AUTHOR SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Student Teacher Educational Research (STER) is a student-centred project aimed at sharing student research in ways that are accessible to students, teachers and other education professionals. STER promotes a culture of research in initial teacher education by providing an opportunity for dialogue, critical reflection and dissemination. All articles in the STER online journal are written by students and, in keeping with the student-centred ethos of STER, student articles go through a double-blind peer review process.

how does the review process work?

Step 1:
Prepare a first draft of your research paper using the subheadings provided. The first draft must be emailed before the 31 October, 31 January or 30 June in any given year. Your submission is then anonymized and sent to the student peer review panel for feedback.
Step 2:
You will receive feedback from the review panel within 3 months of your submission date. Based on their recommendation, your article will hopefully be accepted and you will be given an opportunity to make any recommended alterations.
Step 3:
The second (most likely final) draft of your paper should be submitted by a re-submission deadline. You will be notified of same when you receive your feedback. The editor will review the final draft and, with your permission, make any small edits necessary (e.g. spelling/syntax/formatting).
Step 4:
You will be asked to submit a JPEG head shot (optional), a brief biography, keywords and an acknowledgement sections which will be published in the journal.
Step 5:
The journal will be launched and you will be invited to attend. You will receive a link to your Open Access articles which can be shared in an email footer or on your CV.

What is double-blind review?

As an author, you will be participating in a double-blind review method that protects the identity of both the peer reviewers and the author. Once you submit your paper for review, your name and ID number will be removed from the paper before it is distributed to reviewers. Two student reviewers will read and prepare feedback on your paper. Written feedback will be sent to you directly by the editor. Feedback will be constructive and will help you to enhance the overall quality of your submission. It is advised that you reflect and act upon reviewer feedback. Peer reviewers reserve the right not to publish your paper.

PREPARING YOUR SUBMISSION

Your paper should present a snapshot of your research project and should be approximately 3,000-3,500 words in length. Your target audience are student teachers, classroom teachers and third level educators interested in up-to-date educational research. You may decide to focus on one or two findings from your research rather than providing an overview of the whole project. Material can be copied and pasted from your dissertation but should be synthesized appropriately.
Suggested Headings
Title
Biography
Keywords
Introduction (400w)
Literature & Policy Context (800w)
Methodology (600w)
Findings & Discussion (1200w)
Conclusion (500w)
Reference List
Acknowledgements

What will reviewers look for?

  • Does the article offer: a clear introduction, a conclusion that sums up the main arguments without being repetitive, and the authors argument? ​
  • Are there obvious errors in spelling, grammar, referencing? ​
  • Does the title of the paper reflect the paper content? ​
  • Are there any subject specific terms that are used and not explained?
  • Are the findings clearly presented? Could an image, table or chart help? ​
  • Does the author highlight the importance of the findings for practice, education, teachers?

ETHICS FOR AUTHORS

  • All authors must have received and complied with institutional ethical approval prior to collecting empirical data for their dissertation.
  • All authors are advised to inform their participants and supervisor that they intend to submit their research to the STER journal as a matter of courtesy.
  • All authors must be committed to carrying out the tasks assigned in a professional manner.
  • All authors must anonymize data appropriately e.g. using numeric identifiers rather than names or pseudonyms. No identifying data should be included in the paper unless requested by the participants.

Anonymizing empirical data

  • No participants, schools, teachers, places or institutions should be named in the article.
  • Where identifying information is provided, the review team will request this to be removed.
  • The use of Pseudonyms is discouraged. The STER e-Journal prefers the use of numeric e.g. Participant 1, 2, 3.
  • When quoting participants, the participant must be referenced e.g “Our schools doesn’t participate in the Green Flag” (participant 6).

formatting your submission

It is recommended that the following format be used when preparing papers.
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Download the e-Journal Style Sheet

referencing your article

STER does not ask authors to rework their references into a journal style. Instead, we are happy to accept the referencing style used by your HEI when completing your research e.g. Harvard, APA, IEEE. Please ensure that you only include articles in your reference list that are cited within the article. Please adhere to whichever referencing style you choose in a consistent manner.
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Download this helpful Referencing Style Guide (NCI 5th Edition)

submitting your draft

Please save and name your submission as an MS Word (.doc) using the following convention:
[your name_STER_Draft1_2024]
[your name_STER_FinalDraft_2024]
[your name_STERBio_2024]
Please email your submission on or before the deadline to [email protected]
You should receive a return email notifying you that your paper has been received.

PERMISSIONS FORM

All authors must sign a Statement of Permissions Form in which they acknowledge they have received and complied with institutional ethical approval for the collection and presentation of that data, that they will be identified as the originator of the work in all versions and editions of the work, and that they grant STER the right to host and distribute the work as an Open Access article.
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Statement of Permission Form

Preparing 'aBOUT THE AUTHOR'

It is important that readers get a sense of your educational background, professional experience and educational interests. Please prepare a brief paragraph about yourself - no more than 150 words. You may wish to indicate why you became interested in your particular research question or if you have any related experience. Feel free to write this paragraph in the first person.

need support? attend our cpd

We run online CPD sessions in the lead up to submission dates. All CPD sessions are advertised on our Social Media Platforms.