Journal of Literacy Research
JLR publishes research and scholarly papers, including original empirical research and critical essays in its Insights column. Articles represent diverse research paradigms and theoretical orientations to consider literacy across various populations and global locations. Articles employ a variety of methodologies and modes of inquiry, such as mixed methods, ethnography, narrative and experimental.
Because JLR serves as an open forum, readers should not construe the contents as implying advocacy or endorsement by the Literacy Research Association, its officers, or its members. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
JLR’s current acceptance rate is approximately 8%. Abstracts in languages other than English are regularly made available (i.e., Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, & Spanish).
The Journal of Literacy Research (JLR) is a peer-reviewed journal contributes to the advancement research related to literacy and literacy education. Current focuses include, but are not limited to:
- Literacies from preschool to adulthood
- Evolving and expanding definitions of ‘literacy’
- Innovative applications of theory, pedagogy and instruction
- Methodological developments in literacy and language research
| Eurydice Bauer | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Aria Razfar | University of Illinois, Chicago, USA |
| Allison Skerrett | The University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Christina L. Dobbs | Boston University, USA |
| Bong Gee Jang | Syracuse University, USA |
| Seth A. Parsons | George Mason University, USA |
| Lydia Carnesale | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Claire Collins | University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Abby Dennison | George Mason University, USA |
| Lauren Hunt | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Svetlana Mitric | University of Illinois at Chicago, USA |
| Amanda Moon | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Aimee Wilkerson | University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Yan Yan | Boston University, USA |
| Fenice Boyd, Vice President | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Cassie Brownell, Parliamentarian | University of Toronto, Canada |
| Sam DeJulio, Historian | University of Texas at San Antonio, USA |
| Marla Mallette, Treasurer | Binghamton University, USA |
| Rachel Salas, Secretary | University of Nevada, Reno, USA |
| Alfred W. Tatum, President Elect, Conference Chair 2023 | Metropolitan State University of Denver, USA |
| Doris Walker-Dalhouse,President | Marquette University, USA |
| David Yaden, Past President | University of Arizona, USA |
| Marcus Croom, Policy & Legislative Chair | University of Rhode Island, USA |
| Tiffany Flowers, Ethnicity, Race & Multilingualism Chair | Georgia State University, USA |
| Kate Kedley, Gender & Sexualities Chair | Rowan University, USA |
| Alice Lee, Field Council Chair | University of California, Riverside, USA |
| Emily Machado, Ethics Chair | University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA |
| Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Research Chair | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA |
| Chad Waldron, Diversity, Equity and Justice Chair | Central Michigan University, USA |
| Lindsay Woodard, Technology & Digital Communications Chair | George Mason University, USA |
| Melody Zoch, Publications Chair | University of North Carolina, USA |
| Ana Christina da Silva Iddings | Peabody College, USA |
| Zhihui Fang | University of Florida, USA |
| Maria Paula Ghiso | Columbia University, USA |
| Virginia Goatley | University at Albany, SUNY, USA |
| Mary McVee | University at Buffalo, USA |
| Raúl Alberto Mora | Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Norway |
| Patriann Smith | University of South Florida, USA |
| Bogum Yoon | Binghamton University, USA |
| Rahat Zaidi | University of Calgary, Canada |
| Patricia A. Alexander | University of Maryland, USA |
| Donna Alvermann | University of Georgia, USA |
| Steven J. Amendum | University of Delaware, USA |
| Jim Anderson | University of British Columbia, Canada |
| Maren Aukerman | Stanford University, USA |
| Richard Beach | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Rita Bean | University of Pittsburgh, USA |
| Thomas W. Bean | Old Dominion University, USA |
| Mollie V. Blackburn | The Ohio State University, USA |
| David Bloome | The Ohio State University, USA |
| Gail Boldt | Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Stergios Botzakis | University of Tennessee, USA |
| Maneka Brooks | Texas State University, USA |
| Wanda Brooks | Temple University, USA |
| Cathy Burnett | Sheffield Hallam University, UK |
| Catherine Burwell | University of Calgary, Canada |
| Joanne Carlisle | University of Michigan, USA |
| Gina N. Cervetti | University of Michigan, USA |
| Kelly Chandler-Olcott | Syracuse University, USA |
| Chris Chang-Bacon | University of Virginia, USA |
| Byoung-Young Cho | University of Pittsburgh, USA |
| Julie Coiro | University of Rhode Island, USA |
| Mikel W. Cole | Clemson University, USA |
| Ross Collin | Virginia Commonwealth University, USA |
| Thomas Crisp | Georgia State University, USA |
| Jerry D'Agostino | The Ohio State University, USA |
| Bridget Dalton | University of Colorado Boulder, USA |
| Dacian Dolean | Babes-Bolyai University, Romania |
| Curt Dudley-Marling | Boston College, USA |
| Elizabeth Dutro | University of Colorado, USA |
| Julie Dwyer | Quinnipiac University, USA |
| Patricia Edwards | Michigan State University, USA |
| Patricia Enciso | The Ohio State University, USA |
| Grace Enriquez | Lesley University, USA |
| Kathy Escamilla | University of Colorado Boulder, USA |
| Zhihui Fang | University of Florida, USA |
| Rachel Gabriel | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Janet S. Gaffney | University of Auckland, New Zealand |
| Georgia Garcia | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA |
| James Gavelek | University of Illinois, Chicago, USA |
| Maria Paula Ghiso | Columbia University, USA |
| Jennifer Graff | University of Georgia, USA |
| Priscilla L. Griffith | University of Oklahoma,USA |
| Marcelle Haddix, Past President | Syracuse University, USA |
| Leigh A. Hall | University of Wyoming, USA |
| Lara Handsfield | Illinois State University, USA |
| Douglas K. Hartman | Michigan State University, USA |
| Kathleen A. Hinchman | Syracuse University, USA |
| Susan Hopewell | University of Colorado, Boulder, USA |
| Rosalind Horowitz | The University of Texas at San Antonio, USA |
| George G. Hruby | University of Kentucky, USA |
| Gay Ivey | University of North Carolina-Greensboro, USA |
| Laura Jimenez | Boston University, USA |
| Ted Kesler | Queens College, City University of New York, USA |
| James R. King | University of South Florida, USA |
| Valerie F. Kinloch | University of Pittsburgh, USA |
| Susan Lutz Klauda | University of Maryland, USA |
| Michele J. Knobel | Montclair State University, USA |
| Julie Learned | SUNY Albany, USA |
| Alice Lee, Field Council Chair | University of California, Riverside, USA |
| Cynthia Lewis | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Tisha Lewis Ellison | University of Georgia, USA |
| Julia Lopez-Robertson | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Patrick Manyak | University of Wyoming, USA |
| Anne McGill-Franzen | The University of Tennessee, USA |
| Mary McVee | University at Buffalo, USA |
| SJ Miller | University of Colorado Boulder, USA |
| Kathy A. Mills | Queensland University of Technology, Australia |
| George Newell | The Ohio State University, USA |
| David O'Brien | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Kate Pahl | Manchester Metropolitan University, UK |
| Jeanne Paratore | Boston University, USA |
| Nathan Phillips | University of Illinois, Chicago, USA |
| Iliana Reyes | University of Arizona, USA |
| Victoria J. Risko | Vanderbilt University, USA |
| Rebecca L. Rogers | University of Missouri, St. Louis, USA |
| Jen Scott-Curwood | University of Sydney, Australia |
| Marjorie Siegel | Teachers College, Columbia University, USA |
| Allison Skerrett | The University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Peter Smagorinsky | University of Georgia, USA |
| Anna Smith | Illinois State University, USA |
| Patriann Smith, Parliamentarian | University of South Florida, USA |
| Patrick Smith | Texas State University, USA |
| Lucinda Soltero-Gonzalez | University of Colorado, Boulder, USA |
| Hiller Spires | North Carolina State University, USA |
| Keonghee Tao Han | University of Wyoming, USA |
| Alfred W. Tatum, President Elect, Conference Chair 2023 | Metropolitan State University of Denver, USA |
| F. Blake Tenore | Florida State University, USA |
| Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Research Chair | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA |
| Jennifer Turner | University of Maryland, USA |
| Kristin Hawley Turner | Drew University, USA |
| Norman Unrau | California State University Los Angeles, USA |
| Doris Walker-Dalhouse,President | Marquette University, USA |
| Melissa Wetzel | University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Ian A. Wilkinson | The Ohio State University, USA |
| Amy Alexandra Wilson | Utah State University, USA |
| Karen E. Wohlwend | Indiana University - Bloomington, USA |
| Jo Worthy | The University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Haeny Yoon, Ethics Chair | Teachers College, Columbia University, USA |
| Angie Zapata | University of Missouri, USA |
| Worldwide Languages | San Antonio, TX, USA |
Manuscript Portal
Submit your manuscript to The Journal of Literacy Research (JLR) through Sage Track here: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jlr
First-time users will need to create an account by selecting a username and password. Be sure to enter your email address and select areas of expertise. After creating an account, log in to the Author Center to submit your manuscript.
Please note that editors do not review manuscripts outside of the desk review process.
Editorial Policy on Manuscript Review
Submitted manuscripts are first reviewed by the editors for research integrity, topic suitability, and reporting format. Submitted manuscripts may be returned without further review if judged not appropriate for publication in JLR.
Manuscripts meeting initial screening criteria are sent to members of the editorial board or other qualified literacy researchers for anonymize, peer-review. The principal criteria used in judging manuscripts are the: (a) significance of their contribution to the field of literacy, (b) soundness of the methods employed in the research, (c) rigor of the scholarly argument(s), and (d) clarity of the writing.
The editors strongly encourage potential authors to consult the following two documents as applicable in the shaping of their intellectual arguments: “Standards for Reporting Empirical Social Science Research” (AERA, 2006) and “Standards for Reporting Humanities Oriented Research” (AERA, 2009) which can be found at https://www.aera.net/Publications/Standards-for-Research-Conduct
Potential contributors who have specific questions about editorial policy, manuscript preparation, or the review process are encouraged to contact Dr. Eurydice Bauer, Editor, Journal of Literacy Research, Instruction and Teacher Education,
College of Education, University of South Carolina. Email: bauereb@mailbox.sc.edu
Manuscript Preparation
Potential authors are encouraged to align their work with the goals of the journal and are encouraged to examine previous issues of JLR for style presentation. We encourage authors to capitalize on the research presented in previous issues of JLR by checking that submitted papers are making sufficient reference to JLR.
We encourage authors to avoid dehumanizing language such as “struggling reader,” “failing schools,” “dyslexics,” “special education students,” and “high poverty schools.” We also encourage authors to avoid bias in their language related to gender and the representation of gender in their work.
All manuscripts submitted to the JLR must be original works of the author(s), which have not been published previously in any form or submitted simultaneously to other journals.
Manuscript Submission
All documents submitted for review must be fully masked (anonymized). This requires removing all identifying information (authors’ names, affiliated institutions, and the year of publication by the author) from all manuscripts, tables/figures, author’s response letters, cover letters, and appendices during the peer review process. Instead, in the body of the manuscript and in the reference section please write the word Author followed by the word YEAR until the manuscript is accepted (e.g. Author, Year).
Empirical Articles
Manuscripts must be anonymized and double-spaced using Times New Roman 12 point font. A maximum length of 10,500 words (inclusive of references) for traditional submissions is allowed. For traditional submissions, the manuscript should be reduced by 450 words for every table/figure (with a limit of no more than 3 tables or figures per manuscript). Tables and figures much be directly germane to the main argument of the paper.
The editors encourage authors to use the repository; supplementary materials such as appendices, tables, or figures should be submitted as supplemental materials. Each supplemental material must be submitted as an individual file. Upon acceptance and publication, these supplemental materials may be retrieved by interested readers from an online archive supported by Sage with the URL link printed in the final article. These supplementary materials must conform to APA guidelines for such graphical elements.
Insight Essays
Manuscripts must be anonymized and double-spaced with a maximum length of 3,000 words (inclusive of references). Insight essays may be invited or submitted. Insight essays draw from multi or interdisciplinary perspectives to challenge, expand and/or evolve notions of literacy. Submissions that engage with disciplines and theoretical perspectives traditionally outside of the scope of literacy and language education are particularly welcomed.
All submissions (empirical and Insight Essays) must conform to the guidelines of American Psychological Association’s Manual of Style (7th ed).
Additionally, please adhere to the following guidelines:
• submission of 8 ½” x 11” manuscript with 1” margins in Microsoft Word format;
• 12pt Times New Roman font and double-spaced;
• running header (the title of the manuscript in all capital letters) flush left and page numbers flush right;
• first line of all paragraphs indented;
• block quotations (40 words or more) should be indented 1/2 inch;
• headings and reference list in APA format and fact-checked; and
• references to the author(s) must be deleted and replaced with “Authors (Year A)” etc., and author(s) own citations in the reference list should be alphabetically ordered as “Author. (Year).” for anonymizing purposes.
Submissions should include:
a) anonymized manuscript following the guidelines above;
b) separate title page including name, affiliation, address, phone number, email address of the author and all coauthors;
c) one-paragraph abstract limited to 150 words should accompany all submissions. The abstract should be written without citations;
d) up to 5 keywords (the terms that researchers will use to find your article in indexes and databases) at the bottom of the abstract (limited to five key words and/or 85 characters with spaces); and
e) titles will be limited to 66 characters (with spaces).
Tables and Figures. Placement and titles for tables and figures in the text should follow APA 7th edition formatting. Tables and figures should be uploaded as a separate document from the main document as individual files.
Illustrations. Figures and photos accompanying an initial submission must be provided as production-ready. Digital files are recommended for highest quality reproduction and should follow these guidelines: 300 dpi or higher; sized to fit on journal page; EPS, TIFF, JPEG, and PDF files are preferred; Microsoft Office files are also acceptable as long as they meet the other guidelines listed here. Please submit illustrations as separate documents, not embedded in text files, and submit in grayscale, not color. Within the manuscript, a placeholder should be used to mark the approximate location for each table/figure.
Permissions. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work and for obtaining permission from copyright owners to use a lengthy quotation (exceeding the limits of fair use) or to reprint or adapt a table or figure published elsewhere. Authors should write to the original author(s) and publisher of such material to request nonexclusive world rights in all languages for use in print and non-print versions of the present article and in all future editions. Provide copies of all permissions and credit lines obtained.
Please direct any questions to jlrusc@mailbox.sc.edu
Manuscripts that do not adhere to these guidelines will be returned to the author.
Sage Choice and Open Access
For more information on open access options and compliance at Sage, including self-author archiving deposits (green open access) visit Sage Publishing Policies on our Journal Author Gateway.
For more information, please refer to the Sage Manuscript Submission Guidelines.
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.
The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID 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. Your ORCID iD will become 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.