OnCUE Journal Submission Guidelines

OnCUE Journal uses APA style and documentation guidelines. Authors wishing to submit papers to the Featured Article, Research Digest, and @CUE sections are requested to use the OnCUE Journal Author Template file, which is available as a downloadable MS Word .doc here.

Authors wishing to submit papers to other sections of OCJ (Opinion and Perspective, Professional Development, Reviews, Conference Reviews) are not required to strictly adhere to the OnCUE Journal Author Template. However, as papers for these sections are still required to follow basic APA guidelines, these authors are strongly recommended to refer to the OnCUE Journal Author Template as a foundation for their papers.

Download the OnCUE Journal Author Template file.

Basic guidelines for paper submissions

The following list of guidelines is meant as a quick reference guide for contributors to the OnCUE Journal. In the event the information below conflicts with that in the APA reference books, the OCJ Basic Guidelines take precedence.

Punctuation

1. Use two quotation marks (") rather than one (').

2. Place the ending sentence period (.) inside, not outside, the quotation marks (e.g., "...he said.")

3. Avoid the use of the em-dash (—). Use a semi-colon (;) where possible.

4. Avoid run-on sentences; use a semi-colon to connected ideas that comprise two separate S-V-O sentences (e.g., "Avoid run-on sentences, use a semi-colon..." is a run-on sentence.)

5. Insert a single space, rather than a double space, after a sentence-ending period.

Typefaces

1. Use Times New Roman, 12-point size, for the text of the document.

2. Use bold-face for all headings.

3. Avoid the use of italics, except for journal and book names.

4. Avoid the use of all capital-letters words or names.

5. Use Arial or Helvetica, 10-point size, for text inside tables.

Tables and Figures

1. All tables and figures should be referred to in the text as (Table 1) or (Figure 1). Do not use "See Table 1" or "Refer to Table 1."

2. Use the table function of MS Word. Do not copy and paste link files from Excel.

3. All tables should be inserted as separate pages at the end of the document.

4. All figures should be in .jpg or .tif format and should be included as separate attached files to the email.

5. Figure captions should be inserted at the desired location of the figures in the document. Do not include figure captions as part of the .jpg or .tif file, as they may become unreadable.

(Please refer to the OnCUE Journal Author Template for more information on tables and figures.)

Overall Format

1. Indent all paragraphs using the "tab" key or by using the indent tabs (these appear as small blue triangles on the ruler at the top of the MS Word file). Do not use the space bar for intents.

2. All paragraphs, other than the abstract, should be ragged right. Do not use force justification for main text in the document.

3. Do not insert blank lines between each paragraph. Start each paragraph on the line following the preceding one.

4. Do not number paragraphs or sections of the document.

5. Do not include "running heads" in the document.

6. Do not use footnotes at the bottom of separate pages. If there are notes, please include them in a separate section at the end of the document, before the references.

7. All references must be cited in the text.

8. Do not use "Ibid" in either notes or references.

9. Include page numbers at the bottom center or right of each page.

10. Do not insert "Total Pages: XXX" at the beginning or at the end of the document.

APA Reference Books

When preparing manuscripts, prospective OnCUE Journal authors should refer to the following reference books to format their papers:

1. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th Edition)

APA 6th Ed. English version

APA 6th Ed. Japanese version

2. Presenting your findings: A practical guide for creating tables

3. Displaying your findings: A practical guide for creating figures, posters, and presentations

Prospective authors are highly recommended to have their papers proofread by at least one other person prior to submission. The JALT Publications Writers Peer Support Group provides free advice to all interested authors.

Non-native speakers of English are strongly recommended to ask a native speaker colleague (particularly a colleague with an understanding of TESOL-related issues) to proofread papers before submission. Please be advise that although the editors are happy to offer advice about writing style, they are not responsible for grammar and vocabulary correction concerns.

Click here for Section contact information and criteria

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