The Chemical Educator

1. General Information

The Chemical Educator (TCE) is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing excellence in chemical education. It provides a practical forum for sharing innovative strategies, laboratory experiments, demonstrations, curricular developments, teaching resources, and classroom-focused research. Its scope spans chemistry instruction from secondary school through postgraduate study and professional development.

The mission of TCE is to enhance the quality and impact of teaching by offering resources that are practical, inclusive, and forward-looking. The journal empowers instructors with classroom-ready content, fosters effective learning, and supports a diverse community committed to equitable chemistry education.

Editorial inquiries: tce_editor@ucpress.edu.

2. General Policies

TCE welcomes submissions of original work that are not under consideration elsewhere for publication. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of content and permissions.
• Author Guidelines are found here.
• Peer review: Manuscripts are evaluated by external reviewers (two to three) and the editor. TCE follows a single blind review process.
• Artificial Intelligence: Authors must comply with University of California Press AI guidelines.
• Accessibility: All submissions must meet UC Press accessibility requirements
• Open Access: TCE does not currently provide open-access publishing options.

3. Manuscript Types

• Articles: Pedagogy, demonstrations, concept papers, curricular innovations, and other contributions to chemical education.
• Laboratory Experiments & Demonstrations: Classroom or laboratory activities with safety and implementation details.
Note: TCE imposes no word or page limits, but concise writing is expected.

4. Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted via Scholastica (https://tce.scholasticahq.com). Authors must create an account if submitting for the first time. Email submissions are not accepted.

5. Manuscript Preparation

Title Page must include:
• Title of manuscript
• Author name(s) and affiliation(s)
• Corresponding author contact information
• Manuscript type
• Acknowledgments (if applicable)
• Funding details (“None” if not applicable)
• Data repository information (if data are associated with the paper)
• Disclaimers and conflict of interest disclosures (“Nothing to disclose” if none)
**References:**
• Use ACS style; all references must be in English.
• Include DOIs where available; use URLs only when necessary.
• Authors are responsible for accuracy, clarity, and instructional value of citations.
**Tables:** Submit as separate files in Word, each with a title. Notes labeled a, b, c…; follow UC Press accessibility guidelines. Keep tables simple and avoid complex formatting.
**Figures:** Submit as separate files in TIFF, JPG, or PDF (min. 300 dpi). Include sequential figure number, legend, and alt text. EPS line art (600–1200 dpi, bitmap mode) preferred. Ensure sufficient color contrast.
**Equations:** Provide equations in clear, editable format with correct symbol rendering.
**Multimedia:** Videos: MPEG-4 preferred, ≤1 GB, ≤10 minutes, captions/transcripts required.
**Audio:** MP3 or AAC preferred, ≤100 MB, ≤10 minutes, transcripts required.
**Appendices:** Appear after references.

6. Supporting Materials

TCE encourages supplementary materials (images, animations, videos, handouts, templates, data, or code) to be distributed with the article online. Each file must be clearly labeled and briefly described. Supplementary items are not copyedited or typeset.

7. Special Requirements: Lab Experiments & Demonstrations

Include:
• Introduction: Purpose, pedagogical need, and distinctiveness.
• Experimental details: Instruments, chemicals (with CAS numbers), supplies, and a concise procedure.
• Results & Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgments.
• Supplementary materials: Instructor notes, safety and disposal methods, instrument parameters, spectra, sample data with calculations and standard deviations, pitfalls, vendor information, and code/data files.

8. Permissions & Rights

Authors must obtain written permission for any third-party material not covered by fair use, including material the authors created but no longer control. Documentation should include request date, author contact, manuscript title, intended use in The Chemical Educator, and a full source citation. Authors are responsible for clearing both reproduction and copyright rights. See UC Press Permissions Resources for details.

9. Ethical Responsibilities

• Submit only original work and disclose any prior dissemination.
• Ensure accuracy of data, figures, and citations.
• Disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

10. Checklist (Before Submission)

• Cover letter with corresponding author email
• Four suggested reviewers
• Title page
• Manuscript double-spaced, 1-inch margins; includes title, authors, affiliations, abstract
• Figures, tables, equations placed at end of manuscript
• References on a separate page; DOIs included; URLs formatted correctly; remove reference-manager field codes before submission.
• Supplementary files packaged and described; videos compliant with requirements
• Permissions secured for third-party content

11. After Acceptance

• Submit final editable manuscript, figures (TIFF preferred), and native data files.
• Sign TCE author agreement.
• Review copyedited proofs promptly.