Instructions For Authors - Patterns of Practice

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Read about our author guidelines

Instructions For Authors - Patterns of Practice

Contact us

General enquiries, questions and article submissions can be sent to the journal editors at: patternsofpractice@uel.ac.uk.

Author guidance

To be considered for publication in Patterns of Practice, manuscripts, in whole or part, must not have been previously published or be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere in either article or review form.

Patterns of Practice explores a wide and inclusive definition of SOTL within the boundaries of Higher Education. By this, we mean that we would consider SOTL practice within higher education at all levels of practice, outreach performed by higher education providers, Access, higher education in further education and further education in higher education. These will be defined by the usual national and regional practices associated with how Higher Education is structured and plays out across different national contexts.

We consider two types of submission for the Journal. Firstly, a Full Submission (4000 words) (a usual academic piece with appropriate length, depth, originality, and rigour) and secondly, what we call ‘Updates’ (2000 words) – shorter pieces focused upon ideas in the making, rapid response or opinion pieces.

Part A

Submissions of ‘Full Articles’

Full Article Submissions might focus more on methodology, theory, policy, practice, auto-ethnography, or reflexivity. There is no need for each submission to ‘feel the same’. However, each submission will need to be structured around the same opening and ending headings as listed above. Each submission will need, using the common headings, to make explicit reference to SOTL as an idea or model and be clear about the national and cultural context the piece is written from.

Published twice a year (Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer), Patterns of Practice adopts an open, critical, reflective, and interdisciplinary approach to SOTL. Issues are ‘themed’ around ‘big ideas’ that encompass the emotive, collaborative, and critical aspects of SOTL. Launched around the theme (Volume 1, Issue 1) of ‘Authenticity’, subsequent issues will explore themes of ‘Ambition’, ‘Risk’, ‘Desire’, ‘Uncertainty’, ‘Partnership’, ‘Intention’ and ‘Confidence’. Each Full Submission will also need to make explicit reference to the theme of the edition being submitted to, using the headings favoured by the journal (as in the guidance below).

Successful submissions that go to publication will be published in the Journal in the order that makes sense to the Editors-In-Chief to help weave a golden thread through the edition. There will be no ‘lead article’ other than the Editorial itself.

Basic Guidelines for ‘Full Articles’

Each manuscript must:

  1. Include the full title and (if any) a subtitle.
  2. Include an abstract of 300-500 words.
  3. Contain up to five keywords.
  4. Be between 3,000 and 4,000 words, excluding references.
  5. Be clearly structured with a hierarchy of the headings and subheadings (detailed in Structure for ‘Full Articles’).
  6. Be written in Calibri, font size 12.
  7. Be double-line spaced.

Structure for ‘Full Articles’

Each submission is expected to follow the following headings to ensure commonality for the reader:

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Context
  • [Heading – Theme] [This is to be a short section titled by the idea of the themed issue you are submitting for, linking your ideas to the theme explicitly]
  • [Heading – Core Content] [The main part of the submission is free to use any subsequent headings the author sees fit]
  • Implications for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  • Conclusion

Part B

Submission of ‘Short Updates’

As well as ‘Full Articles’, for each issue the editors will also accept ‘Short Updates’. These pieces will be usually limited to 4-5 per issue and do not need to be written or organised around the ‘theme’ of the issue they are published in. 

‘Short Updates’ might include:

  • Overviews of SOTL activities, projects, conferences within or beyond an organisation.
  • Reflections on the ‘state of SOTL’ and how it changes overtime or changes within national contexts.
  • Opinion pieces.
  • Responses to policies and/or the landscape of higher education.
  • 'Rapid response’ reporting.
  • Experiences with SOTL.
  • Beginning developments with SOTL projects and research.
  • Explorative accounts of new research and new models of methodology.

Basic Guidelines for ‘Short Updates’

Each manuscript must:


  1. 1.    Include a full title and (if any) a subtitle.
    2.    Not include an abstract.
    3.    Contain up to five keywords.
    4.    Be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, excluding references.
    5.    Be clearly organised around 2-3 subheadings of the author(s)’s choice to help break up the text.
    6.    Be written in Calibri, font size 12. 
    7.    Be double line spaced. 
     
     

Part C: Style and Submission – For Both ‘Full Submissions’ and ‘Short Updates’

Academic Style

Papers must be written in the English language. They should be aimed at an international audience, using a clear and coherent style, avoiding colloquialisms and jargon. You must therefore explain points that may only be understood within your own education system. Acronyms, abbreviations, and technical terms should be defined when first used. UK spellings are preferred. If notes are essential, use endnotes only. Do not indent at the start of a new paragraph; instead, leave one line between each paragraph, and at least two lines between each (sub)section and the next.

Tables and Figures

Tables should be typed, double-line spaced, on separate documents. Their positions are indicated by in-text notes. All tables should have short descriptive captions, with source(s) typed below the tables. All line diagrams and illustrations are termed 'Figures' and should be referred to as such in the manuscript by an in-text note. They should be numbered consecutively. Line diagrams should be presented in a form suitable for immediate reproduction (i.e., not requiring redrawing), each on a separate A4 Word document or, if possible, as TIFF files with a minimum resolution of 600 dpi (b/w only). Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions from copyright holders for the reproduction of any tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere.

In-text Citations

In-text citations should appear wherever you quote or paraphrase a source in your writing, pointing your reader to the full entry on the reference list. In-text citations appear in brackets in the text. They should consist of the last name of the author, the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. Depending on the number of authors, in-text citations should be included as follows:

  • 1 author -   (Smith, 2010)
  • 2 authors -   (Smith & Jones, 2010)
  • 3 authors -   (Smith, Jones & Mistry, 2010)
  • 4 or more authors -   (Smith et al., 2010)

When quoting directly from a source or paraphrasing a specific passage, in-text citations must include a page number to specify where the relevant passage is located. Use ‘p.’ for a single page and ‘pp.’ for a page range. For example:

  • Meanwhile, another commentator asserts that the political economy is ‘on the downturn’ (Singh, 2019, p. 13); and
  • Wilkinson (2020, pp. 12–14) makes an argument for the efficacy of the pedagogic technique.

If you are summarising the general argument from a source or paraphrasing ideas that reoccur throughout the text, no page number is needed.
If a source does not list a clear publication date, as is sometimes the case with online sources or historical documents, replace the date with the words ‘no date’. For example: (Smith, no date). When it is unclear who the author is, substitute the name for the corporate author, or the group or organisation responsible for the publication. For example:

  • (WHO, 2019); and 
  • (SEDA, 2021)

If a source without page numbers is quoted, such as a website, simply omit this information if this is a short text, and therefore, easy to locate. If quoting from a longer source without page numbers, find an alternate location marker, such as a paragraph number or subheading. For example:

  • (PsychReg, 2022, para. 14); and
  • (Advance HE, 2024, under ‘Framework for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education’)

Reference List 

Use ampersands in multiple name references. For example: Smith, A. P., Brown, P. & Jones, K., but in the text put the first author et al. For example: Smith et al. Do not use bold or underlining in references. Provide translations for non-English titles in the references. 
For different publication types, follow these examples:

Journal Article

Smith, A. P. (2010). 'Choosing your style guru'. Journal of Dummies, 4(1): 24–9.

Books

Smith, A. P. (2010). Reference style guidelines. London: Cass. Smith, A. P. & Brown, A. P. (2003). References for some: deciding an appropriate style. London: Cass.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Smith, A. P. (2010). 'The importance of matching stick and carrot'. In Red, A. (ed.) Guidelines for references, pp. 55–8. London: Cass.

Editor of a Book

Smith, A. P. (ed.) (2010). The essentials of labour: Styles of referencing. London: Cass.

Thesis or Dissertation

Smith, A. P. (2010). 'Dressing style guidelines'. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Borchester: Borchester.

Research or Governmental Report

Belch, M., Cough, C., Bourn, U., Coffin, D. & Cross, H. (2000). 'Making your mind up: teaching in private schools' (Research Report AA49). London: DfPC.

Paper Presented at a Symposium, Conference or Annual Meeting

Smith, A. P. (2010). 'A citation for every occurrence, and an occurrence for every colon'. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Educators' League Association, Cambridge, January.

Website

Smith, A. P. (2011). 'Choosing a layout for your bedroom. Guidance on decor'. Online: http://www.beded.com [accessed January 2020]

Author Contact Information

If there are multiple authors, please appoint one as the corresponding author who will be responsible for all exchanges with the Patterns of Practice review and editorial staff. All authors are asked to add names, email, affiliations, and a brief biographical note (approximately 3-4 sentences). Authors are responsible for removing any identifying information from their manuscripts that may allow a reviewer to discern any confidential information that would breach the research ethics guidelines. Any metadata added through the electronic system will be shared only with the editorial staff. In the copyediting phase, authors will then add identifying information that was redacted for the original submission.

Copyrighted Materials

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for any copyrighted material used, including illustrations, and will be asked to provide formal written permission upon acceptance for publication. Authors are expected to adhere to the standards for intellectual property rights and plagiarism, and authors assume full responsibility for the content of their submissions.

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure

In accordance with Harvard guidelines, Patterns of Practice requires that all authors provide notice of any interests that might be seen as influencing the research.

File(s) Type

Complete manuscripts should be submitted electronically as a single Word document. Tables and figures should not be inserted into the text, but rather submitted in a separate Word document as supplementary files. The same applies for any appendices. Files should not exceed 100 MB in size. We cannot accept any PDF submissions. The editors welcome the submission of supplementary materials (for example, multimedia content) that take advantage of the online environment to incorporate elements beyond text. During the submission process, authors have the option of adding supplementary files, such as audio or video files related to the work.

Data Privacy Policy

The data collected from registered and non-registered users of this journal falls within the scope of the standard functioning of peer-reviewed journals. It includes information that makes communication possible for the editorial process; it is used to inform readers about the authorship and editing of content; it enables collecting aggregated data on readership behaviours, as well as tracking geopolitical and social elements of scholarly communication. The editorial team uses this data to guide its work in publishing and improving Patterns of Practice. The data will not be sold by this journal, nor will it be used for purposes other than those stated here. 

The published authors are responsible for the human subject data that figures in the research reported here. Those involved in editing Patterns of Practice seek to be compliant with industry standards for data privacy, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provision for data subject rights that include (a) breach notification; (b) right of access; (c) the right to be forgotten; (d) data portability; and (e) privacy by design. The GDPR also allows for the recognition of “the public interest in the availability of the data,” which has a particular saliency for those involved in maintaining, with the greatest integrity possible, the public record of scholarly publishing.