SBG Submission Guidelines
Note to Authors: You are expected to review and follow the SBG guidelines specific to the category for which your submission is intended: Article, Point of View Essay, Film/Book Review, or Musings. Guidelines for each type of submission are described below.
In advance of sending her your submission for review, you are also expected to send the Editor-in-Chief an inquiry and brief statement about why you think your submission is appropriate for publication consideration in SBG.
All submissions must be
1. Double-spaced in Times New Roman 12 typeface, with 1” margins all around.
2. Pages must be numbered in the upper right hand corner, starting on the first page of text.
3. References are expected to follow the format style used in work published in a recent volume of Sociology Between the Gaps.
I. General Guidelines for Different Types of Submissions
A. Articles
Please divide article submissions into labeled sections. Broad section headings in the body of an article generally include the following:
Abstract and Key Words
Introduction,
Literature Review,
Hypothesis/ses or Thesis,
Research Methods,
Analysis of Results,
Conclusion,
Discussion and/or Implications
For articles on clinical practice, authors are encouraged to divide the body of the paper into three parts which include the following:
1. A brief review of relevant clinical theory and research;
2. Description and analysis of the clinical case material reported in the paper; and
3. Discussion of the clinical case material against the background of existing theories and/or modifications needed/recommended to enhance the clinical case material.
B. Point of View Essays
Point of View (POV) essays are written by authors (including non-sociologists) who have direct experience with the topic they are discussing. The goal of a POV essay is to offer a forum for the publication and discussion of controversial topics and issues relevant to sociology, and to include the work of individuals who have a range of perspectives and experiences.
1. If you are interested in submitting a POV essay please contact the Editor-in-Chief and provide a brief description of your essay topic, structure, and approach. If you have already been in contact with the Editor-in-Chief about the content of the essay you plan to submit, then submit the essay itself.
2. Length guidelines: Generally, POV essays are 2,000 words or less. The Editor-in-Chief will consider longer essays (up to 5,000 words) after receipt from the potential submitter of a detailed outline of the essay's principal objective and contents along with a justification of the need for greater length.
3. Author's Bio: Along with sending his/her/their submission to the Editor-in-Chief, authors should send a brief 4-6 sentence About the Author containing information that they would like SBG readers to know about them.
An invitation to submit a POV essay is not a guarantee of its publication in SBG. Members of the Editorial Board of SBG will vet topics and content. Submitted POV essays that fit publication guidelines will be peer reviewed prior to a publication decision.
Upon acceptance for publication in SBG, the Editor-in-Chief will send the author the pre-publication draft of her or his essay for the author to review.
Opinions presented in the POV section reflect the authors' views and/or experiences alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board of SBG, or of Providence College. The readership of SBG is encouraged to evaluate POV essays on the merit of the essay’s thesis (if present), contents, and information provided in the Author Bio section at the end of each essay.
C. Book and Film Reviews
Sociology Between the Gaps focuses on publishing well-written pieces on forgotten and/or neglected topics. Book and film reviews may be written by sociologists and others from related disciplines. The principal objective of a book or film review is to publish sociological reflections on current work, a book or film, that will reach a diverse, global readership. Similar to Point of View essays, other objectives of the Book and Film Review Section are to generate open substantive discussion of topics and issues from authors who have a range of perspectives and experiences.
The Editor-in-Chief encourages submissions of Book and Film reviews related to the themes explored the first three volumes of SBG—adoption (SBG1), livable communities (SBG2), and cultural lag (SBG3) as well as to topics of potential interest to SBG’s global readership.
Submitters of Book and Film Reviews may or may not be sociologists. However, they must have read the book, or viewed the film, and have experience with the content covered in either. Reviews should include a description of the book or film as well as the submitter's reflection on, or evaluation of, its content and its relevance to the journal's readership. If the submitters are sociologists, then writing from a sociological perspective and using relevant sociological concepts is strongly encouraged.
Length guideline: 2,000 words or less.
An invitation to submit a Book or Film Review essay is not a guarantee of its publication in SBG, in its original draft or at all. Authors should expect that reviews accepted for publication will typically be edited for wording, content or style before they appear in SBG. In the case of accepted reviews, the Editor-in-Chief will send the reviewer a final draft of the review before it appears on the SBG website.
Author Bio: Along with their submission, authors will send a brief 4-6 sentence statement about his or her relevant background to include in the Author Bio.
D. Musings
The Musings section, first introduced in volume seven, publishes essays that result from an author’s reflections, thoughts, or contemplation on something they have been “thinking about carefully and for a long time” (Cambridge English Dictionary). When someone ponders or contemplates, they “muse.” Therefore, what they write as a result of reflecting on a topic or an idea over time can be described as a Musing.
Suggested length: sufficient to discuss the topic up to a maximum of 3,000 words.
E. Opportunity of Express an Opposing Viewpoint
In an effort to encourage dialogue on the issues addressed in an article or a Point of View essay published in SBG, potential authors who are knowledgeable about a theme (i.e., adoption, cultural lag, or livable communities) published in SBG volumes 1-3 or on a piece published in volumes 4-9 are invited to submit a written opposing viewpoint comment on the piece.
Note that opposing viewpoints should be based on the published piece’s thesis (if present), the scholarly foundation of the piece's content, and the challenging writer’s substantiation for their opposing viewpoint.
The potential author should send an initial email inquiry to Dr. J. A. Ruggiero at jruggier@providence.edu expressing their interest in submitting an opposing viewpoint commentary. Upon her invitation to do so, the commentary itself should be sent to her. She will decide which opposing comments to publish and where.
Suggested length: sufficient to discuss the opposing viewpoint up to a maximum of 1,000 words.
II. Specific Guidelines for Authors of Articles
A. Length: Articles submitted to SBG should ordinarily be 25 or fewer pages including References. With the pre-approval of the Editor-In-Chief, occasionally longer papers may be reviewed for publication consideration.
B. A Title Page containing the complete title of the submission; the full name(s) of each author; each author’s affiliation and contact information; and a brief biographical sketch of no more than 4-6 sentences for each author. Authors have the discretion to also include Acknowledgements of individuals or organizations that author wishes to thank and Disclosures about research funding.
To facilitate blind peer review, the Editor-In-Chief will separate the Title Page from the manuscript before the submission is sent out for review.
C. An Abstract of between 200 - 350 words in length. Include in the Abstract the objective, method, results, conclusions, and practical implications of the article. Authors should use complete sentences and spell out any acronyms the first time they mention it in the Abstract and in the Body the article. The Abstract should be located on a separate page after the title page and contain at the bottom three or four Key Words or Phrases identifying the content of the article.
D. The Body of an Article should include a clear statement of purpose in the Introduction; a brief review of the important literature for empirical and theoretical submissions; a description of method and scope of observations for empirical submissions; statement of hypothesis, if present; an analysis of all results; brief discussion of the significance of the findings with comments connecting this paper with the previous, relevant literature; a section on implications and suggestions for future research, if relevant; and a complete list of all work cited (i.e., References).
How to cite internet sources can be confusing. Citation protocol is changing due to the variety of formats and web-based resources that have become available in recent years. SBG encourages authors to use and cite mainly published sources when possible. SBG also recognizes the need for limited use of internet sources in some submissions. Please follow these guidelines when dealing with broken links and direct quotes from non-paginated sources.
Regarding authors' use of direct quotes from non-paginated internet sources: please use direct quotes from both printed and internet sources sparingly. However, in cases where authors quote from non-paginated internet sources, the in-text citation of author and publication date is acceptable.
As with all sources, printed or internet, included in a submission sent to SBG for review, authors are solely responsible for the accuracy of the sources and/or links they cite.
E. Use of Footnotes vs. Endnotes
Authors are encouraged to use Footnotes rather than Endnotes for brief explanations or elaborations. They may use a Footnote to explain or amplify a sentence or comment included in the body/text of the manuscript.
In an empirical paper, authors may use a Footnote to provide important details about sample selection.
Footnotes should not exceed 100 words. Type Footnotes double-spaced in Times New Roman font 10. Begin each Footnote with the superscript numeral that matches it in the text (e.g., 1, 2, etc.).
Authors also have the option to include an Appendix, or Appendices, to provide more detailed information than is possible in a Footnote. See item H below. (Appendix/Appendices).
F. Tables and Figures/Graphs
Tables present lists of numbers and percentages, rates, or text in columns. Figures are visual presentations of results. A figure may be a graph, diagram, photo, drawing, schematic, map, etc. Graphs are the most common type of figures. Tables and Figures should be computer generated and contain legends. It is the author's responsibility to insure the accuracy of the contents of all tables and figures. Consistency of the style or format the author uses in tables or graphs which appear in the same submission is important.
The title of a table or figure must be clear, simple, and identify its contents, including key variables. Each column in a table or figure must have a title or label.
Number each table and/or figure consecutively beginning with the number 1 (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
Authors must briefly describe the patterns of the data in each table and figure in the body of the manuscript. They must also cite/identify tables or figures by number at the end of the description (e.g., See Table 1; See Figure1).
Authors will submit each table or figure on a separate page, or as individual attachments, along with the manuscript.
G. Copyrighted Material
Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from copyright owners to reprint any previously published material included in their article. Each author must sign a written agreement stating that s/he has obtained the copyright transfer for each copyrighted image.
H. Appendix/Appendices
We encourage authors to keep the body of the paper focused on important content. In cases where there is important supplemental, lengthy material the author wishes to include, this material may be included in an APPENDIX or Appendices.