Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults Author Guidelines

The purpose of Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults is to enhance the development of theory, research, and practices to support young adult library services. Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults promotes and publishes high quality original research which supports YALSA's Research Agenda as well as its report, The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: a Call to Action.

As the scholarly, refereed journal of the Young Adult Library Services Association, Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults distributes major research findings worldwide through electronic publication. The primary audience for Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults includes academics, public and school librarians, library workers, and secondary school educators who advocate for young adults and strive to support their developmental and educational needs.

Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults invites manuscripts that meet the review criteria provided in the manuscript policy. Manuscripts may be based on original qualitative or quantitative research, an innovative conceptual framework, or a substantial literature review that opens new areas of inquiry and investigation. The journal recognizes the contributions other disciplines make to expanding and enriching theory, research and practice in young adult library services and welcomes manuscripts from them.

Author Responsibilities

  • Original, research-based manuscripts are invited. Both academic and action research are welcome. Submit only manuscripts that have not been submitted or accepted elsewhere.
  • Check all statements, names, and references for accuracy.
  • Authors will be expected to make any requested revisions in a timely fashion.

Submission Process

Please send submissions as e-mail attachments to the editor at yalsaresearch@gmail.com

All manuscripts will be acknowledged by the editor. The review process takes ten to twelve weeks. Authors may not submit the manuscript to other publications while a Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults review is in progress.

The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults is a refereed journal using double-blind reviewing. The editor conducts an initial assessment of all manuscripts and may reject papers that are clearly outside the mission and scope of the journal. Manuscripts that reflect the journal’s mission and are within the journal’s scope are sent to at least two reviewers. For this process, all identifying information is deleted.

Reviewers address the content and style of the manuscript. Main areas of consideration are:

  • Does the manuscript address a significant problem, topic, or issue?
  • Does the manuscript make a new contribution to theory, research, and/or practice?
  • Does the literature review place the research in perspective?
  • Is the methodology used appropriate to the problem, topic, or issue?
  • Does the evidence presented support the conclusions?
  • Does the author communicate clearly?
  • Do graphs, charts, or other graphics contribute to the manuscript?

Reviewers place the manuscript in one of five categories:

  • ACCEPT: Publish as it stands
  • REVISIONS REQUIRED: Accept, but needs further work as indicated in comments
  • RESUBMIT FOR REVIEW: Encourage a resubmission with major revisions indicated, with no guarantee of publication
  • REJECT: For reasons indicated in comments
  • NOT APPROPRIATE FOR JOURNAL NAME. Suggest other journals

After the decision has been made, the editor writes to the author accepting the manuscript, accepting it contingent on revisions, encouraging a resubmission, rejecting it, or suggesting submission to another more appropriate journal.

Submission Format

The manuscript should be formatted as as follows:

  • Manuscripts average 4,000 to 7,000 words, or 20 to 25 pages with line spacing set at double. Use a single space between sentences.
  • Write a 100- to 200-word abstract for the manuscript.
  • Front page with title, author, and author's address and contact information; the front page is detached for the review process.
  • Second page should contain the title and the beginning of the abstract.
  • The manuscript should follow with endnotes at the end of the text.
  • Minimize formatting. Bolds and italics are acceptable; please mark a-level heads with <h1>, b-level heads with <h2>, and so on. For bullets or numbered lists, please use the auto-bullet or auto-number features in Microsoft Word.
  • All figures, charts or other images should be sent in separate files, named and numbered. Please indicate in text where each figure should appear.
  • Manuscripts must be submitted in .doc, .txt. or .rtf files.

Images and tables

  • Prepare tables, figures, illustrations, and photographs. Each table should be provided as a separate word processing or MS Excel file. It should be given an Arabic number and a title and cited in the text. Tables, figures, illustrations, and photographs should be numbered in the order in which they are first referenced in the text. Each column in a table should have a heading. Table footnotes and sources, if any, should be typed double-spaced beneath the table. All images and tables should be named like this: authorname_type1.jog. For example, kuenn_fig1.jpg; kuenn_table1.xls.
  • Each figure should be provided as an individual file, given an Arabic number and a title, and be cited by number in the text. All files must be sent as JPGs, TIFs, PNGs, or EPS format. 72 dpi resolution is acceptable, but be sure that your submission is clear and readable upon submission.
  • Screen captures can also be 72 dpi resolution. URLs for screen captures must be provided.
  • Avoid referring to tables and figures with phrases such as the following, above, or below ; it may be impossible to place the tables or figures to correspond. Refer always to table 2, figure 6, and so on.

Style

  • Choose terms that reflect YALSA’s philosophy.
  • Avoid sexist language.
  • Articles should be of a scholarly, research-based nature.

Resources to Consult

  • Consult the Random House Webster's College Dictionary for spelling and usage. Consult the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Pr., 2003) for capitalization, abbreviations, bibliographic style, and design of tables.

Citations

JRLYA uses the numbered endnote style described in chapter 16 of the Chicago Manual of Style. Endnote numbers should appear in the text as superscripts at the ends of sentences. When more than one item is referenced in a sentence, a single endnote number should be used and the items included in the endnote as in example 9 below. Automatic embedded footnote or embedded endnote features of word processors should not be used. References should be included in a numbered list at the end of the text. Examples of frequently used endnote forms include:

For a book:

  • Jesse H. Shera, Libraries and the Organization of Knowledge (Hamden, Conn.: Archon, 1965), 15.

For part of a book:

  • Richard Anderson, Francis Narin, and Paul McAllister, “Publication Ratings versus Peer Ratings of Universities,” in Key Papers in Information Science, ed. Belver C. Griffith (White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry, 1980), 125-372.

For an ERIC document:

  • Phyllis MacVicar, A Demonstration of the Interrelating of Library and Basic Education Services for Disadvantaged Adults (Arlington, Va : ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 087 401, 1973).

For a journal article:

  • John M. Budd et al., “User-Centered Thinking: Lessons from Reader-Centered Theory,” RQ 34 (Summer 1995): 487-96.

For a report:

  • National Institute of Education, Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education, final report of the Study Group on the Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education (Washington, D.C.: NIE, 1984).

For an immediate subsequent reference:

  • Ibid., 489.

For a previously cited reference:

  • Shera , Libraries and the Organization of Knowledge, 117.

For an online database, scholarly project, or other Web site:

  • COUNTER: Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources, “About COUNTER,” www.projectcounter.org/ about.html (accessed June 1, 2006).

For an online journal article:

  • Chris Neuhaus , Ellen Neuhaus, and Alan Asher. “The Depth and Breadth of Google Scholar: An Empirical Study,” portal: Libraries and the Academy 6 (April 2006). http://muse.jhu.edu/ journals/ portal_libraries_and_the_academy/ toc/ pla6.2.html (accessed May 31, 2006).

For an online book:

  • Robert Barsky, Noam Chomsky (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997, http:// mitpress.mit.edu/ Chomsky, accessed May 31, 2006).

For e-mail:

  • John Brown, “Virtual Reference,” e-mail to Sarah Jones, Aug. 31, 2005. OR John Brown, “Virtual Reference,” email to author, Aug. 31, 2005.

For a posting to a discussion list:

For more than one item in an endnote:

  • Ellie A. Fogarty, “Reference Questions: Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why?” New Jersey Libraries 28 (Summer 1995): 19-21; Sharon L. Baker and F. Wilfrid Lancaster, The Measurement and Evaluation of Library Services (Arlington, Va.: Information Resources Pr., 1991), 239; Shera , Libraries and the Organization of Knowledge, 117.

Other questions on style and preparation of copy can be answered by the Chicago Manual of Style. Verify each citation carefully. Spelling and accuracy of names in references should be confirmed by the author.