Submission Guidelines

Featured Research Articles

Featured research articles should offer new research findings and insights. The article should include an abstract (150 words), key words, an introductory section outlining the main argument. The main section should have sub-headings to guide the reader. The methods section must be sufficiently presented to validate the results and the data analysis and discussion must show robust scholarship. The submission should have a reference section. The word count should be between 2500-3500 words, excluding references. 

Featured research article Submission preparation checklist 

• Title, abstract and key words
• Introduction that clearly outlines the aims
• Literature review
• Methods section including any constraints/limitations
• Analysis, discussion, results and key findings – coherent and well supported
• Tables, illustrations and figures where appropriate
• Conclusion
• References 
• Featured articles may exceed the word count at the discretion of the editorial board

All featured articles undergo a peer review process and may be solicited or unsolicited. 

Reflective Articles

Reflective articles are thought-provoking reflections that examine and communicate new initiatives or developments of significance to the sector. They may also raise awareness to stimulate debate such as exploring unanswered questions or uncertain matters that are deemed to have a bearing on the sector. Word count should be between 800-1000 words. 

All reflective articles undergo a blind peer review process and may be solicited or unsolicited. 

Descriptive Narratives

Descriptive narratives present innovative and cutting-edge practices, technologies and resources that offer new insights and have the potential to enhance practice and core activities. They should provide sufficient detail and evidence of effectiveness so that practitioners can make informed choices on how best to utilise them within their own contexts. Word count should be between 600-800 words. 

All descriptive narratives undergo a peer review process and may be solicited or unsolicited. 

Articles Book Reviews

Book reviews present thoughtful engagement and stimulating insights about publications. Typically, the review should contain a thoughtful summary of the central features of the book; this should include subject matter, how the arguments are structured and how the analysis engages with the literature. It should also cover how the work contributes to the relevant fields of knowledge and reveal any perceived shortcomings. You should also consider who you would recommend as the book’s target audience. Word count should be between 800-1000 words. 

Where books are an edited collection, give the reader an overview of the book. Elucidate with examples from one or more chapters then discuss and unpack them in more detail. The reviewer name and institution should appear at the start of the review, along with a contact email address (the email address will be removed prior to publication). 

Articles General Guidelines

Authors should ensure that: 

• The work is original and written by them; 
• Where text is taken from other sources the source is clearly cited and where appropriate permission is obtained; 
• Their work does not infringe on any right of others, including privacy rights and intellectual property rights; 
• Their data is their own and truly reflects the study results. Or that they have permission to reproduce other data; 
• They contact the journal editor to identify and correct any errors upon discovery, prior or subsequent to publication of their work; 
• Authorship of the paper is accurately represented, including ensuring that all individuals credited as authors participated in actual authorship of the work and have given consent for publication. 

Where necessary, please ensure that all necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere have been obtained. The reference list should only contain references that are cited in the text. Accuracy and completeness are the responsibility of the author(s). References should be listed in an alphabetical order at the end of the paper. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and links to referenced articles should be stated wherever available.  

The journal uses Harvard style referencing: https://www.ukessays.com/referencing/harvard/#articles  

Review Criteria for Research Articles

The following criteria will be used when reviewing submissions: 

• Relevance and importance of the subject addressed. The subject should contribute to advancing knowledge, practice or theory pertinent to the sector. Enhancing understanding or improving practice through new insights is relevant. 
• Background – through the abstract, introduction and literature, the reader should be provided with sufficient background information to understand the nature and scope of the paper and the issues being addressed. 
• Purpose of the research should be clearly and explicitly stated. 
• Literature Review – the research and scholarship should be linked to relevant literature. The applicability of the research and quality of the discussion is more critical that the length of the literature review. 
• Methodology – the approaches adopted must be appropriate for addressing the stated research question(s), problem(s) and purpose(s). There should be a clear audit trail. 
• Findings must be presented to show a clear relationship to the research aims and objectives, purpose, research and question(s). Evidence used to support conclusions must be clearly identified. 
• Conclusion must be logical and clearly set out and convincingly supported by evidence. 
• Overall presentation and flow – all manuscripts must be well-organised and well-written. 

Review Criteria for Personal Reflection Articles

The following criteria will be used when reviewing submissions: 

• Relevance – the subject should be pertinent to the sector and lead to new insights on professional matters. The writing should be a personal response to something – experience, event or new information that will impact on the sector in some way. 
• Thought provoking – the reflective writing should both engage and challenge the reader. The text should have a clear line of thought and relate to relevant literature, use evidence or examples to illustrate reflections/positions and show evidence of analytical thinking. The reflections should explore, unpack, and dissect. In most cases the reflections should raise awareness and stimulate debate on professional matters. 

Review Criteria for Descriptive Narrative Articles

The following criteria will be used when reviewing submissions: 

• Relevance – the writing should present innovative and cutting-edge practices, technologies and resources that offer new insights and have the potential to enhance practice and core activities. 
• Information – the text must be clearly set out and depict the innovative and cutting-edge practices, technologies and resources in a way that allows the audience to make informed choices on its value. 

Recommendations

Reviewers’ recommendations will be one of the following: 

• Accept 
• Requires minor corrections 
• Requires moderate revisions 
• Requires major revisions 
• Reject 

Contact 

For all queries relating to submission and editorial please email: research@cdn.ac.uk