Submit Your Research for Publication

FIRST accepts submissions for our peer-review process on a rolling basis.
​Our editor and peer reviewers want to read your work!

FIRST Manuscript Guidelines & Submissions

FIRST Article Preferences

FIRST accepts articles on a rolling basis for inclusion in our fall and spring issues of the journal. 

We especially welcome a variety of works, including

• Scholarly articles that detail original research (e.g., case studies, ethnographies, statistical treatments) are appropriate submissions. Implications for educators should be clearly described in the research report.
• Scholarly articles that address teaching practices, program design, program management, or project assessment will be considered for publication provided the research and/or theory that inform such articles are clearly articulated in the manuscript.
• Practice of Teaching and Learning Column articles provides an opportunity to share the implementation of a suggested or research-supported best practice in a specific class, training, or other learning environment. The practice of teaching column should include a brief overview of the learning environment and the problem or challenge the best practice hoped to address before sharing the specific process used to integrate the practice into your teaching. Formal research data is not needed, but there should be a clear reflection on the practice including what went well and how the practice will be refined for future use. Practice of Teaching columns submissions should be about 1,000 words.
• Resource Reviews highlight a book, article, media, or webpage that supports the work of faculty and staff charged with student access and student success initiatives on their campuses. Resource reviews should be brief, roughly 250 words. 
• Literature reviews of a body of research in pertinent fields (e.g., counseling, psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, etc.) will be considered for publication if the work is deemed useful for our readers through our peer review process. 

FIRST Article Submission Guidelines​

Submissions should follow the guidelines outlined below to receive full consideration by our editor and peer reviewers. 

• All manuscripts should be composed or saved as Word documents following current APA formatting practices. You may also find it useful to review the Journal Article Reporting Standards. 
• All manuscripts should strive to use bias-free language. 
• Follow APA guidance for all references and in-text citations. 
• The authors are responsible for the accuracy of all citations and references and obtaining copyright permissions as needed.

Publications that do not follow APA formatting, references, and in-text citation guidelines will not be considered for publication until reformatted. 
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Additionally, 

• Manuscripts must be original work and not duplicate previously published works or articles under consideration for publication elsewhere. Please do not add any formatting or decorative embellishments to your document (no headers, no footers, no embedded formatting of any kind as this makes the printing process difficult).
• The body of the manuscript may range in length up to 20 pages, including all references, tables, and figures. Longer articles will be considered if the content warrants it.
• Limit references to the author's other publications or works in progress. The manuscript should reflect a broad base of research.
• Remove all identifying information from your manuscript.

FIRST Article Submission Process
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All submissions should be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document in an email to our editor, Dr. Nichole LaGrow. 
Please include "FIRST Article Submission" in the subject line of your email. 

The body of the email will serve as the cover letter for your article. Please share 

• A brief explanation of why the work is appropriate for FIRST. 
• The affiliation and contact information of all authors. 
• Any conflicts of interest or concerns that you would like considered for the peer review process.

You will receive confirmation of receipt within one week of submission. The confirmation will include next steps in our editorial review and publication process.