Journal of Interactive Instruction Development

Guidelines for Professional Contributions

The Journal of Interactive Instruction Development is professional quarterly devoted to enhancing the quality, effectiveness, and productivity of interactive systems design.  The JIID is intended to be a practical publication. It will showcase successful programs and, where appropriate, provide information about efforts that were not successful. The JIID strives to be instructive without being academic, precise without being pedantic, and thorough without being boring.

The JIID welcomes contributions. Manuscripts should be written with a scholarly regard for objectivity. We do not wish to receive manuscripts advertising a particular company or product. With submissions, authors warrant that articles have not been published previously. Naturally, originality of the author’s material is presumed.

Abstracts sought. Authors may submit unsolicited manuscripts prepared according to the guidelines printed here. We are also happy to discuss abstracts of potential contributions with authors prior to submission of a manuscript.  In fact, we encourage authors to query us with an abstract, information about why the article would interest our readers, and a projected date by which the article could be ready. 

Queries about the suitability of proposed articles including an abstract of no more than 100 words in the message text should be sent to the editor by choosing "Contact Us" at the left and then choosing "JIID Journal Editor" at the right.

Audience. Our readers share an interest in technology-based learning. They come from diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise, but most are managers and senior level professionals in training, education, and government. Their primary job is to solve problems. The JIID attempts give them information that will allow them to recommend appropriate solutions to problems faced by their organizations and to manage the people who do the hands-on work of developing interactive instruction.

Our case study interests. We would like to see case studies about

• Strategies or techniques that work
• Training program design
• Evaluating existing design tools and templates
• Adapting design to differing hardware systems and components.

At present, we are particularly interested in articles that discuss

• Hybrid courses using more than one teaching medium
• Facilitator recruitment, selection, training issues
• Platform selection criteria for online courses
• Synchronous online learning courses
• Accessibility in the online environment
• Facilitated vs. non-facilitated courses
• Cultural considerations in developing courses for worldwide audiences.

While we do not automatically reject reports of empirical studies, review articles,  theoretical articles, or methodological articles, these are usually not as important to our readers as the how-to information in case studies.  

The case study format generally used has five components:

• Need: What was the problem the organization had to solve?
• Options: What solutions were considered? Why did the organization choose the alternative you describe?
• Implementation: What was done? By whom? Where? For how long? How much time/expense was involved?
• Result:  What happened? Did people learn from the instruction? Did the learners like the experience? Was it efficient? Was it cost-effective?  Would you do the same thing again?
• Recommendations:  What would you suggest to someone whose organization needs to solve a problem similar to the one you set out to solve? 

If you use those five items as an outline, you will probably provide all the basic information readers will want to know.  Note that in the case study format, citations are placed where they are relevant to the discussion, rather than in a "literature review" section. If it would be useful to readers, include suggestions for further reading, including web sites, not cited in the text.

Case study length. Unsolicited submissions should not exceed 2,500 words. Each article should include an abstract not to exceed 100 words. Identification of the author and     E-mail contact information, not to exceed 40 words per author, should be included with submissions.

Style matters. In preparing a manuscript for submission, follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition. In particular, be sure you follow the APA in the matters of font choices, double spacing the manuscript, preparing an abstract, and styles for formatting references and citations.

Additional Formatting Guidelines

Headings. Headings within the manuscript should be limited to 25 characters and spaces.

Terminology. Be careful in your use of technical terms. Make sure those you use are necessary and defined for readers, either directly or indirectly. Be stingy in your use of acronyms.  One or two coined acronyms are plenty in one article.  Substituting a generic term for an acronym makes reading easier.

Trademarks. If you refer in your text or figures to specific products, such computer hardware or software, or to specific web sites, be sure to follow the manufacturer or owner's preferences for identification. In particular, be sure to indicate trademarks, service marks, and registered trademarks. Many business web sites provide specific information about how to refer to their products. If they do not, it is your responsibility to contact the vendor for specific advice on trademark use. Also, please note that it is incorrect to form the possessive of a trademarked name.

Graphic elements. Photographs, line drawings, flow charts, and other art can help explain your subject.  Getting good reproduction from graphics is probably the most difficult part of putting together an issue of JIID. 

If your article depends on readers viewing colored computer images or detailed art work, let us see printed black and white copies of the art and tell us what program was used to create it. With that information and the manuscript, we can discuss how best to provide the visual elements to readers.  Sometimes the best solution is to provide interested readers with access to an online resource.

For the best reproduction, graphics should be sized to fit our columns. While the size of figures created as graphic files can usually be adjusted to some degree without impairing their content, any text-rich elements should be created close to finished size.  Our width preferences are 2¾ inches or 5½-inches wide and a maximum of 8¾ inches deep.  On occasion we may use a graphic 7¼-inches wide but only if it is essential to the article and of very high quality. 

For publication in JIID, format table and chart information and the internal labels on figures in either Ariel or Ariel narrow, in 9-, 10-, or 11-point type.

In addition to putting removable copies of your graphic images in your manuscript, prepare black and white copies separate from those imbedded in the manuscript.  Place each graphic in its own file with a descriptive name such as [your last name]fig1.  For simplicity, use figure as the generic name for any graphic image.  Include in the file the name of the program used to create the art. We can use art saved as  .bmp, .tif, or  .jpeg files and may be able to use other formats as well. 

Graphic elements, including charts and tables, should be accompanied by a brief cutline that points out the salient point of the graphic. The cutline should make it possible for readers to understand the significance of the graphic without referring to the text. Place the cutline in the manuscript below the graphic element and in the file containing the graphic element.

Each cutline should begin with an identifying label (e.g., Figure 1). Here is a sample cutline:

Figure 2 shows the cost differential between facilitated and non-facilitated Web-based instruction.

Please do not make the figure numbers or cutlines part of the graphics themselves.  Don't underline, italicize, bold face or otherwise enhance the words. Don't use a paragraph indent on the cutline either.

Submissions. Prepare manuscripts in either Microsoft® Word, WordPerfect^® for Windows^®,  or RTF format. .

You may submit unsolicited manuscripts electronically or on 3½-inch diskette, CD-ROM, or as an attachment to an E-mail. If your manuscript includes graphic elements (such as flow charts or screen captures) include copies separate from those imbedded in your manuscript and tell us what program(s) was used to create the art. Unsolicited manuscripts may be submitted to:

John G. Fox, II, editor
Journal of Interactive Instruction Development
Learning Technology Institute
50 Culpeper St.
Warrenton VA 20186

If you would like to send your information via email please choose the "Contact Us" link at the left and then choose "JIID Journal Editor" at the right. We will respond with an email address you can use to send your materials.

Commentary is also welcome. We also seek informed, thought-provoking commentary on issues related to interactive program design: how to achieve quality, what makes for better interactivity, and what universal truths may be found to guide design.  Unsolicited commentary should be limited to 600 words of text, including a 40-word author's biography and E-mail address. Send commentary by choosing the "Contact Us" link at the left and then choose "JIID Journal Editor" at the right.

Book reviewers sought. We also are seeking knowledgeable individuals to review books that may be of interest to our readers. If you are interested in reviewing for JIID, please contact the editor sketching your interests and qualifications. Please choose the "Contact Us" link at the left and then choose "JIID Journal Editor" at the right.

Letters to the editor. We welcome letters to the editor, particularly if they arrive via our "Contact" page. Letters should be no more than 350 words. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity and to decline to run any and all letters. Please choose the "Contact Us" link at the left and then choose "JIID Journal Editor" at the right.

Deadlines. Copy deadlines for the four annual issues are:

Summer issue, May 15
Fall issue, August 15
Winter issue, November 15
Spring issue, February 15