Social Studies Teaching and Learning

Journal for the Kentucky Council for Social Studies

Overview

Social Studies Teaching and Learning (SSTL), formerly known as the Southern Social Studies Journal, is the official journal of the Kentucky Council for the Social Studies. This peer-reviewed journal addresses social studies-related topics of interests to teachers pre-service teachers, and researchers, particularly in the area of inquiry-based learning. Social Studies Teaching and Learning welcomes research, essays, and practitioner manuscripts that deal with social studies curriculum, instructional practice, perspectives on social studies education, emerging and current topics. Reviews of social studies related-media are also accepted for publication. At least one manuscript in each publication will be directly tied to inquiry-based learning in the social studies.

All manuscript submissions to Social Studies Teaching and Learning will be refereed using a double-blind peer review process.

Journal Issues

Volume 6: Issue 1
Journal publication date: May 2025
Manuscripts due date has passed
Theme: Open - accepting manuscripts for all areas of social studies education
Send manuscripts to: SSTLJournal@gmail.com

Volume 6: Issue 2
Journal publication date: December 2025
Manuscripts due: September 15, 2025
Theme: Open - accepting manuscripts for all areas of social studies education
Send manuscripts to: SSTLJournal@gmail.com

Volume 7: Issue 1
Journal publication date: May 2026
Manuscripts due: February 15, 2026
Theme: Open - accepting manuscripts for all areas of social studies education
Send manuscripts to: SSTLJournal@gmail.com

Volume 7: Issue 2
Journal publication date: December 2026
Manuscripts due: September 15, 2026
Theme: Open - accepting manuscripts for all areas of social studies education
Send manuscripts to: SSTLJournal@gmail.com

Volume 8: Issue 1
Journal publication date: May 2027
Manuscripts due: February 15, 2027
Theme: Open - accepting manuscripts for all areas of social studies education
Send manuscripts to: SSTLJournal@gmail.com

Volume 8: Issue 2
Journal publication date: December 2027
Manuscripts due: September 15, 2027
Theme: Open - accepting manuscripts for all areas of social studies education
Send manuscripts to: SSTLJournal@gmail.com

All manuscripts submitted to Social Studies Teaching and Learning must conform to the following guidelines:

  1. Times New Roman, 12-point font
  2. Double-spaced
  3. One-inch margins on all sides
  4. APA 7th edition formatting and style guide

Categories

Pedagogical and inquiry practices manuscripts:

  • Manuscripts describing pedagogical or inquiry practices in K – 16 social studies should be of interest to the audience of Social Studies Teaching and Learning (i.e., academia, K – 12 teachers, curriculum leaders, etc.)
  • Manuscripts describing pedagogical or inquiry practices in social studies should contain the following sections or similarly titled: Introduction, Relevance for Teachers and Practitioners, Context for Teaching and Learning, Topic Implementation and Impact, and Recommendations
    • Manuscripts should follow APA 7th edition (October 2019) formatting and style guidelines. Manuscripts must have APA-formatted
  1. Running header and page numbers
  2. Title page
  3. Abstract with 3 to 5 key words
  4. Figures and tables, if necessary
    1. References
    2. Appendices, if necessary
  • Word length of manuscript (excluding abstract and references) should be between 3,500 and 5,500 words.

Media Reviews:

  • Review manuscripts about K – 16 social studies media (i.e., book, movie, technology reviews, etc.) should be of interest to the audience of Social Studies Teaching and Learning (i.e., academia, K – 12 teachers, curriculum leaders, etc.)
  • Review manuscripts should be about media published or released within the last year of submitting manuscript, with a consideration given to media released within two years.
  • Review manuscripts should contain a summary which describes the media under review, the author’s perspective, an evaluation of the quality of the media and its correspondence to current scholarship in social studies education, and an explanation of the media’s strengths and weaknesses. 
    • Manuscripts should follow APA 7th edition (October 2019) formatting and style guidelines. Manuscripts must have APA-formatted
  1. Running header and page numbers
  2. Title page
  3. Abstract with 3 to 5 key words
  • Word length of manuscript (excluding abstract and references) should be between 2,000 and 2,500 words.
Joshua KennaUniversity of Tennessee
David ChildsNorthern Kentucky University
Jeremiah ClaboughUniversity of Alabama-Birmingham
James AkensonTennessee Tech University
John BickfordEastern Illinois University
Natalie KeeferUniversity of Louisiana-Lafayette
Dean VespermanUniversity of Wisconsin-River Falls
Scott RobertsCentral Michigan University
Ricky MullinsEastern Kentucky University
Charles ElferClayton State University
Sean M. LennonValdosta State University
Jeffrey ByfordUniversity of Memphis
Nefertari YancieUniversity of Alabama-Birmingham
Laura DaroliaUniversity of Kentucky
Sohyun AnKennesaw State University