EDITORIAL POLICYPolice Quarterly emphasizes policy-oriented research of interest to both practitioners and academics. The only such journal published in North America, Police Quarterly seeks to publish all types of police scholarship, qualitative and quantitative.
Scholarship must be original and should invoke the scientific method. Except in rare circumstances, descriptive research, argumentative essays, and papers that do not formulate and explicitly test one or more empirical research questions will not be published. We will consider only original manuscripts not published previously or currently under consideration elsewhere. Once you have submitted a manuscript for consideration to PQ, you must not publish or submit it elsewhere. The peer review process and notification of acceptance, rejection, or revision will usually take 12 weeks. When additional peer review is necessary, the lead author will be notified.
Preparing Paper for Review
1. Manuscript: Manuscripts should be in English, fully double-spaced, and not more than 40 pages long (including pages, tables, notes, and other material). The 40-page limit is not a rigid restriction and will be waived in appropriate circumstances. We discourage excessively long manuscripts and we reserve the right to deny publication of submissions because of length.
2. Title page: Include the names of all authors on the title page. List the institutional affiliation directly under each author’s name. Do not place the authors’ names on any other portion of the manuscript, except in the biographical sketch, which should also be on a separate page. The title page should also include any acknowledgments or related material. Mark this information with an asterisk (*). The title page and biographical sketch will be removed before the manuscript is forwarded for refereeing.
3. Abstract page: Place the abstract page after the title page and include an abstract with each copy of the manuscript submitted to PQ. Repeat the title of the manuscript on this page. The abstract should specify the problem under investigation, the method used in the research (if appropriate), and the major findings. The abstract should be double-spaced and should not be indented or exceed approximately 100 words.
4. Biographical sketch page: Include short biographical sketches of each author on a separate biographical sketch page. This page will be removed before the review process begins. Biographical sketches should be double-spaced and should not exceed 100 words.
5. First page of manuscript: Number the first page of text as Page 1. Repeat the title of the manuscript on this page.
6. Footnotes: Footnotes are used not for citation but for substantive comments. Identify them in the text by consecutive numbers. Please group footnotes at the end of the text, beginning on a page identified by the title “NOTES.” Double-space the footnotes.
7. Tables and figures: Do not place tables or figures in the text, but attach them in consecutive order at the end of the manuscript. In the text, mark the placement of tables and figures with an appropriate notice, such as
—TABLE 1 ABOUT HERE—
When you include figures, please make sure they are camera-ready and large enough for reproduction. Use tables and figures mainly to summarize material that cannot be conveyed easily in the text; we discourage excessive use of tables. Most empirical articles contain an average of four tables; few articles should contain more than seven or eight. If you are not sure how to prepare tabular material, consult past issues of PQ for guidance.
8. Headings and subheadings in text: Use the following formats for headings:
First-level head: centered and capitalized
Second-level head: capitalized and flush with the left margin
Third-level head: initial letter of each major word capitalized, italicized, flush with the left margin
Fourth-level head: initial letter of first word capitalized, italicized and indented. Regular text follows period.
9. Citations to references in text: When citing references in the text, follow these guidelines:
In a direct citation, place only the date in parentheses. Example: Brown (1989).
In an indirect citation, place both the name and the date in parentheses with a comma after the author’s surname. Example: (Brown, 1989).
If a cited work has two authors, cite both authors’ surnames in the text. Example: (Brown & Smith, 1991). In citing two authors, use the full form of citation at all times.
For three, four, or five authors, use the full form only for the first appearance in the text. Example: Merrill, Mundi, and Pierce (1996). Thereafter use only the first author’s surname, followed by “et al.” Example: Merrill et al. (1996).
For six or more authors, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” and the date, even for the first appearance in the text. However, in the reference list, list the initials and surnames of each author.
Use page references to refer readers to a specific point in a cited work. Use the following format for page references: (Brown, 1989, p. 213).
If you cite material that spans more than one page, hyphenate page numbers as follows: 1-10; 68-69; 101-102; 115-119; 1000-1001; 1000-1023; 1000-1256.
In citing more than one work by an author, follow this format:Adams (1993, 1995); (Brown, 1993, 1996, in press). If the works were published by the same author(s) in the same year, label each item with a letter. Example: (Smith, 1985a, 1985b).
Within parentheses, use a semicolon to separate the citations to different authors.
Arrange surnames in alphabetical order (that is, the order in which the references are listed in the reference section). Example: (Brown, 1984, 1988; Jones et al., 1993a, 1993b; Smith & Brown, 1996).
Cite court cases as follows: Miranda v. Arizona (1966).
10. Reference section: PQ uses the American Psychological Association (APA) reference style, based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Begin the reference section on a new page titled “REFERENCES” immediately following the end of the text. Arrange the references in alphabetical order, double-spaced.
Type the first line of each reference item flush to the left-hand margin; indent subsequent line(s) of the item. Supply complete information on each reference. Follow these general guidelines:
List surname, first initial, and middle initial (if any) of author(s).
Capitalize the first letter of the first word and all proper nouns in titles of articles.
Article title should be in roman text (not italicized).
List the date that the article was published in parentheses, followed by a period.
Italicize the name of the journal in which an article appears. Provide the volume number and page numbers of the journal.
Italicize book titles and capitalize the first letter of the first word and all proper nouns in the title.
In book references, include the location and name of the publisher. Name the city in which the publisher is located. Name the state only when the location of the city is not commonly known or when more than one state has a city of that name (e.g., Springfield). Use standard two-letter abbreviations for names of states (e.g., IL, TN, NJ). If a book is a second or later edition, include this information.
Examples of references:
Article with single author:
Anshel, M. H. (2000). A conceptual model and implications for coping with stressful events in police work. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 27, 375-400.
Article by two authors:
Cook, P. E., & Hinman, D. L. (1999). Criminal profiling: Science and art. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 15, 230-241.
Article with three (or more) authors:
Courtright, K. E., Berg, B. L., & Mutchnick, R. J. (2000). Rehabilitation in the new machine? Exploring drug and alcohol use and variables related to success among DUI offenders under electronic monitoring—Some preliminary outcome results. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 44, 293-311.
Book reference:
Rosenbaum, D. P. (1994). The challenge of community policing: Testing the promises. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Item in edited volume:
Manning, P. K. (1988). Community policing as a drama of control. In J. R. Greene & S. D. Mastrofski (Eds.), Community policing: Rhetoric or reality (pp. 27-45). New York: Praeger.
Magazine or newspaper article, no author:
Fosdick goes after computer hackers. (1996, February 29). Lawman’s Weekly, pp. 6-19.
Unpublished manuscript:
Yeh, S. (1994, January). Diffusion of innovation: An exploratory study on community policing. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Miami, FL.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation:
Jockman, J. S. (1988). The death penalty in ancient Rome. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Brown University.
Court case:
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
11. Guidelines for manuscript preparation: Ensure all material is double-spaced: text, title page, acknowledgments, abstract, text, footnotes, reference list, and titles on tables and figures.
Leave margins at least 1 inch wide all around on each page. Print no more than 27 lines per page.
This is a working copy of your manuscript, so use a clear, easy-to-read typeface that is not closely packed. If the typeface is too small or too tight for editing, the editors will ask you to send another, more workable printout.
Avoid the use of abbreviations in the text. You may use common abbreviations such as i.e. or e.g. only in parentheses.
Make sure all pages are included and numbered properly.
12. Submission of manuscripts: Send manuscript to: John L. Worrall, Program in Criminology, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, GR 31, Richardson, TX 75080-3021, or via email to worrall@utdallas.edu.
Authors who want to refine the use of English in their manuscripts might consider utilizing 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 http://www.prof-editing.com 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.
