Editorial Guidelines & Submission Policies
Manuscript Submission
Our journal uses a web-based manuscript submission and peer-review system facilitated through Digital Commons. Given that all manuscripts will be reviewed anonymously, the author’s name and other identifying information should appear only on the cover page. Potentially identifying information in the text should be removed prior to submission.
The Editor and Managing Editors oversee manuscript reviews. Once a manuscript is submitted, a Managing Editor is assigned who is responsible for assigning the peer reviewers and tracking the review and correspondence process with the author. The Editor will make the final decision on the disposition of all manuscripts (acceptance, rejection, or requests for revision) based upon the recommendations of the peer reviewers and the Managing Editors.
Papers submitted to this journal are evaluated according to basic scholarly or literary standards including: their relevance to the field, timeliness of the topic, potential to affect policy and/or practice, originality, and clarity of writing. Papers that specifically have the potential to strengthen and promote disability advocacy and the civil rights of people with disabilities are welcomed.
Authors who require assistance in submitting their manuscripts through Digital Commons should contact the editorial office at .
Types of Manuscripts
Our journal publishes the following types of manuscripts:
- Research Articles: Reports on original quantitative or qualitative research or evaluation. Approximately 5000-7000 words, excluding references, tables, or other figures.
- Research Briefs: Short summaries of small scale research projects or evaluations that make methodological or conceptual contributions but are too short to merit publication as full research articles. Approximately 1500-2000 words, excluding references, tables, or other figures.
- Research to Practice Briefs: Brief syntheses of existing research in a format that is easily digestible and that clearly links research with implications for improving practice. Each brief should end with a list of specific recommendations for practice that are based on the research. Approximately 2000-3000 words excluding references, tables, or other figures.
- Review Articles: Review articles provide a critical analysis of existing published literature often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research or evaluation. Preference is given to meta-analyses that extend the research under review. Review Articles should be approximately 5000-7000 words excluding references, tables, or other figures.
- Policy Analyses: Reviews of current federal or state policies that hold relevance for the DD Network or DD Act-related programs. Submissions are judged for thoroughness, fair reporting, and the application or research/evidence to the policy under review. Policy Analyses should be approximately 3000-5000 words excluding references, tables, or other figures.
- Emerging Scholars Articles: Research conducted by students who are working towards a degree in a disability-related discipline, or who are classified as a trainee in a UCEDD or LEND program. These articles can be formatted like a research article, research to practice brief, review article or policy analysis.
- Editorials: These are usually commissioned. We are, however, happy to consider and peer review unsolicited editorials that address issues related to the DD Network or DD Act related programs, and which contribute to informed debate on a particular issue. We would specifically welcome editorials by individuals with developmental disabilities that are responsive to current events and/or recent studies published in this journal. Editorials should be approximately 1500-3000 words excluding references, tables, or other figures.
Peer Review Process
All articles and creative works are reviewed by peers who have the appropriate knowledge and expertise. We will include individuals with developmental disabilities and family members in the peer review process when possible. We used a double anonymous peer-review process. Each manuscript is deidentified and is reviewed by two anonymous expert reviewers, an internal reviewer to ensure manuscripts meet journal formatting requirements, and the managing editor. Final publication decisions are made by the Editors based on information gathered from the peer reviews.
All original contributions are first reviewed by the editor within 6 weeks of submission. If the work is relevant to the journal’s focus and objectives, authors will be quickly notified and manuscripts sent to two or more external reviewers as part of a fully anonymous peer review process (authors and reviewers are anonymous). These external reviewers are experts in the discipline and field relevant to the content of the manuscript. External reviewers will subject the manuscript to a rigorous review and suggest improvements if required.
This journal strives to communicate openly and quickly with authors to ensure that the review process is timely. The journal strives for a time-line of less than six months from initial submission to publication of an article, where feasible, although the process can take longer due to reviewers, timing of special issues, or if revisions or permissions are required. If we make an offer of publication subject to revision, we will ask authors to return their articles to us within thirty days. Authors are responsible for ensuring that necessary revisions are carried out in response to reviewer recommendations.
Concurrent Submission Policy
Our journal does not accept submissions of manuscripts that are also under concurrent review by another journal. Authors must verify in their submission notes that their paper has NOT been previously published, and is not being reviewed by another journal for publication consideration.
Formatting Guidelines & Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check their submission's compliance with all of the following guidelines. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may be returned to the author.
This document has a briefer version of the same steps and checklist.
- Formatting and Citation Style: Papers should be formatted according to the 2019 Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA 7th edition). Heading levels, tables, figures, and references must be in APA 7th edition style. Failure to do so will result in your manuscript being returned.
- Margins: Use 1” margins on all sides. Text should NOT be justified, use a ragged right edge.
- Spacing: All sections of the manuscript should be double-spaced. Tables and references can be single spaced.
- Font: All sections of a manuscript should use a 12-point font such as Times Roman, Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, or Calibri. Manuscripts should use italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses). The font for tables and figures font can be smaller but must be readable and should be in the same type face as the text.
- Cover Page: Because all articles reviewed using a double-anonymous process, only the title of the article should be on the cover page. All author information should be included on the DDNJ submission page only. This information is not given to the reviewers. If a “Note” or “Acknowledgment” is needed, please enter that information in the “Cover Page Footnote” section on the submission page.
- Funding Details: Please supply all details required by your funding and grant-awarding bodies as follows: For single agency grants: “This work was supported by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number xxxx].” For multiple agency grants: "This work was supported by the [Funding Agency _____] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency____] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency ____] under Grant [number xxxx].”
- Abstract: All articles should include an abstract with a maximum of 350 words. The Abstract should be included on the DDNJ submission page and as part of the manuscript file that is submitted; it is important to ensure both the abstracts match. The Abstract should NOT include reference citations. Abstracts are intended to be stand-alone documents.
- Plain Language Summary: In addition to an abstract, all articles should include a "plain language" summary of no more than 350 words. The plain language summary should have a readability level of 8th to 9th grade; authors may check this by using the built in reading level in their word processing program or using the free Hemingway App. The Plain Language Summary should be included on the DDNJ submission page and as part of the manuscript file that is submitted. it is important to ensure both the Plain Language Summaries match. The Plain Language Summary should NOT include reference citations. Plain Language Summaries are intended to function as public abstracts for a general audience who may be unfamiliar with technical research language, but may benefit from learning about the topic.
- Video Abstract: You can also opt to include a video abstract with your article. Find out how these can help your work reach a wider audience, and what to think about when filming.
- Pictures and Figures: While pictures and figures are not prohibited, they are discouraged and should ONLY be used if they are not complex and add to the readability of the manuscript. They should NOT be included if they are duplicating information that is already in the text. All accompanying figures should be embedded in the text and must be high resolution. Figures must be numbered sequentially (e.g., Figure 1 should always be the first Figure, do not call out Figure 2 before you call out Figure 1). All pictures and figures must have alternative text descriptions. Pictures and Figures must be placed within the margins of the document (i.e., 1’ margins) and although the text can be smaller than the document, they must be readable. All photos and images will be reviewed to ensure that they do not depict stereotypical characteristics of people with disabilities, racial, ethnic, and other cultural groups.
- Tables: Again, while tables are not prohibited, they should only be used if necessary. If tables are included, they should not be complex and present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text. Font size can be smaller than the body text but must be readable. Tables should be included in the text and not as a separate file. They can either be in the body of the text placed in the approximate location you want them to appear, or they can follow the reference list. Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text. Tables must be numbered sequentially (e.g., Table 1 should always be the first table, do not call out Table 2 before you call out Table 1).
- In-text citations: In-text citations should be in APA 7th edition format. Because the manuscript is reviewed by peer reviewers do not know the identity of the authors and institutions (e.g., the cover page does not contain any information about the author[s] or institution[s]), please DO NOT use citations that replace the author name with “Author” or refer to the institution as “Institution,” list the actual author or institution.
- References: Only references cited in the text, footnotes, tables, or figures should be included in the reference section. References should be in the APA 7th edition format. Manuscripts not using the APA 7th edition will be returned. When available, all references must include a DOI number and/or an active hyperlink. This is critical as it enables the manuscript to be indexed with national databases, thus increasing the manuscript’s readership. Please ensure that all hyperlinks work and are accessible to the public.
- Footnotes: Footnotes should be created using the word processor software and be numbered using sequential Arabic numbers.
- Appendices: Only include appendices if absolutely necessary. In many cases, instead of saying a document is in the appendix, you can request the reader contact the first author to obtain a copy of the document.
