Guide for Authors

The International Journal
Official Publication of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

Instructions for Authors

Child Abuse and Neglect The International Journal provides an international, multidisciplinary forum on all aspects of child abuse and neglect, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment; the scope extends further to all those aspects of life which either favor or hinder child development. While contributions will primarily be from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, social work, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, legislature, education, and anthropology, the Journal encourages the concerned lay individual and child-oriented advocate organizations to contribute.

Types of Contributions:

1. Original, Theoretical, and Empirical Contributions (16-20 pages of text): Include a clear introductory statement of purpose; historical review when desirable; description of method and scope of observations; full presentation of the results; brief comment/discussion on the significance of the findings and any correlation with others in the literature; section on speculation and relevance or implications; summary in brief which may include discussion. Abstracts and references are required.

2. Brief Communications: Shorter articles of 5-7 pages (abstracts and/or references optional).

3. Articles on Clinical Practice: Case studies (but not single cases), commentaries, process and program descriptions, clinical audit and outcome studies, original clinical practice ideas for debate and argument.

4. Invited Reviews: Plans for proposed reviews are invited in draft outline in the first instance. The editors will commission reviews on specific topics. Reviews submitted without invitation or prior approval will be returned.

5. Letters to the Editor: Letters and responses pertaining to articles published in Child Abuse and Neglect or on issues relevant to the field, brief and to the point, should be prepared in the same style as other manuscripts.

6. Announcements/Notices: Events of national or international multidisciplinary interests are subject to editorial approval and must be submitted at least 8 months before they are to appear.

Submission Requirements: Authors should use the Elsevier Editorial System (EES) online submission site: http://ees.elsevier.com/chiabuneg/default.asp---instructionsare provided at each step of the submission process. Please note that even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF at submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further processing when papers are accepted. Manuscripts submitted as PDF files will not be accepted.

All correspondence, including notification of the Editor-in-Chief's decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail and via the Author's homepage, removing the need for a hard-copy paper trail.

For those authors unable to utilize the EES system, the Journal will accept submissions sent directly to the editorial office; please contact the office (mary.roth@yale.edu; telephone 1.203.271.9950) for instructions.

Manuscripts may be submitted (and will be published) in English, French, or Spanish, as submitted.

A letter to the editor-in-chief (David A. Wolfe, PhD) requesting review must be included, noting that the manuscript has not been previously published and is not under simultaneous review elsewhere; authors are welcome to suggest names (with e-mail addresses) of three (3) potential reviewers.

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from copyright owners to reprint any previously published material included in their article.

The editors reserve the right to refuse any manuscript submitted, whether by invitation or otherwise, and to make suggestions and modifications before publication. Submitted papers must be in final form when submitted; manuscripts will be returned for reworking or retyping that do not conform to required style and format.

Questions? E-mail mary.roth@yale.edu or call 203-271-9950.

Style and Manuscript Order: Manuscripts must be prepared following the general style guidelines set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Submitted papers should be in final form ready for publication. Manuscripts will be returned for reworking or retyping that do not conform to requirements.

First Title Page: To facilitate blind reviews, all indication of authorship, including acknowledgements, must be limited to this page. Title page should include (1) full article title; (2) name, affiliation including city and state/country for each author at the time of the work; (3) name, mailing address, telephone, fax, and e-mail of corresponding author; (4) name and complete address for reprint requests; (5) all acknowledgements and support notes.

Abstract: A structured abstract (Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Practice Implications) not to exceed 350 words in length covering the main factual points is required. Use complete sentences, and spell out acronyms at first mention.

Main Text: Should include a "blind" title at the top of first page and be clearly organized, with headings and subheadings as needed (3 weights of headings maximum). If human subjects are involved, approval by an institutional review board and the informed consent of participants must be reported in the Methods section. If IRB approval not required or waived, please provide a brief note with details. Avoid the use of first person (we, our, I). Use of footnotes is not permitted; footnoted material must be incorporated into the text or deleted.

References: Style and formatting of bibliographic citations in the text and the reference section must adhere to the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The Journal uses an alphabetical style rather than a numeric style both in the text and bibliography. No abbreviations of journal titles or use of et al. is permitted in the bibliography.

Tables/Figures: Cite each table/figure clearly in text. Tables should be arranged one to a page with a self-contained title that is understandable without reference to the text. Figures should be computer generated, one per page, with legends. Tables and Figures cannot be submitted as part of the text file, but should be submitted as separarate files under "Tables" or "Figures" from the drop-down menu on the file submission page.

Copyright: Upon acceptance of the manuscript, authors must complete a Transfer of Copyright Agreement as well as provide additional materials and information requested by the editorial office and/or publisher.

Review, Editing, and Production: All initial submissions are acknowledged on receipt. Peer review is generally double-blind, although it is sometimes clear to one or the other who is involved. Scheduling and production processes currently take 6 months once manuscripts are accepted and all required information is in-house. The publisher and editor reserve the right to copyedit manuscripts to conform to Journal style. The corresponding author will receive page proofs for correction of typographical errors only. No rewriting of the original manuscript as accepted is allowed in the proof stage. Authors must return proofs within 48 hours of receipt; late corrections cannot be guaranteed.

The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via email or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a coversheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining terms and conditions of use. Orders for additional reprints must be received before printing in order to qualify for lower pre-publication rates (co-author requirements must be included on this form).

US National Institutes of Health (NIH) voluntary posting (" Public Access") policy

Elsevier facilitates author response to the NIH voluntary posting request (referred to as the NIH "Public Access Policy"; see " http://www.nih.gov/about/publicaccess/index.htm)" by posting the peer-reviewed author's manuscript directly to PubMed Central on request from the author, 12 months after formal publication. Upon notification from Elsevier of acceptance, we will ask you to confirm via e-mail (by e-mailing us at NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com) that your work has received NIH funding and that you intend to respond to the NIH policy request, along with your NIH award number to facilitate processing. Upon such confirmation, Elsevier will submit to PubMed Central on your behalf a version of your manuscript that will include peer-review comments, for posting 12 months after formal publication. This will ensure that you will have responded fully to the NIH request policy. There will be no need for you to post your manuscript directly with PubMed Central, and any such posting is prohibited.

Child Abuse & Neglect formatting and style summary for reference citations

Citations in the text:

TEXT CITATIONS MUST MATCH REFERENCE CITATIONS EXACTLY. Groups of citations with the text MUST be in alphabetical order within the group.

List all authors the first time a work is cited unless there are 6 or more authors. If 6 or more authors, list first author et al., year (Jones et al., 2006) for first and all subsequent citations.

For citations with 3 or more authors, list all authors first time the work is cited, then first author et al. for 2nd and subsequent citations; et al. cannot be used for only two authors. List both each time reference is cited.

If two (or more) citations with the same authors for same year, list as many authors as needed to differentiate citations, then use et al.

Example: Jones, Krugman, Leventhal, et al., 2006; Jones, Krugman, Johnson, et al. 2006; Jones, Krugman, Makuch, et al. 2006

If two (or more) citations with EXACTLY the same authors in EXACTLY the same order for the EXACTLY the same year, use 2000a, 2000b, etc. to clearly link text citation to correct reference citation. Cannot use 2000a, 2000b, 2000c unless EXACTLY the same authors in EXACTLY the same order for EXACTLY the same year.

If reference is WITHIN parentheses, use ampersand; if NOT within parentheses, use and. E

xamples:As Ross and Jang (2000) pointed out .. disorder by respondents (see Ross & Jang, 2000) ..

Citations in the references:

The use of et al. is not permitted in the reference section under any circumstances - ALL authors/editors must be listed, regardless of the number.

Abbreviations of journal titles is not permitted. Please write out completely.

Citations should be in correct alphabetical order, by first author/editor and subsequent authors/editors as needed.

Watch punctuation closely, particularly in strings of authors (and initials), and in journal volumes, issues, and page numbers.

Examples of citations in Reference Section:

Journal articles:

Reynolds, M. W., Wallace, J., Hill, T. F., Weist, M. D., & Nabors, L. A. (2001). The relationship between gender, depression, and self-esteem in children who have witnessed domestic violence. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25(9), 1201-1206.

Authored books:

Nash, J. E., & Calonico, J. M. (1996). The meaning of social interaction: An introduction to social psychology. Dixie Hills, NY: General Hall, Inc.

Edited books:

Nash, J. E., & Calonico, J. M. (Eds.) (1996). The meaning of social interaction: An introduction to social psychology. Dixie Hills, NY: General Hall, Inc.

Chapters in Book:

Margolin, G. (1998). Effects of domestic violence on children. In P. K. Trickett & C. J. Shellenbach (Eds.), Violence against children in the family and the community (pp. 57-102). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Unpublished dissertations:

Verlinden, S. (1999). Risk factors in school shootings. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR.

Published dissertations:

Foo, G. B. (2002). Marital conflict and childhood relational aggression: A gender-balanced approach to understanding adjustment problems in middle childhood. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63 (6B), 3042.

On-line citations:

Ascione, F. R. (2001). Animal abuse and youth violence. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved September 26, 2003 from http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org

US Department of Health and Human Services (2002). The AFCARS Report. Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb).

Presentations at conferences:

Shannon, P., & Agorastou, M. (2003). Children with disabilities who have been maltreated: Preliminary findings from a survey of state child welfare agencies. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association on Mental Retardation, August 2003, Los Angeles, CA.

Reports:

National Symposium on Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities. (1995). Abuse and neglect of children with disabilities: Report and recommendations. Lawrence, KS: The Beach Center on Families and Disability, The University of Kansas, and the Erikson Institute of Chicago.

Computer software:

SAS Version 8e. (2000). Cary, NC: SAS Institute, Inc.

Muthen, L. K., & Muthen, B. O. (2001). Mplus statistical analysis with latent variables: User's guide. Los Angeles, CA Muthen and Muthen.

Legal citations:

People ex rel. State Board of Charities v. New York. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 161 NY 233 (1899).

Misc. references:

UNICEF (1990). Children and AIDS: An impending calamity. New York.

WHO (1996). Life skills education planning for Research Division of Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse. MNH/PSD/96.2.REV.1 Geneva.

Other misc. formatting and style notes

All author identification should be restricted to the first title page (names, affiliations, acknowledgements).

Use of etc, i.e., e.g., vs. viz, and cf is restricted to WITHIN parentheses in the text. If not WITHIN parentheses, you must write out (etc. = and so forth; i.e. = that is; e.g. = for example; vs. = versus; viz. = namely; cf = compare).

Numbers that begin a sentence must always be written out. Numbers in the text that measure (age, distance, time) should be in numerical style; other numbers from zero through nine should be written out UNLESS other numbers in the paragraph are in numerical style. Numbers 10 and up can always be in numeric style unless they begin a sentence.

Use of footnotes is not permitted. If the footnoted material is needed, it should be incorporated into the text itself. Otherwise, delete.