Writing for Books
NCTM books present new and different approaches to develop and support best practices in mathematics education. Do you have an idea? NCTM seeks authors with innovative ideas for books that will support teachers and the mathematics education community, whether you want to develop your idea in a book proposal or you've already turned it into a completed manuscript. See NCTM's online catalog www.nctm.org/store for the full array of current NCTM publications.
What to Write
Submissions for publication by NCTM should represent approaches that are new and different from those found in other publications on a similar topic. Materials published by NCTM should broaden the professional development of its members by either explaining tested techniques and ideas or providing frameworks for daily activity in the mathematics classroom. NCTM is also interested in materials that use current and emerging technologies.
The Publishing Committee (PC) of NCTM approves all additions to the NCTM book program. Ideally, authors would first submit a proposal with an outline and sample chapters and then a completed manuscript after the PC has commented on the proposal. If the manuscript is already completed, the proposal form should accompany it.
When preparing your material or proposal, pay attention to the following:
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Purpose: What is the intent of this manuscript? What do you expect teachers to do as a result of working with your material?
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Audience: Who is the audience? Is this audience consistent throughout the document?
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Voice: Are your tone and language appropriate for the intended audience?
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Topic: What is the source of your idea? Have you tried it with students? Did you consult the literature?
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Appearance: What will your material look like? Consider artwork, photographs, and classroom-ready activity sheets.
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Pedagogy: Is the pedagogy sound and appropriate to the grade level?
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Style: NCTM books align with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. For references, we use the humanities style, which gives the full names of all authors and editors. Also refer to the NCTM style guide.
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Equity: Have you followed NCTM's equity guidelines?
How to Submit
Submit proposals and full manuscripts by using our automated system, Manuscript Central: NCTM Books. Each submission must be accompanied by a proposal that will go to our Publishing Committee.
Proposal
A proposal consists of the following:
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The Publishing Committee proposal form;
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A table of contents or a detailed, annotated outline; and
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At least two sample chapters.
Author Toolkit
The NCTM Author Toolkit is designed to help authors navigate their way through the book production process. As an NCTM author, it is important that you review this packet before submitting your final manuscript. Should you have any questions about the production process upon review, please reach out directly to mdonovan@nctm.org.
