Learning Disabilities Research & Practice
| David Scanlon | Boston College, USA |
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (LDRP) publishes articles addressing the nature and characteristics of children and adults with, or with potential for, learning disabilities (specific learning disability; specific learning disorder) and/or attention deficits as they relate to practice, program development, assessment practices, and instruction - not limited to academic subjects. LDRP provides valuable information to professionals involved in a variety of different disciplines, including special education, school psychology, counseling, reading, and health sciences.
| David Scanlon | Boston College, USA |
| Terese C. Aceves | Loyola Marymount University, USA |
| Stephanie Al Otaiba | Southern Methodist University, USA |
| Abigail A. Allen | Clemson University, USA |
| Aydin Bal | University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA |
| David Bateman | Shippensberg University, USA |
| Sheri Berkeley | George Mason University, USA |
| Alison Gould Boardman | University of Colorado-Boulder, USA |
| Brian Bottge | University of Kentucky, USA |
| Mildred Boveda | Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Joseph Boyle | Temple University, USA |
| Mary Brownell | University of Florida, USA |
| Matthew Burns | University of Missouri, USA |
| Mary Beth Calhoon | Miami University, USA |
| David Chard | Wheelock College - Boston University, USA |
| Sam Choo | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities |
| Jason Chow | Virginia Commonwealth University, USA |
| Kevin Kien Hoa Chung | The Education University of Hong Kong, China |
| Paul Cirino | University of Houston, USA |
| Stephen Ciullo | Texas State University, USA |
| Alyson Collins | Texas State University, USA |
| David J. Connor | Hunter College, City University of New York, USA |
| Bryan Cook | University of Virginia, USA |
| Samantha Daley | University of Rochester, United States |
| Shawn M. Datchuk | University of Iowa, USA |
| Barry J.A. de Groot | University of Groningen, Netherlands |
| Susan De La Paz | University of Maryland, USA |
| Minyi Shih Dennis | Lehigh University, USA |
| Donald D. Deshler | University of Kansas, USA |
| Christian Doabler | University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Christine Espin | Leiden University, Netherlands |
| Anya Evmenova | George Mason University, USA |
| Michael Faggella-Luby | Texas Christian University, USA |
| Beth A. Ferri | Syracuse University, Syracuse, USA |
| Joseph B. Fisher | Grand Valley State University, USA |
| Erin Fitzpatrick | University of North Carolina - Charlotte, USA |
| Margaret Flores | Auburn University, USA |
| Anne Foegen | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Lauren Foxworth | The College of New Jersey, USA |
| Shaqwana Freeman-Green | University of North Florida, USA |
| Doug Fuchs | Vanderbilt University, USA |
| Lynn Fuchs | Vanderbilt University, USA |
| Pol Ghesquière | KU Leuven, Belgium |
| Lisa Goran | University of Missouri, USA |
| Lorraine Graham | The University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Steve Graham | Arizona State University, USA |
| Michael Grosche | University of Wuppertal, Germany |
| Susan Perry Gurganus | College of Charleston, USA |
| Diane S. Haager | California State University, Los Angeles, USA |
| Beth A. Harn | University of Oregon, Eugene, USA |
| Anna-Maria Hintz | University of Oldenburg, Germany |
| Charles Hughes | The Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Li-Yu Hung | National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan |
| Jiwon Hwang | California State University, Los Angeles, USA |
| Nancy C. Jordan | University of Delaware, USA |
| Pyung-gang Jung | Korea National University of Education, Korea |
| Devin M. Kearns | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Michael J. Kennedy | University of Virginia, USA |
| Margaret E. King-Sears | George Mason University, USA |
| Alexandra A. Lauterbach | University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA |
| Erica Lembke | University of Missouri, USA |
| Sylvia Linan-Thompson | University of Oregon, USA |
| Jennifer Lindstrom | University of Georgia, USA |
| Allison R. Lombardi | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Rebecca Louick | Eastern Michigan University, USA |
| Timo Lüke | University of Graz, Austria |
| Charles MacArthur | University of Delaware, USA |
| Joseph Madaus | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Jennifer Mahdavi | Sonoma State University, USA |
| Linda Mason | George Mason University, USA |
| Debra McKeown | Texas A&M University, USA |
| Stephanie Morano | University of Virginia, USA |
| Allison Nannemann | University of New Mexico, USA |
| Gena Nelson | Boise State University, USA |
| Rollanda O'Connor | University of California, Riverside, USA |
| Susana Padeliadu | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece |
| David R. Parker | Children’s Resource Group (CRG), Indianapolis, USA |
| Katherine Peeples | Illinois State University, USA |
| Peng Peng | University of Texas-Austin, USA |
| Sarah R. Powell | University of Texas, Austin, USA |
| Deborah K. Reed | University of Tennessee, USA |
| Paul J. Riccomini | The Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Claudia Rinaldi | Lasell College, USA |
| Derek Rodgers | University of Iowa, USA |
| Jessica Rodrigues | University of Missouri, USA |
| Rajiv Satsangi | George Mason University, USA |
| Anne Schulte | North Carolina State University, USA |
| Georgios Sideridis | Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA |
| James S. Sinclair | University of Oregon, USA |
| Michael Solis | University of California, Riverside, USA |
| Pamela Stecker | Clemson University, USA |
| H. Lee Swanson | University of New Mexico, USA |
| William Therrien | University of Virginia, USA |
| Martha Thurlow | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Gerald Tindal | University of Oregon, USA |
| Jessica R. Toste | University of Texas - Austin, USA |
| Jennifer Urbach | University of Northern Colorado, USA |
| Delinda van Garderen | University of Missouri, USA |
| Cheryl Varghese | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Pediatrics, USA |
| Sharon Vaughn | University of Texas, Austin, USA |
| Jeanne Wanzek | Vanderbilt University, USA |
| Petra Warreyn | Ghent University, Belgium |
| Margaret P. Weiss | George Mason University, USA |
| Daniel Wissinger | Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA |
Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Please click here to submit your article: https://sage.atyponrex.com/journal/LDR
This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Sage disseminates high-quality research and engaged scholarship globally, and we are committed to diversity and inclusion in publishing. We encourage submissions from a diverse range of authors from across all countries and backgrounds.
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.
As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere. Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that LDRP will consider submissions of papers that have been posted on preprint servers; please alert the Editorial Office when submitting (contact details are at the end of these guidelines) and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper to a preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the Journal. If your paper is accepted, you will need to contact the preprint server to ensure the final published article link is attached to your preprint. Learn more about our preprint policy here.
If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journal Solutions Portal.
Aims & scope
Before submitting your manuscript to LDRP, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope: Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (LDRP) publishes articles addressing the nature and characteristics of children and adults with, or with potential for, learning disabilities (specific learning disability; specific learning disorder) and/or attention deficits as they relate to practice, program development, assessment practices, and instruction-- not limited to academic subjects. LDRP provides valuable information to professionals involved in a variety of different disciplines, including special education, school psychology, counselling, reading, and health sciences.
Because of the field of learning disabilities is multidisciplinary, LDRP publishes articles describing research, program development, and practices in teaching and assessment from a variety of disciplines as long as the focus is on learning disabilities and/or attention deficits. Unvalidated program descriptions, descriptions (without evaluation) of techniques or procedures, and personal accounts generally are not acceptable.
Each manuscript submitted is reviewed by the Editor, who will monitor it through the review process. Each paper undergoes blind review by experts in the area of its content. Submissions are judged on the following criteria:
• Importance of the topic addressed
• Soundness of conceptualization
• Clarity of purpose and goals
• Adequacy of the research
• Accuracy and validity of content
• Reliability of conclusions
• Contribution to professional literature
• Reader interest and appeal
Viewpoints expressed within LDRP are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the individual or collective opinion of either the Editors, officers, review board, or members of DLD. Consequently, neither DLD nor LDRP can assume responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed by contributors.
Writing your paper
Visit the Sage Author Gateway for general advice on how to get published, plus links to further resources.
Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance your article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.
Make your article discoverable
For information and guidance on how to make your article more discoverable, visit our Gateway page on How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.
Manuscript Style. Manuscripts must be prepared according to the style recommendation in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., 2020). Manuscripts must be double-spaced, with wide margins throughout. Except under unusual circumstances, manuscripts should be no longer than 30 pages in length. The manuscript should contain the following elements:
Title page. The first page of the manuscript should include the title of the article and the complete names and institutional affiliations of all authors. As a separate item, indicate the name, postal and email address, and phone number of the corresponding author. Also provide a short title to be used as a running head.
Abstract. Each article should be prefaced by a brief abstract (100–150 words).
Biographical statement. Authors should include a short (40–60 words) biographical statement with the heading, About the Authors. If the manuscript is accepted and published this statement will be included at the end of the article.
Additional elements—tables, figures, acknowledgments, when included—should take the following form:
Tables. All tabulated data identified as tables should be given a table number and a descriptive title. Tables should be typed double-spaced on separate pages.
Figures. Figures should be numbered and labeled (first author’s name) in pencil on the reverse side. Brief captions to the figures should be listed on a separate page and numbered consecutively in correspondence to the figures. Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, the author should be prepared to supply line art as black on white glossy prints that are approximately twice the final size. Note: If symbols are used—especially many symbols on one graph (e.g., open squares, open diamonds, and closed circles)—they should be large enough to be clearly distinguished after reduction. Color photographs are acceptable, but reproduction thereof must be prepaid by the author.
Acknowledgments. Acknowledgments (e.g., of collaboration or support) may be included on a separate page. If the manuscript is accepted and published acknowledgements will appear at the end of the article before the reference section.
A note on manuscript style. Both sections of the journal publish only those articles judged to be of superior quality. Quality is judged on the basis of design, implementation, writing, and importance of the article to the field. However, different styles of writing are preferred in the two sections. Authors preparing manuscripts for the Research section should adhere to style guidelines generally observed in scientific journals. Care should be taken to describe subject selection criteria, subject characteristics, research procedures, data analysis employed, and the like. Discussion should emphasize the practical applications of the research findings, as well as theoretical interpretation of findings. Articles discussing issues of concern to researchers also are appropriate for this section of LDRP.
Authors preparing manuscripts for the Practice section should consider a more informal style with an emphasis on rich, detailed descriptions of programs and procedures, and implications. Discursive articles and reviews of literature on topics or issues of interest to practitioners are appropriate. In either case, the content must be grounded in research. Articles reporting original, practice-oriented research are also acceptable for this section, but the above stylistic guidelines should be considered.
Editorial policies
Peer review policy
Sage does not permit the use of author-suggested (recommended) reviewers at any stage of the submission process, be that through the web-based submission system or other communication.
Reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Our policy is that reviewers should not be assigned to a paper if:
- The reviewer is based at the same institution as any of the co-authors.
- The reviewer is based at the funding body of the paper.
- The author has recommended the reviewer.
- The reviewer has provided a personal (e.g. Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail) email account and an institutional email account cannot be found after performing a basic Google search (name, department and institution).
The journal’s policy is to have manuscripts reviewed by two expert reviewers. LDRP utilizes a double-anonymised peer review process in which the reviewer and authors’ names and information are withheld from the other. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, while maintaining rigor. Reviewers make comments to the author and recommendations to the Editor who then makes the final decision.
LDRP is committed to delivering high quality, fast peer-review for your paper, and as such has partnered with Web of Science (previously Publons). Web of Science is a third-party service that seeks to track, verify and give credit for peer review. Reviewers for LDRP can opt in to Web of Science in order to claim their reviews or have them automatically verified and added to their reviewer profile. Reviewers claiming credit for their review will be associated with the relevant journal, but the article name, reviewer’s decision and the content of their review is not published on the site. For more information visit the Web of Science website.
The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.
Review Process.
The Editors will determine which section of the journal (i.e., Research or Practice) is the appropriate vehicle for the article submitted; author’s stipulations as included in the cover letter will generally be honored. The Editors will send the manuscript for blind review to Reviewers who will be selected on the basis of their expertise in the content area addressed or the methodology used. The review process normally takes 6 to 8 weeks, and, after all reviews are returned, the principal author will receive notification about the publication decision from the Editors. Authors may be requested to make revisions, ranging from minor to major, prior to final acceptance. The Editors reserve the right to make minor editorial changes that do not affect materially the meaning of the text.
Authorship
All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.
Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.
Acknowledgements
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.
Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text to facilitate anonymous peer review.
Per ICMJE recommendations, it is best practice to obtain consent from non-author contributors who you are acknowledging in your paper.
Third party submissions
Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:
- Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
- Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
- Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.
Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.
Declaration of conflicting interests
LDRP encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
If applicable, authors are required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent.
Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.
The Journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.
Subject to appropriate ethical and legal considerations, authors are encouraged to:
- Share your research data in a relevant public data repository
- Include a data availability statement linking to your data. If it is not possible to share your data, use the statement to confirm why it cannot be shared.
- Cite this data in your research
Peer reviewers may be asked to peer review the research data prior to publication.
- Peer reviewers may be asked to assess compliance with the research data policy
- Peer reviewers may be asked to assess research data files
If you need to anonymize your research data for peer review, please refer to our Research Data Sharing FAQs for guidance.
Publishing policies
Publication ethics
Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.
Plagiarism
LDRP and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the Journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.
Prior publication
If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the Sage Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.
Contributor’s publishing agreement
Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information, please visit the Sage Author Gateway.
Open access and author archiving
LDRP offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Read and Publish agreements, where authors at participating institutions can publish open access with fees paid by the institution. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.
Preparing your manuscript for submission
Formatting
The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. A LaTex template is available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.
Artwork, figures and other graphics
For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines.
Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.
Identifiable information
Where a journal uses double-anonymised peer review, authors are required to submit:
- A version of the manuscript which has had any information that compromises the anonymity of the author(s) removed or anonymised. This version will be sent to the peer reviewers.
- A separate title page which includes any removed or anonymised material. This will not be sent to the peer reviewers.
Visit the Sage Author Gateway for detailed guidance on making an anonymous submission.
Supplemental material
This Journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.
Reference style
LDRP adheres to the APA reference style. View the APA guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.
English language editing services
Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the Journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.
Submitting your manuscript
LDRP is hosted on Sage Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit https://sage.atyponrex.com/journal/LDR to login and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the Journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.
ORCID
As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.
We encourage all authors and co-authors to link their ORCIDs to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. We collect ORCID IDs during the manuscript submission process and your ORCID ID then becomes part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID ID is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.
If you do not already have an ORCID ID please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.
Information required for completing your submission
You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. The affiliation listed in the manuscript 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 manuscript note at the end of the paper. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).
Permissions
Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.
On acceptance and publication
Sage Production
Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal Sage Edit or by email, and corrections should be made directly or notified to us promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.
Online First publication
Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.
Access to your published article
Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.
Promoting your article
Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.
Further information
Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the LDRP editorial office as follows: David Scanlon, E-mail: david.scanlon@bc.edu.
Appealing the publication decision
Editors have very broad discretion in determining whether an article is an appropriate fit for their journal. Many manuscripts are declined with a very general statement of the rejection decision. These decisions are not eligible for formal appeal unless the author believes the decision to reject the manuscript was based on an error in the review of the article, in which case the author may appeal the decision by providing the Editor with a detailed written description of the error they believe occurred.
If an author believes the decision regarding their manuscript was affected by a publication ethics breach, the author may contact the publisher with a detailed written description of their concern, and information supporting the concern, at publication_ethics@sagepub.com