Writing for The Reading Teacher

The Reading Teacher is a peer-reviewed journal that provides research-based teaching ideas to literacy educators worldwide. RT’s articles cover topics such as applying research to classroom practice, developing strategies to help struggling learners succeed, and using technology to enhance literacy development. RT is published online and in print eight times a year: monthly from September to May, with a combined December/January issue. It is received by more than 50,000 subscribers worldwide. Call for Manuscripts The editors of The Reading Teacher, Robert B. Cooter Jr. and J. Helen Perkins, welcome manuscripts for two theme issues to be published in 2009–2010: "Urban Literacy: Research–Based Solutions for City Kids" is scheduled for fall 2009. Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2009. "Reading in Grades 4–6: Focus on Expository Reading" is scheduled for spring 2010. Deadline for submissions is August 1, 2009. Manuscripts must provide an appropriate blend of practical classroom application and solid theoretical framework and must appeal to RT's broad audience of classroom teachers, university researchers, literacy consultants, coaches, and policymakers. All manuscripts will be subject to peer review with no guarantee of acceptance. Appropriate submissions RT welcomes well-written, original descriptions of research-based instruction that improves the literacy of children through age 12. Manuscripts must provide an appropriate blend of practical classroom application and solid theoretical framework. The journal editors will not consider book reviews, literary analyses, class projects, term papers, dissertations, endorsements of commercial products or services, previously published work, or manuscripts under consideration elsewhere. Your manuscript will be judged on its contribution to the field, timeliness, freshness of approach, and clarity and cohesiveness of presentation. The acceptance rate is approximately 10%. Before submitting your manuscript, familiarize yourself with articles published in RT to gain insight on the voice, tone, and format appropriate for the journal’s audience. Also, read the editors’ thoughts on their vision for the journal and some ideas for topics.

How to submit online RT editors and review board Contact us

Manuscript types

Manuscripts for full-length articles should run between 5,000 and 6,000 words, including all references and other materials. These should provide RT’s practitioner audience with classroom ideas for literacy development, based on sound theory and research.

Teaching Tips, which are 1,500 to 2,500 words in length, focus on a single, research-based application for improving literacy that can be readily implemented by readers.

Any calls for themed issues will be announced in the journal and on this website.

Copyright and permissions

Authors of accepted articles are required to assign their copyright to IRA. Written permissions are necessary for use of material from another copyrighted source (e.g., student’s writing samples, text or figures excerpted from another work, etc.). Releases must also be provided for use of any person’s words or likeness. Refer to IRA’s copyright information for details.

Preparing your manuscript

The primary style manual for IRA publications is the fifth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically. Prepare the following files for uploading to our online manuscript tracking system. Text should be presented double-spaced in 12 point font, preferably in Microsoft Word; images should be submitted in tif or jpg format.

Cover letter, including your name and affiliation (as you would have them published) and your mailing and e-mail addresses. Any coauthors should be listed in preferred order, with name, affiliation, and contact information.

Abstract of 150 words, written in the third person and without citations.

Complete manuscript. Note that all in-text citations and corresponding references must be in standard APA format. Footnotes and appendixes should not appear. Instead, incorporate such material into the article text.

One blinded copy of the manuscript. To prepare this version, remove author names and affiliations from bylines, replace references to your own and to coauthors’ published work simply with “Author (year)” in text and in reference list (that is, delete publication titles), and mask any city, state, institutional affiliation, or links to personal websites.

Tables and figures in separate file(s), but with their content included in the total word count.

Submitting your manuscript

All manuscripts must be submitted online through IRA’s Manuscript Central tracking system.

Go to the RT Manuscript Central site (will open in a new browser window)

Create an account if you haven’t done so already

Log in to your account

Click the Author Center link

Click on the blue star and follow the instructions provided

A confirmation e-mail will acknowledge our receipt of your manuscript

You can follow the progress of your manuscript by accessing your Author Center.

Manuscript review and adjudication

The review process includes a preliminary evaluation to determine appropriateness, double-blind peer review, and finally adjudication by the editors. All manuscripts are reviewed by two Editorial Board members; full-length manuscripts are reviewed by an additional guest reviewer. Acceptance is determined by the reviewers’ recommendations, available space, and balance of topics in upcoming issues. A decision is typically rendered eight weeks from the date of submission. Publication date of accepted manuscripts is determined primarily by the amount of material already awaiting publication.

About publication

Accepted articles are edited by our in-house staff to meet IRA style guidelines. Page proofs are sent to the author for final approval approximately six weeks prior to publication. Authors receive complimentary copies of the published journal in which their article appears.