Author Guidelines

Manuscript Format

All manuscripts should follow APA format.  Pages should be numbered; Lines should be double spaced in Calibri or Times New Roman no smaller than 12-point font. The manuscript should be structured using the following components:

- Cover letter

The cover letter should contain a brief introduction to your manuscript and why it is an important addition to the literature.  The cover letter should state a verification that the manuscript is not under consideration by another publication or previously published.  The cover letter should clearly state if there are any conflicts of interest, and for initial submission should be no longer than one page.

- Title page

The title page should include the article title, author names and degrees (qualifications), and institutions.  One author should be indicated as the corresponding author with full contact information (address, phone number, and e-mail).  Include a short title that is also the running head for the manuscript. 

On the title page, include a line labeled as ‘Tweet’ that includes 220 characters of text composed to be used for publication of your article on the JCLD Twitter feed at the time of publication if accepted.  Please also include your Twitter handle if you have one.

On the title page, list word count for abstract, word count for the manuscript (do not include abstract, references, or tables/figures), number of figures, number of references, and five keywords.

A note on Authorship: Only persons who have actively participated in the research, writing, and editing of the manuscript should be listed as authors.

• Individuals who contributed to the manuscript to a lesser degree and who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments at the end of the manuscript.
• Anyone who contributes to the writing must be either listed as an author or acknowledged in the acknowledgments; ghost authors are not permitted. Note that this does not apply to individuals who edit a manuscript for style, grammar, or clarity.

- Abstract

Each original manuscript must be preceded by an abstract; exceptions to this requirement are Personal Essays, Conversations, Book Reviews, and Letters to the Editor, which do not require abstracts.

A structured abstract is required for Research articles (original research, review), Program/Interventions, and Brief Reports.  They should follow the Background, Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions (BOMRC) format.

Perspectives and 10-tips should have unstructured abstracts.

- Text

Write in the active voice. Headings and subheadings should be inserted at reasonable intervals:  Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions. 

The manuscripts should include a clear introductory statement of purpose, a review of the relevant literature, and a description of the methods and scope of the experiments or observations.  Information for studies must include the year the study was conducted, the total number of eligible participants, and the actual number of participants.  Qualitative research should include how participants were recruited.

- Tables, Figures, and Boxes

     Boxes. Should be used for single-cell tables, such as bulleted ideas. Boxes should be cited within the text where appropriate and should be placed after the References. A title should be provided.

     Tables. Should be used to present data relevant to the findings/conclusions and placed at the end of the document text file. Each table should be numbered in sequence using Arabic numerals (i.e., Table 1, 2, etc.).

     Figures. The use of figures is strongly encouraged to present concepts and process flow in a concise manner. Figures should be provided as separate, individual files. A brief title should be provided.

• The following file formats can be accepted: Microsoft Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, .jpg, .gif.
• Each figure should comprise a single file, with a resolution of 300 dpi or higher. Figures should be submitted in grayscale only.
• Figures should be cited consecutively in Arabic numerals in the text.
• Figure legends should be limited to 200 words and should contain sufficient explanation to allow figures to be interpreted without reference to the text.
• Figures must be submitted in a form that permits reproduction without retouching or typesetting. Lettering and labeling should be large enough to allow a reduction for page layout.

If figures, tables, or boxes have previously been published, it is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain permission from the copyright holder to reproduce them in JCLD. Appropriate credit text must be included in the figure legend. Documentation of permission to reproduce must be sent with the manuscript during submission.

- Photographs. Should be used to present images that aid understanding and should be high-quality images that can be scaled to fit the layout.

- Supplemental online content. JCLD encourages authors to share survey and assessment instruments, video or audio files, or other relevant data as supplemental material at the time of the first manuscript submission. These additional files will not be displayed in the print form of the article but will be made available in the online version. The editorial office reserves the right to convert figures or tables to online supplemental material.  Authors should list all supplemental content consecutively at the end of the manuscript. This should include the type of material submitted, should be clearly labeled as “supplemental content,” and be cited consecutively in the text.

- Acknowledgments

The Acknowledgment section should follow the Conclusion and has 4 components.

1. Contributors: List those who contributed to the manuscript but do not meet the criteria for authorship. The Editors reserve the right to request a letter of agreement from those listed in the Acknowledgment section. If you cite individuals (rather than groups) in any Acknowledgement, you may be asked to provide written approval from each for including their name(s) when the manuscript is accepted for publication.
2. Funders: Include any funding sources, grants, and other financial support received for the work represented in the manuscript (both internal and external). Include the granting institution, and grant number (if relevant).
3. IRB Approval or Exemption for Human Subject Research – list date and Organization granting approval/exemption. If the submission is not human subject research, make a statement to this effect.
4. Prior presentations: Include the name and date of any conference at which the manuscript was presented.

- References

Please follow APA Style for in-text citations using author-date method, e.g., (Jones, 2021). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper. The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a helpful source for formatting https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html

- Word Use

JCLD encourages clear, accurate, and specific language that does not overstate findings. Authors may find the following helpful:

• Significant should be used in the statistical sense to avoid confusion.
• Qualitative should be used for studies following rigorous qualitative methods.
• Assessment refers to measuring individuals, and Evaluation refers to measuring programs/interventions

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted by one of the authors of the manuscript. Submission of a manuscript indicates that:

• All authors have read and agreed with the manuscript’s content.
• Any research with human subjects was performed with the approval or exemption of an appropriate ethics or review board.  IRB approval date must be noted in the manuscript.
• Authors have obtained the required approvals and clearances to publish from their institutions, military services, or any other governing authorities.
• The author(s) own all rights in the work except as indicated by permission grants.
• The article is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by another journal.
• The data has not been fabricated, manipulated, or broken into small pieces for the purpose of publishing in small segments.

Authors should note the following:

• The submitting author takes responsibility for the article during submission and peer review.
• JCLD accepts all submissions via its online system.

Open Access Policy: The JCLD is an open access journal. Our published content is free to access without charge to the user or their institution. Authors pay no Article Processing Charge (APC). Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. Authors retain their copyright and agree to license their articles with a Creative Commons “Attribution” License (CC-BY) unless otherwise noted on the article landing page. You can read more about Creative Commons licenses at creativecommons.org.

Due to potential conflicts of interest, JCLD cannot accept articles sponsored by commercial interests or written by freelance or commercial writers (including writers from communication and education companies).

Questions about manuscript preparation and submission should be directed to the JCLD staff.

Reporting of all Results without regard to Statistical Significance

Publication Bias is the tendency to not publish, or delay the publication of trials reporting non-significant findings. JCLD is committed to reducing publication bias and is committed to evaluating and publishing, without prejudice based on statistical significance.  Authors are encouraged to submit all outcomes for publication.

Editorial and Peer Review Process

Manuscripts undergo an initial screening to determine fit with the JCLD’s focus and audience. Manuscripts selected are then sent for peer-review by reviewers who are selected based on their expertise.  Statistical reviews are requested as needed. Reviewers are asked to declare any competing interests.

Peer review seeks to evaluate the manuscript for its scientific merit including the significance of the topic’s relevance to the JCLD audience, connecting with existing literature/best practices in the field, methodological rigor, and quality and clarity of the writing.

After reviews are submitted, a recommendation of accept, reject, or revise (for further consideration) is made.  The final decision is made by JCLD Editorial Board and Editor, based on reviewer recommendations.

Accepted manuscripts are copyedited for grammar, punctuation, clarity of language, and style. Proofs are provided for author approval.  The Editorial Board may select articles as especially noteworthy and give them greater prominence, external publicity, or a commentary.

Revisions

A manuscript that is returned for revision will be given a date on the request for revision in which to make corrections.  In the event no date is specified, the author has 60 days to resubmit the manuscript for reconsideration.  Resubmitted manuscripts must follow the same procedures as the initial submission and include the following:

• A cover letter to the Editor addressing reviewer comments point-by-point. Responses use the same numbering system as the reviewer comments and the response to the reviewer comment should immediately follow each reviewer comment.  If you do not agree with a recommendation and decide not to incorporate the change in your manuscript, please clearly indicate your reasons.

• Two copies of the manuscript should be submitted, one with track changes and one that is a clean copy.
• The title page should reflect any changes that have been made, including updating the number of words, number of references, etc.

The original reviewers may be asked to re-review the manuscript, and an additional reviewer may be requested, or the Editor may request the revisions to be sent directly to him/her for a final decision.  There is no guarantee that a revised manuscript will be accepted for publication.

Code of Ethics

To support and promote integrity in research publication, the editorial board fully endorses the position statements for editors and authors that were developed 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity in Singapore in 2010:

Position Statement 1: International Standards for Editors

Position Statement 2: International Standards for Authors

Both position statements were published under a Creative Commons license. Source: COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), https://publicationethics.org/resources/resources-and-further-reading/international-standards-editors-and-authors

Conflict of interest

All conflicts of interest should be declared by the author, editor, or reviewer.

- Conflicts of interest include:

• A financial or personal interest in the outcomes of the research;
• Undisclosed financial support for the research by an interested third party;
• A financial or personal interest in the suppression of the research;

A note to highlight the background to financial support for the research from third parties or any other possible conflict of interest must be added to the paper before review. If a conflict of interest is suspected by a reviewer or reader, this concern should be reported to the Editor. A concern regarding a reviewer should be raised to Editor. JCLD will follow COPE action guidelines in cases of a suspected conflict of interest. The JCLD reserves the right to withdraw and rescind its acceptance of author materials if ethical misconduct is discovered before publication.

Resources for Authors

Human Subjects Research

• https://www.apa.org/research/responsible/human?tab=2
• USAFA Specific: https://www.usafa.edu/about/institutional-research/

Publication Ethics

• https://publicationethics.org/resources/e-learning
• https://publicationethics.org/resources/resources-and-further-reading/international-standards-editors-and-authors

Authorship

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Authorship Discussion Document

Conflict of Interest

• https://publicationethics.org/competinginterests

On Writing

• https://apastyle.apa.org/
• https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html

Quantitative Research

• https://apastyle.apa.org/jars/quantitative

Qualitative Research

• https://apastyle.apa.org/jars/qualitative
• Liamputtong, P., & Ezzy, D. (2005). Qualitative research methods(Vol. 2). Melbourne: Oxford university press.

Mixed Methods Research

• https://apastyle.apa.org/jars/mixed-methods
• Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage publications.

Education Research

• Wendling, L. A. (2020). Valuing the Engaged Work of the Professoriate: Reflections on Ernest Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 20(2).
• Kirkpatrick, D. (1994). Evaluating Training Programs.
• Cobb, P., Confrey, J., diSessa, A., Lehrer, R., & Schauble, L. (2003). Design Experiments in Educational Research. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 9–13. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032001009

Assessment instruments (Design, Validity, and Reliability)

• Cook, D. A., & Beckman, T. J. (2006). Current concepts in validity and reliability for psychometric instruments: theory and application. The American journal of medicine, 119(2), 166-7.

Reviews

• http://www.prisma-statement.org/
• Westphaln, K. K., Regoeczi, W., Masotya, M. et al. (2021). From Arksey and O’Malley and Beyond: Customizations to enhance a team-based, mixed approach to scoping review methodology. MethodsX, 8, 101375.

Morgan, R. L., & Florez, I. D. (2022). Principles of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. Meta-Research, 1-15.