Author Guidelines

General Standards

QR-ECE (Qualitative Research in Early Childhood Education) publishes high-quality scholarly articles that employ qualitative research approaches in early childhood education. Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. All manuscripts must demonstrate methodological rigor, ethical sensitivity, and relevance to early childhood contexts.

Language Editing

Manuscripts submitted to QR-ECE must meet international standards of English academic writing. Articles are normally published in English only. Authors are encouraged to ensure clarity, coherence, and readability of their manuscripts prior to submission.

Authors may use professional language editing or proofreading services at their own discretion. The use of such services does not guarantee acceptance, as editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly quality, originality, and relevance of the manuscript.

Language Style

The default language style of QR-ECE is American English. Authors who prefer British English must indicate this clearly on the first page of the manuscript. Consistency in language usage must be maintained throughout the paper.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To enhance article visibility and discoverability, authors are encouraged to:

Include relevant keywords in the article title
Avoid excessively long or overly complex titles
Select 3–6 keywords combining general and specific terms
Use keywords naturally in the first two sentences of the abstract
Incorporate keywords in major section headings where appropriate

Title

The title must be concise, specific, and qualitative-oriented, consisting of 12–15 words. It should be written in Title Case, centered, and formatted in Times New Roman. Abbreviations should be avoided.

Authors and Affiliations

Author names should be written in full and separated by commas. Affiliations must include the institution or university, city, and country, and be linked to the authors using superscript numbers. The corresponding author must be clearly identified and their email address provided below the affiliations.

Headings and Subheadings

Main headings should be written in sentence case, Times New Roman, 14-point, bold. Subheadings should be written in Times New Roman, 12-point, bold. Authors are advised to maintain a clear and logical structure throughout the manuscript.

Abstract

The abstract should be written as a single paragraph of 150–250 words and clearly present the significance, purpose, methodology, main findings, and contribution of the study. References, tables, figures, and excessive abbreviations should be avoided.

Abstract components (written narratively):

Background of the study
Purpose of the research
Methods (qualitative design, participants/context, data collection, analysis)
Main findings (key themes)
Conclusion (main contribution)

Keywords

Authors must provide 3–6 keywords separated by semicolons. Keywords should accurately represent the content of the article and should not repeat words already used in the title.

Main Text

The manuscript must be written in Times New Roman, 12-point font, single-spaced. Paragraphs should be separated by one empty line. Page numbers and line numbers must be included to facilitate the peer-review process.

Nomenclature and Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be used sparingly and defined at first mention. Non-standard abbreviations should be avoided unless necessary and must be used consistently throughout the manuscript.

Manuscript Structure

Original research articles must follow the structure below and comply with the official QR-ECE article template.

Introduction

The introduction should present the global and international context of early childhood education, explain the significance of the study, justify the use of a qualitative approach, review relevant international literature, identify the research gap, and conclude with a clear statement of the research purpose and research questions. Subsections are not permitted in the Introduction.

Literature Review

The literature review should include: (1) the early childhood education context, (2) a critical review of recent international qualitative studies, and (3) a conceptual or theoretical framework guiding the study.

Methodology

This section must describe the qualitative research design, participants and research context, data collection methods (e.g., interviews, observations, focus groups, document analysis), data analysis techniques, and ethical considerations. Authors should explain strategies used to ensure trustworthiness, such as credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.

Findings

Findings should be presented thematically. Each theme must be clearly titled and supported by selected participant quotations or qualitative evidence. Interpretation and comparison with previous studies should be reserved for the Discussion section.

Discussion

The discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the research questions, compare the results with international qualitative studies, and explain theoretical, practical, and policy implications relevant to early childhood education.

Conclusion

The conclusion should synthesize the key findings, highlight the contributions of the study, acknowledge limitations, and provide recommendations for future research. New data or arguments must not be introduced.

Acknowledgments (if any)

This section may be used to acknowledge individuals, institutions, or funding bodies that supported the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship.

Author Contributions Statement

Authors must include a brief statement describing each author’s contribution using initials only (e.g., CA, RS). This statement should appear before the References section.

References

QR-ECE uses the IEEE citation style. References must be numbered in order of appearance in the text. Authors are encouraged to prioritize recent international peer-reviewed journal articles. Reference management tools such as Mendeley or Zotero are recommended.

Figures and Tables

Figures and tables must be original, clear, and relevant. Captions should be concise and self-explanatory. All figures and tables must be cited in the text.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials may be submitted for data that cannot be included in the main manuscript. These materials will be published alongside the article and must be clearly labeled and described.