Contribute Your Knowledge
Many of our publications are submission-driven, and we continue to encourage high-quality
manuscripts on research and practice supporting college students in transition. If
you would like to submit a practice- or research-based manuscript, we invite you to
learn about our publications and review their submission guidelines below.
Our Publications and Submission Guidelines
This semiannual, peer-reviewed journal provides current research on the first college year and other significant student transitions. The Journal's purpose is to share empirical research findings on student transition issues that inform practice in all sectors of postsecondary education, such as:
- Explorations into the academic, personal, and social experiences (including outcomes related to success, learning, and development) of students at a range of transition points throughout the college years. These transitions include, but are not limited to, the first college year, the transfer transition, the sophomore year, the senior year and transition out of college, and the transition to graduate work
- Transition issues unique to specific student populations such as non-traditional, traditional, historically underrepresented, transfer, commuter, or part-time
- Explorations of faculty development, curriculum, and pedagogical innovations connected to any of the transitions identified above
Contact the Editor:
Dr. Rishi Sriram
Email: nrcjour@mailbox.sc.edu
Formerly e-Source, Insights for College Transitions is a free online resource that emphasizes evidence-based strategies for practitioner-scholars who support first-year students and students in transition inside and outside the classroom. Insights is accepting fall 2025 article submissions through May 1, 2025 for the following columns:
- Making the Case: Revisiting the Why: An op-ed piece that makes a compelling case for a particular “hot topic” issue.
- Featured Program: Highlights an exemplarily program related to supporting first-year students and/or students in transition
- First-Year Seminar Pedagogical Practices: Illustrates first-year seminar pedagogical practices readers can immediately apply to their teaching or facilitation.
- Research & Assessment: Showcases relevant programmatic assessment, evaluation, or small-scale research.
Contact the Editor:
Annie Kelly, Ed.D.
Email: FYEINSIGHTS@mailbox.sc.edu
The National Resource Center publishes reports of original research of national significance that require more expansive treatment than the typical journal article. These publications may contain the report of a single, large-scale study or may offer a collection of smaller research reports on a similar topic or research question (e.g., institutional research reports on outcomes related to first-year seminars). In addition to a presentation of research findings, these publications typically contain a review of the literature, which situates the current study in the context of the existing literature and research, along with a discussion of the implications of the results on student learning, success, and institutional practice.
**Updated Submission Guidelines Coming Soon**
Contact the Editor: Sean Cleary, Resources and External Relations Manager
Email: nrcpubs@mailbox.sc.edu
The majority of our book-length publications are designed to inform practice in institutions of higher education, generally focusing on an educational or institutional structures, student subpopulations, or curricular/cocurricular innovations. These books typically begin with a discussion of the historical/philosophical underpinnings of the general topic or issue. Literature reviews and reports of relevant research may be used to build a case for why a structure, student subpopulation, innovation, or other topic needs our attention or to justify a particular approach to an issue. Subsequent chapters frequently provide recommendations for addressing the topic or issue from a variety of viewpoints. Typically, this section also discusses the potential impact of this issue or innovation on student learning, success, or retention.
In general, scholarly practice books:
- Examine a topic of continuing importance to professionals working in the first-year experience/students in transition field
- Present new and significant information and observations about the topic that can inform work in a variety of educational settings
- Offer insights derived from a solid and sufficiently broad knowledge base of theory, research, and/or practice
**Updated Submission Guidelines Coming Soon**
Contact the Editor: Sean Cleary, Resources and External Relations Manager
Email: nrcpubs@mailbox.sc.edu
These book-length manuscripts should examine the transition experiences of college student populations that have been historically underserved or given limited consideration in the design of different higher education contexts. Each volume will explore the experiences of a specific population in depth and draw on the theoretical, research, and practice literature to critically examine some of the fundamental assumptions underlying student success initiatives in higher education with an eye toward reshaping campus culture, policies, and practices to support the learning and development of the population under study. Such populations may include, but are not limited to:
- Students from a specific racial or ethnic group (e.g., African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino)
- Emancipated foster care youth
- LGBTQ+ students
- Adult learners
- International students
- Student athletes
- First-generation college students
- Commuter students
Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis.
**Updated Submission Guidelines Coming Soon**
Contact the Editor: Sean Cleary, Resources and External Relations Manager
Email: nrcpubs@mailbox.sc.edu
Style and Grammar Guidelines
All content should adhere to the standards set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition). This includes format, references, citations, tables, and figures.