Guidelines for the Submission of Manuscripts

1. Submission Process:
   Only electronic submissions will be accepted for consideration to the AABSS Journal. Email a copy (as a Microsoft Word attachment) of your original manuscript to both Editors by 4:00 pm (EST) on Monday March 2, 2009 – no exceptions will be made for late submissions. Manuscript submissions must be uncondensed files attached to an email. Manuscripts that appear as part of an email text will not be accepted. Subject lines for email submissions should be in accord with the following: “Manuscript Submission to AABSS Journal – title of manuscript – date of submission”) . I.E. Manuscript Submission to AABSS Journal – An analysis of scholarship – February 14 2008).

Email to:
Carl Renold, Ph.D., Co-Editor, AABSS Journal:
crenold@fullerton.edu.
&
Lorenzo Cherubini, Ed.D., Co-Editor, AABSS Journal:
Lorenzo.Cherubini@Brocku.ca

2. Length of Manuscripts:
   Manuscripts should not exceed 20 pages, including tables, figures and references. (Illustrations will not be accepted at this time). It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that References adhere to the guidelines of the APA. References to electronic journals should include web site addresses. Include only those references cited in the text.
3. Title Page:
   The manuscript should have a separate title page showing the title of the paper, author(s) institutional affiliation, telephone number, postal address, and email address for correspondence. Include as well the date of the manuscript submission. Author’s name should NOT appear in the heading to the text of the paper, nor should any identifying information (university, school, specific names) be included in the text. Please ensure that your identity information is removed from the “document properties” of the Word File to ensure blind review. Reference and explanatory footnotes should NOT be used in the text. Include on the Title Page the area(s) of social and behavioral sciences (as listed below) most relevant to your manuscript:
   • Applied research
   • Practice concepts
   • Education
   • Administration
   • Training and evaluation
   Also indicate the day, time, and session number of the presentation (as listed in the Final Conference Program) that served as the basis of the manuscript submission.
   Please see Appendix 1.
4. Abstract and key words:
   Each copy of the manuscript should include an abstract of no more than 150 words. The Abstract should be single-spaced and appear on the first page of the manuscript. The Introduction to the paper can immediately follow manuscript. Below the abstract, there should be two to five key words that do not appear in the title to assist in cross-indexing the article.
   Please see Appendix 2.
5. Tables / Figures & Acknowledgments:
   Please keep Tables and Figures to a minimum and used only when absolutely necessary. When used, both Tables and Figures should be inserted into the text on separate pages, be double-spaced, and clearly labeled. Each table should have a title and be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals. Table footnotes should be typed immediately below the table using small superscript letters (a, b, c) as reference marks. Asterisks should be used for significant probabilities of test of significance. Please avoid the inclusion of appendices. Acknowledgments to institutions, granting agencies and key persons related to the research should be as concise as possible.
6. Subheadings:
   Descriptive subheadings should be used throughout the manuscript.
7. Preparation of manuscripts:
   Unless otherwise specified in these instructions, manuscripts should be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association available from APA (5th edition), 1200 17th Street NW, Washington DC 20036. Manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout, including tables, and direct quotations, using at least 1” margins. References must be single spaced. A standard type-face, preferably Times New Roman, and 12 pt. black font is mandatory. Only those manuscripts written in English will be considered.
   Please see Appendix 3.
8. Other submissions / Reproduction / Copyright:
   Submission of a manuscript to this journal implies that it has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. If accepted by AABSS Journal the manuscript will not be published elsewhere without permission from the AABSS. Authors will be required to sign a Copyright Agreement within 30 days upon notification of acceptance and prior to the publication of the manuscript in the AABSS Journal. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that ethics approval has been granted in all matters pertaining to the research as presented in the manuscript.

The AABSS Journal is published annually in hard-copy format.

All rights reserved. No part of the AABSS Journal may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without permission, in writing, from the AABSS.

 
The Review Process

The AABSS Journal accepts submissions of manuscripts that stem from presentations delivered at the annual AABSS Conference. Manuscripts that do not meet the Guidelines for the Submission of Manuscripts will not be considered for review. The review process consists of 3 Stages.

1. Editorial Review:
   Those manuscripts that adhere to the Guidelines for the Submission of Manuscripts will be screened and critically reviewed by the Editors for suitability and relevance in furthering the mandate of the AABSS Journal. The Editorial review process will account for the general appropriateness of the work, the theoretical / conceptual foundation of the research, the processes of collecting data (inclusive of all forms), the rigor of analysis, the accuracy of reporting findings and conclusions, style and syntax, and the potential of the manuscript to enhance the academic and applied awareness of matters related to the social and behavioral sciences. Given the wide array of potential topics and submissions, some criteria in both the Editorial and peer-review processes may assume greater significance over others. The authors of those manuscripts that do not proceed beyond the Editorial Review (Stage I) will be notified by email in as timely a manner as possible; however, specific recommendations will not be provided except to suggest that the manuscript did not qualify to proceed beyond the Editorial Review.
2. Peer-Review:
   The Editorial team will select the top 20 manuscripts that best reflect the criteria of Stage I to proceed to the blind peer-review process. Reviewers will receive an electronic copy of the Peer-Review Form and an electronic copy of the manuscript. Reviewers will be asked to complete their review and recommendation within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the manuscript. The Editors will make every attempt to align the pertinent area of social and behavioral sciences as identified on the title page of the manuscript to a reviewer with similar interest and / or research focus. Each of the selected manuscripts will be subject to 2 independent peer-reviews. The blind peer-review process aims to provide anonymity between authors and reviewers. Each reviewer will be asked to provide a written evaluation and recommendation, and submit the review directly to the Editors in an electronic attachment. Reviewers will be asked to score the manuscript according to specific criteria (as presented on the Peer-Review Form) and proceed to make a recommendation that includes one of three options:
   1. Accept the manuscript for further consideration as a possible publication to the journal: Reviewers will be asked to identify any minor revisions to the manuscript that are necessary in order for the work to be considered for publication.
   2. Significant revisions/editions necessary: The reviewers in this case will be asked to provide a detailed description of the areas where the manuscript demands that the author further interrogate, reconceptualize, and / or revise the nature of the analysis and presentation.
   3. Unacceptable for publication to the journal: The reviewer will include the rationale that led to their determination of the manuscript’s unsuitability for publication to this journal in its current form.
   The Editors will provide the Peer Review Forms to the authors of each manuscript accompanied by the Editor’s decision that the manuscript either proceed to Stage III of the Review Process or no longer qualify for consideration.
3. Proceeding to Publication:
   The review will then proceed to the third and final stage. The Editors will distinguish the 10 manuscripts that received the highest scores and most favorable recommendations. The authors of the top 10 manuscripts will be notified by email and given 30 days upon the date of notification to:
   1. Make the respective revisions to the manuscript (as suggested by the peer reviewers) to the satisfaction of the Editors.
   2. Return a signed Copyright Form by fax to the Editors of the journal.
   3. Return the revised manuscript to the Editors in an email attachment using the following subject-line heading:
      REVISED Manuscript to AABSS Journal – title of manuscript – author’s name – date of resubmission.

      (I.E. REVISED Manuscript to AABSS Journal – Facilitating a First-Class Conference – Norma Winston – May 10 2008).

Should an author choose to withdraw their submission or not adhere to the above timelines, the Editors will remove the respective manuscript from the process and notify the author of the next highest ranking score / recommendation by email. In situations where manuscripts receive equal scores and recommendations the Editors reserve the right of final decision.