Guidelines for Writers
We are able to publish only about one-third of all the manuscripts we receive each year. To improve your chances of getting your article accepted, it is important to follow the guidelines below.
Length
The maximum length for articles is 2,500 words. There is no minimum.
Format
All pages should be double-spaced, including references and any other material. The title of the manuscript and the author's name and title should appear only on the first page, so the remaining pages aren't cluttered with information that must be deleted. Do not use footnotes. Please be ure to include your address, phone number and job title with your article.
What to send
The most efficient way to send us your article is to e-mail it to sdavis@acsa.org. We also accept articles on diskette, when accompanied by an original hard copy of the article. Submissions from either Macintosh or IBM-compatible word processing systems are acceptable. Please do not send photocopies.
Where to send it
E-mail articles to sdavis@acsa.org, or mail article and diskette to:
Leadership
ACSA
1517 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Writing the article
We are looking for manuscripts that provide practical information for school administrators. Articles should be written in an informal, conversational style Leadership is not an academic journal, and does not publish research reports. Here are some more tips:
- Keep it simple. Don't use words you wouldn't say in normal conversation. (For example, don't say "utilize" when you can say "use.") Be concise and keep sentences short.
- Avoid jargon or buzz words.
- Explain the meaning of all words that may not be understood by the average reader.
- Don't take for granted that everyone understands the acronyms you use every day.
- Use the active voice. It is livelier and more direct than the passive voice.
- Use practical examples to support key points.
Our goal is to provide information that is relevant, readable, and timely for a broad range of school administrators. Information that is included in an article just to praise someone for a job well done will be edited out of the article.
Cite references in the text using the author's name and year the reference was published (Davis, 1996). List the references at the end of the article in bibliographic form.
We only accept manuscripts that have not been published elsewhere. If an article you submitted article is accepted for publication in another journal, please let us know immediately.
Graphics
Charts or high quality photographs that would complement your article are welcome. Please be sure to provide the names of the people in the photos and explain where the people are and what they're doing.
What gets published
We receive hundreds of manuscripts and, unfortunately, we are not able to publish all of them. Sometimes a good manuscript will not get published because we are trying to keep a balance of perspectives in each issue. If your article is not published, we may inform you that we are holding it for a future issue. If it appears that your article will not fit into any of the themes we have scheduled, we will let you know as soon as possible.
How we edit
Leadership conforms to Associated Press style. Because of our tight publication schedule, we are not able to send authors copies of their edited articles for approval before publication.
Changes or corrections
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the information in their articles. If you find that corrections need to be made to your manuscript after it has been submitted, please inform the editor as soon as possible.
Reprints
ACSA holds the copyright on all the articles in Leadership. We occasionally grant permission to reprint articles from the magazine in other education publications or for use at conferences or classes. Authors may also ask permission to reprint their articles.
This page updated February, 28, 2001
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