Mission

NOVAtions is an online peer-reviewed journal for emerging and established scholars published by the University of Colorado at Denver’s (UCD) Educational Leadership and Innovation (EDLI) doctoral program.  The journal will disseminate original inquiries, literature reviews, descriptions of innovative practice, and scholarly commentary complementing the interests of UCD doctoral laboratories (listed below).

• Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies
• Research in Diversity
• Lab for Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
• Early Childhood Education
• Inquiry Science Lab
• Technology Enhanced Learning Lab
• Lab of Learning and Activity
• Paraprofessionals in Education
• Post Secondary Teaching/Learning
• Teacher Education Laboratory
• Urban Schools Lab

NOVAtions publishes articles as the peer review process is completed. Subscribers to our listserv email will be notified as articles appear. Special editions will be published at the discretion of the editorial board.

Editorial Staff

Manuscript Acceptance Policy

Manuscripts are accepted for publication subject to copyediting and revision requirements.  Manuscript submission indicates the author's commitment to publish in NOVAtions and to give NOVAtions publication rights.

Authors retain the copyright to their intellectual content, with NOVAtions owning the copyright to the presentation.  Authors retain the right to publish their material elsewhere, and others may freely distribute it in electronic form in accordance with fair use guidelines, providing the original publication is acknowledged.  NOVAtions has the right to edit the material to meet the format of the journal.

Authors will be responsible for certifying, in a form sent by the editor prior to publication, that they have conducted research in compliance with all standards for human subject research.  Authors will also be responsible for ensuring copyright and fair use guidelines are followed.  Manuscripts containing photographs will be published only if evidence of consent is provided.

Preparation of Copy

• Except as noted below, word-process all copy in accordance with the submission guidelines detailed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5^th ed.). Particular attention should be given the APA format of tables, graphs, footnotes, citations, and references. The APA style Website provides information on the 5^th edition and also contains ordering information.  NOVAtions encourages text that engages the reader and enhances readability.  Manuscripts written in the first person and "bulleted" text, as well as other reader friendly innovations will be considered.

• The title page should include author name(s) and contact information in addition to the APA required text. Subsequent pages should be identified only by a "page header" formatted according to APA requirements.

• NOVAtions will accept articles up to 20 pages (excluding front matter and bibliography).

• In order to facilitate blind review, remove author names and institutional identifiers from text following the title page. These may be replaced with "identifier removed," or appropriate pseudonyms.

• Submit articles to submissions@novationsjournal.org via email attachment in Microsoft Word format.  Remove automatic features such as Endnote.  Place figures and tables on separate pages at the end. The email message accompanying the attachment should reflect the general content of a typical cover letter (the APA manual describes cover letters).

Screening and Review of Contributions

The editors, with support from the editorial board, will screen articles submitted to NOVAtions. Those deemed appropriate for the journal will be forwarded to peer-review teams. Please contact the editor (editor@novationsjournal.org) for information on becoming a reviewer.

Reviewers carefully consider the merits of submitted manuscripts and provide written feedback to authors.  The contribution of the manuscript to the overall mission of the journal, the scholarly and theoretical content, the research methodology and findings (as applicable), and the quality of text will be the primary focus of the review process.

Reviewers will recommend the following, as appropriate, to the editor:

• The article meets the criteria set forth by the editorial board and should be published in NOVAtions (subject to revision requirements).

• The article needs revision and should be returned to the author.  After revisions are made, the author is encouraged to re-submit the article for further review.

• The article does not match the editorial guidelines of NOVAtions and is returned to the author.

Manuscript Self-Evaluation

The following evaluation is provided to assist contributors. Please rate your manuscript against these criteria prior to submission: