Family Process

Published on behalf of the Family Process Institute

Edited by:
Evan Imber-Black

Print ISSN: 0014-7370
Online ISSN: 1545-5300
Frequency: Quarterly
Current Volume: 48 / 2009
ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2008: 16/31 Family Studies; 50/88 Psychology, Clinical
Impact Factor: 1.277

TopAuthor Guidelines

Family Process Electronic Editorial Office - click here to submit or review a paper for the journal.

Submission of Manuscripts
All submissions are electronic. Authors should submit manuscripts to the Family Process submissions website (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fp). By accessing this website you will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of files. For assistance, contact Scholar One technical support at 888-503-1050 (US based number) or 434-964-4100, or via email at mcsupport@thomson.com.

Electronic manuscripts must be double spaced in 12 point font throughout, including the abstract and references with page numbering consecutively with the title page as page one, abstract, text, references, and visuals. The submission form requires the name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, and FAX number of all authors including the corresponding author.

All correspondence, including Editor's decision and request for revisions, will be by email. Manuscripts must be in English and submitted exclusively to Family Process. If accepted, papers become copyright of the Family Process. Authors must give signed consent for publication by submitting a Copyright Assignment Form, but permission to use material elsewhere (e.g., in review articles) will normally be granted on request.

General Requirements:
In a cover letter, please include the word count of the article, and the address, phone number, and if possible, fax and e-mail address of the principle author. Authors will be advised of the decision about their manuscripts as rapidly as possible. Manuscripts are received with the understanding that they are not being submitted simultaneously to another publication.

Authors are requested to prepare their articles in conformity to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (refer to previous issues for reference). Papers should be written clearly and concisely, using gender-neutral language and jargon-free prose. Brevity is also desirable. Manuscripts should not exceed 6,000 words (including tables and references). All case reports should protect patient confidentiality.

Typing:
Manuscripts (original and 4 copies) should be on white bond paper, double-spaced throughout, and with 1-1/2 inch margins. A copy of the manuscript on an IBM compatible disk in text only format (.txt) should be included with the initial submission. Files submitted in Wordperfect or Microsoft Word format are encouraged. In either case, the author is advised to keep a copy for checking against page proofs. Upon acceptance, authors will be expected to provide the final manuscript on disk.

Authors:
Because Family Process uses a blind review system, a separate cover page should be used to provide identifying information about the authors. The authors' names should not be included on subsequent pages. For each author, give professional degree/title, and name and location of the principal institutional affiliation, and complete mailing address of the principal author; the latter will appear in a footnote on page 1 of the article if accepted. Upon acceptance, the principal author will receive a copyright transfer form and an off-print order form. These must be returned immediately upon receipt. In addition to the principal author's address, also include the address for all other authors to receive complimentary copies of the issue.

Acknowledgements:
Any listing of grant support or special appreciation that the authors wish to include should be included on the cover page. If the article is accepted for publication, this information will appear in another footnote on page 1.

Opening Summary:
For full-length articles, the author should include an abstract of approximately 200-250 words. Research articles should use the standard categories of introduction, methods, results and discussion. In articles describing theory, training or clinical interventions, the abstract should make it possible for the reader to have a brief overview of all relevant aspects of the work, including the intent, scope, general procedures, and principal conclusions. For brief reports, these summaries should be similar in content, but limited to 100 words.

References:
An important responsibility of the author is the preparation of a correct reference list, double spaced and located at the end of the article. References should be checked against original sources.

References in Text:
First citation may include up to 4 names (NB: et al. = 'and others'); more than 4, cite first 3, et al., date. Subsequent citations: include dual authors; more than 2, cite first surname et al., date. Serial listings: alphabetize by surname of first author.

Reference List: Alphabetize by surname; list all authors; spell out journal names: abbreviations for journals and shortcuts (ibid., op. Cit.) are not acceptable. (See following examples.)

Articles: Ackerman, N.W.(1971). The growing edge of family therapy. Family Process 10:143-156.//Smith, N., Smith, A., & Jones, P. (1968)….
Chapters: Goldstein, M.J., & Strachan, A.M. (1987). The family and schizophrenia (pp. 481-509). In T. Jacob (ed.), Family interaction and psychopathology: Theories, methods, and findings. New York: Plenum Press.

Edited Books: Wynne, L.C., McDaniel, S.H., & Weber, T.T. (eds.). (1986). Systems consultation: A new perspective for family therapy. New York: Guilford Press.

Quotations:
Page number(s) must be provided.

Footnotes:
A superior number at the appropriate place in the text should indicate the appearance of a footnote. The numbered list of footnotes, typed double space, should be located after the reference listing.

Headings:
The journal uses a bi-column format; headings must be short. Within the text, three levels of headings are used: major heads are centered, boldface capitals, thus:

METHOD

Major subheads are flushed left, boldface, with initial capitals, thus:
Family Constellation

Minor subheads are flushed left, italicized, with initial capitals, thus:

Case Example

Tables: Use a separate sheet of paper for each table.

Figures: The author must supply High-contrast glossy prints or camera-ready copies; legends are typed on a separate page. See current issues of the Journal for models. Indicate in the text where tables/figures are to be placed, thus:

/Table (Figure) 1 above here/

Copy Editing, Proofs, and Off-print/Reprint Orders:
After an article has been accepted for publication, it is copy-edited for literary style, conformity to the style of this journal, clarity of presentation, coherence, punctuation, standard usage of terms, spelling, etc. After the article is typeset authors may be charged for any changes they wish to make. The author will receive page-proofs from the printer, together with an Off-Print/Reprint order form that must be returned within 10 days of receipt.

Occasionally, and with the author's permission, an article that has been accepted will be followed by an invited commentary to which the author may submit a rejoinder. The author's unwillingness to participate in this process will in no way affect the publication of an accepted article.

Books for listing or review, as well as articles on professional publications in the field, should be sent to Evan Imber-Black, Ph.D., Editor, Family Process, Ackerman Institute for the Family, 149 E. 78th Street, New York, NY 10021 USA.