Submission Handbook and Proofreading Checklist

Welcome, Authors!

The editors would like to thank you for considering InterActions for publishing your work. Like all academic journals, InterActions adheres to a specific set of formatting and style guidelines for publication. Authors are also expected to follow and adhere to these guidelines when preparing their manuscripts for submission. In order to facilitate this process, we have created this handbook and checklist for you to use as a final step before submission.

For ease of finding information, we have divided the guide into three main sections: Online Submissions Guideines, Formatting Guidelines, and Style Guidelines. You may click on any blue heading in the table of contents to be taken directly to that section.

InterActions uses the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 6th Edition as its publication style guide. All in-text citations and references must abide by APA guidelines.

In some areas, InterActions does veer from APA. These differences will be addressed in the “Online Submissions” and “Document Set Up: The Basics” sections of this handbook. We recommend that you read these carefully. We hope that these new tools will help facilitate a smooth and rapid publication process.

Again, thank you for your consideration, and happy submitting!

The InterActions Editing Staff

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Table  of  Contents  Online Submissions Guidelines ........................................................................................ 3  

Length requirements ................................................................................................................ 3  Input Guidelines ...................................................................................................................... 3  

Formatting Guidelines ...................................................................................................... 4  Document Set Up: The Basics ................................................................................................... 4  

Page set up .............................................................................................................................. 4  Body Text ................................................................................................................................. 4  Section Headings and Subheadings ........................................................................................ 4  

In-Text Citation: The Basics ..................................................................................................... 5  Important notes for in-text citation ......................................................................................... 5  Placement for In-text Citations ............................................................................................... 5  

Reference Lists: The Basics ...................................................................................................... 7  Important notes for reference lists ........................................................................................... 7  Reference Examples ................................................................................................................ 8  

Footnotes: The Basics ................................................................................................................ 9  Important Formatting Notes for Footnotes ............................................................................. 9  

Tables: The Basics ................................................................................................................... 10  Important Notes on Formatting Tables ................................................................................. 10  Formatting Table Labels & Titles ......................................................................................... 10  Formatting Table Notes ......................................................................................................... 10  Table Examples ..................................................................................................................... 11  

Figures: The Basics .................................................................................................................. 12  Important Notes on Formatting Figures ................................................................................ 12  Figure Label & Caption Formatting ...................................................................................... 12  Figure Examples .................................................................................................................... 13  

Style & Mechanics: The Basics ............................................................................................... 14  Punctuation & Text Formatting ............................................................................................ 14  Spelling ................................................................................................................................. 14  Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ 14  Numbers ................................................................................................................................ 15  

Proofreading Checklist ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.  

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Online Submissions Guidelines

Length requirements • Articles (up to 9,000 words) • Literature reviews (up to 7,500 words) • Interviews (up to 5,000 words) • Policy reports and research briefs (up to 5,000 words) • Book reviews & Exhibition reviews (up to 1,100 words)

Input Guidelines Our online submission process requires that manuscripts be submitted in separate stages in order to ensure the anonymity of the review process and to enable appropriate formatting.

The main text must be submitted as a stand-alone file (in Microsoft Word, TeX, or RTF) without a title page, abstract, page numbers, or other headers or footers. Tables and figures should be included in-line with text, not at the end or as separate files.

The title, abstract, and author information should be input according to the directions on the site.

Abstracts (400 words or less) should be submitted in plain text and should not include information identifying the author(s) or their institutional affiliations.

All submissions, except for book reviews, must include an abstract before they will be considered for review.

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Formatting Guidelines

Document Set Up: The Basics

Page set up Margins = 1.5” sides and top and bottom Font = Times New Roman, 12 pt, single spaced (although APA requires double for manuscript submission, we prefer single spacing as it is closer to our publication specs) Alignment = justified (except for References Section—please see p. 8 for formatting guidelines)

Body Text Alignment = justified Indention = 0.5” first line (usually = 1 tab) Font = Times New Roman, 12 pt Alignment = justified (except for References Section—please see p. 8 for formatting guidelines)

Section Headings and Subheadings APA 6th provides formatting for 5 different levels of heading. You will find examples of these in Table 1 below. DO use headings and subheadings to differentiate sections. DON’T label the introduction. It is assumed that the first section is your introduction. Table 1. Formatting Headings and Subheadings

Level of Heading Format Spacing

1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase

Heading (Title Case) Before = 18 pt After = 12 pt

2 Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

Before = 12 pt After = 12 pt

3 Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph

heading (sentence case) ending with a period. Before = 12 pt After = 0 pt Continue with paragraph

4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase

paragraph heading (sentence case) ending with a period.

Before = 12 pt After = 0 pt Continue with paragraph

5 Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph

heading ending with a period. Before = 12 pt After = 0 pt Continue with paragraph

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In-Text Citation: The Basics

When using APA format, follow the author-date method for in-text citation and provide a complete reference in the reference list at the end of the paper. Complete APA guidelines can be found in Chapter 6 of the APA 6th manual. Additional in-text citation information can be found at the Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/.

Important notes for in-text citation

• Include the year of publication every time an author is mentioned, even if it seems repetitive

• Use an ampersand (&) instead of ‘and’ in parenthetical citations with more than one author. In text you will still use the word ‘and’ (see Examples 3 and 4 below).

• Alphabetize entries within the same parentheses, regardless of year o Use semi-colons to separate multiple entries within a parentheses o Use an Oxford comma before the final author in a list

• Place the period after the parentheses if the citation comes at the end of the sentence (except in Block Quotes, where it goes before the parentheses—this is a new rule addition to APA 6th)

• Use a block quotation if your quote has more than 40 words • Don’t exclude citations embedded in original material you are quoting • Don’t use quotation marks to enclose block quotations

Placement for In-text Citations If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and the page number for the reference (preceded by "p."). There are 4 ways this can be handled. See the examples below:

Example 1: Author mentioned in signal phrase. According to Jones (1998), “Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time” (p. 199). Example 2: Author mentioned in signal phrase, partial quote. Jones and Smith (1998) found "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers? Example 3: Author not mentioned in signal phrase. She stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style,” (Jones & Smith, 1998, p. 199). Example 4: Author not mentioned in signal phrase, partial quote. She stated, "Students often had difficulty using APA style" (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.

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Citation placement for block quotations If a direct quotation is longer than 40 words, it should be separated from the main body of text and indented ½”. You do not need to use quotation marks to enclose the quotation. Any quoted material within the quotation should use double quotation marks. Note: In this edition of the style manual, APA has moved the placement of the final period to precede the page number. In previous editions it followed it. See the examples below:

Example 5: Block quotation, author mentioned in the signal phrase.

This is introductory text that would normally lead in to the long quote. For the purposes of example, we are going to use dummy text in the long quote. Smith (1993) found the following:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the “lazy dog” (e.g. Fido, 1994; Fox, 1979) and the lazy dog didn’t even care. (p. 276)

If the paragraph continues, then your body text should continue here with no indentions. Example 6: Block quotation, author not mentioned in the signal phrase.

During the creation of this style manual, we are using many fake examples, including this one regarding the “lazy dog”:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the “lazy dog” (e.g. Fido, 1994; Fox, 1979) and the lazy dog didn’t even care. (Smith, 1993, p. 276)

If the paragraph continues, then your body text should continue here with no indentions. Citation placement with a summary or a paraphrase If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number (although it is not required.)

Example 7: Author mentioned in signal phrase, paraphrased text. According to Jones (1998), APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners. Example 8: Author not mentioned in signal phrase, paraphrased text. APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998, p. 199).

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Reference Lists: The Basics

Your paper should include a list of all sources used in your paper. This should be in a separate section titled “References.” The basic information that should be included in all APA formatted references are: author name, date of publication, title of the work, and publication information. If there is a DOI number, it should also be included. The types of sources that we use are many and varied. We are including examples of some of the most common types of sources we come across, but this list is in no way exhaustive. Please refer to Chapters 6 and 7 of the APA 6th manual for complete citation information. Additional reference list information can be found at the Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/

Important notes for reference lists

• Create a reference entry for every in-text citation • Alphabetize your reference list according to author’s last name • Check that you have complete citation information for all entries • Use a 1/2” hanging indent (first line flush to left margin, second, third, etc. indented) • Include a URL for online resources • Test the URL to make sure it works! • Don’t rely solely on the ‘cite’ function of Google Scholar to give you complete

information. These citations frequently are missing key pieces of information, such as journal volume or number.

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Reference Examples

Journal Articles (print or online)

Use sentence case (only capitalize the first word) for article titles. Capitalize the first word in the subtitle also. Journal titles use title case (capitalize all).

Basic format:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pp. #-##. http://dx.doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy [OR Retrived from + URL if electronic only]

One author:

Anderson, L.E. (1994). A new look at an old construct: Cross-cultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 18(3), 293-328.

More than one author:

Andrade, M.S., & Evans, N.W. (2009). Keys to persistence: International students in higher education. In M. S. Andrade & N. W. Evans (Eds.), International students: Strengthening a critical resource (pp. 43-72). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Books

Basic format:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location of publisher: Publisher.

One author:

Tinto, V. (1994). Leaving college: Rethinking causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Edited book, no author:

Andrade, M.S., & Evans, N.W. (Eds.). (2009). International students: Strengthening a critical resource. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Chapter or article in an edited book:

Guiffrida, D.A., Kiyama, J.M., Waterman, S., & Museus, S.D. (2012). Moving from cultures of individualism to cultures of collectivism in support of students of color. In S. D. Museus & U. M. Jayakumar (Eds.), Creating campus cultures: Fostering success among racially diverse student populations (pp. 68-87). New York, NY: Routledge.

Other:

Published dissertation:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Name of database. (Accession or order number)

Citation indicating more than one publication within the same year by an author:

Tinto, V. (1994a). Leaving college: Rethinking causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

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Footnotes: The Basics

Footnotes are used to include additional information that enhances the discussion in the text. They should only include one, brief idea. If you find yourself writing paragraphs in a footnote, you should probably include it in the body somehow. This is covered in more detail in Chapters 2 and 6 of the APA 6th manual.

Important Formatting Notes for Footnotes

• Use Times or Times New Roman 10 pt. with a 0.5” first line indention for footnotes. The format of footnotes can be changed in the Styles menu for MS Word.

• Number footnotes consecutively using superscripted Arabic numerals • Place the footnote number after a punctuation mark (except for dashes or

parentheses) o Footnote numbers always precede a dash1—like this, for example o If the footnote only applies to parenthetical information (a small

description, perhaps2), then enclose it in the parentheses. o If it applies to the entire text (not just the information in the parenthesis)

then the number goes after the final punctuation.3 • Place footnotes at the bottom of the page on which they appear. Most word

processing applications will do this for you automatically.4

4 This is an example of correct footnote placement.

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Tables: The Basics

Tables can be a concise way to display large amounts of data and to visually highlight main features of research results. Because there are so many different types of data that can be displayed, and so many different ways to format tables, we will only be featuring the basics here. More complete explanations and examples can be found in Chapter 5 of the APA 6th manual.

Important Notes on Formatting Tables

• Tables should be included in-line with text • Number tables in consecutive order from the beginning of the document • Have a brief, but descriptive title • Label all columns • Explain all abbreviations • Eliminate all vertical lines and any internal horizontal lines that don’t separate sections or

underline column headings • Include source information in the notes • Refer to the table by number in the body text. Referring to the “table below” or “the table

on p. xx” in your text can be confusing to the reader as placement of tables may shift during publication layout.

Formatting Table Labels & Titles Placement: above table Font = Times New Roman, 11 pt., bold Alignment = left Format: “Table” (italics) + # (italics) + period + Title in Headline Case (no italics)

Formatting Table Notes There are three types of notes for tables. They should immediately follow the table, be placed in this order, and follow these formats: General notes (pertains to entire table): Note. Text of the note, which may explain abbreviations or symbols, and where any source information should be placed. For formatting of source information, please see the Figures section of this guide. Specific notes (refers to a specific column, row, or cell) Indicated by a superscript lowercase letter (a b c). In the table these are ordered from left to right, top to bottom. aThe rest of the note follows immediately after the superscript letter. bThe second note follows directly after the first, not on a separate line.

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Table label and title

Column head

Table notes

Row label

Column spanner

Probability notes Explain the p values associated with asterisks within a table. The number of asterisks for each p value should be consistent for all tables in the document. *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

Table Examples Statistical Table Table 1. Sample Table with Fake Data and Notes Red Blue Size of widget n M (SD) 95% CI n M (SD) 95% CI Largea 15 .05 (.08) [.02, .11] 20 .05 (.08) [.02, .11] Mediumb 18 .11 (.07) [.03, .12] 15 .11 (.07) [.03, .12] Small 22 .06 (.09) [.02, .10] 17 .06 (.09) [.02, .10] Note. CI = Confidence Interval. Adatped from “An Article in a Journal,” by Joe Smith, 2014, InterActions, 45, p. 27. Copyright 2010 Joe Smith. Reprinted with permission. aThis is an example of a specific note. bIf there were additional specific notes, they would follow here. *p<.05, **p<.01 Text Table

Table 2. APA Heading Levels and Formats

Level of Heading Format Spacing

1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase

Heading (Title Case) Before = 18 pt After = 12 pt

2 Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

Before = 12 pt After = 12 pt

3 Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph

heading (sentence case) ending with a period. If you have body text, it would continue here.

Before = 12 pt After = 0 pt Continue with paragraph

4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase

paragraph heading (sentence case) ending with a period. If you have body text, it would continue here.

Before = 12 pt After = 0 pt Continue with paragraph

5 Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Body text continues here.

Before = 12 pt After = 0 pt Continue with paragraph

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Figures: The Basics

Figures are another way of visually presenting information in a paper. Figures may include charts, graphs, maps, drawings, photographs, diagrams, or other images. Similar to tables, because of the varied types and purposes, we will only be covering basics here. Full details on formatting and including figures can be found in Chapter 5 of the APA 6th Manual.

Important Notes on Formatting Figures

• Place figures in-line with the text • Place label/caption below the figure • Omit publication details & “reprinted with permission” for any author created figures or

images. All other images should have permission for reproduction • Label all elements within the figure clearly • Use high enough resolution images/figures so that they can be reproduced clearly • Refer to and explain figures in the body text

Figure Label & Caption Formatting Placement: below figure/image Font = Times New Roman, 11 pt., normal Alignment = left Indentation = none Must include a label, caption, and a source note formatted as follows: Label: “Figure” + # + period Caption: Use sentence case. Follows immediately after the figure label and should briefly explain the content of the figure. Source note: Follows immediately after the caption using one of the formats below. For graphs/charts/drawings (Figure 1): Figure X. Descriptive caption of figure. Adapted from “Article title”, by Creator’s Name, Year of creation, Publication Title, vol #, issue #, p. #. Copyright Date by Name of Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission. For photographs/images (Figure 2): Figure X. Descriptive caption of image. From Image title, by Creator’s Name, Year of creation, Database/URL. Copyright Year of Copyright by Name of Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission.

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Figure Examples

Figure 1. Graph shows number of students who know where to place figure labels in APA format year over year. Adapted from “Displaying results,” by Gary R. VandenBos, 2012, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, p. 125. Copyright 2010 American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

Figure 2. InterActions logo. From InterActions, by InterActions Editors. Copyright 2014 by InterActions. Reprinted with permission.

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Style & Mechanics: The Basics

Adhering to the style guidelines of a manual such as the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition ensures consistent spelling, punctuation, and writing style across the entire journal. A complete reference can be found in Chapter 4 of the APA 6th, but we have highlighted a few important details for you here.

Punctuation & Text Formatting • Spacing

o Use two spaces after a period that ends a sentence o Use one space after commas, semi-colons, periods within reference citations,

periods in a person’s initials o Do not use a space after internal periods in abbreviations (e.g., U.K., etc.)

• Quotation Marks o Use double quotation marks for ironic comments

§ e.g. He said the man’s behavior was “normal” considering the circumstances.

o Use double quotes to introduce new terms for the first time. Once they have been introduced and defined, no need for quotation marks.

o Use single quotes to surround quoted material within a quote § e.g. Brown (1985) stated “the man’s behavior was ‘normal’ considering

the circumstances” (p. 2). o Closing punctuation goes INSIDE the quotation marks unless there is a page

number included. In this case, the period goes OUTSIDE the parentheses. See the above example.

• Italics o Use italics for titles of complete works (books, movies, TV shows, etc.). For

articles or chapters or episodes (part of a complete work), use quotation marks. § e.g. “The One with the Lobster” is an episode of Friends.

o Use italics the first time a term is introduced o Use italics for words or phrases used as linguistic examples o Do not use italics for emphasis

Spelling • APA uses Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary or Webster’s Third New

International Dictionary as its standard spelling reference. • Use the first spelling listed rather than any alternates

Abbreviations • Abbreviations must be spelled out the first time they are used in a text. In subsequent

appearances, only the abbreviation is needed. Exceptions are abbreviations that have been accepted as words (HIV, REM, IQ, etc.)

o e.g. The American Psychological Association (APA)

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• The United States is abbreviated as U.S. only when used as a descriptor, e.g. U.S. immigration policy. When talking about the country, spell it out.

Numbers • Numbers below ten should be spelled out • Numbers at the beginnings of sentences should be written out, or the sentence should be

re-written so that it does not begin with a number. • Numerals should be used:

o For statistical or mathematical functions o With percentages o Before a unit of measurement o Time, dates, ages, and scores

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Proofreading Checklist

Submission

Submission is within the word limit for the document type: • Articles (up to 9,000 words) • Literature reviews (up to 7,500 words) • Interviews (up to 5,000 words) • Policy reports and research briefs (up to 5,000 words) • Book reviews & Exhibition reviews (up to 1,100 words)

Title, abstract, header, footer, and author information have been removed from main text document

Main text has been saved as a stand-alone file (in Microsoft Word, TeX, or RTF)

Abstract is 400 words or less and has been saved as a plain text file

Abstract does not include information identifying the author(s) or their institutional affiliations

Document Formatting

Font = Times New Roman, 12 pt., single spaced

Margins 1.5” all the way around

All paragraphs are indented ½” (or 1 tab)

No space between paragraphs

Section headings are labeled according to APA style. (Introduction does not have a heading)

In-text Citation

All in-text citations also appear in the References list

Titles of works in-text use Title Case (all major words are capitalized)

&, not and, used between authors’ names in parenthetical citations

Authors within parentheses are alphabetized

When there are three or more authors, there is a comma before the & Last Author

Period is placed after the parentheses if citation is at the end of a sentence in an in-line quote

Page numbers are included for all direct quotes and there is a “p.” or “pp.” as required

There is a space after the p. or pp. and before the page number (p. ##)

Quotes longer than 40 words are in block format and are indented 1/2”

Period is placed before the parenthesis if it is a block quote

References

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Every Reference entry has an in-text citation

Reference entries have a hanging indent of ½”

Reference entries are correctly formatted according to APA 6th. Use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th Edition, the Purdue OWL, or another resource to confirm. Do NOT rely on the cite function of Google Scholar

For journal articles, page number, volume and issue number information is included

For electronic sources, URL or DOI information is included

Hyperlinks work

For chapters in edited books, both the author of the chapter and the editors of the book are included according to APA formatting guidelines

Reference list is alphabetized by author’s last name

Titles of articles and books should be in Sentence Case (only the first word of the main title and the subtitle are capitalized). Journal titles use Title Case (all main words are capitalized)

Tables

Tables are presented in-line with the text

Tables are numbered in consecutive order

Table is referred to by number in the text

Table label and title are above the table

All abbreviations in the table are explained

Source and permissions information is included in the notes (if necessary)

Notes are in the right order (general, specific, probability)

Specific note indicators in the table use lower case letters and are labeled from left to right, top to bottom

The number of asterisks indicating specific p values are consistent across all tables

No vertical lines in the table

Horizontal lines only for the top, bottom, and under column labels or to separate distinctive sections of the table (like strata)

Figures

Figures are presented in-line with the text

Figures are numbered consecutively

Figure labels and captions are below the figure

Figure captions contain source, permission, and copyright information as necessary

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Elements of the figures are clearly labeled

Figure files are high enough resolution for reproduction

Figures are referred to by number in the body text

Footnotes

Footnotes are numbered sequentially with no missing numbers

Footnotes are Times/Times New Roman, 10 pt.

Footnote numbers in-text match the note numbers

In-text references to footnotes are parenthetical

Style & Mechanics

Two spaces after periods at the end of sentences

One space after commas, semi-colons, periods in a person’s initials, and after periods in citations.

No spaces after periods within abbreviations

Titles of articles are in quotation marks, whole works are italicized

Quotation marks are used correctly and punctuation around them is in the right place

New terms are italicized in the first usage

Abbreviations are spelled out the first time they are used

Other

Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been thoroughly checked

Verb tenses are appropriate

Pronoun references are clear (re-write sentences where pronoun references are vague)

Use of “we” is only to refer to the author and his or her fellow researchers on the project

Numbers below ten are written out, numbers greater than ten use Arabic numerals

Numbers at the beginning of sentences are spelled out (or sentences are rewritten to avoid this necessity

Numerals are used for percentages or other mathematical functions