Monographs of SRCD Guidelines for the Preparation
of Publication Submissions |
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The Monographs are widely distributed, with a current circulation of approximately 5900 individual SRCD members and 4000 institutional subscriptions. The series enjoys a proud tradition of respect in the field, a respect gained largely by readers’ confidence in the rigor of the review process.
REVIEW PROCESS
Processing of Monographs submissions is somewhat different from reviews of journal articles. First, because manuscripts are longer than journal submissions, reviewers typically need longer periods to complete their assignments. Authors are notified if there is an unexpected delay. Second, knowing that very hard work inevitably goes into preparing and/or revising a monograph-length report, the Editor stands ready to try to clarify reviewers’ comments and editorial decisions with authors as needed. Third, accepted monographs traditionally include a commentary in the publication. The commentary is designed to enhance the work’s impact (and is often provided by one or more of the reviewers).
REQUIREMENTS
Authors may submit manuscripts for consideration by Monographs regardless of whether they are members of the Society or affiliated with the academic discipline of psychology. To be considered, submissions should meet the editorial goals of Monographs and should be no briefer than a minimum of 80 pages (including references and tables). There is an upper limit of 175 to 200 pages. In exceptional circumstances this upper limit may be modified.
Because a Monograph is lengthy and usually substantively complex, it is particularly important that the text be well organized and that it be written clearly and precisely. Several characteristics of the manuscript contribute to the goal of clarity and precision. The introductory and concluding discussion should relate the work to issues of concern to all developmentalists. Avoid jargon. When using terms that prevail in some subfields, but that are not common in others, briefly define the term when first introduced. In accordance with the general aims of SRCD, Monographs actively promotes international exchange of developmental research, and submissions from developmental researchers throughout the world are welcomed. Non-native English speakers may find it helpful to ask a colleague to review the clarity and accuracy of the written English before submitting a manuscript.
A distinctive goal of Monographs is that manuscripts must be integrative. Introductory material must be thoroughly based in the historically relevant literature, and the work must be embedded in a clear historical context. The concluding discussion should explore alternative explanatory contexts.
Monographs generally follow the style and format requirements specified by the APA; these are spelled out in detail in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition, 2001). Authors should study the manual carefully before submitting the final draft. The following few notes specify some of the points to which authors must attend.
Manuscript Submission
Please submit manuscripts electronically to the SRCD Monographs Online Submissions and Review Site at www.srcd.org/monosubmit. Please contact the Monographs Office with questions (monographs@srcd.org).
Text should be formatted with double-spaced, 12-point font. This includes information on the title page; headings, notes and entries in tables; figure legends; references; acknowledgments; footnotes; and quotes from other articles or books (quotes under about 100 words are run into the text with quotation marks; if longer, they are indented).
Pagination
Manuscript Sections
Begin numbering pages with the first page of the Abstract (page 1); do not number the pages devoted to Title and Table of Contents. All following sheets—except the figures—should then be numbered consecutively. Position the page number in the top right-hand corner and the running head in the top left-hand corner.
Following the sequence given below, start each section on a new page with the section title centered at the top of the page.
Title Page: The Title Page should include the title, author’s name and affiliation, and running head. Authors are encouraged to adopt short and easily comprehensible titles because this helps to promote sales of the issue through bookstores. (When a longer title seems unavoidable, what appears on the cover might be extended via subtitle on the inner title page of the issue.)
Table of Contents: This should list all chapter titles (whenever appropriate, these should be informative; e.g., “Relations between…” rather than “Experiment 1”).
Abstract: This is not to exceed 300 words.
Text chapters: Please center the Monographs title above Chapter I; begin each following Chapter on a new page. Each chapter begins with the word “Chapter__”
Appendix(ces) (if any)
References
Acknowledgements: Please include address for corresponding author.
Contributors: Brief biographical statement(s) giving the author(s) affiliation and major research interests; examples of the format can be found at the end of Commentaries. It is also appropriate on this page to describe the individual contributions of individual authors if the authors believe that such a distribution of credit is needed.
Footnotes: These should be numbered sequentially throughout the manuscript (i.e., do not start over with each new chapter); all footnotes should be in a separate section following the references, with each identified by its number.
Tables: Unless the monograph is a multi-authored collection of separate chapters, number tables consecutively; no matter how small, only one table is included on a page. Show approximate location of each table in the text.
Figure Captions: Figure legends listed consecutively, each identified by number.
Figures: Clear white glossy print for the first copy, photocopies for the others; good laser-generated artwork is also acceptable. On the back of each figure note lightly in pencil the figure number and monograph running head.
ADDITIONALLY, include a separate listing of all headings as they appear in the manuscript; this may require a number of pages, but it is very useful in orienting referees’ reading, and needed in copy editing of manuscripts that come to be accepted for publication.
Cover Letter
In the submission letter, the corresponding author for any manuscript must, warrant: (a) that all coauthors are in agreement with the content of the manuscript. The corresponding author also is responsible for informing all coauthors, in a timely manner, of manuscript submission, editorial decisions, reviews received, and any revisions recommended; (b) that the data of the manuscript are not currently under publication review by any other journal or publisher, and that they have not been published in any other form; and (c) that the study has been conducted according to the ethical guidelines of the Society for Research in Child Development.
Authors are encouraged to suggest names, addresses, and e-mail addresses of potential reviewers. Names suggested should be competent in the topic area covered by the manuscript and should have no conflict of interests in relation to the manuscript or the authors.
Assorted Frequently Overlooked Conventions
References: Be sure to double check the match between your in-text citations and the reference list. Also, check the Manual for proper listing of the different types of citations (books, oral presentations, dissertations, poster presentations, etc.) as well as of the sequence in which references are to be listed. Authors’ initials should be spaced (“M. C. Smith”) not closed up (“M.C. Smith”). If you cite a chapter from Damon’s Handbook of Child Psychology (1998), the correct form is as in the following example:
Magnusson, D., & Stattin, H. (1998a). Person-context interactions. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Theoretical models of human development. Volume 1: Handbook of child psychology, (5 th ed., pp. 685-759). Editor-in-Chief: William Damon. New York: Wiley.
Headings: Please follow the conventions given in the Manual to indicate the level of the heading. Only 4 levels of headings are allowed in the Monographs.
Tables: Please be sure that your tables conform to the prescribed style, including titles, headings, and footnotes (see the Manual for details). Space entries generously so that rows and columns are clear; do not use vertical or horizontal lines (though you may lightly pencil in some lines to increase clarity; consider the possibility of typing large tables on outsize sheets and then reducing the page to conventional dimensions).
Figures: Figures are expensive to reproduce and should be used sparingly and thoughtfully. Figures must be preceded by a Figure Caption Page.
Format odds-and-ends: (a) Identify each page of the manuscript (except the figures) by typing as a header the running head at the upper left hand corner of the page and the page number in the upper right hand corner; (b) include a translation of grade levels into ages in the abstract and methods sections; (c) statistical symbols should be italicized; (d) in the text, use italics rather than underline; (e) in general, write out numbers under 10 and use numerals for 10 and greater. An exception to the latter is that units of measurement are always given in numerals (e.g., age, grade, time, distance). Hyphenate years and months of ages (e.g., 4-year-olds; 3-month-olds), but not grades (i.e., third graders).
Stylistic odds-and-ends:
- Please avoid causal language as it is confusing and often wrong.
- Avoid combining inanimate nouns with action verbs (such as “the research shows,” “the hypotheses state,” “the study examined”).
- Restrict the term “relationship” to interpersonal phenomena; all other associations (logical, mathematical, etc.) should be termed “relation.”
- Restrict “while” and “since” to refer to temporal relations; in all other instances, use “although,” “whereas,” “because,” or whatever other term is appropriate.
If there are any questions you may wish to discuss further, please contact the Monographs Editorial Office at monographs@srcd.org.
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