The Journal of Learning Disabilities (JLD), an international, multidisciplinary journal, contains articles on practice, research, and theory related to learning disabilities. JLD is published bimonthly.
Types of Articles
JLD encourages the submission of both quantitative manuscripts and qualitative manuscripts of different orientations (e.g., ethnographic, interpretative, narrative, voices). Several types of manuscripts are typically accepted by the journal. In all categories, tables and figures are included in the page limitations, and authors are strongly encouraged to use them sparingly.
Special series are composed of several different articles by various authors on a given topic. A special series is conceptualized and coordinated by an author with extensive experience and expertise in a specific area. Authors who wish to prepare a special series should first contact the journal editorial office to ascertain interest in the topic.
Feature articles are selected based on the manuscript content’s importance to the field of learning disabilities. They may be extensive reviews of the literature, theoretical papers, or nonempirical position papers and typically comprise 30 to 40 typewritten, double-spaced pages with a 75- to 100-word abstract.
Research articles are data-based manuscripts that report original research. Research studies may investigate characteristics of the population or effectiveness of interventions. When designing research studies, authors are referred to Parker’s discussion of research validity in the December 1990 issue of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. Further, all research articles are required to provide a comprehensive description of participants and procedures used in the study. Authors are referred to the Council for Learning Disabilities’ minimum standards for the description of participants in learning disabilities research in the April 1993 (Vol. 26, No. 4) issue of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. When the research is based on a single-subject design, authors are referred to Wolery and Ezell’s discussion on this topic in the December 1993 (Vol. 26, No. 10) issue of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. When small sample sizes are involved, authors should consult such references as Statistical Strategies for Small Sample Research (Hoyle, 1999). These manuscripts are usually 20 to 30 typewritten, double-spaced pages with a 100- to 150-word abstract.
Reports are nonempirical discussions of practices or issues in the field. Reports generally should not exceed 20 typewritten, double-spaced pages and should be accompanied by a 75- to 100-word abstract.
Intervention articles are overviews of successful interventions that can be replicated with other individuals with learning disabilities. These interventions can be either physiological or psychoeducational and can occur in school and community settings, clinics, hospitals, homes, or employment sites. Sample size is usually small. These manuscripts are usually 20 to 25 typewritten, double-spaced pages with a 75- to 100-word abstract.
Forum articles are general discussions on various key issues in the field. They can be reactions to articles that have been printed in the journal or can be on any other topic pertinent to learning disabilities. Forum articles generally are 10 to 15 typewritten, double-spaced pages.
Letters to the editor that involve reaction to material appearing in JLD or to an issue in the field of learning disabilities are encouraged and are published as space permits. Letters are generally limited to three double-spaced, typewritten pages with no tables, figures, or footnotes. Letters are subject to editing and condensation by the editorial staff.
Acceptance Criteria
Initial consideration of a manuscript will depend upon (a) the relevance and usefulness of the content to the readership; (b) how the manuscript compares to other articles dealing with similar content on pertinent variables (e.g., sample size, research design, review of literature); (c) clarity of writing style; and (d) the author’s adherence to the guidelines specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed., 2001). The editor suggests that authors review the American Psychological Association Science Directorate Statement on the Disclosure of Test Data (www.apa.org/science/disclosu.html) and Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association (www.apastyle.org/elecref.html). Two steps are taken to select those articles that will be published.
Step 1. The editor reviews a submitted manuscript and decides whether to seek peer review. There are reasons why peer review might not be solicited: For example, an author might submit a research report that deals with identifying social skills deficits in students with learning disabilities. Two other similar articles that contain larger populations and clearer specifications of the characteristics of the population may already have been accepted for publication. The manuscript would then be returned to the author so that he or she might seek other avenues for publication.
Step 2. If a decision is made to seek peer review of an article, the editor will solicit two to five reviews. JLD uses a double-blind review process. When reviews are received, the JLD editor will examine the reviewers’ comments and arrive at an editorial decision to reject, request a revision with the stipulation of further peer review, request a revision subject to the editor’s review only, or accept as is. This editorial procedure is viewed as the most workable in assuring quality control.
Manuscript Preparation
JLD prefers to receive all manuscript submissions electronically.
Please note: This journal does not accept Microsoft Word 2007 (for Vista operating system) documents at this time. Please use Word’s “Save As” option to save your document as an older (.doc) file type.
Authors are expected to follow guidelines specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA; 6th edition, 2010), paying particular attention to the sections concerning nonsexist language (APA 3.12, 3.13, & 3.14), avoiding ethnic bias (3.14), and disabilities (3.15) on pages 73 to 76. JLD will not be following the rule of two spaces between sentences.
General
1. Because this journal uses blind peer review, make sure that the files you load during submission DO NOT CONTAIN ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, such as author names, acknowledgments, or bios. You will provide this information later if your manuscript is accepted for publication. Make sure your file names do not include an author name.
2. Articles should be double spaced, using left alignment, a nonproportional font, and 12-pt. type. Include the title of the paper, an abstract of no more than 150 words, and 4 to 5 keywords.
3. Set all margins to 1 inch.
4. Format for 8½ in. X 11 in. paper. Do not format for A4 paper.
5. Please type all copy upper and lower case—do not use all capitals or small capitals.
6. Place all figures and tables in a separate file. Tables need not be double spaced, but please do use Word’s table functions. Indicate the location of tables and figures in text in boldface, enclosed in angle brackets, on a separate line. Example: <Fig. 1 here>
7. Please use your tab key and centering functions to do head alignment, paragraph indents, etc. DO NOT USE THE SPACE BAR.
8. Use endnotes as sparingly as possible. Number them with Arabic numerals starting with 1 and continuing through the article; for example: “(see Note 1).” Do not use footnotes.
Artwork
Figures must be provided as production-ready. Do not use rules or tick marks smaller than 1 point in size. Acceptable electronic formats for figures or other art are: TIFF, EPS, Word, or Excel. If you have trouble loading Excel files, copy and paste them into a Word document. Scans must be at least 300 dpi (also sometimes called lpi). Scans done at lower resolutions will have a very poor print quality even if they look crisp and clear on a laser printout.
Permissions
Obtaining written permissions for material such as figures, tables, art, and extensive quotes taken directly—or adapted in minor ways—from another source is the author’s responsibility, as is payment of any fees the copyright holder may require. Because permissions often take a considerable amount of time to be granted, authors should start the request process as soon as possible. Authors should never assume that material taken from software or downloaded from the Internet may be used without obtaining permission. Each source must be investigated on a case-by-case basis. Authors can download the Sage Permissions Request form at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jld. The form has been written to cover all necessary provisions; however, copyright holders may require use of their own form. In these cases, the author should read any forms carefully to make sure that the language is broad enough to allow publication in all formats, worldwide, as well as in both electronic and print versions. Failure to obtain permission will result in either removal of the particular item or the article being pulled from the journal issue.
Authors who want to refine the use of English in their manuscripts might consider utilizing the services of SPi, a non-affiliated company that 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. (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.)
Manuscript Submission
Manuscripts should be submitted online through ScholarOne Manuscripts.
Starting the Submissions Process
1. Launch your Web browser (Internet Explorer 5 or higher, Netscape 6 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox) and go to the journal’s ScholarOne Manuscripts homepage (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jld).
2. Log in or click the “Create Account” option if you are a first-time user of ScholarOne Manuscripts.
3. If you are creating a new account:
• After clicking on “Create Account” enter your name and e-mail information and click “Next.” Your e-mail information is very important. Continue entering information as prompted.
• Enter a user ID and password of your choice (we recommend using your e-mail address as your user ID) and then select your areas of expertise. Click “Finish” when done.
4. Log in and select “Author Center.”
Submitting Your Manuscript
Make sure you have the following items and information available: your original manuscript files; keywords for the manuscript subject matter; all coauthors’ full names, addresses (city/state), and e-mail addresses; # of figures, # of tables, # of manuscript pages; if the manuscript is for a special issue; if you submitted manuscript previously, and if so, ID number assigned by the journal editorial office.
5. After you have logged in, go to the Author Center and click the “Submit a Manuscript” link.
6. Enter data as prompted, clicking the “Next” button to save your work and advance.
7. You will be prompted to upload your files:
• Click on the “Browse” button and locate the file on your computer.
• Select the description of the file in the drop down next to the Browse button.
• When you have selected all files you wish to upload, click the “Upload” button.
8. Review your submission (in both PDF and HTML formats) before sending. Click the “Submit” button when you are done reviewing.
Copyright
After your article has been accepted for publication, please go to the journal’s ScholarOne Manuscripts Web site to obtain the Transfer of Copyright form. Please download, fill this out, and send it to the JLD editorial office: Fax: 603/761-2585.
Ordering Reprints
Information regarding reprints will be sent with the complimentary printed copy of the journal issue in which your article appears.
Journal Contact Information
H. Lee Swanson
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Learning Disabilities
Graduate School of Education
University of California, Riverside, CA 92521.
Phone: 951/827-5586
JLDis@ucr.edu
