Author Guidelines - Preparation of Contributions to the ISLS Conferences

Sep 1, 2026

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Author guidelines for preparing and formatting conference papers submitted to ISLS-supported venues, including ICLS and CSCL. The document explains how to use the provided Microsoft Word template (“ISLS-Conference-Template-[year]”), describes practical options for cleaning up inconsistent styles, and clarifies editorial behavior—editors mainly fix obvious formatting within tight turnaround time. It specifies A4 page setup, margin requirements, outline structure (title, abstract, body, endnotes, references, acknowledgements), and non-negotiable submission length rules to prevent return for revision.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatDOCX

Pages10

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

Using the guidelines and template

Cleaning up document styles

Proof-reading and editorial scope

Document formatting

Page type and margins

Document outline

Core sections for submissions

Submission length

Table 1 limits

Additional requirements

Headers, footers, and page numbers

Author Guidelines for the Preparation of Contributions to the ISLS Conferences (Last Updated: 10/8/2024) This document is a set of guidelines; there is also a Microsoft Word template The following guidelines are for papers submitted to either conference supported by the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS): the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) and Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). These formatting guidelines are intended to create papers that are easily readable, and create a consistent look throughout the proceedings. There is also a Microsoft Word Template, called “ISLS-Conference-Template-[year]” which includes pre-set styles for formatting your submission properly. The template is in the form of a two-page exemplar poster submission and contains examples of all the major formatting issues and styles. Note that the instructions for the author list concern accepted papers and that the initial submission should be blinded for review – with the exception of symposia that are not blinded. Symposium authors need to carefully read the special guidelines for them in this guidelines document as the template does not demonstrate those issues. Using the guidelines and template It is easiest to format your document properly if you start with a copy of the template, remove its contents and type your submission into it from scratch using the preset styles in it to format each element of your text. However, realistically, this is not how most of us work. Often we are cutting and pasting text from prior work and editing it. Or we’ve already drafted the paper before we look at the template. Or we’ve constructed the paper on-line with our co-authors using a tool like google docs. And THEN we try to format it properly. The result tends to be a confusing mish-mash of styles within the document and sometimes perplexing results when styles of the same name (but different formatting) are pasted into your document. You have three options for cleaning up such formatting. Format line-by-line: Not recommended Select each line/paragraph and format it according to the guidelines using the “Format-->Font” and “Format->Paragraph” tools and/or the buttons and such on your ruler. This process is slow, time-consuming and makes it easy to miss things. It’s also really tough on your editor, as any fixes must also be made line-by-line. Redefine the styles in your paper to meet the guidelines This process can work just fine. You may run into some difficulty if at times you wrote your body text using the “Normal” style and at other times you used the “Body Text” style and yet at other times the style is some webtool defined style. This technique is hardest to use when you have a mish-mash of styles from lots of different prior documents. Retype all your text into a blank template using the predefined styles Sounds tedious, but in the end it is probably the simplest way to go. It is certainly the technique that will make the editor’s job the easiest. Proof-read your paper carefully; proceedings editors only catch formatting After all the conference papers are submitted, an editor pulls them together for publication in the proceedings made available at the conference. Due to the tight turn-around between final paper submissions and the conference itself, the editor will only fix obvious formatting problems and will not actually read the papers. Any typos, poor writing, or missing references will not be caught. It is also probable that incorrect table and figure numbering will not be caught. Not following these formatting guidelines may result in the paper being sent back to you for further edits. Most particularly, any papers that are over length after format editing will be sent back to the authors for editing down. Due to time constraints, you will typically have 48 hours to complete those edits or risk the paper not being in the proceedings. Please pay special attention to directions around author form

FAQs

How should authors use the ISLS Word template to format a submission?

Start with a copy of the “ISLS-Conference-Template-[year]” and type the submission into it using the preset styles. The template includes pre-set styles and examples of major formatting issues.

What are the editor’s responsibilities after submission?

Proceedings editors focus on obvious formatting problems rather than reading the papers. Typos, writing quality, and missing references are unlikely to be caught.

What document layout rules and structure are required for ISLS submissions?

Use A4 format with specified margins (2.54 cm left/right and 3.175 cm top/bottom), keep headers and footers blank except the ISLS logo, and follow the required outline: Title, Abstract, Body (with appropriate heading levels), Endnotes if needed, References, and Acknowledgements if needed.

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Cipher