The Toolbox's primary purpose is to provide practical strategies for improving teaching and learning. Articles on a variety of topics related to classroom instruction are welcome, including those focusing on faculty-student relationships, principles and practices of effective course design, active-learning strategies for face-to-face venues, applications of digital technology to face-to-face and online venues, alternative strategies to assess student learning, and strategies and techniques for meeting the learning needs of diverse student populations. The Toolbox does not publish product endorsements, textbook reviews, pure theory or opinion pieces, or articles without practical application. Submitted manuscripts undergo editorial review.
Publication decisions. The editor is responsible for deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to The Toolbox will be published. The editor will evaluate manuscripts without regard to the authors' race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, national origin, or political philosophy. The decision will be based on the merits of the manuscript including importance, originality, clarity, validity, and relevance to the journal's scope. Current legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism will also be considered. Authors can expect that initial disposition on manuscripts will be made within 2 months of submission.
Confidentiality. The editor and editorial staff of the National Resource Center will not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and other editorial advisors, as appropriate.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript will not be used by the editor or the staff of the National Resource Center for their own research purposes without the author's explicit written consent.
Originality, plagiarism, and acknowledgment of sources. Authors will submit only entirely original works and will appropriately cite or quote the work and/or words of others, including their own prior publications. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited.
Authorship of the manuscript. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the writing or revision of the manuscript under consideration. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author ensures that all contributing co-authors and no uninvolved persons are included in the author list. The corresponding author will also verify that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication. Individuals who contributed to the manuscript in a meaningful way but who fall short of the requirements for authorship may be listed in a separate acknowledgment.
Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publications. In general, manuscripts describing a student success practice using essentially the same structure and assessment data should not be published in more than one newsletter or other publication outlet. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one newsletter or other publication outlet constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Manuscripts that have been published as copyrighted material elsewhere cannot be submitted. In addition, manuscripts under review by The Toolbox should not be simultaneously submitted for review to other copyrighted publications.
Inclusive language. Authors should refer to the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for guidance on avoiding bias in their writing. In accordance with our commitment to inclusion, the National Resource Center believes it is unacceptable to use constructions that might imply prejudicial beliefs or perpetuate biased assumptions against persons on the basis of age, disability, gender, racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or some combination of other personal factors. Instead, authors should use affirming and inclusive language. For example, first-year student rather than freshman should be used to describe a student in the first year of postsecondary study.
Fundamental errors in published works. When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the editor or publisher and to cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the manuscript in form of an erratum.