Guidelines for Reviewers

All manuscripts submitted to Fringes undergo a double-blind review process. In this review process, the identities of the authors and the reviewers are anonymized, to ensure impartiality. As a reviewer, please consider the following as you organize and submit your review.

 

Provide Constructive Feedback: Write a review that provides supportive and constructive feedback. Keep in mind that the author is a fellow teacher, student, and/or faculty member so please use language that treats their work with respect and supportive growth. 

 

Provide Specific Feedback: In your review, write specific and direct feedback that explains your recommendation for the manuscript. In your review, consider the following questions:

  • What are the fatal flaws or key factors in a decision not to publish?

  • What exactly must an author do to make a manuscript acceptable for publication?

  • Why should this manuscript be accepted?

Provide bibliographic guidance when you cite or refer to published sources.

 

Provide an Organized Review: Make sure that your review is organized and logical. You may choose to organize your review into two sections: feedback to the editors and feedback to the authors. Feedback to the editors will not be shared with the authors and will include a short summary of what the manuscript offers, your decision recommendation to the editor (see the decision categories under What do I write?), and justification for that recommendation. Feedback to the authors should include a list of specific and constructive suggestions for the author. Many reviewers choose to provide feedback on each of the major sections of the manuscript, and organize their review as such.

 

What Do I Write?: Please include the following in your review (Reviews run from 1-3 pages long). Do not include identifiers in your review.

1. Decision: Your review should begin with one of the following four statements:

  • Accept this manuscript with minor editing and technical revisions

  • Revise and resubmit this manuscript with minor editing and technical revisions

  • Revise and resubmit with major revisions

  • Do not publish

2. To explain that decision, please include information about all of the following areas:

  • Organization: Is the article well-organized? Can you trace the logic of investigation consistently from the opening paragraphs to the conclusion? Is the topic clearly stated? Is the manuscript organized in ways that help readers determine what is important?

  • Originality of Approach: Does the topic, research orientation, and/or author's argument bring original, innovative, or fresh perspectives to the field of language and literacy education? Is the topic significant?

  • Quality of Writing: Is the writing clear, concise, logical, and accessible to practitioners and the general public? Grammatically correct? Does the manuscript include evidence that supports the conclusion?

  • Appropriate for journal: Is the voice and tone of the manuscript appropriate for readers of Fringes? Does the manuscript contain information that is appropriate and interesting for Fringes readers?

 

Steps for Submitting your Review: Reviews should be completed within 1 month. Your review should be submitted on an editable Word document. Please submit your review by emailing it to the Fringes editors at fringes.nceta.editors@gmail.com, and including “Review of [Insert Manuscript Title]” in the subject line.

You can download a copy of the Guidelines for Reviewers here.