About

The McGill Journal of Education (MJE) is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, open access, bilingual scholarly journal published three times a year. Embracing a broad conception of education, the MJE is dedicated to connecting educational research, theory, policy and practice by inviting thoughtful and critical submissions from scholars and practitioners working in diverse areas of education and learning in Quebec, Canada and internationally. These include formal, non-formal, informal, or incidental forms of teaching and learning; from preschool to adult education; in a range of social settings within and outside of school, and community/popular education contexts. The journal welcomes critical discussion and debate on issues in education through its regular and guest themed issues. Recent themes have included such topics as: Canadian education, Quebec education, Indigenous education, evolution education, mentoring, learning in social action, schools and the courts, student engagement, young people and media, and narrative. A primary goal of the MJE is to open spaces for the exchange of ideas across disciplinary boundaries and among diverse audiences (academic, practitioner, broader public). For this purpose, the journal features avenues for peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed (editorial) publications and discussion forums; the journal also publishes book reviews. Another of its major goals is to provide a window on developments in education and learning in the Quebec context as well as throughout Francophonie by encouraging English- and French-language submissions. MJE is also committed to supporting the work of emerging scholars.

The views expressed by contributors to the MJE do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, the Editorial and Review Boards, or McGill University. Authors are responsible for following normal standards of scholarship and for ensuring that whenever the research involves human subjects, the appropriate consents are obtained from such subjects and all approvals are obtained from the appropriate ethics review board.

Permanent archiving of the MJE is provided by Portico.

Editorial policy and ethics

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

The MJE engages in a (double blind) peer review process.

Two blind peer reviews are sought for each submission the editorial team deems suitable to the MJE.

Reviewers are asked to provide assessments that: (a) stimulate the process of revision, thereby facilitating better articles and an earlier publication date, (b) provides the editor, faced with conflicting recommendations, with a basis for making an informed decision, and (c) provides feedback to authors which can contribute to their professional development.

They are encouraged to attend to the submission as follows:

1. Content – Does the manuscript make a significant contribution to education? Does the manuscript clearly describe the purpose, problem statement and/or research question/s? Is the manuscript contextually situated in relevant research? Does the cited literature provide a compelling rationale for this work? Are the references cited appropriate and up to date?

2. Argument / Methodology – Is the methodology/argument well developed and clearly explained? Does it appropriately address the problem/research questions? If it is an empirical study, are the research setting, participants, and data collection tools adequately explained? Are the data analyses techniques appropriate? Are the findings clearly articulated and relevant to the research questions/problem? Are the claims logically constructed and well supported by the data/literature?

3. Writing – Is the manuscript clearly organized, concise, and accessible to the broader education community? Has it been thoroughly edited for grammar, spelling, and punctuation? Do the references follow the APA 6 citation style?

4. Overall evaluation of the manuscript - Identify any errors of fact, faulty logic, and/or ways in which the organization might be improved.

TYPES OF ARTICLES ACCEPTED

1) Peer-reviewed submissions

Conventional journal articles (up to 8000 words). These are understood as original contributions to theory, practice and research likely to be of interest both to practitioners and researchers, and are expected to be of a high intellectual standard and well-written.

Review essays (4000-6000 words). These are overviews of particular literatures, particular theoretical traditions and so on, and are intended as expert introductions to their subject for the benefit of researchers and practitioners who are not yet familiar with the area.

2) Editorially-reviewed submissions

This is material which, by its nature, it is not appropriate to put through the full peer review process. It thus involves a direct communication between the author and the editor, in the course of which the editor will often request rewrites to make the material suitable for the journal and useful to its intended readership. New sections are currently in preperation, please check back regularly. Initially, book reviews are included within this category with future sections in preperation, please check back:

Notes from the Field. The MJE welcomes “Notes from the Field,” notes, shorter papers, or multimedia/photo essays concerning particular issues, themes, and challenges that may be of broad interest. These Notes should be between 1000 and 3000 words. The purpose of the Notes is to provide timely information of interest to a wide range of MJE readers. “Field” here can refer to any area of educational practice, including teaching and learning in formal, non-formal, and informal contexts, as well as work that researchers and practitioners do “in the field.” Papers/essays that present perspectives on practice-related issues and that connect theory with practice are especially welcome. Although success stories and good practices are welcome, discussion of difficult lessons learned is also strongly encouraged (e.g., to help inform educational efforts and spread the word, or to spark dialogue about strategies, initiatives, and programs).

Submissions will be judged on clarity of objectives, applicability and utility to educators, and creativity. In collaboration with the author(s), submissions will be edited for length and clarity.

Submissions to the “Notes from the Field” will undergo editorial review. If you are uncertain about whether your paper is suitable for this section, please contact the MJE (mje.education@mcgill.ca).

The MJE Forum. The MJE offers a forum to educational practitioners, researchers, and/or those involved in community/ies (e.g., activists, organizers, etc) interested in initiating conversations, dialogues, and debates around contemporary issues in education. The MJE Forum submission may take the form of a response or a moderated discussion / interview and incorporate multimedia (e.g., be a video or podcast):

1. Response: Responses to articles and materials published in MJE, whether solicited as part of a debate around a particular paper or submitted as a response to a previously-published paper. In the latter case, the author of the original paper will be given the opportunity to respond.

2. Moderated discussions / interviews: The discussions / interviews may focus on classroom practice, the intersection between social media and learning, informal community contexts, or any other topic of interest to MJE readers. They may be presented online in digital formats (e.g., blog, video, podcast). For example, a facilitated discussion or interview might focus on environmental education in Canada, with invited participation from activists, educational leaders, policy-makers, researchers, and/or teachers.

We welcome other Forum formats and contributions proposed by our readers. The MJE or MJE readers may initiate these discussions/interviews. Submissions to “The Forum” section will undergo editorial review. If you are interested in initiating or participating in a Forum, contact the MJE (mje.education@mcgill.ca).

Book Reviews: We invite individuals to write and submit book reviews for publication in the MJE. Reviews should be no longer than 1000 words in length. A good book review does more than summarize, it places the book in a larger context of scholarship. Ideally it describes the value and usefulness that the book might have for scholars, and practitioners. Your review should provide readers with an overview of the book, including basic content and structural organization, the recommended audience and scholarly aim(s) of the book, and how the author situates this work within the larger context of the area or field. The review should provide a critical commentary of the book, assessing its contribution to the field. When reviewing edited volumes, authors should provide a sense of the range of contributions in the collection. The review should be written in a language and style that is accessible to readers across various disciplines. Please cite book details at the start of your review, including: author(s)/editor(s), title, city of publication, publisher, year of publication, number of pages, price, ISBN number, For example:

Wayne Martino, Michael Kehler, & Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower (Eds.). The Problem with Boys’ Education: Beyond the Backlash. New York, NY: Routledge. (2009). 290 pp. $43.95 (paperback). (ISBN 978-1-56023-683-2).

ONLINE SUBMISSION PROCESS

All submissions must be sent using the online on the MJE website (see above). As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines. Please note that all submissions require you to register as an author at http://mje.mcgill.ca/user/register and follow the manuscript submission steps. The MJE does not charge any submission fees. If you have problems please contact us at mje.education@mcgill.ca.

• Peer-reviewed submissions should be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 120 words, which outline: a) a concise statement of the article's purpose; b) a brief explanation of the study's materials and methods; c) a summary of the study's results; d) conclusions supported by the investigation's results. Please include in the document 5-10 keywords to enhance the searchability of the article.
• Manuscripts must be prepared according to the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Order Department 1-800-374-2721 or via the Internet at: http://www.apastyle.org). Manuscripts that do not meet this requirement will be returned to the author.
• Heading levels must be clearly indicated – FIRST LEVEL: UPPER CASE; Second level: Upper/lower case, italicized. Third level: Upper/lower case, italicized, underlined. Please limit manuscripts to three levels of headings. 
• All figures and tables must appear in their proper place within the text, and must not exceed our page size: 4.25᾿ x 7.25᾿ (10.75 cm x 18.4 cm), using 8pt font.
• All notes should be manually entered as end notes. Do not use the automatic formatting features of your word processor such as endnotes, footnotes, headers, footers, boxes etc. Please remove any hidden text.
• Use single quotation marks only for quotes within quotes, double quotes should be used in all other instances (e.g, scare quotes, special terms, etc.).
• Peer reviewed manuscripts undergo a double blind review. Please remove any references to the author both in the body of the text and the reference list. Please remove identifying information from the file properties. (Steps on how to do this can be found by following the link "ENSURING A BLIND REVIEW" at "Step 3" of the 5 step submission process.
• Submission date must be shown in upper right corner of the first page of the manuscript. If the manuscript is a revision of the original submission, "Revised" and the date of the revised submission must be shown in the upper right corner of the first page of the revised manuscript.
• Reference lists must be complete, must correspond with every and only citation in the body of the text, and must comply with APA 6 requirements exactly. Submissions with incomplete or improperly formatted reference lists will be returned to authors. Instructions on proper APA reference list formatting can be found here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

PLAGIARISM POLICY

The MJE requires that all works external to the current manuscript be appropriately cited and that they do not contain any form of plagiarism (including self-plagiarism). The MJE adheres to the APA 6 definition of plagiarism and self-plagiarism: “Whereas plagiarism refers to the practice of claiming credit for the words, ideas, and concepts of others, self-plagiarism refers to the practice of presenting one's own previously published work as though it were new” (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 172)

Manuscripts under review or already published that contain instances of plagiarism (minor or major) will be reviewed by members of the editorial team and actions taken as follows. If a manuscript under review is found to contain minor instances (15% or less) of plagiarism, these instances will be flagged to authors. Failure to immediately correct these instances (via rewriting or with proper citation) will lead to automatic rejection. Manuscripts under review containing major instances (more than 15%) of plagiarized text will be automatically rejected. Published manuscripts that are found to contain instances of minor plagiarism will be flagged to authors, the concerned journal and/or publication, and associated affiliations (institutions, funding bodies, etc.) and failure to immediately correct these instances (via rewriting or with proper citation) will lead to automatic removal from the journal. Published manuscripts containing instances of major plagiarism will lead to removal from the publication. Authors associated with plagiarized manuscripts will not be allowed to submit new manuscripts to the journal.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

SUBMISSION PREPARATION CHECKLIST

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

1. The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.

2. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor). No part of the manuscript is plagiarized (including self-plagiarized) and if found to be, the text will be subject to the disciplinary actions elaborated in the Plagiarism Policy.

3. All URL addresses in the text (e.g., http://mje.mcgill.ca/) are activated and ready to click.

4. IF SUBMITTED FOR PEER-REVIEW (e.g., Articles, Review essays), the text has had the authors' names removed. If an author is cited, "Author" and year (e.g., Author, 2013) appear as intext citation and bibliography entry (do not include any other bibliographic information, e.g., title or co-authors). Authors names must also been removed from the document's Properties, which in Microsoft Word is found in the File menu. Please follow instructions found here:Ensuring a Blind Review

5. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal. In particular, citations and references follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, most recent edition (APA Publication Manual). Instructions on proper APA reference list formatting can be found here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

6. All charts, figures, graphics, tables etc. appear in their proper place in the text and are formatted to fit within a journal page (maximum 4.25" x 7.25" or 10.75 cm x 18.40 cm) using 8pt font. Charts, figures, graphics, tables which are not legible at this size cannot be included in the published version.

7. End note reference numbers have been manually inserted in the text.

8. Date of submission is shown in upper right corner of the first page of the manuscript. If the manuscript is a revision of the original submission, "Revised" and the date of the revised submission is indicated in the upper right corner of the first page of the revised manuscript. If the manuscript is intended for a special issue, please indicate on the upper right corner of the first page of the manuscript the name of the issue for which it is to be considered.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Those wishing to reproduce all or part of any material published on this website are asked to email mje.education@mcgill.ca for permission and to acknowledge the McGill Journal of Education as the original source.

Authors must transfer copyright of their article to MJE. Authors may use all or parts of their work in any future publication with the article's origin in MJE acknowledged in the customary manner.

A copy of our standard form may be requested from mje.education@mcgill.ca

Editorial board

EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor-in-Chief

• Teresa Strong-Wilson, McGill University, Canada

Associate Editors

• Anila Asghar, McGill University, Canada
• Vincent Boutonnet, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada
• Mindy Carter, McGill University, Canada
• Jérome St-Amand, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada
• Lisa Starr, McGill University, Canada

Managing Editor

• Sylvie Wald, McGill University, Canada

INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

David Austin, The Alfie Roberts Institute / John Abbott College, Canada

Anne Beamish, English Montreal School Board, Canada

Dave Bleakney, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canada

Saouma BouJaoude, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Katie L Bryant, University of Botswana / McGill University, Canada

Patrick Charland, Université de Québec à Montreal, Canada

Stéphane Cyr, Université de Québec à Montréal, Canada

Budd Hall, University of Victoria, Canada

Ingrid Johnston, University of Alberta, Canada

Dip Kapoor, University of Alberta, Canada

Colin Lankshear, James Cook University, Australia & McGill University, Canada

Claudia Mitchell, McGill University, Faculty of Education, Canada

Rebecca Staples New, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

Cynthia Nicol, University of British Columbia, Canada

Bonny Norton, University of British Columbia, Canada

Anthony Paré, University of British Colombia, Canada

Manuela Pasinato, MELS, New Frontiers School Board, Canada

Wally Penetito, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Kathleen Pithouse-Morgan, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Sherene Razack, OISE/ University of Toronto, Canada

Verna St Denis, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Lynn Thomas, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada

Geeta K Verma, University of Colorado, Denver, United States

John Willinsky, Stanford University, United States

Angelina Weenie, First Nations University of Canada, Canada