What is the BLOG?
The BLOG is an extension of what we have initiated in CSSE with the paper and associated Forum. Participants in the BLOG contribute to the conversation, which, as it is a conversation among scholars, is conducted in a way appropriate for a community of scholars. The BLOG constitutes a continuation of the Forum, taking the discussion that has begun in the body of the text into the Internet.

How is the BLOG article selected?
For each quarterly issue, the Editors will choose one article and its companion Forum to be highlighted for conversation within the BLOG. Authors of chosen articles will receive notification that their publication was selected as the Feature Focus for the BLOG. Readers will be able to access the Feature Focus articles from a menu under the heading Free Article. These Feature Focus articles are available as free downloads from http://blogs.springer.com/csse

What are the BLOG guidelines for contributions?
All publications in the BLOG are expected to add substantively to the cultural studies of science education through a process of argumentation, as this term is understood within the academy. The Editors expect rationale for positions taken and for sociocultural theory to be employed in ways that catalyze thought and higher levels of scholarship within our field. There is no regulation regarding length of submission, however all submissions should provide references for works cited and should adhere to APA formatting.

The Review Process
Each text submitted is reviewed by a member of CSSE’s editorial review board, and after a peer review process, a decision is made whether to accept the submission for publication. Once accepted, the author of the submission is informed and the text is published on the BLOG. The authors of the highlighted articles are also informed that a BLOG submission has been posted and are encouraged to read and, should they choose, to respond to the new publications. Hence, the CSSE BLOG is the field where science educators collectively engage in and produce the most recent and cutting edge thinking in the cultural studies of science education.

The expected turnaround time on decisions normally is short—on the order of days rather than weeks. Because this process is peer-reviewed, accepted BLOG submissions should be viewed as publications to be included on a scholar’s curriculum vitae as evidence of their contribution to the field.

Who should contribute to the BLOG and why?
The BLOG is open to anyone who has read the article and forum and wants to contribute to an ongoing conversation. It is common for BLOG entries to be posted by graduate and undergraduate students, and scholars along the career continuum. Practitioners of various persuasions (e.g., teachers, administrators, policy makers) can be involved, whether or not they consider themselves to be researchers. Divergent points of view are encouraged and the Editors use a metaphor of a conversation in thinking about the BLOG.

How can I get started?
Just go to CSSE’s BLOG site and register. Once we get up to our maximum of four articles there will be four active BLOGs with new ones being added at a rate of one per issue and old ones being archived.

How can I cite my BLOG entry?
Here is an example of how to cite one of the Blogs presently at our site. A vita entry would be similar.

Koczewska, D. (2007, January 21). Keith’s story. CSSE BLOG. Retrieved August 18, 2007, from http://blogs.springer.com/csse/?p=26