New Jersey English Journal
Call for Submissions (2026 Issue)
New Jersey English Journal, a peer-reviewed publication of New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, invites you to share submissions on the theme, “Visual Literacy: Curricular Relevance for Modern Students.” We ask writers to consider what role visual texts can and should play in K-12 ELA classrooms. How can teachers integrate visual texts into instruction and why should they? How do visual texts impact student engagement and development of reading/writing skills? Ultimately, how is visual literacy relevant to 21st century readers/writers?
We seek research and practitioner-oriented pieces (~1000–3000 words), personal essays (~1000+ words), and original poetry related to this issue’s theme and geared towards an audience of P-12 and postsecondary English Language Arts educators. Please note that word limits are suggestions and not fixed requirements. We welcome single and co-authored submissions from both veteran and early-career teachers, and we especially invite new writers, pre-service teachers, and graduate students to develop submissions. Writers are encouraged to access past issues at https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/nj-english-journal/ to review successful submissions.
We invite you to respond to the theme “Visual Literacy: Curricular Relevance for Modern Students” by considering such questions as:
- How are you incorporating visual artifacts (pictures, photographs, artwork, infographics) into your instruction? What criteria should teachers consider when selecting or designing visual texts for classroom use?
- What classroom practices help students read visuals critically, visualize texts as they read, or communicate ideas with the support of visuals?
- In what ways can teachers meet the NJ Student Learning Standards for ELA by including visual literacy into their teaching? What writing and compositional opportunities do visual texts make possible?
- What are the benefits and challenges of visual texts for students with differing abilities?
- How can visuals inspire students to want to learn more about a text or topic? How can visual literacy enhance curricular cultural relevance or student interest in fictional or informational texts?
Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until Tuesday, March 10, 2026, via https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/nj-english-journal/. All submissions will be reviewed through a double-blind process by multiple peer reviewers. Submissions should not have been previously published or be under review elsewhere. Manuscripts should follow current APA guidelines for citations. All writing should appear in Times New Roman 12 pt. font, and authors’ names and identifying information must be removed from all submissions. Send any queries to .