Instructions for Authors and Editors

The book series publishes high-quality monographs, edited volumes, handbooks and formally innovative books which explore the relationships between mathematics education and society. The series advances scholarship in mathematics education by bringing multiple disciplinary perspectives to the study of contemporary predicaments of the cultural, social, political, economic and ethical contexts of mathematics education in a range of different contexts around the globe. If you are unsure whether your idea suits the series, you are welcome to present your ideas to the editorial board informally in order to receive some preliminary feedback.

We are delighted that you are considering the book series Studies on Mathematics Education and Society as a place for the publication of your work. Book proposals offered to the series are evaluated for their quality and suitability for the series before decisions on whether or not to include them are reached. Please submit any queries, book proposals and manuscripts to the Series General Editor David.Kollosche@aau.at.

General procedure

We expect you to prepare and submit a book proposal following the specifications we outline below. In the first step, the editorial board decides whether the topic of your publication suits the aims of the series. Then, the proposal will be evaluated in a single-blind process by two external reviewers according to the review questions printed at the end of this document. You may want to make sure that your proposal includes the information that the reviewers need to answer the review questions positively. Reviewers will recommend the acceptance or the refusal of the proposal. They may also request changes to be made before the proposal can be accepted. The decision whether or not, and under which conditions, to accept a book proposal is reached by the editorial board on the basis of the external reviews. The series aims to encompass a wide range of scholarship and we intend to help proposals achieve the high level of quality required for acceptance. Our policy is to inform you whether your proposal has been accepted within eight weeks after the submission of your proposal. Once your proposal is accepted, the editorial board will assign handling editors, who will assist you with meeting the standards and expectations of our book series. The final product will be reviewed internally by the editorial board.

The publisher

Open Book Publishers is an outstanding non-profit academic publisher based in Cambridge, England. You can access our wide portfolio in a variety of free digital editions, and in high-quality, affordably priced paperback, hardback and ebook editions. Authors and editors are asked to secure subventions for publication costs (by your universities, national research trusts or elsewhere), if possible. If no subventions are available, Open Book Publishers is committed to publishing all works that have passed peer-review, even if no grant is available.

Monographs

Please present the idea, concept, structure and timetable of your book project on up to five pages, including references. If you have already written parts of the book, it is advisable to submit them additionally. Make sure that your presentation allows the reviewers of your proposal to find answers to the questions directed at them (see list below). The proposal should also be accompanied by academic curriculum vitae of all involved authors.

Edited volumes and handbooks

Please present the idea, concept, structure and timetable of your book project on up to five pages, including references. In addition to the five-page proposal, please also add information about the titles and authors, as well as abstracts of the planned contributions to the book. If parts of the book are already written, it is advisable to submit them additionally. Make sure that your presentation allows the reviewers of your proposal to find answers to the questions directed at them (see list below). Please outline how you intend to organize peer-reviewing of the individual chapters of your volume. The proposal should also be accompanied by academic curriculum vitae of all involved editors (not authors).

Innovative book formats

We also welcome book projects that are innovative in their presentation of research material – for example, projects that incorporate interactions between written text and audio material, and other digital resources. Please approach us with your book idea and proposed format in the first instance, and we will develop an appropriate way of reviewing the project.

Reviewer questions

The following questions will be directed at reviewers for the evaluation of book proposals:

Is the proposed book organized consistently around a central topic or question?
Does the book proposal show a sufficient degree of awareness of previous research in the corresponding area?
Are the proposed contents of the book relevant to an international audience in mathematics education research?
Are the proposed contents of the book original?
Are there parts of the book proposal which need further development?
Are there further ideas, perspectives and voices you would recommend to consider?
Do you trust the author(s) (in case of a monograph) or the editor(s) (in case of an edited volume) of the book to be qualified to pursue this book project?
Do you know the author(s) or editor(s) of the book? If yes, might your review be biased?
Do you have any ethical concerns about the proposed book?
Is there anything else you would like to tell the authors of this book proposal?
Would you recommend the book proposal for acceptance in the book series? Where applicable, under which conditions?