1. Aims & Scope
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders is the official journal of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.
The Journal welcomes submissions on all aspects of speech, language, communication disorders and speech and language therapy. It provides a forum for the exchange of information and discussion of issues of clinical or theoretical relevance in the above areas. The Journal publishes a range of articles, including research reports, reviews, discussions and clinical fora, as well as editorials or commentaries commissioned by the editor(s). Research reports from both quantitative and qualitative frameworks are encouraged but must have appropriate and clear methodology and thoroughly analysed and interpreted results. Further information about the Journal, including links to the online sample copy and contents pages, can be found on the Journal homepage.
2. Submission of Manuscripts
All submissions should be made online at the International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders Manuscript Central site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.
Your covering letter should state clearly which Editor your submission is for (see below).
Dr Nicola Botting deals with submissions on:
Dr Katerina Hilari deals with submissions on:
-
Adults' communication and disorders
-
Service provision related to speech and language therapy
-
Clinical education
-
Other areas not covered above
If you experience any problems in your submission, please contact the relevant Editor directly, preferably by email:
Dr Katerina Hilari
Department of Language and Communication Science
City University
London
EC1V 0HB, UK
Dr Nicola Botting
Department of Language and Communication Science
City University
London
EC1V 0HB, UK
Your submissions should be accompanied by a covering email/letter stating that: a) the submitted paper comprises original, unpublished material and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; b) the study on which the paper has been based has received full ethical approval by an appropriate Research Ethics Committee.
3. Preparation of Manuscripts
Manuscripts must be written in English. Authors are referred to recent copies of the Journal and are encouraged to copy exactly the published format of papers therein.
Text should be supplied in a format compatible with Microsoft Word for Windows (PC). Charts and tables are considered textual and should also be supplied in a format compatible with Word. All figures--illustrations, diagrams, photographs--should be supplied in jpg format.
All manuscripts must be typed in 12pt font and in double space with margins of at least 2.5 cm.
Please also note the following:
-
In writing your paper, you are encouraged to review articles in the area you are addressing which have been previously published in the Journal, and where you feel appropriate, to reference them. This will enhance context, coherence, and continuity for readers.
Phonetic Symbols
To ensure that phonetic fonts convert to pdf correctly, use the font DoulosSIL. This can be downloaded free of charge from www.sil.org. Fonts must also be embedded. To do this click Tools from the top menu bar, go to Options and select the Save tab. Tick the box to 'Embed TrueType Fonts' and click OK. Authors are also asked to upload a pdf copy of their manuscript, designated as 'file not for review'. In the event that phonetic fonts do not convert properly, this will expedite the review process.
3.1 Publication types
Research Reports: a full report of a research study using appropriate quantitative or qualitative methods
Reviews: a review of theoretical or clinical topics or issues that entails a critique of current research or addresses significant issues or takes a novel and interesting view.
Short Reports: a short paper reporting some preliminary or interesting results or a small scale study.
Clinical Forum: a target article on clinical issues or topics of interest to the readership presenting novel or controversial views or taking a novel stance on issues, followed by peer-commentary and an author's reply.
Discussions: a relatively short discussion of some theoretically or clinically relevant topics or issues.
Editorials or commentaries: a short article on novel or controversial topics or topics of interest to the readership, commissioned by the editor(s).
Letters: letters relating to materials previously published in the Journal or to topical issues.
Special issues: part or whole special issues comprising a collection of papers on a particular theme and usually edited by a guest editor.
3.2 Word limits
It is recommended that authors do not exceed the following word limits. Word limits include all text (article, references, tables, figures)
- 8000 words for research reports and discussions. No more than 30 references.
- 10000 words for reviews. No more than 50 references.
- 2000 words for short reports. No more than 15 references.
- 1000 words for editorials or commentaries. No more than 10 references.
3.3 Manuscript components
Manuscripts must include:
Manuscript Type: Please state the type of manuscript, choosing from those listed above (e.g. 'Review' or 'Short Report').
Title Page. This should contain the manuscript type, article title, a running head not exceeding 50 characters (including spaces), 3-6 keywords and full contact details of the authors (including telephone and fax numbers and emails).
Structured Abstracts. Authors submitting papers should note that structured abstracts (between 150-400 words) are now required for all papers. Please do not include references in the abstracts. There is good evidence that structured abstracts are clearer for readers and facilitate better appropriate indexing and citation of papers. The essential features of the structured abstract are given below. Note in particular that any clinical implications should be clearly stated. Note also that the headings should be included in the text, as section markers.
Declaration of interest. It is the policy of all Informa Healthcare to adhere in principle to the Conflict of Interest policy recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE,
http://www.icmje.org/index.html#conflict).
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. It is the sole responsibility of authors to disclose any affiliation with any organisation with a financial interest, direct or indirect, in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (such as consultancies, employment, paid expert testimony, honoraria, speakers' bureaus, retainers, stock options or ownership, patents or patent applications or travel grants) that may affect the conduct or reporting of the work submitted. All sources of funding for research are to be explicitly stated. If uncertain as to what might be considered a potential conflict of interest, authors should err on the side of full disclosure.
All submissions to the journal must include full disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should state that there are none. This must be stated at the point of submission (within the manuscript after the main text under a subheading "Declaration of interest" and, where available, within the appropriate field on the journal's Manuscript Central site). This may be made available to reviewers and will appear in the published article at the discretion of the Editors or Publisher.
If no conflict is declared, the following statement will be attached to all articles:
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
The intent of this policy is not to prevent authors with these relationships from publishing work, but rather to adopt transparency such that readers can make objective judgements on conclusions drawn.
For Research Reports, Short Reports and Clinical Forum papers Background. Describe the background to the study.
Aims. State the aims and objectives of the study including any clear research questions or hypotheses.
Methods & Procedures. Outline the methodology and design of experiments, the participants targeted and how they were recruited, the materials employed and the nature of the analyses performed.
Outcomes & Results. Outline the participants characteristics with basic relevant demographic information and the important and relevant results of the analyses.
Conclusions & Implications. State the basic conclusions and implications of the study. State, clearly and usefully, if there are implications for management, treatment or service delivery.
For Reviews and Discussions Background. Outline the background to the review.
Aims. State the primary objective of the paper; the reasons behind your critical review and analyses of the literature;
Methods: State your approach and methods if relevant and the sources you used to retrieve references
Main Contribution. The main outcomes of the paper and results of analyses; and any implications for future research and for management, treatment or service delivery.
Conclusions. State your main conclusions.
Text. This should in general, but not necessarily, be divided into sections with the headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Summary and/or Conclusion(s). The text must be in the
exact format of the Journal.
'
What this paper adds'.. Please include a box offering the main points your paper adds to the literature, for readers who would like an overview without reading the whole paper. We recommend that this is divided into two short sections, each with 1-3 short sentences.
Section 1: What is already known on this subject In a couple of short sentences say what was already known on this subject before you did your study and why your study needed to be done. Be clear and specific, not vague.
Section 2: What this study adds In a couple of short sentences give a simple answer to the question 'What do we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before?' Be brief, succinct, specific and accurate. You might use the last sentence to summarise any clinical or theoretical implications that your study has.
Tables and Figures. Tables and figures should be referred to in text as follows: figure 1, table 1. The place at which a table or figure is to be inserted in the printed text should be indicated clearly on the manuscript. Each table and/or figure must have a legend that explains its purpose without reference to the text.
Artwork submitted for publication will not be returned and will be destroyed after publication, unless otherwise requested.
Colour figures. a. Any figure submitted as a colour original will appear in colour in the journal's online edition free of charge and can be downloaded.
b. Paper copy colour reproduction will only be considered on condition that authors contribute to the associated costs. Charges are:
500/US$1030 for the first colour page and
250/US$515 for each colour page after per article. (Colour costs will be waived for invited Review Articles.)
References. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders uses the Harvard (Author Date) system to indicate references in the text, tables and legends. The full references should be listed alphabetically, and presented following the text of the manuscript.
The Journal uses the following conventions for references:
To a book: BANDLER, R. and GRINDER, J., 1979,
Frogs into Princes: Neuro-linguistic Programming (Moab, Utah: Real People Press).
To a chapter in a book BENJAMIN, B. J., 1988, Changes in speech production and linguistic behaviours with aging. In B. B. Shadden (eds),
Communication Behaviour and Aging. A Sourcebook for Clinicians (Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins), pp. 162-181.
To an article in a journal BIEVER, D. M. and BLESS, D. M., 1989, Vibratory characteristics of the vocal folds in young and adult geriatric women.
Journal of Voice,
3, 120-131.
Reference to a newspaper or magazine RICHARDS, H., 1996, Republican life?
The Times Higher Education Supplement, 1 November, 16.
Reference to an Internet source RCSLT. Country by country: SLT information oversees. http://www.rcslt.org/pdfs/countries.pdf (accessed 1 January 2005).
Reference to a case in law In text, italicize names of plaintiffs and defendants:
Miranda v. Arizona 1974
Reference to government legislation US Congress, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1956,
The Mutual Security Act of 1956,
84th Congress, second session, report 2273. US Congress, House Committee on Banking & Currency, 1945,
Bretton Woods
3.4 Book Reviews The following material should appear in all reviews in the order of the following example (note also the punctuation):
(Title of book)Scientific Thinking in Speech and Language Therapy By CARMEL LUM (Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002) [Pp. 259.] ISBN 0-8058-4029-X. $39.95 (hbk).
4. Proofs The Editor reserves the right to proceed to press without submitting page proofs to the author. However, usual practice will involve electronically sending one set to the corresponding author, unless otherwise requested. Proofs should be returned within three days by email, fax or express post. Authors will be charged for excessive correction at this stage of production.
If authors do not return page proofs within five days of receipt, the Editor reserves the right to either delay publication to a subsequent issue or to proceed to press without author corrections.
5. Early Electronic Offprints
Corresponding authors can now receive their article by e-mail as a complete PDF. This allows the author to print up to 50 copies, free of charge, and disseminate them to colleagues. In many cases this facility will be available up to two weeks prior to publication. Alternatively, corresponding authors may receive the traditional 50 offprints. A copy of the journal will be sent by post to corresponding authors after publication. Additional copies of the journal can be purchased at the author's preferential rate of
15.00/US$25.00 per copy.
6. Copyright
It is a condition of publication that authors vest or license copyright in their articles, including abstracts, in the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapy. This ensures full copyright protection and allows dissemination of the article, and the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors may use the article elsewhere after publication and with prior permission from the College, provided that acknowledgement is given to the Journal as the original source of publication, and that the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists is notified so that its records show that the use is properly authorised.
A copyright agreement will be sent to the corresponding author of accepted manuscripts with proofs. This should be signed and returned to Informa Healthcare.
7. NIH Public Access Policy In consideration of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy, Informa Healthcare acknowledges that the broad and open dissemination of NIH-funded-research results may benefit future scientific and medical research. Because we value the current and future contributions our journals make to the scientific body of knowledge, we have made certain that our policies accommodate those authors who wish to submit to PubMed Central.
Informa Healthcare's position with respect to public access to NIH-funded work published in Informa Healthcare journals is as follows:
- Informa Healthcare authors may voluntarily submit their funded work to PubMed Central after a 12-month embargo period;
- “funded work” shall be defined as the final, peer-reviewed manuscript that is accepted by the Editor in Chief of the journal. This manuscript must not be altered by Publisher's copyediting and typesetting services; and
- this embargo period begins the day the work is published online at www.informaworld.com
Recommend
Mark
Alert
Link
Print
