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Journal of College Student Development
Author Guidelines

Feature Manuscripts: The Journal of College Student Development is interested in feature manuscripts concerning student development, professional development, professional issues, administrative concerns, and creative programs to improve student services. Authors may focus on recent original research, replication of research, reviews of research, graduate education in student affairs, or essays on theoretical, organizational, and professional issues. Both quantitative and qualitative research manuscripts are considered. Manuscripts should address one of the following:

  1. Support for the extension of knowledge in the area of developmental theory;
  2. Support for practitioner efforts to apply theoretical developmental constructs to programs in the field; or
  3. Support for increasing our knowledge of organizational behaviors so that effective tactics and strategies might be applied to the implementation of developmentally focused programs on the campus.

In keeping with the international scope of ACPA-College Student Educators International, the Journal of College Student Development welcomes manuscripts that report scholarship on international issues related to college students, student development, and student affairs and services in postsecondary or tertiary education. Such manuscripts might describe research occurring outside the United States, such as studies of student development or emerging issues in student services administration in one or more countries, or they might address international issues connected to US institutions, such as international students in the US or US students participating in international experiences at home or abroad. We particularly invite submissions that are scholarly in nature (i.e., having a theoretical base and sound empirical methods), but will also consider submissions that describe best practices in student development outside the US, provided that these submissions contribute new knowledge to the literature. Country-specific and comparative (i.e., comparing an issue in two or more nations) topics are welcome

Research in Brief: Articles submitted for the Research in Brief section should report meaningful research that does not require a full-length manuscript. Articles should present research about instruments, methods, or analytical tools which may be helpful to researchers or consumers of research in conducting and understanding student services, student development, and the student affairs profession. Rigorous studies that are focused on a single campus and/or narrowly focused studies may also be considered for the Research in Brief section. The criteria for review are similar to those used in the review of featured articles.

On the Campus: Articles submitted for the On the Campus section should describe new practices, programs, and techniques. Practices reviewed should be related to theory and research. Authors should be able to provide additional background or supplemental information at the request of interested readers.

STYLE GUIDELINES

Manuscripts must be clear, concise, and interesting with a well-organized development of ideas. The most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association should be followed for reference style and general guidelines. When preparing a manuscript for publication, the author(s) must carefully follow the instructions listed below:

Ensure that the manuscript is appropriately blinded. Because manuscripts are processed through a masked review system, they should contain no clues to the author's identity or institutional affiliation outside of the title page. Please double check your manuscript for:

  1. Self citations that are “in press”
  2. Self referential citations that reveal author identity
  3. Institution name (usually in the Methods section)
  4. References to institution specific documents

When preparing a manuscript for publication, the author(s) must carefully follow the instructions listed below:

  1. Use titles that are short and descriptive. Place the title on a separate page with the names of the authors, their professional titles, and their institutional affiliations. (see the author information at the bottom of the title pages of published articles for example). For the contact author, include a mailing address and E-mail address (for publication), and a phone number for contact by the editor.
  2. Avoid use of the term "subject." Use more specific references such as "student," "client," or "participant."
  3. Include an abstract on the second page beneath the title and before the first paragraph of the article (except for manuscripts submitted for "On the Campus" or "Research in Brief"). The abstract or capsule statement should clearly describe the main intent or outcome of the manuscript in 75-100 words.
  4. Use a common font, such as Courier or Times Roman, and set all text (including references, quotations, tables, and figures) in 12-point type, double-spaced. Please see the APA Publication Manual for proper formatting of headings and titles. Indent paragraphs with the Tab key, not by setting a defined indention for the paragraph in the word processor. Allow generous margins (at least one inch) around each page.
  5. Lengthy quotations (a total of 300 or more words from one source) require written permission from the copyright holder for reproduction. Adaptation of tables and figures also requires such approval. The author is responsible for securing such permission. A copy of the publisher's written permission must be provided to the Journal editor immediately upon acceptance of the article for publication.
  6. Only citations referred to in the manuscript should be listed in the references. Check all references before mailing the manuscript to ensure that all sources cited in the text appear in the references and vice versa, and that all references are accurate and complete. Use the reference style in the most recent edition of the APA Publication Manual.
  7. Include only essential data in tables and combine tables whenever possible. Indicate in the narrative of the manuscript, on a separate line and in square brackets, where to place the table or figure. Final placement is at the discretion of the layout editor.
  8. Each figure should be generated as a high resolution (300 dpi), black and white (no color, avoid grayscale) graphic image suitable for publication and saved as a separate image file in a standard format, such as (in this order of preference): Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Tagged Image File (TIF), or bitmap (BMP) file. Include the figure number, title, and any additional text in the manuscript document, but not in the image, and name the file accordingly to associate it with the caption text. Submit each figure as an individual file, with its caption to include with the submitted manuscript.
  9. Avoid footnotes. The Journal will not publish acknowledgements except on rare occasions for recognition of external funding.
  10. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references, quotations, tables, and figures. Authors should make sure these are complete and correct.
  11. Submission of a manuscript indicates the author's agreement to furnish information beyond the actual manuscript. The editor may request such information in order to assist with the review process.
  12. Upon the acceptance of a manuscript, authors are responsible for making the changes recommended by the copy editor and for proofreading their manuscripts prior to submitting the final correct copy as a computer file

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Featured manuscripts should not exceed approximately 30 pages of 1-inch margin, double-spaced, typewritten text INCLUDING references, tables, and figures. On the Campus manuscripts generally should not exceed 4 pages INCLUDING references, tables, and figures. Research in Brief manuscripts generally should not exceed 10 pages INCLUDING references, tables, and figures.

All manuscripts submitted to the JCSD must be in Microsoft Word® 97-2003 (.doc) format. This includes the paper and any tables and/or figures.

All manuscript submissions and reviews are handled through our web-based Editorial ManagerTM (EM) system. Authors submit manuscripts and track progress through all stages of the review process.

Enter JCSD's On-Line Editorial Office: http://www.editorialmanager.com/jcsd

The Editorial Manager TM system includes step by step instructions throughout the submission process. Here are some suggestions that will assist you in the process:

Please ensure that you have saved all of the elements of your submission as separate files. These may include:

  1. A blinded version of your manuscript. (required)
  2. A separate cover sheet with information for the author(s). (required)
  3. A cover letter.
  4. Figures, tables, & graphs.

If you do not have Adobe Reader, please download it now so that you may review your manuscript at the end of the submission process.(Available for free at: www.adobe.com)

Remember that your submission is not complete until you have reviewed the .PDF files created at the end of the process.

BOOK REVIEW GUIDELINES

The Journal of College Student Development seeks to keep its readers apprised of new books related to student development and professional practice in college student affairs. As a means to that end books that are related to student development theory and student affairs practice, research on college students or higher education environments, and issues and practices in higher education germane to the student affairs profession are accepted for consideration for review. Invitations to review and selection of reviewers and decisions about whether to review a work or to publish a reviewer's manuscript are made solely at the discretion of the editors. (Psychological instruments and computer programs are not currently being accepted for review.) Three kinds of reviews are provided: summary reviews, critical essays, and notices.

Summary Reviews.Summary reviews are intended to inform readers about works of interest to student affairs practitioners, preparation program faculty, and researchers. These 750 to 1000 word reviews briefly and objectively describe the contents and the author's/editor's stated objectives. (If it is an edited work, the authors and the content of each chapter are identified.) The review should also include:

  1. Evaluations of how well the author/editor accomplished his or her stated purposes.
  2. References to other works that have treated similar subject matter.
  3. How this work differs from previous works.
  4. The relative quality or contribution of the work to the field.

Book Review Essays. Critical essays are intended for major works in the field. Textbooks and comprehensive or extended treatments of subjects of importance to the field --such as, student subcultures, organizations, subpopulations, or environments; professional practice issues; intervention strategies and techniques; data based research studies; and theoretical expositions. Critical essays are limited to between 1,200 and 1,800 words. Works of a controversial nature or of major significance to the field may receive more than one review. Essays should:

  1. Identify the author(s)/editor(s)' stated purpose(s) of the work.
  2. Provide an objective description or summary of the contents.
  3. Place the work in the historical and/or theoretical context of previous works and/or general practices in the field.
  4. Point out theoretical assumptions, presuppositions, significant factual errors, and evidence of bias.
  5. Identify strengths and weaknesses in areas such as:
  • topic coverage (originality, depth, and sophistication)
  • logic
  • organizational structure
  • theoretical foundations
  • research methodology, and/or scholarship
  • writing style and clarity
  • potential uses or practical implications
  1. Succinctly present the reviewer's evaluation of the work's:
  • worth
  • potential impact on practice, professional preparation, or research methods
  • overall contribution to the field.

Reviewers may also present their evaluation of what is needed in the field that this work failed to provide and make proposals for further research or theoretical exposition.

Book Notices. These are short summaries of the contents of books that are of interest to the field, but that are not directly focused on student affairs. The Associate Editor writes these short (about 100 words) descriptions of the works with an evaluation its contents.

Requests for Review. Two copies of materials for which reviews are requested should be sent to Susan R. Jones, Associate Editor, Journal of College Student Development, School of Educational Policy and Leadership, The Ohio State University, 310D Ramseyer Hall, 29 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus Ohio 43210 or via email at jones.1302@osu.edu. Because of space limitation in the Journal, not all materials will be reviewed. Materials submitted for review will not be returned.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Editor:
Dr. John Braxton
FAX 615-343-7094
jcsd@vanderbilt.edu

Associate Editor for "On the Campus" and "Research in Brief"
Vasti Torres, Associate Editor
jcsd@vanderbilt.edu

Associate Editor for International Research and Scholarship
Kristen A. Renn, Associate Editor
jcsd@vanderbilt.edu

Associate Editor for International Research and Scholarship
Susan R. Jones
jones.1302@osu.edu

Journal of College Student Development

Journal of College Student Development is the official journal of the American College Personnel Association.

Volume: 53 (2012)
Frequency: Bimonthly
Print ISSN: 0897-5264
Online ISSN: 1543-3382