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Aims & Scope

ReThinking Behavior is an online publication of the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders (MSLBD) for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs publishing material presenting diverse perspectives on behavior in schools and other settings. The goals of ReThinking Behavior are to:

• Lend support and affirmation to and develop a sense of collegiality among those who work with students with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism;

• Provide thoughtful and simulating discussion across disciplinary boundaries;

• Provide a source of analysis and commentary on issues and new directions and ways of thinking about behavior in our schools and other settings;

• Provide current news and information about practice, policy, and research;

• Present personal stories and perspectives of children and youth, their families, service providers, educators, and other interested individuals; and

• Provide a unique online publication presenting edgy and provocative information that may challenge typical viewpoints, including the addition of humor, parody, and fiction.

  Content

  ReThinking Behavior will follow a magazine format, rather than a journal format, publishing articles of interest to a variety of readers and increasing readability through minimal use of technical or discipline specific language. All content will be focused on information and perspectives relating to working with children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism. ReThinking Behavior will include the following departments: Editorial, Voices, Features, Strategies, Evidence Exchange, Policy, Media, and After Hours. Further descriptions of expected content can be found in the Structure section below.

  
  

  Audience

  Important audiences will include educators who work with students with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism including special, general, and alternative education teachers and support staff, paraeducators, school administrators, and mental health professionals. Families, community members, juvenile justice personnel, and individuals in the general public may also find ReThinking Behavior of interest.

  
  

  Structure

  While not all departments will appear in each issue, the structure of ReThinking Behavior will consist of the following departments: Editorial, Voices, Features, Strategies, Evidence Exchange, Policy, Media, and After Hours.

  
  

  Editorial

  Each issue will contain an Editorial presenting the issue editor’s/s’ or guest editor’s/s’ viewpoints related to magazine content or other topic. Editorials may explain or clarify content within the particular issue, make note of new ways of thinking that are presented, and/or point out topics for

  discussion across articles. Editorials can also present a topic or issue of importance to the field of emotional and behavioral disorders, mental health, or autism to engage readers in discussion.

  Editorials do not have to be written in any particular voice and will not necessarily reflect the position of the MSLBD or ReThinking Behavior . They will be concise, one to two magazine pages, up to 950 words. An Editorial will be published in every issue.

  
  

  Voices

  Voices will present varied and diverse personal perspectives through a wide range of articles including but not limited to -

• Personal Accounts written by individuals about issues, experiences, reactions, or opinions. Educators, administrators, paraeducators, support staff, students, families, mental health professionals, community members, and others interested in children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism are invited to submit articles written in a first-person point of view.

• Professional Profiles/Interviews with individuals currently or previously working in the field

• Most memorable student accounts by teachers and support staff. This content may come from the approximately 75 accounts currently available on the MSLBD website.

  Voices articles will range from two to five magazine pages, approximately 1,000 to 2,500 words. Typically, two Voices articles are published in each issue.

  
  

  Features

  Features will include noteworthy and/or longer articles which can include several writing styles -

• Discussions of new or newly applied research and/or significant topics in the field

• Journalistic, involving a number of sources to capture single or multiple aspects of a subject

• Essays incorporating personal observations or experiences with research

• Interviews with an individual/s in the field

• Reviews of literature

• Best practice articles, presenting effective strategies for working with students with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism

  Features articles should range from four to nine magazine pages, approximately 2,000 to 4,000 words. One or two Features articles will be published in every issue.

  
  

  Strategies

  Strategies will present effective strategies, interventions, practices for students, teachers, schools, support staff, parents, communities, and systems related to the behavior and academic skills of students. Articles can include -

• Best practice articles, presenting effective strategies for working with students with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism

• Summaries of lines of research, effective classroom practices, curricular/instructional materials, and/or behavioral interventions

• Reviews of resources, materials, or strategies related to the instruction of behavior and/or academic skills

  Strategies published will be supported by evidence or best practice, written in a practitioner-friendly style, and focused on enhancing the skills of experienced educators. Strategies should range from three to eight magazine pages, approximately 1,000 to 3,500 words. At least one Strategies article will be published in every issue.

  
  

  Evidence Exchange

  Evidence Exchange will allow researchers to share the results of their research on a variety of topics related to the education of students with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism with emphasis on relevance, usefulness, and application. Evidence Exchange will include articles that -

• Inform educators of relevant research

• Are written in a magazine-friendly style with a short catchy title (Refer to Magazine versus Research Journal, later in this document)

• Include a short summary of the research in the introductory paragraphs of the article, but do not include an abstract

• Use references minimally (10 or less), including only the most essential and important references for experienced educators

• Keep technical jargon to a minimum and when necessary, provide definitions or explanations.

• Describe research procedures succinctly, maybe in a separate box or list

• Explain the data briefly but explain fully the implications, limitations, and conclusions of the research

• Describe the relevance, usefulness, and application of the research for educators and education.

• Follow APA style as stated ReThinking Behavior Style Sheet attached to this document.

  Evidence Exchange articles should range from three to seven magazine pages, approximately 1,000 to 3,000 words.

  
  

  Policy

  Policy will present legal updates, highlighting current key policy issues. Topics might include court cases, letters to colleagues, state or federal laws, and related legal issues. Policy articles will range from two or five magazine pages, approximately 1,500 to 3,000 words. Typically, one Policy article will be published in every issue.

  
  

  Media

  Media will focus on several types of media initially including podcasts, books, film/documentary, television, news, and the Internet. Media articles can relate to children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism, their educators, families, service providers, and communities, discuss new and/or classic works, and engage readers in discussion. Media articles will range from one or three magazine pages, approximately 500 to 1,500 words. Typically, two or more Media articles will be published in every issue.

  
  

  After Hours

  After Hours will explore the lives of students, professionals, and family members within and beyond the school day. After Hours can include fiction, poetry, humor, art, and narrative. Selections will

  range from light and whimsical to emotional and tragic. Original material, in addition to excerpts from classic works or literature can included. While most submissions will come from adult authors, student writings will also be considered for After Hours . These articles will range from one or three magazine pages, approximately 300 to 1,500 words. One or more After Hours articles will be published in every issue.

  
  

  Submitting Manuscripts and Other Materials

  Article submissions are welcomed if they fit the style, length, content, and goals of ReThinking Behavior . Previously published work may also be considered for reprinting with permission. Individuals who wish to submit material should be prepared to work with the editors on editing and revising their manuscripts to meet style, layout, and length requirements. The Submission Form is available on the ReThinking Behavior webpage.

  
  

  Editorial and Peer-Review

  All article submissions are reviewed by the editorial team to determine suitability for ReThinking Behavior . If determined suitable, an article editor, if requested by the author, will be assigned to work with the author during the draft development, review, revision, and publication phases. All draft articles will undergo blind peer review by at least three reviewers.

  
  

  Magazine versus Research Journal

  ReThinking Behavior is a magazine and not a research journal. Past issues of ReThinking Behavior provide examples of the language, layout, and content of the articles that have been published (ReThinking Behavior). The goal is to present high quality educationally-sound articles in an engaging and accessible format to a wide range of readers. The following table illustrates some of the major differences between ReThinking Behavior and research journals.

  
  

  	ReThinking Behavior	Research Journal
  Description and Audience	A magazine for the wide range of professionals serving children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs or autism.	A publication of academic research articles, information, and discussion primarily for scholars and researchers.
  Goal	The ultimate goal of ReThinking Behavior is to present an engaging, thoughtful, useful, and educationally-sound magazine that readers will want to read cover-to-cover that informs and improves their work.	The goal of most research journals is to publish evidence-based research that informs practice and improves outcomes.
  Content	Articles are written to inform practitioners, present effective strategies, share viewpoints or experiences, and/or entertain covering a broad range topics and article formats. Examples include personal narratives, interviews, research summaries, strategy application, media reviews, litigation, fiction, and humor.	Articles are focused on the presentation and discussion of research and data analysis.
  Review	All articles are evaluated by the editorial team and peer-reviewed by three or more reviewers.	All articles are peer-reviewed.
  Language and Style	Technical or discipline-specific language is used but limited in attempts to increase readability across readers. Articles can be written in the first, second, or third person point of view. APA style is followed as needed in citations, references, and language use. See the ReThinking Behavior Style Sheet attached to this document.	Articles are written in technical and discipline-specific language. Research articles are written in the third person point-of-view. APA style is followed in all respects.
  Graphics	Photographs, graphics, tables, graphs, call-outs, side bars, bulleted lists, design elements, and color are used to present or highlight information and add visual appeal.	Charts, graphs, and tables are used to present research findings. Color is seldom used.
  Layout	Variations in layout and formatting are used to increase visual appeal and reader engagement.	Most articles follow a standard format and layout.
  References	Limited references are included (10 maximum is recommended). Authors are encouraged to include the most important and relevant references. Basis educational information does not require referencing. Suggested readings and additional resources may also be listed.	Extensive references are included.

  
  

  For additional info or with questions email [email protected]