Submissions
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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word.
  • Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
  • The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines below.

Author Guidelines

All submissions to the Journal of Civic Information should be made using the online submission form. Submissions must comply with all items below. Non-compliant submissions will be returned to authors for revision before consideration.

Format and Length

Microsoft Word is the preferred format for submission of text documents. Paper copies are not accepted. The journal does not prescribe a minimum or maximum length. If the submission is in another form of media (video, audio, etc.), please consult with the editor for appropriate submissions guidelines.

Layout

All manuscripts must be submitted in standard format, including standard 1-inch margins, single column, and 12-point Times Roman font, double-spaced, flush left and right. Manuscripts should use a maximum of three layers of headers. Author names or other individually identifiable information should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Include on the first page:

  • Title

  • An informative abstract of 100 words or less

  • Five or six keywords

  • Three to five bulleted key takeaway points (short sentences) that practitioners can easily digest and apply in their work. This is your opportunity to succinctly sell the findings and practical application, bridging academic research with those who might use it

Citation Styles

The journal accepts papers in one of two different citation styles: 1) Bluebook style with footnotes for legal analysis papers, or 2) American Psychological Association style with a reference list at the end (7th ed., 2019) for social science manuscripts. For APA style, authors may wish to consult the Purdue Online Writing Lab APA Formatting and Style Guide, which is freely available online. If you are using citation management software (Zotero, EndNote, etc), please remove all field codes before submitting the article.

Organization

Submissions should be organized according to the guidelines in the section policies below.

Data Files

Some quantitative papers may rely on datasets, such as survey data or experimental data. The journal does not require the underlying data to accompany articles, although we strongly encourage it so the data may be provided online for readers to examine and analyze themselves. If so:

  1. The deposited data should include a version that is in an open, non-proprietary format.

  2. The deposited data should have been labelled in such a way that a third party can make sense of it (e.g. sensible column headers, descriptions in a readme text file).

  3. The deposited data must be actionable – i.e. if a specific script or software is needed to interpret it, this should also be archived and accessible.

  4. Studies involving human subjects should adhere to local ethical standards at the host institution. Participant data should be sufficiently anonymized and appropriate consent forms should be signed.

Figures, Illustrations and Media

Figures, tables, photos, and illustrations should be included/embedded in the manuscript file to facilitate the peer review process and final publication. Color graphics are encouraged.

As appropriate, authors are encouraged to submit supplementary audio-visual materials (videos, screencasts, etc.) to illustrate the techniques or practices discussed in their articles. Videos will be posted alongside published articles. Note: If subjects other than the author(s) are pictured in the video, signed releases from the video participants will be required before videos are posted to the journal website.

  • Figures and Tables
    All figures (charts/graphs) should be submitted as Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx) files. Multiple charts/graphs may be submitted as separate Excel files, or may be submitted as separate worksheets in one Excel workbook file. All tables should be submitted as a separate Word (.doc or .docx) file (multiple tables may be included in the same Word file). Figures and tables should be clearly labeled, with appropriate captions listed directly under each figure or table. There should be clear markers within the manuscript to identify the placement of each figure/table.

  • Illustrations/Photographs
    Images (either for inclusion in the manuscript or supplementary files) should be submitted as separate, high quality, uncompressed image files (no lower than 300 dpi) in either .EPS, .GIF, .TIFF, .PNG, or .JPG format . Image file names should be as precise as possible, and a corresponding marker should be placed within the manuscript to identify placement of each image. Image captions, as appropriate, should be included in square brackets in the manuscript immediately following the marker.

  • Multimedia (Audio or Video)
    Multimedia files (either as primary submissions or supplementary files) should be submitted as separate high quality files. Audio files should be in either .WAV, .AIF/.AIFF or .MP3 format. Video files should be in either .AVI, .MP4 or .MOV format. If a multimedia file is not explicitly referenced in the manuscript, its proposed use should be mentioned in the author's cover letter. If authors wish to submit multimedia files in alternative formats, please consult the editors prior to submission.

  • Other Supplementary Files
    Data files, code, executable programs and other file types may also be submitted as supplementary files. If you would like to submit a file type not addressed here, please contact the editors.

  • Bibliography
    The accuracy and completeness of the references are the responsibility of the author. Failure to submit accurate and properly formatted references may delay review and publication. References to unpublished material may be included. If such material may be of help in the evaluation of the paper, copies should be made available to the editor.

Correspondence

All correspondence should be addressed to the editor.

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