The Chair Academy
Worldwide Leadership Development in Higher Education
Submit an Article
General Guidelines for Authors
An article for submission to a peer-reviewed journal requires careful planning and thought. To gain a sense of what has been published in the past, consider reviewing back issues of Leadership that are available on the website. Then consider the following four (4) primary criteria in relation to the proposed work for publication: : (1) relevance, (2) structure, (3) style, and (4) accuracy. The following general guidelines are intended to assist potential authors in writing a manuscript that is suitable for consideration by the Editorial Board for publication in Leadership.
Relevance:
- In conceptualizing a journal article for publication, consider whether the topic would be beneficial to others. Ask yourself:
- • Is the scope of the article relevant to the focus of the journal, Leadership?
- • How well does the purpose of the article advance knowledge of the topic/subject area from a leadership perspective?
- • Who is the intended audience relative to the journal’s broad readership base of higher education academic and administrative professionals (executive and senior leaders, mid-managers, supervisors, front-line staff) from a multitude of institution types (two-year, four-year, public, private) across the globe?
Structure:
A manuscript should be organized around three major sections: an introduction, a main body, and a concluding summary.Startwith an outline of the major points that are to be made. To ensure each of the three sections has a clear focus, consider the following guiding questions.
I - INTRODUCTION:
- Tell the reader what the article is about in terms that resonate with the intended audience and peak their interest.
- • What is the central purpose of the article and argument(s) being made?
- • Who is/are the intended audience(s)?
- • What value/benefits will compel the audience(s) to read on?
- • What content is going to be covered?
- • Is the author’s voice clear (i.e., the perspective from which the article is written)?
II - BODY:
- Tell the reader the main points of your central argument and organize the substantiating information accordingly, using headings and sub-headings.
- • How do the arguments being made fit into the wider literature?
- • Is there a theoretical framework or assumption that underlies the central argument?
- • What research or evidence substantiates the arguments being made?
- • Is there a logical sequence to the arguments presented, from general to specific?
- • Does the content deliver on what was promised by the title and introduction?
III - SUMMARY:
- Present an interestingconclusion that summarizes the points made in the main body, and invite readers to take action and/or engage in further reading.
- • Have the purpose and central argument(s) been restated?
- • Have the major points been summarized along with substantiating evidence?
- • Has the significance of the arguments to the reader and profession been articulated?
- • Are there limitations/qualifications that are important for the reader to understand?
- • Is there a clear ending that invites action and/or further reading?
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Style:
- The style of presentation should be sufficiently simple to be understood by the general readership.
- • Is the title enticing, relevant, short, and simple (i.e., eight words or less)?
- • Are paragraphs reasonably short in length and constructed with simple sentences (not overly wordy) that group similar ideas together?
- • Has terminology been defined (avoiding the use of jargon and acronyms)?
- • Are pronouns (first, second, third person) and verb tenses (past, present) used appropriately and consistently throughout the article?
- • Are visuals such as tables/charts/graphs effectively used and referenced in the text to enhance understanding of the major points being made?
- • Are visuals numbered, titled, and appropriately cited?
- • Is there a relative balance of information presented across the three sections?
- • Is the total word count between 3,000-4,000 words (including references)?
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- It is the author’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the data/research presented, and to appropriately acknowledge and cite information sources and resources.
- • Is data/research represented and presented accurately?
- • Are references and resources credible and current (i.e., not overly dated)?
- • Have ideas and information taken from other sources been appropriately attributed in the text and cited using APA format.
Accuracy:
Once the article has been checked (and re-checked!) relative to the aforementioned guidelines, it is ready to submit to the Managing Editor at rsloan@chairacademy.com.
After submission, each manuscript is reviewed carefully to determine if it fits the purpose and thematic topic of the upcoming journal edition. If journal representatives are enthusiastic about the work, the Managing Editor will appoint a reviewer who will work closely with you to refine the article as needed in order to ensure it meets quality standards for publication.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Authors submitting to the Academy's Leadership journal are responsible for securing any permissions or licensing pertaining to the use of copyrighted materials and photographs. Authors of accepted manuscripts assign the Academy the right to publish and distribute their text in the journal and on the web, and to archive it and make it permanently retrievable. Authors do retain their copyright, so that after the article has been printed in the Academy's Leadership journal, they may republish their text in any manner they wish, as long as the Academy's Leadership journal is acknowledged as the original site of publication. Articles that have already been published or are being considered for publication elsewhere are not eligible to be considered for publication in the Academy's Leadership journal, unless a cross-publishing arrangement has been previously negotiated.
Editorial Process
The Academy's Leadership journal has a peer review process. Authors can begin this process by submitting their article
to the editor and reviewing the submission guidelines.
Step One
Once the article or review has been sent to the editor a receipt of submission will be sent within two weeks. The
article is then reviewed by the editorial board. The reviews are blind to the
board members as they do not know the names of the authors and the authors do not know which member reviewed their
article. Notations from the reviews are collected by the editor and a disposition is made. The dispositions are:
accept as written, accept with minor revisions by the editor, accept with revisions by the author (in this case a
board member is assigned to work with the author), or not suitable for publication.
Step Two