The Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF), published by the National Council on Family Relations, is the leading research journal in the family field and has been so for over 70 years. JMF features original research and theory, research interpretation and reviews, and critical discussion concerning all aspects of marriage, other forms of close relationships, and families. The Journal also publishes book reviews.

JMF is issued in February, April, June, August, and October of each year. Each issue averages 284 pages in length. World wide, its circulation is more than 6,200 copies.

Contributors to JMF come from a diversity of fields including anthropology, demography, economics, history, psychology, and sociology, as well as interdisciplinary fields such as human development and family sciences. JMF publishes original theory and research using the variety of methods reflective of the full range of social sciences, including quantitative, qualitative, and multimethod designs. Integrative reviews as well as reports on methodological and statistical advances are also welcome.

The Journal receives over 700 submissions annually. Of these, approximately 15% are published following one or more revisions. All submissions receive masked review by two or more experts in the field. Eighty percent of all reviews are completed within six to eight weeks of manuscript receipt. Publication lags vary but average five to nine months following acceptance.

Articles published in JMF are indexed in the Family Studies Database, SocAbstracts, PsychInfo, the Social Sciences Index, Education, Exceptional Child Education Abstracts, Book Review Index, Abstracts for Social Workers, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Guide to Reviews of Books from and about Hispanic America.


RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS OF EDITORS

Responsibilities

• The Editor is responsible for establishing and maintaining the highest possible standards in the contributions that fill the pages of the Journal and for maintaining the integrity of the Journal itself.
  
  
• The Editor has total responsibility, authority, and accountability for editorial content of the Journal.
  
  
• The Editor will report annually to the NCFR Board and will be involved in Board discussions and decisions involving the Journal.
  
  
• The Editor is responsible for maintaining an Editorial Procedure’s Manual for use by the Board and by future Editors.
  
  
• The Editor will not publish in the Journal during her or his term of office.
  
  
• The Editor is responsible for selecting an Editorial Board of qualified scholars who represent the professional diversity of the field.
  
  
• The Editor is responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts receive fair reviews by qualified reviewers.
  
  
• The Editor is responsible for ensuring that decisions regarding publication are fair, unbiased, and justified.
  
  
• The Editor should not have personal financial involvement in manuscripts considered for publication. An Editor should disqualify herself or himself from any decision-making role on a manuscript addressing a subject on which she or he has a potential conflict of interest.
  
  
• The Editor may disqualify herself or himself from evaluating submissions by students or by local colleagues or friends. In these instances, the Editor may ask a guest editor to oversee the review process and to make the final decision on the manuscript.
  
  
• The Editor is responsible for ensuring that issues of the Journal are published on time and that each issue is within the page limit set by the publisher and NCFR.
  
  
• The Editor will return reviews and make decisions within 12 weeks from the time the manuscript is sent out for review except when there are extenuating circumstances.
  
  
• The Editor will act proactively and contact authors when decisions about manuscripts will be delayed.
  
  
• The Editor is responsible for summarizing the status of Journal operations (e.g., the number of submitted and accepted manuscripts, average time an author has to wait for an editorial decision, and average time it takes for an accepted manuscript to be published). Ordinarily, this will be done during a meeting with the Editorial Board at the annual conference.
  
  
• The Editor will inform the publisher and the NCFR Board of any political, commercial, or other incidents that could impair the scientific credibility of the publication and will take measures necessary to ensure that such incidents do not affect the decisions that she or he is called on to make.
  
  
• The Editor will warn the publisher and the NCFR Board of any adverse consequences to be expected if her or his professional judgment is overruled and will ensure that proposed alternative actions do not impair editorial integrity.
  
  
• The Editor will not disclose confidential information unless authorized by the source of that information, unless allegations of ethical misconduct require access to that confidential information for proper investigation, or unless the Editor is required by law to disclose that information.
  
  
• The Editor will refrain from using confidential information for personal gain and shall take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is not used for the advantage of other parties.
  
  
• If the Editor becomes aware of a contravention of these guidelines, she or he will report it to the publisher and the NCFR Board.
  
  
• The Editor will assist the publisher or the NCFR Board in the education and training of new Editors.
  

• The Editor must be free to authorize publication of peer reviewed and other appropriate research reports, critical analyses, theory papers, and other materials, and must be free from unilateral, biased, or otherwise arbitrary interference that may detract from the long-standing tradition of a free scientific press. The publisher or NCFR Board is usually responsible for financial and other management issues, but they must always recognize and accept the Journal’s scientific integrity and the editorial independence of the Editor.
  
  
• The Editor and the publisher or NCFR Board should enter into a clear signed and witnessed contract to ensure proper editorial freedom and responsibility. Such a contract should identify the officers, committee, or other management group to which the Editor is primarily responsible. Furthermore, the contract should state clearly the job description, reporting responsibilities, and performance measurements. These should include statements of scientific, editorial, and administrative expectations of all parties; terms of reference under which the Journal is published; the length of the contract; financial conditions; including operating expenses and remuneration (if any); and terms for termination by either party.