Write for Literacy and Numeracy Studies

Literacy and Numeracy Studies is an international refereed journal which aims to promote research, scholarship and critical analysis of policy and practice concerning the many and complex ways that adult literacy and numeracy are implicated in adult life. One of the aims of the journal is to extend narrow functional and externally imposed definitions of literacy and numeracy to multiple, open definitions that focus on what people do with their skills, and how they use different texts and modalities in differing contexts.

The possibilities for adult literacy and numeracy learning occur in all environments and in many ways. This means that the editors are pleased to accept papers from a range of theoretical perspectives and research approaches, from researchers and practitioners emerging from differing epistemological positions. Articles published in previous issues reflect the diverse sites and orientations where literacy and numeracy practitioners work both with people with English-speaking language backgrounds and those with language backgrounds other than English. Research sites have included workplaces, prisons, communities, higher education, vocational and adult education, adult ESL, Indigenous populations and virtual environments.

Literacy and numeracy are thus understood here as socio-cultural phenomena, the successful acquisition of which moves beyond test and survey results or conventional education and training settings. Relevant terms that may help potential contributors determine if this is the journal for them include adult basic education, adult and community education, workplace language, literacy and numeracy, academic language, literacy and numeracy, online literacies and critical literacy and numeracy. Because adult literacy and numeracy are emerging as a relatively new focus for research and academic interest internationally, the editors actively encourage submissions from post-graduate research students in the kinds of areas indicated above. Finally, in recognition that adult literacy and numeracy are controversial and are engaged with the politics of equity, participation and social justice, the editors offer the opportunity, through the Refractions section of the journal, for contributors to publish more rhetorical and controversial pieces likely to interest our readers. Refractions papers are not normally submitted to external review. Responses to Refractions pieces are also welcomed.

Literacy and Numeracy Studies is published twice a year. Manuscripts should be between three and five thousand words and can be emailed to: Hermine.Scheeres@uts.edu.au or Rosie.Wickert@scu.edu.au . They should be double spaced, with ample margins, and bear the title of the contribution. Paper title, name(s) of author(s) and address for correspondence should be placed on a separate page. An abstract of no more than one hundred and fifty words is required.

Each manuscript is blind reviewed by at least two reviewers. Proofs will not normally be sent to authors unless there are substantial changes and/or figures and diagrams. They should be corrected and returned within seven days. Major alterations to the text will not be accepted

General guidelines and style conventions

Please note the referencing conventions used by Literacy and Numeracy Studies and the requirement for non-discriminatory language. Note also that, while Literacy and Numeracy Studies is published in Australia, it has a diverse and international audience. Please clarify any terms that are likely to be unfamiliar to readers outside Australia, and to those outside the disciplinary fields of adult literacy and numeracy.

Please observe the following conventions:

do not use ‘ibid.' (and the like) when repeating references
multiple references within parentheses should be divided by a comma, not a semicolon, and there should be no use of ‘and' within such multiple references
single quotation marks (‘ ... ') should be used rather than double (“ ... ”) except for quotes within quotes and please use ‘smart quotes'
only direct quotes (ie. data) should be in italics
books, reports or other major works named in the article should be in italics
Numbers from one to ten should be written as words unless in brackets, dot points, figure/table headings or endnotes.

References in the text

References in the text should give the author’s name and year of publication (with page numbers if necessary) in the following style: ‘Coproduction can be defined as the “degree of overlap between two sets of participants – regular producers and consumers”. The resultant overlap represents a joint production of outcomes’ (Brudney and England 1983, cited in Wirth 1991:79).

If the quote is more than thirty words it should be indented in the following style:

Discourse contributes first of all to the construction of what are variously referred to as ‘social identities’ and ‘subject positions’. Secondly, discourse helps construct social relationships between people. And thirdly, discourse contributes to the construction of systems of knowledge and belief. (Fairclough 1992:64)

Footnotes

Footnotes should be avoided. If necessary (as in some forms of historical referencing), numbered end notes can be used to elaborate matters which may be difficult to present in the journal’s reference style. These should be kept to a minimum.

Tables, figures, diagrams and illustrations

Authors must supply camera-ready copy of complex tables, figures, diagrams, illustrations and photographs.

Reference lists

Please use full names whenever possible. Multiple references for one author should be in order of publication. Second and subsequent authors should be referenced surname, followed by first name. Page numbers must be included for all journal articles and book and report chapters. Only references cited in the text should be listed and these should be in full at the end of the manuscript as follows:

Australian Committee for Training Curriculum (ACTRAC) (1993) The National Framework of Adult English Language, Literacy and Numeracy Competence, ACTRAC Productions Ltd, Frankston, Victoria.

Freebody, Peter, Gee, James, Luke, Allan and Street, Brian (1997) Literacy as Critical Social Practice: An introduction, The Falmer Press, Brighton.

Hammond, Jennifer and Wickert, Rosie (1993) Pedagogical Relations Between Adult ESL and Adult Literacy: Directions for research, Open Letter, vol 3, no 2, pp 16-31.

Humphries, B (1997) From Critical Thought to Emancipatory Action: Contradictory research goals? Sociological Research Online, vol 2, no 1, retrieved 1 Feb 2004 from http://www.socresonline.org.uk/socresonline/2/1/3.html.

Johnston, Betty (1993/unpublished paper) Report on UNESCO Adult Numeracy Seminar, Marly-le-Roi, France, March.

Kirkpatrick, Andy (1993) Chinese Composition Structure: Ancient or modern? in Conference Proceedings of the Ninth National Languages Conference, Northern Territory Department of Education, Darwin, pp 189-205.

Lee, Alison and Wickert, Rosie (1995) Reading the Discourses of Adult Basic Education Teaching, in Foley, Griff, ed, Understanding Adult Education and Training, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, pp 134-146.

Willis, Sue, ed, (1990) Being Numerate: What counts?, Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn, Victoria.

Author's bio-note

This note should be brief (two or three sentences at most) and include (i) author's institutional positions or affiliations and (ii) a full address or email for correspondence. A very brief note of author's special interests or a specific recent publication may follow.

Acknowledgments

Any acknowledgments authors wish to make should be included in a separate headed section at the end of the manuscript. Please do not incorporate these into the bio-note.