Submissions & Guidelines
Call for Submissions
The Research and Issues in Music Education (RIME) editorial board welcomes manuscripts for publication consideration
of a philosophical, historical, speculative, bibliographic, quantitative or qualitative nature that contribute to an understanding
of any focus and level of music education.
Submission of a manuscript for review by the RIME editorial board indicates that the material is not currently submitted for publication
elsewhere--in print or online. Along with reporting the purpose, procedures, and conclusions with clarity for research articles,
contributors should include implications for music education when appropriate. Full-length articles should include an abstract of no more
than 200 words.
Quantitative and qualitative manuscripts submitted for review will conform to the manuscript style of the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (5th edition, 2001), (Unlike strict APA style, we welcome the inclusion of authors' first names in
reference lists). Historical studies should conform to A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (K.L. Turabian,
6th edition, 1996), or The Chicago Manual of Style (J. Grossman, 14th edition, 1993). The style must be consistent within the paper
and should be identified at the beginning of the manuscript. Web site references should include URL addresses.
How to Submit an Article
Submit an article in two documents: 1) the first document is the title page with title, author and institutional affiliations; 2) the second document contains the title with no author names or affiliations, a 200-word or less abstract and the article—and all images and tables inserted where they logically go. Further:
1. Nothing should appear in the headers except page numbers in the top right corner (no page number on the first page).
2. No inserted page breaks.
3. Web site addresses or interactive materials cited or referred to in the body of the manuscript should include current URL addresses. As applicable, appropriate use of sound or video files that support or illustrate research is encouraged.
Attach both documents as Word files to an e-mail addressed to stringda@jmu.edu. Correspondence concerning editorial matters or other queries should be emailed to the same address. After the initial review by the journal editor, manuscripts will be returned for clarification or forwarded to members of the editorial board for blind review. Reviewer comments are likewise shared with prospective authors without revealing the identity of the reviewer. Submissions from Editorial Board members undergo the same blind review process as all other submissions.
Please write in succinct, clear English, limiting the use of passive voice, and avoiding jargon. See the Contributors' Checklist
below
for further advice.
Non-electronic mail may be addressed to:
Dr. David Stringham, Editor
Research and Issues in Music Education
James Madison University
Center for Inclusive Engagement
820 Madison Drive, MSC 7810
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contributors' Checklist
Members of the RIME editorial board have
compiled the following writing and research
suggestions to facilitate the
manuscript submission process. These ideas are not meant to be
exhaustive, and
do not fit all types of manuscripts. As stated, we
welcome philosophical, historical, speculative, and bibliographic
manuscripts in addition to
quantitative and qualitative studies.
Questions to ask of your work:
Problems and Conclusions:
1. Does the problem statement fit the hypotheses or questions?
2. Are sub-problems or secondary problems logical extensions of the problem statement?
3. Do you follow through in solving
all aspects of the problem (addressing the big picture),
or do you get trapped in investigating only the subproblems?
4. Are the data collected, interpreted and presented to address the research problem(s)?
5. Does the
study address the stated problem or do you end up addressing the
wrong problem
- one other than the stated problem?
6. Is the conclusion based on the data collected?
7. Do you relate your results to the findings of previous literature?
8. Have you emphasized the
implications of your current findings on music pedagogy and
teaching when appropriate?
9. Is the significance of the study/project well articulated?
Organizing the Study:
1. Is the flow of the study, including organizational features (headings, tables, etc.) logical?
2. Are assertions and value judgments supported?
Syntax concerns:
1. Does the first sentence of a
paragraph set up the rest of the paragraph, serving as a topic sentence?
Consequently, do the sentences in the paragraph relate to the paragraph's
topic (initial) sentence?
2. Do successive sentences within a
paragraph have a logical relationship? Further, does it matter that sentences in
a paragraph are in a certain order? (i.e. If you can change the order of the sentences
and the meaning isn't enhanced or negated, you probably
don't have a logical paragraph or a topic sentence.)
3. Do successive paragraphs have a logical relationship?
4.
Does the related literature section "cull sources in such a way that a clear
picture emerges concerning present knowledge of the topic under investigation?"*
Grammar Concerns:
1. Review
use of Effect/Affect
Effect is the result (noun).
Affect is the action (verb).
Affects bring about effects.
2. Avoid use of jargon
3. Replace
passive voice with active voice, e.g.:
passive voice: "A good time was had by all."
active voice: "We had a good time."
Omitting the
words "was" and "were" oftentimes helps in the transformation. These words can't be supplanted in all instances, but many of them can.
4. Avoid starting paragraphs (and
sentences, to an extent) with prepositions: to, in, because, for,
with, etc. Beginning sentences with prepositions results in superfluous clauses
and wordiness.
5. Avoid ending sentences with prepositions
See further
writing hints in:
Strunk, William Jr. & White, E.B. (1979). The elements of style. New York: MacMillan.
Additional Tips from
Strunk and White (from Chapter II):
- Put Statements in positive form.
- Use definite, specific, concrete language.
- Omit needless words.
- Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
- Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
- Keep related words together.
- In summaries, keep to one tense.
- Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.
See further grammar hints in:
Shertzer, Margaret. (1986). The elements of grammar. New York: MacMillan.
*Gonzo, Carroll (1992). Toward a rational critical process. In R. Colwell (Ed.), Handbook of research on music teaching and learning (218-226). New York: Schirmer, p. 224.