Microsoft Word - Consilience Submissions Checlist.docx 1 Consilience Author Submission Guidelines Table of Contents Author Checklist . . . . . . . . . . 2 Note from the Editors . . . . . . . . . 4 Scope of the Journal . . . . . . . . . 4 Types of Papers Accepted . . . . . . . . 5 Characteristics of Past Successful Submissions . . . . . 6 Formatting Guidelines . . . . . . . . . 7 Review, Production, and Publication Notes . . . . . . 8 Privacy Statement . . . . . . . . . . 9 2 Checklist As part of the submission process, authors are required confirm compliance with all of the following items. Submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines. Before submitting your paper, please check the following: _____ I confirm that I have read this document in its entirety _____ I confirm that the text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the "Formatting Guidelines" below. _____ I confirm that this is an original work, an update on a previous piece, or a reprint of an article that deserves wider discussion. _____ I confirm that this submission adheres to standard grammar conventions _____ I confirm that my uploaded file is in .docx file type and NOT .pdf _____ I confirm that I have read the Author Agreement – found on the Consilience website under the Submit to the Academic Journal Tab (signage is not required until the paper has been accepted for publication) Included with my submission is the following: _____ Cover Sheet: this should include the title of your article, your full name, institutional affiliation, and your email address. _____ Scholarly Abstract: this should include your thesis, methodology, and its relevance to other disciplines within the field of sustainable development. This should be no more than 250 words. _____ Author’s Note: The Consilience Editorial Board has found that readers enjoy learning about the author’s personal motivations for their involvement in their field of study and how they wish to contribute to sustainable development. This is your personal note to readers, describing the rationale for your study, your thesis, its relevance of the field of sustainable development and future avenues for research. The author’s note should be no more than ten sentences. _____ Keywords: please include 3 to 6 keywords describing the content of the article. _____ Full Text Manuscript (upload a Word document, not PDF) 3 _____ Bibliography, as outlined in the "Formatting Guidelines" below _____ Appendices or Supplementary Material: we strongly encourage you to include any relevant photographs, charts, or graphs within the body of the article itself, beside relevant passages. These should be cited appropriately. 4 Note from the Editors Dear Author, Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development is a journal dedicated to promoting dialogue on sustainable development by brining students, researchers, professors, and practitioners from a variety of disciplines and geographical regions in direct conversation with each other through an online, academically rigorous medium. The field of sustainable development is broad and can encompass a wide variety of topics, related to the science, economics, politics, and society. As an interdisciplinary journal, Consilience encourages its contributors to submit articles of relevance to many fields related to the study and practice of sustainable development. Consilience also encourages authors of all experience levels, sectors, and disciplines to submit. Our process for screening submissions in very competitive, so please be sure to read this document in its entirety before submitting your paper. Papers which do not follow our guidelines will be at a disadvantage during our screening process. The opinions expressed within Consilience do not necessarily reflect those of the journal, its staff, its Advisory Boards, or affiliates, or those of Columbia University. Questions should be directed to consiliencejournal@gmail.com. For more information and to read the journal, please visit www.consiliencejournal.org. The Editorial Board is based at Columbia University in New York City. Thank you for considering Consilience. We look forward to reading your work. - The Consilience Editorial Team Scope of the Journal Consilience publishes scholarly articles, opinion pieces, field notes, editorial columns and photo essays. By providing a public platform for discussion, we hope to encourage a global community to think more broadly, thoroughly, and analytically about sustainable development. The journal is run by a team of undergraduate and graduate students, under the guidance of faculty from Columbia University in the City of New York. Consilience draws submissions from across five continents. We have published or are currently editing submissions from: 5 • Europe – Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom • Asia – China, India, Malaysia, Palestine, Philippines • Africa – Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda • Oceania – Australia, New Zealand • Latin America – Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela • United States of America Typically, more than 50% of our submissions are from outside the USA. In Issue 6 (Summer 2012), roughly 1/3rd of our authors were academics and researchers, 1/3rd were graduate students and 1/3rd were undergraduate students. Types of Papers Accepted Scholarly Articles Scholarly articles are original, research-based articles that contribute new understandings or approaches to topics in sustainable development. Such articles are thoroughly substantiated by existing research in order to introduce innovative findings; thus, articles contain numerous citations from scholarly sources. Some authors may wish to include a concise literature review, although a specific literature review section is not required. Authors should also include discussions of recommendations and implications of their findings. Implications should be global in nature and not confined to specific case studies discussed in the article. Given the rigor of the research, scholarly articles contain technical language and use of appropriate terminology. Accompanying graphs, charts, and statistical analysis are often appropriate to include. These types of articles typically run longer than opinion pieces, field notes, and photo essays. Although Consilience does not designate a particular word or page limit, scholarly articles typically run between 12 and 18 pages, excluding bibliography and appendices. Opinion Pieces Opinion pieces are designed to offer compelling arguments regarding controversial topics in sustainable development, including attendant challenges, strengths and theories. The main difference between opinion pieces and scholarly articles is that opinion pieces are less technically constructed, hence catering to the educated lay reader. Opinion pieces are also typically shorter than scholarly articles, rarely exceeding 15 pages. Authors may wish to include photographs and figures to illustrate their claims. Field Notes 6 A field note is a narrative that describes primary research conducted by the author(s). Research may consist of interviews, observations, data collection, or post-field work reflections. Fieldwork should generally provide a broader commentary on a topic or trend in sustainable development. Research should build on existing information and should contribute new or supportive findings in order to provide an argument that considers previous research as well as future steps for further research. The implications of the findings should be globalized so as to expand upon specific case studies. Research should also be accompanied by appropriate statistical analysis. Authors may find it helpful to illustrate their findings through figures, graphs, and photographs. Photo Essays A photo essay is primarily a narrative that illustrates a topic in sustainable development through the lens of photographs. The series of photos should introduce an issue then depict the problem, trend, or solution regarding that issue in sustainable development. Photographs should be impactful and artfully convey information as well as emotions of affected communities. Although all photo essays differ in structure, typical photo essays follow one of two progressions. One progression narrates a story by depicting a phenomenon, organization, or individual over time. Another progression concentrates on a particular subject, such as climate change, in order to demonstrate the consequences or lessons that can be learned from that subject. Authors may either choose or combine structures of photo essays to best articulate their topic. Additional elements that should be incorporated into an essay include: context, captions, and conclusions. All photos should be taken by the author(s). The following is a description of different types of photos found in photo essays: • Lead Photo: captures the reader’s attention and introduces the central idea of the essay. • Landscape Photos: provide context for the narrative. • Portraits: depict the subjects or figures featured in the essay. • Detail Photos: convey additional information or emotional aspects in order to enhance the understanding of the topic. • Clincher Photo: concludes the essay by implicating the reader. Characteristics of Past Successful Submissions The Consilience Editorial Team has chosen to include the following information about past submissions selected for publication. The information in this section is solely for your convivence: they are guidelines—they are not requirements. It is not necessary that all pieces meet all conditions; however, it is necessary that all pieces meet all requirements outlined in Section One (Author Checklist) Accepted pieces generally conform to many of these criteria: 7 • Contribute in a fruitful and valuable manner to the field of sustainable development. • Demonstrate creative thinking about a particular issue and its attendant challenges. • Move beyond a simple restating of facts. • Be accessible to a broad population interested in sustainable development and attempt to make linkages between different disciplines and areas of research and/or practice. • Be thought-provoking. • Be well-written. All pieces should progressively develop an argument throughout the piece and should follow a comprehensible and logical structure. • Reflect the particular voice, ideas, and work of the writer. • Propose solutions and remedies where appropriate; suggest further research possibilities. • Offer one or more perspectives on a particular issue. Articles that are ideal for acceptance will be interdisciplinary by nature. Formatting Guidelines Please include the following with your submission: 1. Cover Sheet: this should include the title of your article, your full name, institutional affiliation, and your email address. 2. Scholarly Abstract: this should include your thesis, methodology, and its relevance to other disciplines within the field of sustainable development. This should be no more than 250 words. 3. Author’s Note: The Consilience Editorial Board has found that readers enjoy learning about the author’s personal motivations for their involvement in their field of study and how they wish to contribute to sustainable development. This is your personal note to readers, describing the rationale for your study, your thesis, its relevance of the field of sustainable development and future avenues for research. The author’s note should be no more than ten sentences. 4. Keywords: please include 3 to 6 keywords describing the content of the article. 5. Full Text 6. Citations (see below) 7. Appendices or Supplementary Material: we strongly encourage you to include any relevant photographs, charts, or graphs within the body of the article itself, beside relevant passages. These should be cited appropriately. Citations Consilience requires in-text citations with an accompanying bibliography in APA format. For authors who want to include supplementary information, we prefer footnotes, not endnotes. For assistance with APA formatting, please refer to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. 8 Formatting 1. Section headings and article title: Garamond, 16 pt, bold 2. Author’s name and affiliations: Center text, Garamond, 12 pt 3. Scholarly abstract and author’s note: Justified, Garamond, 10 pt 4. Keywords: Justified, Garamond, 12 pt 5. Article body text and bibliography: Garamond, 12 pt 6. Subheadings: Garamond, 14 pt, bold 7. Captions: Garamond, 12 pt 8. Figures: Centered, top of page 9. Footnote numbering: Garamond, 12 pt, superscript Review, Production, and Publication Notes Creative Commons As of 2015, Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Articles published prior to 2015 fall under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeriviates License. All authors should consult the Creative Commons website if they would like to specify a particular license for their articles. Authors retain the rights to their articles, though Consilience asks authors to contact the journal before republishing. Editorial Review Process All papers selected for submission will undergo a rigorous review by the Consilience Editorial Board, and if deemed necessary the Consilience Corresponding Board (consisting of graduate students) or Consilience Advisory Board (consisting of professors or advanced scholars of sustainable development). Submissions will be edited for style and content. There are two main rounds of editing, the first focusing on structural and content issues, the second on stylistic and small-scale issues. Authors should be aware that they will likely be expected to revise submitted articles prior to publication. Please note that as this is a student-run journal, it is not technically peer reviewed. Submission Screening Process While Consilience will make every effort to respond to all submissions, it cannot guarantee that all submissions will receive a response. Please contact Consilience at consiliencejournal@gmail.com if you do not receive an email within two months of submitting. 9 While we consider every submission, our selection process is very competitive. As an interdisciplinary journal which strives to publish a diverse array of voices, there is no single theme or type of submission which is favored over the other. Submissions which do not follow our formatting guidelines will be at a disadvantage in our screening process. Submission Details Consilience cannot return submitted manuscripts or documents. Consilience reserves the right to exclude any article from inclusion in final publication at any point in this process. Consilience also maintains the right to edit, delete, or change any aspect of an article at its own discretion. Any major changes will be communicated to the author prior to publication. In addition, Consilience may reproduce, excerpt, or otherwise utilize published material in future Consilience publications, on the Consilience website, or at Consilience events without the explicit consent of the author. Consilience maintains a commitment to protecting the work of its authors and to ensuring that this work is not reproduced unlawfully or without the author’s permission by other parties. Privacy Statement The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.