All submissions should be made online at Practice's ScholarOne Manuscripts site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.

Authors should prepare and upload two versions of their manuscript. One should be a complete text, while in the second all document information identifying the author should be removed from files to allow them to be sent anonymously to referees. When uploading files authors will then be able to define the non-anonymous version as "File not for review". More information for reviewers can be found here.

Practice is intended, as the name suggests, as a forum for research and ideas related to the practice of social work. We particularly welcome contributions from practitioners. If we feel that an article can be improved, most of our assessors will provide detailed suggestions as to how this might be done.

Material submitted to Practice should not knowingly give offence and should demonstrate sensitivity to anti-discriminatory practice. The confidentiality of identifiable individuals should be maintained unless informed consent has been obtained, and a statement confirming this must be included. We encourage the model of emancipatory research which respects the rights and dignity of those participating in it.

Major articles should be 3,000-5,000 words in length but shorter notes on research in progress, new innovations in practice, or comments on papers previously published in the journal are also welcomed. Although the bulk of the journal's readership is within the UK it also has a substantial international readership and papers from overseas are welcomed. In considering papers for publication the journal's assessors take into account not only the intrinsic merit, but readability and interest to the range of journal readers. Assessors are asked to look for relevance to practice, wider applicability of the material, the appropriateness of language and the ability of the writer to keep the reader's attention. The paper must include a section which explicitly draws out the messages for practitioners and for social work/social care practice.

Papers should not exceed 5,000 words, and all submissions will be sent to two assessors for their comments. Manuscripts should be double spaced, with ample margins of at least one inch and the approximate number of words should be stated. The first page should include the title of the paper, name(s) of author(s) and the academic and/or professional qualifications as commonly used by the author, main appointment and address. Please state whether or not you are a previously published author as the journal seeks to encourage and supports new writers. The second page should repeat the title, and contain a summary of not more than 200 words and three key words. Where English is not the language in which the article is first written, a further summary should be provided in the author's first language. The third page should repeat the title as the heading to the start of the main text of the paper. All pages should be numbered. Proofs for checking will normally be sent to the first author named, to whom any correspondence and offprints will also be addressed. Footnotes to the text should be avoided wherever this is reasonably possible.

Authors should also provide a brief biographical note (not more than 50 words) together with an email address.

Papers will be considered providing that they are not submitted simultaneously elsewhere for publication.

References should follow the Chicago author-date system, i.e. they should be indicated in the typescript by giving the author's name, with the year of publication in parentheses, e.g. Smith (1997), Smith and Jones (1998), Smith, Jones, and Baker (1999); if there are more than three authors, Smith et al. (2000). A page number must be given where a direct quotation is made, e.g. (Smith 2001, 277). References to more than one publication from the same year by the same author should be distinguished by a, b, c, etc. All references cited in the text should be listed in full at the end of the paper in the following form:

Carnaby, S. 1997. What do you think? A qualitative approach to evaluating individual planning services. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 41(3): 225-31.

Community Care Archive. 2001. Carers act must be funded to succeed [accessed 15 February 2001]. Available at www.community-care.co.uk.

Department of Health. 2002. Planning with people: Towards person centred approaches. London: The Stationery Office. Milner, J., and P. O'Byrne. 1998. Assessment in social work. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Reed, J., and D. Stanley. 2001. Discharge from hospital to care home. In Care services for later life, edited by A. M. Warnes, L. Warren and M. Nolan. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Titles of journals should not be abbreviated.

Illustrations should not be inserted in the text but each provided separately and numbered with Figure numbers, title of paper and name. All photographs, graphs and diagrams should be referred to as Figures and should be numbered consecutively in the text in Arabic numerals (e.g. Figure 1). A list of captions for the figures should be submitted on a separate sheet and should make interpretation possible without reference to the text. Captions should include keys to symbols.

Tables should be typed on separate sheets and should be given Arabic numbers (e.g. Table 1). Their approximate position in the text should be indicated. Units should appear in parentheses in the column heading but not in the body of the table. Words or numerals should be repeated on successive lines; 'ditto' or 'do' should not be used.

Proofs will be sent to the author, normall by email, if there is sufficient time to do so. Proofs including proofs of illustrations are supplied for checking and making essential corrections, not for general revision or alteration. Proofs should be corrected and returned within 3 days of receipt.

Author Reprints. Corresponding authors will receive 50 free reprints, free online access to their article through our website (www.informaworld.com) and a complimentary copy of the issue containing their article. Additional reprints can be purchased through Rightslink® when proofs are received or alternatively on our journals website. If you have any queries, please contact our reprints department at reprints@tandf.co.uk

Copyright. It is a condition of publication that authors assign copyright or license the publication rights in their articles, including abstracts, to the British Association of Social Workers. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article, and of course the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors may, of course, use the article elsewhere after publication without prior permission from Taylor & Francis, provided that acknowledgement is given to the Journal as original source of publication, and that Taylor & Francis is notified so that our records show that its use is properly authorised. Authors retain a number of other rights under the Taylor & Francis rights policies documents. These policies are referred to at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authorrights.pdf for full details. Authors are themselves responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.