1. Part One: The Review Process at JRME Or, How a Manuscript Becomes A Paper
From 2006 NCTM Pre-Session, “Getting Published: Conversations with JRME Panel Members”

2. The Editorial Staff at BYU
Steve Williams, Editor
Jackie Voyles, Assistant Editor
Dan Siebert, Associate Editor
Keith Leatham, Associate Editor
Rebecca Woods, Secretary

3. Manuscript Submission
Go to
Click on "Register as new user" 
Receive a password by
Log on and enter your contact and other relevant information. 
Your account is verified
Submit a manuscript by following the appropriate links from the main page. 
Submit one blinded and one unblinded copy. 
MS Word or PDF
Comply with APA Publication Manual, Fifth Edition. 
Should not exceed 40 pages in length, not counting cover page, abstract, references, tables, or figures. 

4. Manuscript Processing
Assigned a number (e.g. 062xx)
Checked for appropriateness
Can be returned as inappropriate (e.g. a mathematical proof, lesson plans)
Can be returned without review (e.g. an entire dissertation, something so long that it clearly will not review well)
Checked for proper attention to blinding
Authors may be asked to revisit this issue
Read for content

5. A Note About Blinding
Basic idea: You should make anonymous any citations (and corresponding references) that would be likely to divulge the identity of the authors of the paper.
Two approaches:
Refer to “Author,” “Author A, Author B & others”, etc.
Refer to your other work in the 3rd person: “We build on the work of Williams and Baxter, 1996, to create . . .”
Can be challenging in some cases.

6. Assigning Reviewers
Editorial staff meets weekly to assign potential reviewers
One JRME Editorial Panel member
Three or four other reviewers, chosen according to:
Methodological expertise
Mathematical expertise
Theoretical expertise
Grade level interests
Other possible considerations

7. Inviting Reviewers Manuscript’s abstract sent to potential reviewers
The abstracts are all potential reviewers see before deciding whether to review a manuscript. Therefore,
The abstract should accurately describe the key aspects of the study. Help the potential reviewer make the right decision!
Reviewers are assigned and the manuscript sent for review
Wait a few weeks

8. Consideration of Reviews
Reviewers make one of four possible recommendations:
Accept as is
Accept pending revisions but without further review
Reject, but encourage the author to revise and resubmit the manuscript for further review
Reject

9. Editorial Decision
The editor reads the manuscript and the reviews and makes one of four decisions:
Accept as is
Accept pending revisions but without further review
Reject, but encourage the author to revise and resubmit the manuscript for further review
Reject
Decision letter and blinded reviews made available to author by and links to database.

10. About the Decision:
The editor’s decision is not just an average of the reviewers’ recommendations.
When the decision is Revise and Resubmit:
One year time limit
Sent to 1 or 2 original reviewers, if available, and 1 or 2 new reviewers.
A better chance of being accepted (about 60% of accepted manuscripts are resubmissions; acceptance rate for resubmissions is about 4 times overall acceptance rate)

11. More About the Decision:
When the decision is Accept with Revision:
Contingent upon acceptably addressing issues outlined in reviews and decision letter
A four month time frame for revisions (negotiable)
Final acceptance letter to frame, show to the Dean, send to parents, sell on ebay, etc.
Copyright forms

12. Notification of Reviewers
Blinded decision letter and blinded reviews made available to each reviewer by and links to database.
Part of the educative role that JRME plays in our scholarly community.
Enriches the intellectual life of the reviewers.

13. Moving Toward Publication:
Editing:
APA format
Style
Copy editing
Sent to NCTM for more copy editing
Enters the publication queue
Layouts (galleys)
Page proofs
Publication

14. Celebration!

15. Some Items of Interest
JRME receives about 150 – 170 manuscripts per year, of which we can publish about
Acceptance rates:
2002: 12%,
2003: 13%,
2004: 7%.
The acceptance rate for the 11-year period 1994 through 2004 was 13%.

16. Part Two: Kinds of Manuscripts Appropriate for JRME

17. We encourage the submission of a variety of manuscripts:
Reports of research, including experiments, case studies, surveys, philosophical studies, and historical studies;
Articles about research, including literature reviews and theoretical analyses;
Brief reports of research;
Critiques of articles and books; and
Brief commentaries on issues pertaining to research.

18. Reports of Research Studies
Research reports should be tersely and clearly written. The importance and relevance of the research topic to mathematics education should be presented in the rationale or the discussion. Any analysis should be suited to the data and the research questions. Reports of many types of research are encouraged, including experiments, case studies, surveys, philosophical investigations, and historical studies.
Articles about research. The journal welcomes literature reviews and syntheses of research in an area, as well as theoretical analyses of research.

19. Brief Reports
Appropriate when a fuller report is available elsewhere or when a more comprehensive follow-up study is planned. A brief report of:
a first study might stress the rationale, hypotheses, and plans for further work;
a replication or extension of a previously reported study might contrast the results of the two studies, referring to the earlier study for methodological details;
a monograph or other lengthy nonjournal publication might summarize the key findings and implications or might highlight an unusual observation or methodological approach.
Under some circumstances brief reports may be recommended after a longer manuscript has been reviewed.
A brief report should not exceed six manuscript pages. Brief reports have a shorter publication lag than articles.

20. Critiques of Articles
Constructive critiques are invited that respond to articles that have appeared in JRME or other research journals. Critiques should stimulate discussions and present ideas. They should initiate a potential dialogue in print through thoughtful criticism and a presentation of alternatives.
A critique should not exceed six manuscript pages. When a critique is accepted for publication, the editor will send a copy to the author of the original article along with an invitation to respond within a specified period of time. Whenever possible, the critique and the response will be published in the same issue.

21. Research Commentary
Analyses, critiques, or proposals pertaining to the character of research in the field of mathematics education.
Should provide a clear, logical presentation of a position developed from an explicit rationale. An argument should be substantiated by data or illustrations when they are appropriate. Topics for this section may include, but are not restricted to, the following:
Commentaries on research methods
Discussions of connections between research, policy, and practice
Analyses of trends in policies for funding research
Examinations of evaluation studies
Critical essays on research publications
Exchanges among scholars holding contrasting views about research-related issues
Research commentary articles will be peer reviewed and should be 8-12 manuscript pages in length and are generally not to exceed 20 manuscript pages.