Submission Process & Guidelines
Looking for article ideas? Review our article types to help you get started.
Preparing your article
Articles may be written by one author or coauthored. Only one author can submit, so a primary author must be identified.
At least one form of graphic is needed in an article (table, graphs, chart, illustration, or photograph). Any source that is not an original creation by the author needs permission from the original source to be reproduced and a credit. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain permission. Pictures of students require a signed release form. Please hold on to release forms until the editor contacts you. Examples of graphics that may be included are pictures of an apparatus set up, pictures of students in action, pictures of an experiment before and after, video clips of the lesson, lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, handouts given to students, or original student work.
Tips for a successful article
- Take safety into consideration
- Include illustrations in the form of pictures, tables, graphs, or charts that add clarity
- Complete a release form if any students are in photos
- Look at the topic you’re writing about from more than one angle
- Did you get results different than what was expected?
- Can you suggest ways to incorporate the activity into a classroom with different aged students?
- Indicate the range of grade levels the activity or topic is appropriate for
- Use concise language to emphasize importance
- Submit ideas that are not your own
- Submit an article for purposes of endorsing a commercial product
- Submit photos of students without release forms
- submit an article that has been previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere (including term paper for school)
- Use grammatically incorrect punctuation or unnecessary styling to make a point
Reviewing your article
It’s never a bad idea to have a colleague review your article and consider their feedback before submitting your manuscript. If English is not the author’s native language, please have the manuscript reviewed by a native speaker before submitting. This will improve the chances of the article being accepted.
Please review our Tips for a Successful Article.
Before submitting make sure you have
- written a clear, thought out article,
- at least one visual to include,
- used the Chicago Manual of Style for references and grammar,
- and abided by the word count.
How to submit
Complete the online submission form.
You will receive a confirmation email when the manuscript has been received. After the article has been reviewed, AACT will notify you of its status: accepted, make minor edits, or rewrite and resubmit. Instructions with how to proceed will be included with that notification.
How articles are evaluated
All manuscripts are peer reviewed by two experienced teachers of chemistry. When reviewing, they will consider the following criteria:
- Does the article follow a sensible order and flow well?
- Is safety addressed, if appropriate?
- Are interesting and novel ideas addressed?
- Are scientific principles in the article correct?
- Is there a good balance of author perspective and fact?
- Are the topics in the article appropriate for the intended age group?
- Is there something more that needs to be addressed in the article?
Files submitted to Chemistry Solutions will be used for publication in the periodical only. AACT will not sell submissions to third parties, nor will AACT use submissions for promotional or other unintended uses. If AACT sees a different fit for a submission, the author(s) will be contacted.
AACT reserves the right to decide what content is published in Chemistry Solutions. Submissions will be held for up to three years. Please do not contact AACT to inquire about the status of your submission. You will be notified when your article has been selected for an issue of Chemistry Solutions.