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Scroll down for help with:

  • LOGGING IN
  • SEARCHING
  • My TRAILS and ASA AREAS OF INTEREST
  • SUBSCRIPTIONS
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • EDITORIAL DECISIONS
  • PAPER SYLLABI SETS

LOGGING IN

On the TRAILS homepage, click on LOGIN in the upper right-hand corner in the blue bar. A dialogue box will appear prompting you for your username and password. It is asking for your ASA username and password, so enter the same information you use when logging into the ASA website.

SEARCHING

I need some help with the search process...

The search box that appears on the upper right-hand side of most pages in TRAILS is a powerful tool for finding the resources you need. The simplest way to start a search is to enter relevant words in the "Search Resources" field.

How can I narrow my search results?

By clicking ‘Advanced Search’ you can specify your search parameters and search by title, author, and date of publication. You can also search by resource type, subject area, class level, and class size to get the most suitable results for your classroom. A few additional tips for searching include:

  • Search terms are case-insensitive
  • Common words are ignored
  • By default, resources containing any term in the query are returned (i.e., OR is implied)
  • Make sure that a word exists in a resource by prefixing it with +; e.g., +library +access scholarly academic
  • Combine multiple words with AND to find resources containing all terms; e.g., education AND research
  • Exclude a word by prefixing it with - or NOT; e.g., online -politics or online NOT politics
  • Search for an exact phrase by putting it in quotes; e.g., "open access publishing"
  • Use parentheses to create more complex queries; e.g., archive ((library AND conference) NOT theses)

MY TRAILS and ASA AREAS OF INTEREST

If you are an ASA member, your My TRAILS page will list any new publications in the areas of interest you indicated on you ASA Member Information Form. To update your areas of interest, log into the ASA member portal and click on “Profile.”

If you are a TRAILS subscriber but not an ASA member, you can add areas of interest from the TRAILS site. After logging in, click on your username in the top right corner where you see the “LOGIN” button, and a drop-down menu will appear. Click “View Profile.” Once you are on the profile page, click the tab that says “Roles.” You’ll then see a hyperlink for “ASA member portal.” Click there and a new tab will open where you can select your areas of interest. Click “update.”

SUBMISSIONS

How can I submit a resource for possible publication in TRAILS?

To get started, click on the “Submit & Publish” tab near the top of the TRAILS homepage. Before clicking “Make a new submission” in the blue bar, review the Submission Preparation Checklist, Author Guidelines, and Author Agreement provided on that page. We also recommend having all information about your resource, such as the title, abstract, learning goals, learning assessments and key words (the “metadata”) saved in a Word document on your local drive before submitting. You will be cutting and pasting this information into text fields during the submission process. All other parts of your resource, such as the actual syllabus or activity, extended usage notes, or assignment handouts, can be saved as PDFs. You will upload each of these documents during the submission process.

We also recommend reviewing the TRAILS Acceptance Criteria and the handout, “A Small Sampling of What We Know About Learning from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning” to better understand what editors are looking for in a submission.

Where can I find royalty-free images to use in my submissions?

All authors must affirm in the "Author Agreement" that they have the right to use images that are contained in their resources. This includes the thumbnail image for their resource. There are a variety of sources for royalty-free and public domain images on the internet. There are also sources through which artists offer their work under a Creative Commons license. We provide links to three options here:

Pexels

Unsplash

Public Domain Archive

How can I check the progress of a submission I uploaded?

Click on the “Submit & Publish” tab near the top of the TRAILS homepage. In the blue bar, click “View your pending submissions.” This will take you to your dashboard, where you can check on the status of your submission(s) and see if members of the TRAILS editorial board have left you any notes or comments. You can also upload new and revised attachments for your resource(s) from the “Submit and Publish” tab.

EDITORIAL DECISIONS

How will I know if my submission was accepted for publication or not?

You will receive an email from the editor through the TRAILS system notifying you of any editorial decisions regarding your submission. Please be sure to read the entire email as it may contain notes from the editor and reviewer about next steps, suggested revisions, or unresolved questions.

My resource was returned for revision. How do I complete the revise and resubmit process?

Similar to a publication decision, you will receive a message from the editor through TRAILS with a request for revisions. Notes from your reviewer may be included in the email, but you should always make sure to go into your submission dashboard to see all of the revisions that are required from you. You will receive a URL linking you directly to your resource, but you may also sign into TRAILS and access your resource from the homepage by clicking “Submit & Publish” and “View pending submissions.”

Once you have opened your resource, you will be able to see copies of the emails that were sent to you, upload your revised resource attachments, open any attachments uploaded by your reviewer, and check to see if you have any discussion notes from the editor or reviewer under “Review Discussions.” You can also upload your Revision and Resubmission (R&R) memo through the “Review Discussions” function to let the editor know what revisions you have addressed.

You should receive a confirmation that your revisions were uploaded, but the system will not navigate back to your dashboard.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

How much does a subscription to TRAILS cost?

  • ASA member subscription price: $0
  • Non-member subscription price: $100
  • Non-member faculty in Department Affiliates price: $50 (with promotion code)

Learn more about ASA membership here.

Subscribe to TRAILS as a non-member here.

I am a non-ASA member who works or studies in an ASA Department Affiliate. How can I access the discount?

If you are a faculty member or student in a department that is part of the ASA Department Affiliates program, contact trails@asanet.org and request the promotion code. Once you have the promotion code, purchase a non-member subscription to TRAILS in the ASA store and enter the promotion code when you reach the shopping cart.

Is there a special subscription rate for high school teachers?

No, there is not a lower TRAILS subscription rate for non-member high school teachers. However, high school teachers are invited to join ASA at a reduced membership dues rate. All ASA members receive a subscription to TRAILS at no additional cost.

PAPER SYLLABI SETS

My resource was originally published in a paper syllabi set. Can I change the way it appears in TRAILS?

If you would like to change any of the metadata associated with your resource (such as the title, abstract, thumbnail image, class level, subject area, etc.) please send an email to trails@asanet.org. If you would like to update the resource itself (that is, the actual document that originally appeared in a paper Syllabi set) you can submit an adaptation of the original resource through the TRAILS submission process.

Is there a way to see all of the resources that were originally published in a paper syllabi set?

To see all of the resources that were in a paper TRC Syllabi Set, conduct a search using the editor's name.

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