Guidelines for Submitting Manuscripts to the Community College Review

These guidelines will acquaint you with the Community College Review, a scholarly journal dedicated to community college education that is published four times a year: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Its customary publication dates are April 15, July 15, October 15, and January 15.

Each issue contains contributions from scholars and practitioners who report on research, identify important issues and trends in community college education, and review recent books that involve community colleges. Articles range from 12 to 24 finished pages long, including references and tables or other graphic material.

Before submitting a manuscript to the editorial staff for consideration, you should decide if your proposed submission is consistent with the Review's mission and appropriate for its readers. These guidelines contain information on the Review's history and readership to help you make that decision. It also summarizes the style and editorial procedures used to evaluate manuscripts.

B A C K G R O U N D

The first issue of the Community College Review was published in April 1973 through a joint agreement between the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges and the Department of Adult and Community College Education at North Carolina State University. Their goal was to publish a national quarterly journal for disseminating research about two-year postsecondary institutions. In 1980 the Department of Adult and Community College Education assumed full responsibility for the publication. In 2006, the Department of Adult and Community College Education changed its name to the Department of Adult and Higher Education (AHE).

The Review now has more than 1,100 subscribers in Australia, Canada, China, England, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Approximately 90% of its subscribers are located in the United States, 2% are located in Canada, and the remaining 8% are located in Australia, China, England, Germany, and Japan.

Over half of the Review's subscribers are libraries or media centers, primarily at community colleges and universities. Community college presidents and other administrators make up a third of the subscription list. The remaining 10% of the Review's subscribers includes faculty at community colleges and universities and graduate students involved in higher education research. Contributors are drawn from all of these audiences.

P O L I C I E S

The Community College Review meets the requirements for classification as a refereed academic journal. Its nine-member editorial board consists of community college educators and university faculty. Each board member serves a three-year term. Terms are staggered so that three new members join the board each year to replace those who complete their service.

When a manuscript arrives in the Review's editorial office, the editorial staff reads it to determine if its content and style meet established guidelines. If the manuscript merits further consideration, it is sent to at least two board members for their recommendations. Board members evaluate each manuscript's significance, quality, relevance to community college education, and presentation. ( Note: authors' names are removed from manuscripts before evaluation to ensure an unbiased review.) Decisions to publish normally rest upon board members' recommendations.

Exceptions to this policy occasionally occur when the editor decides to publish a manuscript because of its topic or presentation. Such manuscripts are designated as editor's choices when they are published.

Board members are asked to evaluate manuscripts within six weeks, which means that a decision ordinarily is sent to the author about ten weeks after the manuscript arrives in the editorial office. Publication usually occurs within six to nine months after acceptance, depending upon the number and length of manuscripts scheduled for upcoming issues.

Letters notifying contributors of acceptance include the approximate date of publication and a request for a word processing file on diskette or an email attachment. After the staff prepares galley proofs of the work (about six weeks before publication), the lead author receives a copy of the proofs to review for final corrections or changes. Each author receives three complimentary copies of the issue containing his or her work as soon as it is published.

Approximately one half of the manuscripts submitted to the Review for consideration are published. For instance, 55% of the manuscripts submitted during 1999 were accepted for publication. In 2000 the acceptance rate was higher (57%), whereas in 2001 it was lower (43%).

Most manuscripts accepted for publication require a rewrite to address comments made by reviewers. You may wish to consider asking colleagues to read your manuscript and to suggest changes before you submit in order to improve the likelihood of acceptance

C O N T E N T

Roughly 80% of the manuscripts accepted for publication in the Review describe original research. Essays that combine authors' personal experiences with their knowledge of the existing literature or their opinions about a timely issue constitute about 20% of accepted submissions.

Acceptable research topics focus clearly on two-year postsecondary institutions: the populations served, the curricula offered, the methods used to deliver academic and administrative services, and the problems and issues encountered.

One way to become familiar with the kinds of articles published is to study recent issues. The slate of relevant topics changes, so contributors should be aware of important news for community colleges, including state and national legislation and trends in instruction, management, and assessment.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based upon the soundness and relevance of the research. Authors of acceptable manuscripts do the following:

  • Document design and methods before discussing results and conclusions.
  • Describe quantitative findings using specific numbers and percentages rather than generalized terms such as some, most, or several.
  • Use tables and charts appropriately to categorize, synthesize, and compare data.
  • Interpret findings in the context of existing theory and research.

Timely essays that assert authors' opinions on issues or trends are published under the editors' choice category. Such essays should be based on the author's knowledge and professional experience, as well as the existing literature when appropriate.

S T Y L E

The Review's editorial staff generally uses the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association as a style guide. When questions on matters of style cannot be decided by using the Association's manual, the staff relies on The Chicago Manual of Style (13th edition) and Strunk and White's The Elements of Style (3rd edition). The following basic guidelines apply:
  • Submit manuscripts for consideration in double-spaced format with one-inch margins all around, paragraphs indented five spaces, and pages clearly numbered in the upper right-hand corner. Three copies of the manuscript are required. ( Unused copies will be returned when a manuscript is declined if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.)
  • Preface the manuscript text with a title page that includes the name, title, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of each author; a title page without the author information; and an abstract. The abstract should briefly summarize the manuscript's contents in 50 words or fewer.
  • Use tables, graphs, and figures when the data summarized in the text are especially important to the research findings presented. Tables should be typed and double-spaced following the format prescribed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Figures and graphs should be submitted as printed originals in camera-ready form using graphics or spreadsheet software and a laser printer.
  • Use citations instead of footnotes. Information from other sources should be documented with a citation in parentheses indicating the last names of the authors cited and the years of publication. Citations for quoted material and statistics should include page numbers from the referenced source.
  • List all sources cited in a reference list at the end of the manuscript. Include only those sources that have been cited in the text. The reference list should follow the format prescribed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: Begin the reference list on a new page after the last page of the text and double-space it. Sources cited in the manuscript should be listed alphabetically by authors' last names, and entries for journals and edited books should include page numbers.
  • Check references and citations to ensure that complete and correct information is provided. For a complete set of examples for citing and referencing different kinds of sources, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

C H E C K L I S T

Before submitting your manuscript for consideration, review the following list of questions to ensure that it is prepared properly.
  • Is the entire manuscript double-spaced, including reference lists and tables?
  • Is the original manuscript neatly prepared and clean? Are three copies being submitted?
  • Are two title pages completed&emdash;one with the author's (or authors') name(s) and one without?
  • Are the title pages, abstract, references, tables, and figures on separate pages (with only one table or figure per page)?
  • Are all pages in the correct order, with text pages between the abstract and references? Are they numbered consecutively?
  • Are all sources cited both in the text and in the reference list?
  • Do all references listed in the text follow the American Psychological Association style format?
  • Is a stamped, self-addressed envelope included if you want a declined manuscript returned?

S U B M I S S I O N

Mail manuscripts to the Review's editorial office at the following address:
Community College Review
North Carolina State University
Box 7801
Raleigh, NC 27695-7801

If you have questions about submitting your manuscript or about editorial policies, please contact the editorial office by phone, facsimile, or electronic mail. Your inquiries will be handled promptly.

  • Telephone: (919) 515-6248
  • Fax: (919) 515-6305
  • E-mail: community_college_review@ncsu.edu