuring of the interpretation, and the conclusions found. For empirical studies, it includes a brief description of the population studied, the methodology used, and the main research findings.
The actual text (structured according to the nature of the article). The text must be structured in decimal form up to a maximum of the third-level heading. The heading '1. Introduction' is given first. The paper may include footnotes. Do not use capitals and VERBS.
In-text citation: In-text references are referenced as (author, year of publication), or (author, year of publication, pages), or (author & author, year of publication). References to multiple sources are separated by a semicolon in parentheses, and sources are arranged chronologically (or alphabetically): (Hejný & Kuřina, 2009; Janová, 1997, 2000; Novák, 2008; Novák et al., 2010). For more than two authors, use "et al.". References to publications by the same author from the same year are indicated and written closely with the letters a, b, etc. after the year of publication, e.g. (Novák, 2000a, 2000b). If the author's name is part of a sentence, only the year of publication (or page numbers) is given in brackets e.g. "Novák (2008, pp. 42-43) found that students... ". Secondary sources should be referred to only exceptionally, otherwise in the following way: (Novák, 2003, cited by Janová, 2011, p. 15). (In the reference list, both primary and secondary sources should be given.) If a pair of authors is mentioned in the text, 'and' is used rather than '&'. E.g., "As stated by Novák and Nováková (2014)...".
Acknowledgements (project support, etc.) should be included before the reference list.
Reference list. Citation notation (reference list) and references to citations in the journal follow APA 7 (American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition) guidelines. All print and non-print sources referenced in the text must be listed in the reference list, alphabetised by author name and strictly in the form of examples provided in this file, which can be downloaded. The titles of English-language publications are in lowercase (except where grammatical reasons require using capital letters, e.g. "Reading skills of students of Czech faculties of education". Exceptions are English-language journal titles, which are in upper case (e.g. Teacher and Teacher Education). If the article has a DOI number, it must be given, in the format https://doi.org/xxxx. References to Internet sources should be no longer than one line.
Identification of literature items by numbers: After your article is accepted for printing, before it goes to the typographer, please add a number to the references in the literature. Number the items in the reference list [1], ..., [25]. When referring to individual items of literature, then add the number of the item in the reference list after the year of publication. E.g. Novák (1996)[5], for multiple references as follows: (Černík et al., 2007[61]; Musilová et al., 2018[73]; Pelikánová et al., 2014[75]; Vieweghová, 2019[79]). This makes it easier to check that all references are in the reference list and vice versa, that titles not referenced are not in the list. These numbers will not be in the final form of the article.
Publication of supplementary material. Authors may publish the source data for their research or other supplementary material on the journal's website in agreement with the editor in charge if appropriate.
Figures, tables, charts. Figures and tables or graphs referred to in the text are numbered, and each is referred to in the text by an abbreviation (e.g. Fig. XY, Tab. XY). Each table, graph or figure is given a concise, short title in the format (Figure XY: Flowchart of the problem) and a self-contained explanatory note containing all abbreviations used and a source citation in case it is non-authorial material. Authors are asked to consider whether the same information can be conveyed in a table in the case of a simple bar chart.
For the review process, figures, graphs and tables are embedded in the text. For the technical processing of the manuscript, the figures must also be supplied as separate files, e.g. in JPG, EPS, TIFF format with a minimum resolution of 400 dpi and in sufficient size, optimally in the required size for publication (1:1). The maximum image width is 15 cm. Images prepared directly using the built-in MS Office Word functionality cannot be used. Vector graphics and feather images are accepted electronically at 600, preferably 1200 dpi. Graphics are accepted in XLS format (including source data). No headings or descriptions can be used for graphs except for the legend, for which a font size of 10-12 pt must be used, and for mathematical variables, italics. Oblique descriptions cannot be used. Figures and graphs may be in colour but without a coloured background or border. Please put these additional files in one ZIP file.
Enumerations. You can use numbered or unnumbered enumerations (bullets). If the enumeration consists of complete sentences, each item starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop. If the enumeration consists of parts of sentences, the items begin with a lowercase letter and end with a semicolon, the last item ending with a full stop.
Direct and indirect quotations and highlighting in the text. Short quotations are put in quotation marks without italics. Quotations over two lines should be placed in a separate paragraph indented from left and right without quotation marks. For verbatim in-text citations, always refer to pages (using the abbreviation p. or pp.). Only italics (not bold or underlining) are used to highlight text, only where necessary. Italics are also used in the text to highlight the names of referenced journals, books, grants, and Latin names of taxa.
Review procedure
The editors reserve the right to reject a paper if it does not meet the basic requirements for a research text, is too extensive, or significantly deviates from the journal's aims and scope. The editors may also recommend that authors make language, form and content changes before the paper is submitted for peer review. Submissions are made exclusively through the online system.
Two reviewers usually review the manuscript. After reviewing the manuscript, the authors receive comments and feedback from the reviewers and the designated editor via an online system. When the revised version of the manuscript is submitted, the authors includes their specific comments and reactions to the reviewers and the editor's comments or detailed reasons for not accepting them in a separate file. For easier orientation in the text, it is recommended to refer specifically to the relevant line in the manuscript. The revised version of the manuscript should be resubmitted to the editors in two versions/files, i.e. a file with the changes made by the author visibly highlighted (MS Office Word Revisions menu, Track Changes tool) and a so-called clean version of the manuscript. The revised version must be uploaded to the system within six weeks of receipt of the review; otherwise, the article must go through the review process again.
Suppose the authors wish their manuscript to be reviewed anonymously. In that case, submitting the manuscript using the online system in two versions, i.e., standard and anonymous (without names and other identifying data), is necessary. The anonymity of the reviewers is always guaranteed.
When submitting papers, the author can suggest in a comment to the editor the names of reviewers (name, department, e-mail) who have relevant expertise. Reviewers cannot be from the same faculty as the author. The decision to assign reviewers is a matter for the journal editors.
Proofreading and acceptance of the article
All submissions are subject to authorisation during page proofreading. Once the proofreading is sent to the author, the manuscript is accepted for publication (in press). The proofreading must be returned to the editors via the online system as soon as possible.
The authors will indicate all proposed changes in the pdf version as notes.
The authors usually receive two proofreading sessions. If the authors do not comment on the final proofreading within five working days, the proofreading is considered authorised.
