This journal uses ScholarOne Manuscripts (previously Manuscript Central) to peer review manuscript submissions. Please read the guide for ScholarOne authors before making a submission. Complete guidelines for preparing and submitting your manuscript to this journal are provided below.

Articles submitted to Early Child Development and Care should not be under consideration by any other journal, or have been published elsewhere, and the letter accompanying the submission of any manuscript should contain a clear statement to this effect.

Manuscripts should be submitted online using the Early Child Development and Care ScholarOne Manuscripts Site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.

Authors should prepare and upload two versions of their manuscript. One should be a complete text, while in the second all document information identifying the author should be removed from files to allow them to be sent anonymously to referees. When uploading files authors will then be able to define the non-anonymous version as “Main document - containing author details”. Submission of an original paper to this journal will be taken to imply that it represents original work not previously published, that it is not being considered elsewhere for publication, and that if accepted for publication, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in any language, without the consent of the editor and publisher.

Length: The preferred length of submissions is between 5000 - 8000 words.

Language: Papers are published only in English, but the editors welcome suggestions of non-English papers that have been, or are about to be, published in another language elsewhere.

Abstract: Each paper requires an abstract of 100-150 words summarizing the significant coverage and findings.

Key words: Each abstract should be accompanied by up to six key words, which between them should characterize the paper. These will be used tor indexing and data retrieval purposes.

FIGURES All figures should be numbered with consecutive Arabic numbers, have descriptive captions, and be mentioned in the text. An approximate position for each figure should be indicated in the margin.

Preparation: Figures submitted must be of a high enough standard for direct reproduction. Line drawings should be prepared in black (india) ink on white art paper or tracing paper, with all lettering and symbols included. Alternatively good sharp photoprints ("glossies") are acceptable. Photographs intended for halftone reproduction must be good glossy original prints of maximum contrast. Each figure should be clearly labelled with the author's name and figure number. Redrawing or retouching of unusable figures will be charged to authors.

Captions: A list of figure captions should be typed on a separate sheet and included with the manuscript.

Price Charges

There are no page charges to individuals or institutions.

Free article access: Corresponding authors will receive free online access to their article through the journal website and a complimentary copy of the issue containing their article. Reprints of articles published in this journal can be purchased through Rightslink® when proofs are received. If you have any queries, please contact our reprints department at reprints@tandf.co.uk

Copyright: It is a condition of publication that authors assign copyright or license the publication rights in their articles, including abstracts, to Taylor & Francis. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article, and of course the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors retain many rights under the Taylor & Francis rights policies, which can be found at http://journalauthors.tandf.co.uk/preparation/copyright.asp. Authors are themselves responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.

Visit our Author Services website for further resources and guides to the complete publication process and beyond.