ARTICLE PREPARATION

Articles submitted for review should be in general conformance with the guidelines outlined below. If the manuscript is accepted for publication it is the responsibility of the author(s) to prepare a final manuscript that conforms to IFSJLM style requirements and to submit to the editor one hard copy of the final paper and the final paper on computer diskette saved as a WORD file. 

Articles should be no longer than 30 pages in length (including tables, figures, references, and notes). Research notes should not exceed 18 total pages. Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, on paper sized 8.5 by 11 inches, and use standard margins. 

Given the readership of the journal, articles should avoid technical jargon, mathematical modeling, etc. and be of interest to both academics and practitioners.  Articles using survey and statistical data are encouraged, but information and findings should be communicated clearly and concisely.  

Tables and figures should not be placed in the text.  Each table or figure should appear on a separate piece of paper and placed at the end of the manuscript.  In the text of the manuscript, indicate approximate placement of tables and figures by using inserts – [e.g., Table 1 About Here].

 On a detachable first page of the manuscript include the title of the manuscript and all identifying material for each author—i.e., names, affiliations, mailing addresses, telephones numbers, and email addresses.  If the article is co-authored, place an asterisk by the name of the person who will serve as a point of contact.  Also on this page provide a short 75 to 100 word biographical sketch that includes information about each author, their positions, their organizations, and previous publications and/or professional interests.

 A 50 to 75 word article abstract should accompany an article.  The abstract should concisely identify the research question studied, theoretical framework employed, methods used, and major findings of the research.

 IFSJLM uses the American Psychological Association (APA) reference style to cite literature used in the article.  This author-date method of citation requires that you cite the author’s surname and date of publication (e.g., Neal, 2000).  To cite a specific part of a source, such as a quote from an article, provide the author’s surname, date of publication, p. for page and page number (e.g., Neal, 2000, p. 42). For complete information on using the APA style see the 5^th edition of The APA style manual.  This manual can be found at your local bookstore, research library, or can be purchased on-line at: http://www.apastyle.org/.  Sources cited in the text should be listed in a “references” list following the style also outlined in the APA Manual.

In addition to the APA Manual, a number of primarily university-based on-line sites are available that provide rather detailed discussions of how to cite material and prepare references using the APA style.   Three of the many sites are provided below.

http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/index.htm

 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#Handling%20Quotes%20In%20Your%20Text

http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796

 In the final analysis, if the article or book review is accepted for publication, it is the responsibility of the author, NOT the publisher, to submit to the IFSJLM a hard copy and an electronic copy of the manuscript in final form following APA format.  Articles that are not the correct format will be returned for revision.