“Voices from the Center” Narratives

Suggested Length: 1,000 words
Section Editor: Amber Jensen

The “Voices from the Center” column features narrative pieces written by current or recent secondary peer tutors or directors. These should be written with other secondary peer tutors and directors in mind as the audience.

In contrast to the research, practitioner, or tutor articles published in JPTSS, “Voices from the Center” pieces share experiences or discoveries related to tutoring or managing secondary centers. The goal is to give readers a glimpse into insights gained from moments and discoveries within secondary centers. Topics may include troubling or successful sessions, new training strategies or advertising techniques, workshops offered by tutors, or two perspectives of the same event, to give a few examples. When ready, submit your manuscript here.

Tutor Articles

Suggested Length: 2,000 – 3,500 words
Section Editor: Rebecca Shields

Tutor articles should be written by current or recent secondary peer tutors. These are different from traditional research essays or assignments written for a school class. Publishable tutor articles identify a question, problem, or challenge within the context of the author’s specific writing center. They draw on relevant research from the literature or original research (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations) to describe why the tutor or center implemented an initiative, intervention, or change to respond to the identified challenge. Finally, these articles share what worked — and didn’t work — about the intervention, and offer ideas for other centers.

We encourage tutors to use all resources provided below for guidance as they learn to write in a new genre. Authors should prepare for multiple rounds of revision before publication as they work with JPTSS editors and editorial assistants to prepare their submitted work for publication in the journal. When ready, submit your manuscript here.

Practitioner Articles

Suggested Length: 2,500 – 4,000 words
Section Editor: Heather Barton

Practitioner articles should be written by secondary or postsecondary writing or learning center directors. These should be of practical utility to other directors, covering topics such as tutor training, center administration, and writing center partnerships, to name a few. Publishable practitioner articles identify a question, problem, or challenge within the context of the author’s specific writing center. They draw on relevant research from the literature or original research to describe an initiative, intervention, or teacher research project that responds to the identified challenge. Finally, these articles share what worked — and didn’t work — about the intervention, and offer ideas for other centers.

We encourage practitioners to consider other center directors as their audience. Submitted articles will be reviewed by the section editor before sent out for double-blind peer review by another person in the SSWCA community who can weigh in on the article’s contribution and value to the field. When ready, submit your manuscript here.

Research Articles

Suggested Length: 4,000 – 6,000 words
Section Editor: Jenny Goransson

Research articles should be written by secondary or postsecondary writing or learning center directors, graduate students, or peer tutors with significant support and mentoring from teachers, professors, or researchers. These articles should draw relevant theoretical frameworks and writing center research — predominantly secondary school writing center research — to fill a gap in current knowledge in the field. Articles must be rooted in sound research methodologies and should present valid findings and implications for future research and practice.

Researchers should consider center directors and writing center researchers as their audiences. Submitted articles will be reviewed by the section editor before sent out for double-blind peer review by researchers and practitioners in the writing center community who can weigh in on the research’s contribution and value to the field. When ready, submit your manuscript here.

Book Reviews

Suggested Length: 1,000 – 1,500 words
Section Editor: Amber Jensen

The JPTSS Book Reviews column publishes critical reviews of books and other resources related to topics of interest for secondary tutors and directors. Reviews should summarize the book’s key ideas with a particular focus on whether — and to what extent — the book would be a valuable resource to directors, tutors, and/or researchers in secondary school writing centers. 

If you are interested in reviewing a book or other resource, contact the editor at jptss.editor@gmail.com. Include the name of the book or resource and a brief statement describing its relevance to secondary directors and/or tutors. 

Current book review solicitations: If you are interested in reviewing one of the books listed below, we will send you a free copy in exchange for your review. Please contact the editor to indicate your interest and agree upon a submission timeline. We are currently seeking to publish reviews of the following books:

• Radical Writing Center Praxis by Laura Greenfield
• They’re All Writers”: Teaching Peer Tutoring in the Elementary Writing Center by Jennifer Sanders and Rebecca Damron
• Wellness and Care in Writing Center Work (2021, free digital book), edited by Genie Nicole Giaimo
• How We Teach Writing Tutors (2019, free digital book), edited by Karen Gabrielle Johnson and Ted Roggenbuck

When ready, submit your manuscript here.