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Recurring manuscript problems: recommendations for writing, training, and research.

Article Excerpt
Manuscripts submitted to Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) over a 1-year period demonstrated recurring problems. These problems resulted in delays in the processing of manuscripts, rejection of manuscripts, or the need for authors to revise manuscripts. To address these persistently observed problems, the authors make recommendations to individuals who prepare manuscripts for submission to CES. Tentative recommendations are offered for training counselor educators and for conducting counselor education research.

Recurring problems in manuscripts submitted to the journal of Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) have become evident during the past year. These problems led to delayed processing, rejection, or revision requirements. In this editorial, we describe these problems and make recommendations to assist authors as they design their research and ultimately prepare manuscripts for submission to the journal. Authors who use these recommendations, the information included on the journal's Web site (www.acesonline.net/ces/), and the checklist in Appendix A of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association [APA], 2001) will improve their chances of being published. Although the problems described here are the most common ones, they do not represent a comprehensive list of all potential manuscript problems.

The problems described and the recommendations made here emerged after the editor and the editorial board reviewed 227 manuscripts. This total included 176 initial submissions and 51 resubmissions. The types of manuscripts processed by the editor and editorial board members included 90 quantitative (including surveys), 45 qualitative, 37 innovative methods, and 55 position papers. Forty-seven percent of initial submissions were rejected, and the remaining manuscripts were returned to their authors for revisions. The acceptance rate of revised manuscripts was 46%. All manuscripts accepted for publication during the past year have required revision. Successful authors most commonly revised their manuscripts once. Occasionally, additional revisions were necessary.

Issues Common to All Manuscript Submissions

Problems in all types of manuscripts commonly occurred when they were initially submitted. Initial submission problems invariably resulted in processing delays and sometimes contributed to rejection decisions. These problems included issues associated with manuscripts mailed to the journal, manuscripts that failed to follow guidelines for the submission of blind manuscripts, and cover letter problems.

Authors who mailed their manuscripts to the journal always experienced processing delays due to the additional steps necessary to process mailed manuscripts. Because of these unavoidable delays, submitting manuscripts by mail is particularly discouraged. Delays were especially lengthy when authors did not include an electronic media copy (diskette or CD) of their cover letter and a blind version of their manuscript. When we receive mailed manuscripts without electronic copies of the cover letter and the blind version of the manuscript, the editorial assistant must request and receive an electronic copy of each from the authors before the manuscript can be processed for review. Electronic media copies are essential because all journal functions are completed electronically; no paper copies are maintained for files nor are paper copies of manuscripts sent to reviewers during the review process. Only when the editor accepts manuscripts for publication are paper copies of manuscripts requested. Thus, to expedite the editorial process, authors should submit their manuscripts by e-mail, being sure to include the required information indicated on the journal's Web site. Authors who submit by mail should include an electronic copy of the information described on the Web site along with a paper copy of their cover letter. A paper copy of the manuscript is not required.

A commonly occurring problem that led to processing delays involved authors who did not follow guidelines for submitting blind manuscripts. Manuscripts that are...

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