How to contribute to Idiom
We welcome contributions from VATE members and friends including articles, learning sequences/units of work connected to contemporary curriculum, interesting resources, including online applications, which all relate to the theme of the forthcoming issue. Idiom is not a peer-reviewed journal. While Idiom is produced primarily for VATE members, it is hoped that it will also appeal to our English teaching colleagues in the broader education community. Contributions and editorial correspondence should be sent to the Managing Editor, Josephine Smith idiom@vate.org.au
All contributors are asked to follow the submission guidelines below.
Length
The length will depend on the focus of your submission – it may include a combination of text and tables/diagrams and images. As a guide, aim for between 1000 – 2500 words or 1.5 – 3.5 pages. Previous editions of Idiom can provide a model to assist with writing, length and structure.
Formatting
- Please format the body of your article in Calibri size 11 font, and headings in Calibri size 12 font or larger.
- Italicise book or film titles.
- Use single quotation marks for the titles of poems and short stories.
- Use single quotation marks for integrated quotes. No need for quotation marks for block quotes.
- Format page numbers as (p. 12) and (pp. 16-17).
- Please use single sentence spacing.
Abstract
Please prepare a short abstract as an introduction to your Idiom submission, providing an outline of the focus of your article or the impetus for your contribution to this edition. As a guide, aim for between 80-100 words.
Writer/s profile
Please provide a few lines to accompany your article, providing any relevant professional and/or biographical details, for example, your place of work or educational expertise. As a guide, aim for between 30-50 words.
Title
Please provide a short and succinct title for your article.
Referencing
For all sources used and recommended resources, please use the APA style of referencing (7th edition) which includes in-text citations and a References list. There are many online guides available.
Copyright
- All copyright-protected material, including text and images/diagrams, should be fully acknowledged and referenced. If you have any queries about the use/inclusion of material from other sources, please get in touch: idiom@vate.org.au
- Students’ work should not be included unless permission has been clearly granted by the student and/or school and student material should be completely de-identified, eg. no names (students, teachers or school), no school crests, no year levels.
- Copyright of each edition of Idiom remains with VATE. Any queries relating to an edition of Idiom, and all requests for access to Idiom, should be directed to idiom@vate.org.au
- If an author wishes to retain copyright then the onus is on them to register with CAL for any royalties; VATE takes no responsibility for ensuring that royalties it receives for Idiom articles are passed on to the author. Idiom is supplied to RMIT’s Informit e-Library which can be accessed online by arrangement with RMIT.
- Author(s) who give permission for their works to be reproduced elsewhere should inform the Managing Editor of Idiom and should ensure that the following statement appears with the article: 'Reproduced with permission, from Idiom, the journal of the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE) [issue volume, number, date].'
Images
- Please check the copyright permissions for all images/diagrams you wish to use.
- All images/diagrams used (even copyright free) should be acknowledged – please get in touch if you need assistance with referencing any images/diagrams.
- As well as including the images/diagrams in the body of your article, please also send these as separate files (jpg) to assist with layout and typesetting.
File format
Please save and send your article as a Word doc – please include your name in the file name when saving so your submission can be easily identified.
Submitting your article
Please email your article and any accompanying image files to idiom@vate.org.au