Guidelines for Contributors

Introduction

The JCD&MS seeks to accommodate the interests of individuals at all levels in the Higher Education sector. A key aim is to provide opportunities for all parties interested in Higher Education to submit and publish work in a peer-reviewed academic journal in respect of issues relating to Contemporary Development, Business and Management, Health and Social Care and Education and Skills. Individuals interested in submitting work for publication in the JCD&MS may do so, using a variety of forms. Categories are set out below.

The JCD&MS Editorial Panel seeks to expand its remit and focus beyond London Churchill College. To that end, the Principal Editor is particularly committed to providing opportunities for academic and support staff in UK private Higher Education Providers (HE) and/or those individuals engaged in collaborative arrangements, including UK Universities and other HE Awarding Bodies to produce and to publish individual and collective research results and academic papers in the Journal.

Categories for Submission

Guidelines on the categories for submission are set out to assist authors in selecting the most suitable format for their submissions. [See ‘Presentation Requirements’ below.]

• Academic Articles
• Research Reports
• Reviews
• Letters
• Monographs
• For Debate Articles
• Commentaries
• Editorials
• Book Reviews

Academic Articles

Academic articles are original, scholarly outputs that report findings which represent advances in the understanding of a significant problem. Academic articles can have far-reaching implications for the advancement of knowledge in a specific field.

Abstracts

Academic articles should have an abstract, separate from the main text, of up to 300 words. This is not referenced and does not contain numbers, abbreviations, acronyms or measurements unless absolutely essential. Abstracts should be understandable to readers outside the discipline.

The abstract should contain an introduction to the field; a brief account of the background and rationale of the work; a statement of the main conclusions [introduced by the phrase 'Here we show' or ‘From this research…’ or equivalent]; and finally, 2-3 sentences putting the main findings into general context; so that it is clear how the results described in the paper have moved the subject area forward.

Any numbers provided in the abstract must match exactly those given in the main body of the text or tables. With quantitative studies involving statistical tests, abstracts must provide p values or effect sizes with confidence intervals for key findings. The conclusion of the abstract must state the key findings of the research undertaken.

Keywords

A list of up to eight keywords should be included to identify the contents of the paper.

Structure

Academic articles should open with an introduction of around 500 words, before proceeding to a concise, focused description of the findings. Discussion and analyses of results are required.

Word count

The normal length for academic articles is 3,000-5,000 words, excluding abstracts, tables and reference lists. The word limit can be increased to 7,000-9,000 words in cases where research findings contain extensive qualitative or quantitative results.

Subheadings

The text may contain a few short subheadings. Subheadings should not be more than 40 characters in length (less than one-e line of text).

Figures and Tables

Academic Articles typically have 5 or 6 display items [figures and/or tables]. All tables and figures should be inserted into the main body of the text. The source of the information, whether it be the author’s own work or the work produced by another author should be cited immediately below the table. Legends should include keys to any symbols.

Note: In the full-text online edition of the JCD&MS, figure legends may become truncated in abbreviated links to the full-screen version. Therefore, the first 100 characters of any legend should inform the reader of key aspects of the figure or table.

References

Academic articles normally contain up to 50 references. Authors should ensure that the introduction and discussion sections of academic articles cite the most recent relevant literature and not just literature from a single research group, region or country. Academic articles may include systematic reviews and one or two of the pivotal studies that have been summarised in a particular reference.

Research Reports

Research Reports are papers reporting original findings from individual studies [or groups of studies]. The study or studies may be qualitative or quantitative and may involve experimental or non-experimental designs.

Authors of research reports should aim for no more than 3500 words excluding abstracts, tables and references. Clinical trials and studies with complex methods/analyses may require greater length to ensure full reporting of all relevant aspects of methods and results. Consequently, the main text of qualitative manuscripts may be up to 4500 words in length, including tables, to facilitate the inclusion of direct quotations.

Reviews

Reviews draw together a body of literature to reach one or more major conclusions. It is expected that reviews will be ‘systematic’, which means they will set out very clearly the search strategy [including key words where appropriate], the selection criteria for the articles included, and the basis for integrating findings. A review may be up to 4000 words in length, excluding the reference list.

Letters

JCD&MS publishes solicited and unsolicited letters. They may express opinions about articles published in the Journal, report on a development, or comment on some issue of potential interest to readers. They will normally be refereed. Letters do not report new findings, unless they extend findings of a paper published in the JCD&MS. Letters should normally be no longer than 500 words with up to 20 references. If a letter comments upon a paper already published in the Journal, then this should be cited at the beginning of the letter. The author of the paper cited will be given the right to reply.

Monographs

JCD&MS will publish occasionally monographs of 4,000-10,000 words, excluding titles, abstracts, tables, figures and reference lists. Monographs constitute major pieces of substantive writing and in-depth analyses and syntheses that cannot be expressed within the normal word length limits. Monographs might include extensive systematic reviews of major topics or investigate critically a series of linked studies addressing a common research question. They are expected to provide robust theoretical underpinnings to support the primary thesis.

Authors who are interested in submitting such a piece are advised to contact the Principal Editor of JCD&MS in the first instance, as the Principal Editor will only accept monographs which are of substantial importance and aligned with the JCD&MS remit. Thereafter, decisions regarding publication will be based on outcomes of the peer review process [See The Review Process below.] There are no grounds for appeal where decisions have been taken by the JCD&MS Editorial Panel to reject a monograph. However, authors may elect to submit papers to the Journal written in one of the other eight formats, based upon monograph material.

Authors wishing to submit monographs for consideration should submit in the usual way, but should add a note on their cover page explaining that they would like the submission to be treated as a monograph. [See Presentation requirements below.]

Monographs should carry structured abstracts [no more than 300 words] and include headings similar to those described for Academic Articles, Research Reports or Reviews.

‘For Debate’ articles

‘For debate’ articles are opinion pieces up to around 3500 words in length. They synthesise research in a way that adds important new insights. They should be written in an international context and make one or two key points that are more in the way of opinion rather than fact. The point[s] will normally challenge existing thinking, raise an issue that has been neglected, take an issue forward that is currently being considered, or reinforce one side of a debate that is currently underway. ‘For debate’ articles can investigate matters of policy, treatment, assessment/diagnosis, theory or methodology and should be written in a lively and engaging style. ‘For debate’ articles should follow the abstract and article guidelines required for reviews.

Interested parties may submit commentaries about ‘for debate’ articles in subsequent issues. [See point 7 below.] If commentaries are accepted for publication, then the author of the ‘For Debate’ article will be given the opportunity to respond to any commentaries made.

Commentaries

A commentary should add a further perspective or point of view to a particularly important item published in the JCD&MS. Rather than being a review of the article, authors should use the findings as a stepping stone to make one or two points of wider relevance to the field. A commentary will normally be between 500-1000 words in length, with up to 20 references. When commenting upon an item published previously in the Journal, a direct reference to the title and the author should be included at the beginning of the commentary and cited in the reference list. There is no abstract, but commentaries should begin with a one or two sentence summary setting out the main points.

Editorials

Editorials appear at the start of every issue of the JCD&MS. They are significant pieces of academic writing that differ substantially from academic articles, reports or reviews. Their purpose is to stimulate debate, identify issues and push ideas forward. An editorial should make one or two key points that are more in the way of opinion rather than fact. The point[s] will normally challenge existing thinking, raise an issue that has been neglected, take a current issue forward, or reinforce one side of a current debate. Editorials should be cautiously optimistic but provocative in approach. As is the case with ‘For debate’ articles, the focus is most commonly placed on matters of policy, treatment, assessment/diagnosis, theory or methodology. They should be written in a lively and engaging style with the point[s] very clearly stated and take international perspectives into account. Editorials should be no more than 1500 words in length and contain no more than 20 references. There is no abstract but editorials should begin with a statement of one or two sentences setting out the key points to be made in the work.

Book Reviews

Book reviews should place the book in the context of other literature deemed to be relevant in the field, rather than summarising the content. Books selected for review should be selected on the basis of their general relevance to contemporary developments and/ or management studies. Authors should endeavour to make them a ‘good read’. Authors should identify what is good and worthwhile in the book for JCD&MS’s varied readers. In cases where a negative appraisal of the book must be made, then the critique should be rendered in a professional manner. Book reviews should be no more than 1,000 words in length. Up to ten references may be cited.

Presentation Requirements

Front sheet[s]: applicable to all forms of submission.

Front sheet[s] should always include the title, a list of authors (including their affiliations and addresses), the word count [excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures], and a profile of the contributor of about 300 words. If applicable, declarations of competing interest and clinical trial registration details should be provided.

Presentation style.

Contributors not meeting these requirements may be asked to resubmit their work.

• Papers must be submitted in Microsoft WORD 2000 [or higher version].
• Margins (normal): 2.54 top and bottom and left and right.
• Alignment: justified.
• Title: Arial 12-point font and in bold capital letters.
• Names of Authors: 12-point font.
• Headings and sub-headings: Arial 10-point, Bold, with 1.5 line spacing
• Main text: Arial 10-point (normal), with 1.5 line spacing
• Paragraphs: left margin alignment
• Long quotes: indented, Arial 9 and single spaced
• Reference list, individual entries: single spaced
• Pages: numbered

Referencing.

Appropriate in-text citations should be used, and a full reference list should appear at the end of the paper. Authors are expected to use the Harvard Referencing system [Author, date] for listing references [if any author is unsure of the reference listing style please contact JCD&MS]. In the reference list, contributors should include the names of the first six authors for a single work; thereafter, use the term et al. The name of the last author should also be included if this person is the senior author for the paper. Issues/parts numbers should be included. Pertinent citations to conference abstracts and/or unpublished work are welcomed, providing they support claims made in the submission. Additional information is provided in the JCD&MS Guidelines for Harvard Referencing.

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted in a single Microsoft Word file. Files in submitted in other text versions, for example, PDF or Apple will be returned to the contributor who will need to resubmit the manuscript in the appropriate file format. Manuscripts should be emailed to journal@londonchurchillcollege.co.uk, copy to t.anderson-jaquest@londonchurchillcollege.co.uk within the time frame advertised under the ‘Call for Papers’.

Defamatory statements

Authors should refrain from making defamatory statements about specific individuals or organisations, whether or not they believe such statements are justified.

Permission to reprint source material

If a paper uses all or parts of previously published material, the author must obtain permission from the copyright holder concerned. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain these permissions in writing and provide copies to the JCD&MS.

Histograms

Do not include histograms with three-dimensional blocks or shading as this can make interpretation difficult.

Colour illustrations

Authors are expected to pay the full cost for reproducing colour artwork in hard copy publications. Therefore, if there is colour artwork in the manuscript when it is accepted for publication, then the Principal Editor of JCD&MS will require authors to defray such costs before the paper can be published in hard copy.

Electronic figures for publication

Please contact the JCD&MS for instructions regarding any high-quality images that are included in the submission.

Supporting information

Additional material of comprised of lengthy appendices [e.g. extensive reference lists or mathematical formulae/calculations], deemed to be relevant to a particular submission but not suitable or essential for the print edition of the Journal, may also be considered for publication in the on line version.

English-language editing

If English is not the first language of authors, they are advised to have their manuscript edited by a native English speaker prior to submission. Wherever possible, the Principal Editor of JCD&MS will try to accommodate papers from authors in countries where proofreading resources in English are not available. However, if the meaning of the text provided in English is unclear, then the Principal Editor will return the manuscript to the contributor and request the contributors to re-submit work at a suitable English standard.

Non-compliance with editorial requirements

A manuscript that does not comply with journal requirements will be returned to the author.

Ethical Principles

JCD&MS supports ethical principles. As such, when submitting papers online, authors will be asked to state that:

All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantive work leading to the report and will hold themselves jointly and individually responsible for its content;

All relevant ethical safeguards have been met in relation to patient or subject protection, or animal experimentation, including, in the case of all clinical and experimental studies review by an appropriate ethical review committee and evidence of written informed patient consent

Papers will be returned that contain sexist, racist or other non-acceptable language.

Declarations of interest

Any declarations of conflicts of interest should appear after the list of authors and addresses. Declarations of interest do not indicate wrongdoing, but they must be declared in the interests of full transparency. For example, any contractual constraints on publishing imposed by an organisation or private party that has funded the research must be disclosed. The time window for declaring such financial links is normally within three years of the date of article submission.

If an undeclared conflict of interest comes to light, the Principal Editor reserves the right to withdraw the paper from the JCD&MS production process.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves using someone else’s work without appropriate attribution. If sections of text numbering more than 10 words have been copied verbatim these must be put in quotation marks and a full citation given. Copying more than a few lines verbatim is not normally acceptable unless a specific reason can be given and permission has been obtained from the owner of the copyright [and the author, if different]. We will treat plagiarism as serious professional misconduct and respond accordingly.

The Review Process

Review Stages

Each manuscript is screened initially by the Principal Editor. Those deemed to be inappropriate for publication JCD&MS will be declined without going to full review. In those cases, authors will receive an explanation as to why the manuscript has been declined.

In addition, the Principal Editor will also return manuscripts to contributors that require substantial re-writing, because the text is unclear, the material has been poorly organised, or substantial errors in written English exist that could have been remedied had the contributors proofread their own material and conducted spelling and/or grammar checks. The initial screening process may take up to three to four weeks. Contributors who are asked to re-submit work will be given extra time to do so.

Manuscripts that pass this stage are sent to two Reviewers [who may be JCD&MS Editorial Panel members]. Reviewers may return the manuscript un-reviewed if a serious limitation is identified; otherwise, both reviewers will provide feedback about each submission to the Principal Editor, who will communicate the recommendations made by the two reviewers to the authors. The process should take no more than two weeks but could take up to four weeks.

If authors are invited to revise and resubmit a manuscript, then they should submit the revised version by the due date set in order to meet issue publication deadlines. An extension may be granted, if requested. A decision on the revised version may be taken by the Principal Editor or she/he may consult an Editorial Panel member or put the revision through another full review process, depending on the nature and extent of the revisions that have been requested. A decision on the revised version should normally take less time than the original review process.

Evaluation Criteria

• Work submitted for publication in the JCD&MS is evaluated according to the following criteria:
• Degree to which the contribution fits within the remit of JCD&MS;
• Appropriateness of the analysis;
• Evidence of original thinking, including new ideas and insights;
• Significance of the theoretical and methodological contributions, if applicable;
• Appropriateness of the literature review, if applicable;
• Implications for practitioners, academicians and scholars;
• Quality of the discussion and interpretation of the results;
• Organisational structure;
• Coherence and clarity of text;
• Professional standard of writing (grammar, punctuation and spelling).
• Appropriate use of the Harvard referencing system.

Reviewers’ Disclosure

Reviewers have the option of disclosing their identity to the authors by adding their name to the bottom of their review comments. The Editorial Panel encourages this in the interests of transparency.

Appeals

Requests for appeal will usually be considered only where the author makes a case that one or more Reviewers have clearly made a substantive mistake. Appeals will not normally be considered in cases where there is a difference of opinion about the importance of the findings nor in cases where the author believes that issues identified by the reviewers can be resolved if s/he presents a revised version.

It is important to bear in mind that the comments received by authors are primarily intended to help authors make revisions, either for publication in the JCD&MS or submissions elsewhere. Occasionally, the decision not to publish an article will be made on grounds of priority given the pressure on space within a particular issue of the Journal. In those cases, individuals will be informed of opportunities available to resubmit their work at a later date.

Proof-reading and Corrections

Authors are responsible for all statements made in their contributions. Therefore, it is essential that contributors ensure their work has been carefully proof-read prior to submission. All manuscripts will be proof-read by a member of the JCD&MS Editorial Panel, but the JCD&MS will not accept responsibility for any statement or textual errors appearing in the published work that the author has failed to correct prior to final submission.

Copyright

It is a condition of publication that authors grant copyright to the JCD&MS for all submissions, including abstracts and illustrations, but permission to publish work in other sources is normally granted, providing requests are made to the Principal Editor.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.

Dr Tommie Anderson-Jaquest Principal Editor, JCD&MS London Churchill College 260819