Individuals interested in contributing to the Ethical Challenges, Exemplars, Teaching Evaluation, and Book Reviews sections should contact the relevant section editor (see Contribution Categories). All other manuscripts should be submitted to the SAGETRACK where authors will be required to set up an online account. If prospective contributors have questions or are uncertain about the appropriateness of possible submissions, they are welcome to contact the relevant section editor or Thomas A. Schwandt at AJEeditor@education.illinois.edu.

The purpose of the American Journal of Evaluation is to publish work that contributes to the development of evaluation theory, methods, and practice. To determine if a manuscript is relevant to our audience, authors should review the aims and scope of the journal.

The AJE publishes the following types of unsolicited peer reviewed manuscripts:

• Reports of research on evaluation
• Critical literature reviews
• Theory development papers
• Developments in qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods
• Reports on conceptual developments in approaches to practice
• Evaluation history reports
• Papers on teaching evaluation
• Essays on key issues in evaluation theory, practice, methods, or ethics

Manuscripts should not be right justified. Every element within the manuscript must be double-spaced, including tables and references, and must follow the style recommendations of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.; click here for APA style resources). All manuscripts must be submitted online following the instructions for submission at Author Center.

Please follow the submission guidelines that are highlighted in our Submission Guidelines Document here.


Permissions

Authors must submit written permission from the copyright owner (usually the publisher) to use material being borrowed or adapted from other sources, including previously published material of your own, along with complete details about the source. Any permissions fees that might be required by the copyright owner are the responsibility of the author(s) requesting use of the borrowed material, not the responsibility of Sage or American Evaluation Association. The documentation of permission should be included with the manuscript at the time of submission and uploaded as a supplementary file. For detailed information about permissions including what types of materials require permission, please refer to Sage's Permissions Guidelines.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or a preliminary report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere, including on a website, in similar form, in any language, without the consent of Sage and American Evaluation Association. Each person listed as an author is expected to have participated in the work to a significant extent. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, the publisher, or the American Evaluation Association.

Time for Review, Decision, and Production

The usual time from manuscript submission to the author's receipt of the editor's decision about publication is approximately 2 months. During that time, each manuscript undergoes a rigorous double-blind peer review by up to 5 reviewers, and review by the Editor or Associate Editor. The editor's possible decisions are (a) accept; (b) accept, with minor revisions; (c) major substantive revisions required (must be resubmitted for full review with no guarantee of acceptance); or (d) reject. Revised manuscripts are requested to be returned within 120 days. The time from acceptance to publication is dependent on many factors including the number and types of manuscripts awaiting publication, variations in time required for revisions, and ability of author(s) to provide all materials required for publication. All manuscripts are edited and copyedited before they are sent to the printer. The corresponding author receives page proofs for approval before publication. The Editor will keep authors informed of the projected date of publication.

SPI
Authors who want to refine the use of English in their manuscripts might consider using the services of SPi, a non-affiliated company that offers Professional Editing Services to authors of journal articles in the areas of science, technology, medicine or the social sciences. SPi specializes in editing and correcting English-language manuscripts written by authors with a primary language other than English. Visit SPi’s Web site for more information about SPi’s Professional Editing Services, pricing, and turn-around times or to obtain a free quote or submit a manuscript for language polishing.

Please be aware that SAGE has no affiliation with SPi and makes no endorsement of the company. An author’s use of SPi’s services in no way guarantees that his or her submission will ultimately be accepted. Any arrangement an author enters into will be exclusively between the author and SPi, and any costs incurred are the sole responsibility of the author.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Regular membership in the American Evaluation Association is $80 annually ($50 for students) and includes a subscription to the American Journal of Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation. Membership dues and changes of address for members should be sent to: AEA, 16 Sconticut Neck Rd. #290, Fairhaven, MA 02719. Membership and other information is also available on the AEA Web site.