Submit Manuscripts to OJELA

Submission Portal for the OJELA Fall 2026 Edition Opens: February 1, 2026

Manuscript Submission Deadline for Fall 2026 Edition: June 1, 2026

Creative Works Deadline: July 31st, 2026

Submission Portal

Please submit manuscripts using this Submission Form (opens February 1, 2026).

Please have the following information and files ready:

• Author names, institutions, and emails

• Professional role

• Author Biography/ies: 2 sentences maximum

• Submission Title

• Abstract (if submitting an article): 75-100 words

• Anonymous Manuscript PDF or Word File (should be edited so author identities are hidden)

You will also be asked to verify:

• That you are over 18 years of age (student authors are asked to provide caregiver and teacher names and emails)

• That this work has not been previously published elsewhere

• That this work is not under review for publication elsewhere

• That all authors consent to this publication submission

• That written permission to publish any work not belonging to you has been acquired

• That you understand the published version of this work (should it be selected for publication) may be reprinted or quoted in other NCTE publications as part of the NCTE Information Exchange. 

General Formatting Guidelines

When preparing your manuscript for submission, please:

• Ensure that the manuscript is anonymous. Replace any author names (you could use Author1, Author2 etc.) and remove any identifiable information (e.g., school name and district). 

• Use an easily readable, size 12 font (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Georgia)

• Keep paragraphs fairly short to help readers easily navigate your writing

• Double-space your manuscript

• Include images, figures, and tables in manuscript with captions. 

• Format any in-text citations and references according to APA guidelines

• Save submission as a PDF for submission

Submission Types Welcomed by the OJELA Editorial Team

OJELA features original publications written by teachers, teacher educators, and students at all stages of their education journey. Each edition of OJELA centers a specific theme. The journal theme will be closely connected to the OCTELA Annual Conference theme. Although we encourage authors to submit work connected to the themed call for submissions, we will also consider any work that address topics, issues, and questions pertinent to any aspect of English Language education (pre-kindergarten through college) for publication in the open-themed section of each journal edition. Please see the Current Call for OJELA Submissions for details of the current theme.

This journal houses a wealth of research and pedagogical articles, but we also encourage prospective authors to submit creative works. Creative works might include (but are not limited to) poetry, personal narrative, photography, and art. Interview pieces and education book reviews are also welcome.  Here is a brief list of the submission types welcomed by the OJELA Editorial Board:

1. Pedagogical Articles (4000 words excluding references)
2. Research Articles (4000 words excluding references)
3. AP Research Student-Authored Research Articles (4000 words excluding references)
4. Banned/Challenged Children's and YA Book Responses (500-1000 words)
5. Professional ELA Education Book Reviews (2000 words)
6. Interviews Featuring Voices From the Field (2000 words)
7. Creative Works (including art, photography, poetry, creative nonfiction...) 

Please go to the Submission Types Welcomed Page for further details regarding these different submission types. If you have any questions about submitting your work for consideration of publication in OJELA, please contact Stephanie Reid, the OJELA Editor, with any questions or to discuss any of these options in more detail (ojela@myoctela.org).