Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE) [ISSN 1059-7069]

JTATE Aims and Scope

JTATE serves as a forum for the exchange of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education. Journal content covers preservice and inservice teacher education, graduate programs in areas such as curriculum and instruction, educational administration, staff development, instructional technology, and educational computing. JTATE is the official journal of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE). Members have free, online access to all back issues of JTATE via LearnTechLib (The Learning & Technology Library).

JTATE publishes research that advances understanding of how technology shapes the preparation and ongoing learning of teachers. JTATE publishes four issues per year. These issues are published in March, June, September, and December. The journal prioritizes manuscripts that make a clear contribution to teacher education. Submissions must demonstrate how the work advances understanding related to one or more of the following:

• Teacher preparation (preservice)
• Teacher learning and development (inservice/professional development)
• Teacher educators, preparation programs, or professional development systems
• Technology integration that directly affects how teachers are prepared or supported

Studies focused primarily on K-12 student outcomes, general online learning engagement, or technology descriptions without a teacher education contribution are typically outside the scope of JTATE. We welcome scholarship that informs how teacher educators, preparation programs, and professional development systems design, support, and evaluate technology-enhanced learning and instructional practices.

We prioritize manuscripts that:

• Address clearly defined problems, challenges, or opportunities in teacher preparation and teacher learning.
• Examine how technology influences teacher development, decision-making, instructional practices, or professional growth.
• Contribute new insights, frameworks, or evidence to the field of technology and teacher education.
• Provide actionable implications for teacher educators, preparation programs, and/or professional learning systems.
• Demonstrate theoretical, empirical, or methodological rigor.
• Address equity, accessibility, policy, or ethical issues in technology-supported teacher education.

 The following types of manuscripts fall within JTATE’s scope:

• Empirical studies (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods)
• Conceptual or theoretical analyses
• Program, course, or system evaluations grounded in teacher education work
• Design and development cases
• Literature reviews connected directly to teacher education

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JTATE Guidelines for Authors

Submissions to JTATE must be original, scientifically accurate, and written in clear, professional English. Manuscripts should present a coherent line of argument, summarize the key facts and conclusions, and demonstrate unity of thought throughout.

Tutorial or practice-oriented papers are encouraged to include a section on evaluation or evidence of effectiveness. Manuscripts that address controversial topics should be grounded in evidence and presented in a balanced and analytically sound manner.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are written in fluent, publication-ready English prior to submission. JTATE does not provide language editing services, and reviewers may recommend non‑acceptance if grammatical or language issues interfere with clarity. Authors who are non‑native English speakers are encouraged to seek professional copyediting support prior to submission, if needed.

All manuscripts must follow the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) for headings, tables, figures, citations, references, and all other style elements.

1. Types of Manuscripts Accepted

• Empirical Research Articles. These articles report rigorous qualitative, quantitative, or mixed‑methods studies that investigate technology in teacher education and make a clear scholarly contribution consistent with the journal’s Aims and Scope.
• Conceptual/Theoretical Articles. These papers advance theory, conceptual frameworks, or analytic perspectives that inform research and practice in technology and teacher education.
• Practice‑Integrated or Design‑Focused Scholarship. These manuscripts examine innovations situated in authentic educational contexts (e.g., design‑based research, practitioner partnerships) and demonstrate how findings inform both practice and scholarship.
• Systematic Reviews/Evidence Syntheses. These reviews employ transparent and rigorous review methodologies to integrate existing research and generate implications for the field.
• Special Issue Submissions. Occasionally, JTATE publishes a call for papers for a themed or special issue. The call will specify the focus and any additional requirements; however, all submissions must also comply with the general journal guidelines as well as the expectations outlined in the call.

2. Expectations for Scholarly Contribution

Manuscripts should demonstrate methodological rigor and transparency by clearly articulating the scholarly contribution to technology and teacher education, and situate the findings within relevant theory, research, and practice. Submissions should also make explicit how the work advances knowledge for teacher educators and/or practitioners, provide sufficient detail to support interpretation and replication where appropriate, and align with the priorities and scope of the journal.

3. Ethical Requirements

AACE journals follow the COPE Codes of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines. This requires that editors adhere to the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Editors and requires authors to adhere to the COPE International Standards for Authors. Below are key points to highlight for authors. Additionally, all authors are required to follow the AACE Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Publications and Conference Submissions.

• Exclusive Submission. Manuscripts submitted to JTATE must not be under consideration by another journal or publisher at the time of submission. Authors must disclose any closely related publications, prior dissemination, or overlapping manuscripts that could be perceived as duplicate publication.
• Research Integrity and Originality. Manuscripts must represent original work and accurately report methods, data, and findings. Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism (including self‑plagiarism), and inappropriate text reuse are not permitted. Authors are responsible for ensuring proper citation of sources and accurate attribution of prior scholarship.
• Authorship and Contribution. All listed authors must have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the conception, analysis, or interpretation of the work and to the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for confirming that all co‑authors approve the final version and its submission to JTATE.
• Corrections, Retractions, and Ethical Concerns. In cases where significant errors or ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction in accordance with COPE guidance. Authors are expected to notify the Editorial Team promptly if they become aware of a problem with a published article.
• Ethical and Legal Compliance. Research must comply with relevant ethical regulations and applicable privacy or data‑protection requirements in the authors’ contexts (e.g., informed consent, confidentiality protections, and secure data handling), in addition to the IRB/ethics requirements described below.
• Transparency of Methods and Data. Where appropriate and permissible, authors are encouraged to provide sufficient methodological detail and, when feasible, make materials or data available to support interpretability and future research.
• Human Participants/IRB Approval. If the manuscript reports research involving human participants, the submission must include a statement confirming review and approval (or a determination of exemption) by an Institutional Review Board or equivalent ethics committee.
• Participant Anonymity. Authors must ensure that identifying information (e.g., names, photographs/images, and contextual or institutional details) is protected in accordance with ethics approval and COPE guidance. When a manuscript includes photos, student work samples, or other materials that could reveal participant identity, authors must obtain explicit consent for publication. Consent for publication differs from consent to participate in the research. Authors must verify that they have obtained the appropriate consent to include any potentially identifying materials in the manuscript and should describe how anonymity and confidentiality were safeguarded in the preparation of the manuscript. Authors must also clearly state within the manuscript that consent for publication and dissemination was obtained and how it was documented.
• Conflict of Interest. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the conduct, analysis, or reporting of the work and should provide a conflict of interest disclosure statement within the manuscript.
• Permissions and Copyright. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted materials, including figures, tables, images, screenshots, instruments, or other content owned by third parties when such permission is required. Documentation of permissions may be requested by the journal.
• Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. All authors are required to follow the AACE Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Publications and Conference Submissions.

4. Manuscript Preparation and Formatting

*View the optional “JTATE Pre-Submission Checklist for Authors” here. 

• APA Style. Manuscripts must follow the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for headings, in‑text citations, reference formatting, tables, figures, numbers, capitalization, and other stylistic conventions.
• An informative, comprehensive abstract of approximately 75–200 words must accompany the manuscript. The abstract should succinctly summarize the major aims, methods, key points or findings, and the authors’ primary conclusions.
• Manuscript Length. In general, articles should not exceed 30 double‑spaced pages for the body of the manuscript plus the reference list. (Tables, figures, appendices, and other supplemental materials may be placed at the end of the blinded file and are not included in this page guideline.) As a practical benchmark, most manuscripts appropriate for JTATE fall within an approximate range of 7,000 to 9,000 words. Submissions under about 5,000 words are typically too limited in scope for a journal article, whereas manuscripts exceeding approximately 10,000 words often suggest that the work may be better developed as multiple, more focused papers. Longer manuscripts, or manuscripts presenting complex material, should be clearly organized and broken up by short, meaningful headings.
• References must follow APA style and include all required components. Authors should provide DOIs or stable links for journal articles and other periodicals and should verify that every in‑text citation has a corresponding entry in the reference list before submission. Any references authored by the submitting authors should be blinded for review.
• Tables, Figures, and Appendices. Tables, figures, and any appendices must follow APA style and should be included at the end of the blinded manuscript file. Do not submit these items as separate attachments. A cover letter is not required.
• Submission Files. At the time of submission, authors should upload a blinded manuscript file in Word format (.docx) that includes the title, abstract, keywords, main text, references, and any tables or figures intended for review. Supplementary materials, such as appendices, instruments, datasets, multimedia files, or other supporting documents, may be uploaded as separate files through the submission system. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all uploaded files are appropriately blinded for peer review and clearly labeled to facilitate the review process.

5. Review and Decision Process

JTATE employs a double‑blind peer review process to ensure the impartial evaluation of submitted manuscripts and uphold high standards of academic quality. All reviewers are required to follow the AACE Policy on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Publications and Conference Submissions. Our review process includes the following stages:

• Upon submission, the manuscript is assigned a unique identification number. Authors provide affiliation details and any relevant conflict of interest information in the submission system; however, this identifying information is not shared with reviewers.
• Initial Screening. The Editor-in-Chief and/or designated editorial review members (e.g., special issue editor) conducts an initial screening to assess relevance to the journal’s scope, adherence to the submission guidelines, and overall quality. Manuscripts that do not meet basic criteria may be returned to authors with feedback or declined prior to external review.
• Reviewer Selection. Manuscripts that pass screening are assigned to at least two qualified reviewers with expertise in technology and teacher education. Reviewers are selected based on relevant expertise and are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest.
• External Review. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript on originality, methodological rigor, clarity, significance of findings, and relevance to the field. Throughout the process, both author and reviewer identities remain anonymous. Reviewers provide written feedback and recommendations regarding revision and/or publication. Reviewers are expected to maintain the confidentiality of all materials received for review.
• Decision and Feedback. Reviewer comments and recommendations are compiled and shared with authors along with an editorial decision. Authors may be invited to revise and resubmit their manuscript in response to reviewer feedback.
• Revised manuscripts may be re-evaluated by the original reviewers and/or additional reviewers to determine whether concerns have been satisfactorily addressed and whether the manuscript meets the journal’s standards for publication.
• Final Decision. The Editor-in-Chief oversees all editorial decisions and makes the final publication decision based on reviewer input and the quality of the manuscript. Authors are notified of the decision and any remaining requirements for publication.
• Publication Preparation. Accepted manuscripts enter production for formatting, proofreading, and final checks. Author and reviewer identities remain confidential throughout the peer review process.

6. Revision and Resubmission Guidance

When a manuscript is invited for revision and resubmission, authors are expected to carefully consider and address reviewer and editor feedback. Authors should upload a revised, still-blinded manuscript and a separate response to reviewers’ documents through the submission system. The response document should clearly identify each reviewer comment and provide a concise explanation of how the comment was addressed in the revision or, where applicable, a justification for why the suggested revision was not incorporated.

Authors should indicate where substantive changes appear in the manuscript and clearly mark revisions to facilitate the review process. Authors may also upload supplementary materials, such as appendices, instruments, or figures, as well as any other supporting documents, as separate files. Additional guidance regarding the revision and resubmission process may be provided by the editorial team through the submission system.

7. Manuscripts Developed from Conference Proceedings

Conference proceedings papers, such as those published in association with the SITE conference or similar venues, may not be submitted to JTATE in their proceedings format. Proceedings papers are typically shorter, preliminary reports of work in progress, whereas journal manuscripts are expected to present a more fully developed, theoretically grounded, and methodologically transparent account of the study.

Authors who wish to develop a proceedings paper into a journal submission must substantially expand and deepen the work prior to submission. This generally includes (but is not limited to) extending the literature base and theoretical framing, elaborating methods and analytic procedures, providing a fuller presentation and interpretation of findings, and developing clearer implications for research and practice. Manuscripts which are based on previous proceedings papers should reflect a meaningful advancement of the work, rather than resubmission of the original paper.

Authors must also ensure that text from the proceedings version is paraphrased and appropriately cited where relevant. Direct reuse of large portions of text from a previously published proceedings paper may constitute self‑plagiarism or inappropriate text reuse and may lead to editorial rejection.

8. Accessibility and Inclusive Writing

JTATE encourages authors to prepare manuscripts that are readable, inclusive, and accessible to diverse audiences. To support this goal:

• Inclusive and Respectful Language. Authors should avoid deficit‑oriented or biased wording when describing students, educators, communities, or populations.
• Clarity for International Audiences. Acronyms, technical terms, and context‑specific programs or policies should be explained on first use to ensure clarity for readers across contexts.
• Accessible Figures and Visuals. Tables and figures should be designed to maximize readability (e.g., meaningful labels, sufficient contrast, and avoidance of color‑only distinctions). Authors should provide descriptive captions that support understanding of any visual content.
• Bias Awareness and Representation. When reporting findings, authors are encouraged to reflect on how language choices, framing, or interpretation may influence how groups or identities are represented in the narrative of their manuscript.

9. Special Issues

JTATE periodically publishes special issues focused on timely and emerging topics relevant to the field. Special issues may be initiated by the Editor-in-Chief, who may invite one or more guest editors to lead the issue based on their recognized expertise in the topic area. JTATE also welcomes proposals for special issues from prospective guest editors.

Individuals interested in proposing a special issue should contact the Editor-in-Chief for proposal guidelines and submission requirements. Proposals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with members of the Editorial Review Board who possess expertise relevant to the proposed topic. Decisions regarding the approval of special issues are made by the Editor-in-Chief based on the proposal’s relevance to the journal’s mission, scholarly merit, timeliness, and potential contribution to the field.

Once approved, guest editors work collaboratively with the Editor-in-Chief to develop and publish the special issue. Guest editors are responsible for disseminating the call for papers, assisting with reviewer selection, overseeing the peer-review process, communicating with authors, and ensuring that manuscripts progress according to established timelines. Guest editors provide recommendations regarding manuscript decisions; however, the Editor-in-Chief oversees all editorial decisions, including acceptance, revision, and rejection of manuscripts.

All manuscripts submitted to a special issue are subject to JTATE’s standard double-blind peer-review process and must adhere to JTATE’s Ethical Guidelines. To ensure consistency with journal policies and quality standards, the Editor-in-Chief provides guidance and support to guest editors throughout the process, including pre-submission planning, timeline development, editorial system management, ethical oversight, and publication procedures.

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