# Journal Submission Guide

Used by `formatter_agent` and `intake_agent`.

## Pre-Submission Checklist

### 1. Journal Selection Criteria
- [ ] Scope alignment: Does the journal publish papers on your topic?
- [ ] Audience match: Will the journal's readers care about your findings?
- [ ] Impact: Is the journal recognized in your field?
- [ ] Predatory check: Verify via Beall's List, DOAJ, or Cabells
- [ ] Open access: Does the journal offer OA options? What are the APCs?
- [ ] Timeline: What is the typical review turnaround?
- [ ] Rejection rate: Is it realistic for your paper's quality?

### 2. Manuscript Preparation
- [ ] Follow journal's Author Guidelines exactly
- [ ] Word/page count within limits
- [ ] Correct citation format (may differ from your preferred style)
- [ ] Figures/tables meet resolution and format requirements
- [ ] Anonymized for double-blind review (if required)
- [ ] Author information page separate from main text
- [ ] Running head (if required)
- [ ] Line numbers (if required)

### 3. Required Components
| Component | Usually Required | Notes |
|-----------|:---------------:|-------|
| Cover letter | ✓ | Addressed to Editor-in-Chief |
| Title page | ✓ | Title, authors, affiliations, corresponding author |
| Abstract | ✓ | Check word limit (often 150-250) |
| Keywords | ✓ | Usually 4-7 |
| Main text | ✓ | Following journal structure |
| References | ✓ | In journal's required format |
| Tables | Often | Separate files or embedded |
| Figures | Often | High-resolution, specific formats |
| Supplementary materials | Sometimes | Data, code, extended analyses |
| Author contributions (CRediT) | Increasingly | Who did what |
| Conflict of interest statement | ✓ | Even if no conflicts |
| Data availability statement | Increasingly | Where data can be accessed |
| Funding statement | ✓ | Grant numbers and funders |
| Ethics statement | If applicable | IRB approval, informed consent |
| AI disclosure | Increasingly | Nature, Science require this |

## Common Journal Types in Higher Education

### Top HEI Journals (International)

| Journal | Impact | Citation Style | Typical Length |
|---------|--------|---------------|---------------|
| Higher Education | High | APA | 8,000-10,000 |
| Studies in Higher Education | High | APA | 6,000-8,000 |
| Research in Higher Education | High | APA | 6,000-10,000 |
| Quality in Higher Education | Medium | APA | 5,000-7,000 |
| Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education | Medium | APA | 5,000-8,000 |
| Journal of Higher Education | High | Chicago | 8,000-12,000 |
| Tertiary Education and Management | Medium | APA | 5,000-7,000 |
| International Journal of Educational Development | Medium | APA | 6,000-8,000 |

### Major Multidisciplinary Journals

| Journal | Impact | Citation Style | Typical Length | Open Access |
|---------|--------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
| Nature | Very High | Nature style | 3,000-5,000 | Hybrid |
| Science | Very High | Science style | 2,500-4,500 | Hybrid |
| PLOS ONE | Medium | Vancouver | No limit | Full OA |
| Frontiers (series) | Medium-High | Vancouver | 3,000-12,000 | Full OA |
| SAGE Open | Medium | APA | No limit | Full OA |

### Major Education Journals (Beyond HEI)

| Journal | Impact | Citation Style | Typical Length |
|---------|--------|---------------|---------------|
| Review of Educational Research | Very High | APA | 15,000-20,000 |
| Educational Researcher | High | APA | 5,000-8,000 |
| American Educational Research Journal | High | APA | 8,000-12,000 |
| British Educational Research Journal | High | APA | 6,000-8,000 |
| Teaching and Teacher Education | High | APA | 6,000-8,000 |
| Computers & Education | High | APA | 6,000-10,000 |

### Taiwan HEI Journals (TSSCI)

| Journal | Romanized Chinese Name | Citation Style |
|---------|---------|---------------|
| Journal of Research in Education Sciences | Jiao Yu Ke Xue Yan Jiu Qi Kan | APA |
| Bulletin of Educational Research | Jiao Yu Yan Jiu Ji Kan | APA |
| Journal of Taiwan Normal University: Education | Shi Da Xue Bao: Jiao Yu Lei | APA |
| Journal of Educational Practice and Research | Jiao Yu Shi Jian Yu Yan Jiu | APA |
| Higher Education Review | Gao Deng Jiao Yu | APA |

## Cover Letter Template

```markdown
[Date]

[Editor Name, if known]
Editor-in-Chief
[Journal Name]

Dear [Editor Name / Editor-in-Chief],

RE: Submission of Original Manuscript — "[Paper Title]"

I am writing to submit our manuscript entitled "[Paper Title]" for
consideration for publication in [Journal Name] as a [Research Article /
Review Article / Brief Communication].

**What the paper addresses:**
[1-2 sentences describing the research problem and why it matters]

**Key findings:**
[1-2 sentences highlighting the most important results]

**Why this journal:**
[1 sentence explaining why this paper fits the journal's scope and readership]

**Confirmations:**
- This manuscript has not been published previously and is not under
  consideration elsewhere.
- All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
- [If applicable: This research was approved by [IRB/Ethics Committee]
  (approval number: XXX).]
- [If applicable: AI-assisted tools were used in the preparation of this
  manuscript, as disclosed within.]

**Suggested Reviewers** (optional):
1. [Name, Affiliation, Email] — expert in [area]
2. [Name, Affiliation, Email] — expert in [area]

**Excluded Reviewers** (optional):
1. [Name] — [brief reason, e.g., "recent collaborator"]

Thank you for considering our submission. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

[Corresponding Author Name]
[Title, Department]
[Institution]
[Email]
[ORCID: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx]
```

## CRediT Author Contributions

| Role | Description |
|------|-------------|
| Conceptualization | Ideas; formulation of research goals |
| Data curation | Management activities for research data |
| Formal analysis | Application of statistical or computational techniques |
| Funding acquisition | Financial support for the project |
| Investigation | Conducting the research and data collection |
| Methodology | Development or design of methodology |
| Project administration | Management and coordination |
| Resources | Provision of study materials or tools |
| Software | Programming, software development |
| Supervision | Oversight and leadership |
| Validation | Verification of results |
| Visualization | Preparation of data presentation |
| Writing – original draft | Initial writing |
| Writing – review & editing | Critical review and revision |

## Data Availability Statement Templates

### Open Data
```
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in
[repository name] at [URL/DOI].
```

### Restricted Data
```
The data that support the findings of this study are available from
[source] but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which
were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly
available. Data are available from the authors upon reasonable request
and with permission of [source].
```

### No Data Sharing
```
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were
created or analyzed in this study.
```

## AI Disclosure Templates

### Minimal Disclosure
```
AI Disclosure: AI-assisted tools were used during the preparation of
this manuscript. The authors reviewed and take full responsibility for
the content.
```

### Detailed Disclosure
```
AI Disclosure: The authors used [tool name] during the preparation of
this work. Specifically, [tool name] was used for [specific tasks: e.g.,
literature search assistance, language editing, data visualization].
After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as
needed and take full responsibility for the content of the published
article.
```

## Post-Submission: Responding to Peer Review

### Response Letter Structure
```markdown
Dear Editor and Reviewers,

Thank you for your constructive feedback on our manuscript "[Title]"
(Manuscript ID: XXX). We have carefully addressed all comments and
revised the manuscript accordingly. Below we provide point-by-point
responses.

---

## Reviewer 1

**Comment 1**: [Quote the reviewer's comment]
**Response**: [Your response explaining what you did]
**Changes**: [Describe specific changes, with page/line numbers]

**Comment 2**: [...]
**Response**: [...]
**Changes**: [...]

---

## Reviewer 2

[Same format]

---

We believe these revisions have substantially strengthened the
manuscript and hope it is now suitable for publication.

Sincerely,
[Authors]
```

### Response Best Practices
1. Respond to EVERY comment (even if you disagree)
2. Be respectful and grateful
3. If you disagree, explain why with evidence
4. Reference specific page/line numbers for changes
5. Use tracked changes in the revised manuscript
6. Submit a clean copy AND a tracked-changes copy
