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Please see below for information about:

  • Notes to NACADA Journal Contributors and Subscribers
  • Manuscript Review Process
  • Manuscript Guidelines
  • Submission Requirements
  • Additional Information and Resources

Notes to NACADA Journal Contributors and Subscribers

Establishing academic advising: 

As the longest standing single publication about academic advising, the NACADA Journal exerts a profound impact on the field. The Journal is responsive to the need for knowledge, theory, and research in academic advising and was the first peer-reviewed venue for scholarly inquiry the field. For more than 35 years the NACADA Journal has served as the preeminent authority on academic advising in higher education.

The NACADA Journal solidly contributes to academic advising and the academy by:  

  • building a collective knowledge base,
  • communicating information,
  • validating the quality of research, and
  • building a scholarly community. (Schaffner, 1994, ¶13)

Through a time-tested comprehensive review and editing process, the Journal offers the field a publication that encourages academic advisors to "develop a body of theory from which to educate future advisors.... This need for a coherent, nuanced theory is every bit as critical to the future of the profession as is the need for empirical research into the effectiveness of academic advising practice" (Shaffer, Zalewski, & Leveille, 2010, p. 73). 

NACADA Journal mission: The NACADA Journal, the biannual refereed flagship publications of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising advances scholarly discourse about the research, theory, and practice of academic advising in higher education. 

Readership: Electronically, the NACADA Journal is "open source" and can be accessed at http://nacadajournal.org/.

Articles considered for publication: The NACADA Journal editors select quality submissions (no more than 6000 words) for peer review from manuscripts that address a wide variety of interest areas. Although membership in NACADA is encouraged, authors need not be members to publish in the NACADA Journal. Prospective authors (e.g., faculty members, graduate students, administrators, and advising practitioners) represent a diversity of disciplines and fields of study. Important considerations for all manuscripts include discussions regarding the implications for academic advising practice, theory, or research when preparing manuscript submissions.  

Submit manuscripts as a Word document by logging on to the Peer Track site at http://www.editorialmanager.com/nacadajournal/. 

For technical assistance in submitting a manuscript to the NACADA Journal call Peer Track Support directly at (800) 627-0326 Ext. 178 or (785) 865-9178 Monday-Fridays 8 AM – 4:30 PM Central time. Authors may also email PeerTrack Support  at [email protected].

Review timeline: NACADA is committed to the timely review of manuscripts. However, NACADA is also committed to a developmental process that provides authors with constructive suggestions and encouragement when a submission has the potential to contribute to academic advising literature. This review process reflects NACADA's commitment to the development of scholar practitioners. 

Upon receipt of a manuscript, an editor is assigned. The assigned editor completes an initial "desk review" of the manuscript and determines its disposition which either is a) 'desk reject' without further consideration, b) move to "editor review" for potential further consideration, or c) assign to three peer reviewers, i.e., blind review. Every effort is made to complete the initial "desk review' within four (4) weeks of receipt of the manuscript. Authors of manuscripts in category 'a' receive notice of the disposition within a month. Authors of manuscripts falling into categories 'b' or 'c' typically are notified of the next steps within three to four months of the manuscript's submission.  

Journal peer review: Through double-blind peer review and subsequent developmental editing, contributors receive constructive input that corresponds with a publication designed to “advance scholarly discourse about the research, theory, and practice of academic advising in higher education” (NACADA, 2014, ¶3).

NACADA embraces and values peer review in the consideration of manuscripts for the Journal and, as with others in the scholarly community, believes that it "greatly contributes to the quality and accuracy of scholarly communication” (Peer Review, 2011, ¶2). NACADA editors select scholar-practitioners who mirror the diversity within the association to review manuscript drafts. As proof of their commitment to advancing the field and scholars, reviewers volunteer their time and talents to improve the literature base through the NACADA Journal.

Manuscript Review Process

After determining that a manuscript is ready for review the editors select reviewers to consider the merits of the manuscript, based on elements of originality, applicability, and appropriate use and interpretation of data. The entire review process generally takes from one to four months. Questions about manuscript guidelines should be emailed to: [email protected]. Authors can check on the status of submitted manuscripts by logging on to the Peer Track site at http://www.editorialmanager.com/nacadajournal/

Acceptance rate: Approximately 30% of the manuscripts submitted each year are accepted for publication. All manuscripts, whether ultimately accepted or not, receive the full attention of the manuscript reviewers and editors, who provide formative feedback to all who submit manuscripts for consideration. 

Journal Author agreement: Authors of a manuscripts accepted for publication must sign an author agreement prior to the manuscript moving into the copy edit phase.  

Journal editing and publishing -- showcasing scholarship: NACADA encourages all those interested in writing about academic advising to contribute to the expanding literature base of the field through the NACADA Journal. Furthermore, it strives to promote excellence in showcasing articles that distinguish the organization and the profession. Interested authors should gain familiarity with the specific guidelines for publishing in the Journal. To assist authors in effectively writing to the standards put forth by the reviewers, editors, and publishing style mandates, NACADA solicits input from experts as reviewers and content editors as well as specialists in developmental and copy editing. Each manuscript receives in-depth attention by those with decades of experience working with new and seasoned authors in the Journal publication process.

Authorship does not end upon manuscript acceptance; rather writers enter the teamwork phase with respective editors as the creation of a NACADA publication evolves. A writer can expect to revise the manuscript after reviewers and Journal editors refine the focus of the work. The author then will address specific queries and incorporate directives through the developmental and copy editing stages. 

Additional publication opportunities in the NACADA Journal:

The editors will consider "To the Editor" letters that do not exceed 1200 words. Submit "To the Editor" letters using the same guidelines as above. The title (cover) page should include the authors' full name(s), degree(s), affiliation(s) and the corresponding author's contact information. Letters can have references but do not have an abstract.

 To discuss potential topics for publication, please contact the NACADA Journal at [email protected]

Manuscript Guidelines

General Author Instructions: Please review the author submission guidelines on the "For Authors" tab carefully. 

Style Authorities: The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA; 7th Edition) and Webster’s Dictionary are the authorities used to generate and edit NACADA scholarly publications. 

Ethics and Copyright: Manuscripts submitted to the NACADA Journal should not be currently under review by another journal or been made available in print (e.g., working paper series) or on the Internet.

Authors must secure permission from appropriate institutional review boards for use of human participants in research.

Authors are responsible for obtaining copyright permissions for previously published material, including graphics and data. Author contributions found to use plagiarized or self-plagiarized material that goes beyond what is recommended by APA will not be accepted for publication.

Peer Track: Authors upload their manuscripts into the Peer Track manuscript management system available from http://www.editorialmanager.com/nacadajournal/. Prompts will lead the author through the following sections. Before submitting, please review carefully the items needed to fully process a manuscript.

Submission Requirements

Title Page: A separate title page allows for blind review, thus all identifying information is featured only on the title page. Ensure that no information identifying the authors, their institutions, or the institutions cited in the original research are presented in the abstract, text, tables, or figures.

  • Limit titles to 12 words.
  • List names and affiliations of each author.
  • Include full mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail contact information of every author.
  • Clearly identify the corresponding, or lead, author. This person will be responsible for ushering the manuscript through the review and publication process. The lead author is responsible for keeping contact information updated and signing the copyright agreement.
  • Note all copyright constraints.
  • Provide information from appropriate oversight agencies on use of human participants as appropriate.

Abstract: The abstract should be included in the manuscript and also uploaded in the abstract window. Abstracts should review the purpose, results, and significance of the paper.

  • Do not exceed 120 words.
  • Do not cite references.
  • Do not use undefined acronyms or abbreviations.
  • Use numerals.

Key Words: Authors are highly encouraged to submit key words on both the manuscript and the key word upload window.  Key words help others find their research in a full Internet search.

  • Submit up to six unique, informative key words or short phrases (avoid overly general terms such as advising or student).
  • Avoid undefined abbreviations or acronyms.
  • Editors reserve the right to replace key words.

Text

Upload a separate Word docx of doc file (the body of the manuscript should be no more than 6000 words) that includes the title, abstract, key words, manuscript, and references. No identifying information (authors or institutions where the research took place) should be included in this manuscript file.

Please consult APA and Webster’s extensively when preparing a manuscript.

  • Excluding the title page, references, biographies, and abstract, do not exceed 6,000 words.
  • Submit all manuscript files as docs or doc files.
  • Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font in the entire file, including tables, figures, headings, captions, and table notes (page footnotes, generated properly in Word, will be smaller).
  • Double space the manuscript.
  • Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
  • Place page number in the upper-right corner.
  • Do not use space bar or soft returns to align text; apply tabs, not the space bar, only to indent the first sentence of a paragraph.
  • Do not use section or page breaks in the running text.
  • Use footnotes sparingly and never to solely cite a reference.

Equations: The author is responsible for ensuring that equations are rendered properly. Use the Word equation function.

Tables: All tables and figures are professionally typeset based on a standardized style. Authors should not apply pre-set or custom styles, shading, or spacing to make the tables look a certain way.

  • Number all tables (Arabic) as they are to appear in the text and ensure that all tables are mentioned in the text.
  • Use Word table generator; do not apply styles, shading, or underlining.
  • Do not copy and paste a table from Excel.
  • Do not use the space bar, soft returns, tabs, or hard returns to space table data.
  • Use a distinct table row or column for data points; that is, do not separate data in one cell with hard returns or tabs.
  • Do not use preselected column and row heights; use fit-to-contents option.
  • Single space all rows; do not allow lead or following spaces in the paragraph option.
  • Use *, **, †, ††, in this order, not bold or italics, to indicate significance of data.
  • Use superscript a, b, c, and so forth sparingly for table notes.

Figures:

  • Do not use figure if tables accurately relate the information. 
  • Number all figures (Arabic) as they are to appear in the text.
  • Generate all figures in Excel. Send the entire source file, including data sheets.
  • Do not use color in graphics; all NACADA publications are printed in black and white. To distinguish bars or lines, use patterns or very distinct shading.
  • The author is responsible for securing permission to use graphics or data from other sources.
  • If re-creating a graphic from another source, secure permission to adapt the figure.
  • High resolution, original graphics must be submitted (300-600 dpi) in Arial font attached.
  • Do not send a scan or photocopy of a graphic.

Appendices: Sometimes the NACADA Journal features appendices to help readers further study the issue presented. Submit appendices separately after attaching tables and figures in Peer Track. If more than one appendix is featured, use capital letters to refer to them in the running text: Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Follow guidelines for tables or figures, as appropriate, when formatting appendices.

References: The author is responsible for ensuring that all references are cited completely in the text and in the list.

  • Do not use the endnote feature of Word to generate reference lists. Citations must not be linked to any other part of the manuscript.
  • Turn off or delete hyperlinks.
  • Do not use hard returns or tabs for each line of a citation in the reference list. The typesetter will format the references, so use a single hard return only at the end of each complete citation.
  • Inclusion of doi numbers for journal articles is strongly encouraged.
  • Ensure that URLs lead to the article cited, not a home page or a broken link. Doi numbers are rapidly replacing URLs as more stable means of citing online references.

Authors’ Notes: The first paragraph of the Authors’ Notes should offer acknowledgments. Authors’ Notes also feature a biographical paragraph of each contributor; the information authors offer varies, but typically contributors include degrees earned, positions held, research interests, and past publications.  Contact information is required for the lead author, but e-mail addresses of other contributors may be included. The Authors' Notes information should be entered on the title page. Be sure none of this information appears in the body of the text.

Additional Peer Track requirements: At upload one author will be designated as the corresponding author.  This author will receive an e-mail noting that the manuscript has been sent to the editors. A unique identifier reference number will be sent by email to the corresponding author when the manuscript has been accepted for review by the editors. Save the reference number and use it in all correspondence regarding the submission.

References

NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. (2014). NACADA Journal.  Retrieved from https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Journal.aspx 

Peer Review. (2011). Professional scholarly publishing. Retrieved from http://www.pspcentral.org/pubfacts/pubFacts_004.cfm 

Schaffner, A. (1994). The future of scientific journals: Lessons from the past. Information Technology and Libraries, 13(4), 239-247. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/jwj/lis520/schaffner.html

Shaffer, L. S., Zalewski, J. M., & Leveille, J. (2010). The professionalization of academic advising: Where are we in 2010? NACADA Journal, 30(1), 66–77.

Smith, J. S. (2013). From the President: Keeping academic advising in the forefront of conversations in higher education. Academic Advising Today 36(1). Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/From-the-President-Keeping-Academic-Advising-in-the-Forefront-of-Conversations-in-Higher-Education.aspx

Additional information:

Questions: Address questions regarding the submission process to [email protected].