Manuscript Preparation

Journal of Family Theory & Review follows the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. Section 2 covers manuscript preparation. Access JFTR specific, detailed instructions at JFTR Style Guide.

  • Double-space the entire manuscript, including text, headings, abstract, quotations, references, and tables.
  • Manuscript components should be arranged in the following order:
  1. MS Title Page (including notes regarding grant support and/or previous presentation)
  2. Abstract and key words
  3. Text of article
  4. Endnotes
  5. Reference list
  6. Appendices (if any)
  7. Tables (if any)
  8. Figure titles and figures (if any)
  • Use 12-point font and save your file in Microsoft Word or Open Office.
  • An abstract of no more than 150 words should precede the body of the paper. (See the APA Publication Manual, Section 2).
  • Immediately below the abstract, list up to six key words, in alphabetical order, by which the paper may be indexed.
  • Keep tables and figures to a minimum. (See the APA Publication Manual for advice about when to include tables and figures, Section 5).
  • JFTR articles may include endnotes.
  • The reference list must match work cited in the text; that is, all parenthetical citations in the text must have a corresponding entry in the references list with identical author, year, and publication information.
  • DO NOT adjust alignment in the references list using the space bar, tabs, or hard returns. To create a hanging indent for the references, select the entire list, then go Format, Paragraph, Indentation, and choose "Hanging." Alternatively, adjust the small page-margin arrows in the Word ruler so that the bottom one is at 1 inch and the top one is at 0.
  • Taken together, title or cover page, abstract, text, references, tables, and figures, and any appendices should be approximately 35 manuscript pages.
  • Save each figure, model and diagram as a single image. In other words, ensure that boxes, arrows, etc. are grouped and saved as ONE image, NOT as separate boxes, lines and arrows. 
  • Please save line artwork (vector graphics) as Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), Word, or PDF files, and bitmap files (halftones or photographic images) as Tagged Image Format (TIFF), with a resolution of at least 300 dpi at final size. More detailed information on the submission of electronic artwork can be found on the Blackwell Publishing website.
  • Authors will have the opportunity to make corrections to proofs. Proofs must be returned within 72 hours of receipt to ensure publication in the next available issue. More than five corrections will result in a charge.