Author Statements
The Journal of Elementary Education requires authors to submit all information and declarations necessary for editorial review upon manuscript submission. Specifically, authors must disclose sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest, the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and informed consent details whenever relevant to the conducted research.
Authors are required to notify the editorial board of any changes to these circumstances that arise during the peer review process. They must also verify and, if necessary, update all statements prior to the acceptance of the manuscript for publication.
The final published version of the paper must include a standalone section titled "Author Statements and Disclosures" immediately preceding the reference list. Within this section, individual statements must be presented in the following order:
- Author Contribution Statement;
- Data Availability Statement;
- Statement on the Use of Generative AI Tools;
- Informed Consent Statement;
- Declaration of Conflicting Interests;
- Funding Statement;
- Acknowledgments.
If a specific statement is not applicable to the manuscript, authors must explicitly state this at the corresponding position within the prescribed order.
Author Contribution Statement
Authors must clearly define the individual contributions of each author to the research design, data collection and analysis, writing, and proofreading within the Author Contribution Statement. This statement contributes to the transparency of authorship and accountability for the published work.
To assist in formatting the Statement, an example template is provided below. This example is for informational purposes only and does not prescribe a mandatory template. Authors may adapt the statement based on the number of authors and the course of the research, clearly defining individual contributions to different phases of the work.
Example of an Author Contribution Statement:
»Conceptualization and methodology: A. B.; data collection and analysis: C. D.; writing – original draft preparation: A. B.; writing – review and editing: A. B. and C. D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.«
Data Availability Statement
Upon submission and publication of manuscripts, authors are obliged to comply with the Research Data Management Guidelines of the Journal of Elementary Education. The guidelines specify requirements regarding the availability, preservation, documentation, and sharing of research data, taking into account legal, ethical, and technical constraints.
Statement on the Use of Generative AI Tools
If generative AI tools were used during the preparation of the manuscript, authors must include a Statement on the Use of Generative AI Tools in accordance with the policy of the Journal of Elementary Education on the use of generative AI tools.
Informed Consent Statement
When research involves human participants, authors must ensure that informed consent was obtained in accordance with applicable ethical principles and requirements relevant to the specific research field. When research involves the processing of personal data, it must also be carried out in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Personal Data Protection Act (ZVOP-2), and other relevant regulations.
Authors must submit an Informed Consent Statement within the article, confirming that participants were adequately informed about the purpose of the research, the nature of participation, data processing, and their rights, and that they voluntarily provided their consent to participate.
If, due to the nature of the research, the data used, and relevant ethical or legal requirements, informed consent was not required, authors must clearly state and justify this.
To support authors, a sample informed consent form is available.
Informed Consent Statement Templates
To facilitate the formulation of the Informed Consent Statement, we have prepared several templates for authors to adapt to the specific context of their article:
»All research participants were adequately informed about the purpose of the research prior to participation and provided informed consent to participate.«
»The research was based on the use of [describe the type and source of data]. Informed consent was not required because [state the relevant legal or ethical basis or the decision of the competent ethical body].«
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
A conflict of interest may exist when an author has financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the objectivity of the research, writing, or peer review process. Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest in the Declaration of Conflicting Interests.
Conflicts of interest may include, in particular:
- financial interests (e.g., employment, research grants, stocks, patents, honoraria),
- personal relationships (e.g., family or other close personal connections),
- professional relationships (e.g., membership in organizations, advisory roles, or other professional connections).
Declaration of Conflicting Interests Templates
To facilitate the formulation of the Declaration of Conflicting Interests, we have prepared several templates for authors to adapt to the specific context of their article:
»The author(s) declare(s) the following financial interests or relationships related to the submitted work: [financial interests or relationships].«
»The author(s) declare(s) the following personal relationships that could constitute a conflict of interest: [personal relationships].«
»The author(s) declare(s) the following professional relationships or roles that could constitute a conflict of interest: [professional relationships or roles].«
»The author(s) declare(s) other potential conflicts of interest, which are detailed below: [other potential conflicts of interest].«
»The author(s) declare(s) no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.«