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Prepare your manuscript for submission to the Journal of Marriage and Family (JMF) in accordance with the guidelines below. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be returned for modification before we send it out for review.

Please be aware that JMF rarely publishes review articles or manuscripts in which the primary contribution is the construction or validation of measures, evaluation of programs or interventions, or improvements to therapeutic practice. We do not publish letters to the editor or book reviews.

1. Review JMF’s Responsibilities and Rights of Authors and Frequently Asked Questions.
   Ensure that your manuscript is not currently under review at another journal and is not forthcoming or previously published.
2. Create an author account in JMF’s online submission system, Manuscript Central.
   All manuscripts are submitted online through ScholarOne Manuscripts(TM), which requires creation of an author account if you do not already have one. The ScholarOne Author's Guide (PDF) explains the process. Also available there are instructions for manuscript preparation (Instructions and Forms) and an online user's guide (Get Help Now) for help navigating the site.
3. Double-space all parts of the manuscript, including text, headings, abstract, quotations, and references. Tables may be single spaced.
4. Use 12-point font and save your file as a Microsoft Word document.
5. Limit manuscript length to 35 pages, including abstract, text, tables, and figures. Manuscripts submitted as brief reports should not exceed 25 pages.
6. Format your manuscript in accordance with JMF’s modified APA style.
   JMF follows the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) style. A general section (pp. 21-59) covers manuscript preparation. The JMF-specific style guide can be found online.
7. Include the abstract in the main manuscript document.
   The abstract has a specific format as described in the JMF Style Guide. Because invitations to reviewers include only the abstract, an informative well-written abstract can minimize time to decision and increase the probability that you will receive high quality reviews. The abstract also plays an important role in the public visibility of published manuscripts. Adherence to best practices of search engine optimization can expand the reach of your manuscript if it is published.
8. Integrate the content of any footnotes or endnotes into the main text of the manuscript.
   JMF does not publish footnotes or endnotes.
9. Prepare the manuscript for anonymous peer review.
   • JMF has a policy of double-blind anonymous peer review. The manuscript should not include a list of authors’ names, institutional affiliations, contact information, or acknowledgements. (This information can be included in the cover letter and/or entered into Manuscript Central during the submission process).
   • Ensure that self-citations do not reveal your or your co-authors’ identities. Refrain from using the first person when citing your own work (e.g. “our studies,” “we conducted”). When referring to your work—for example, published details about the data set used in your manuscript—provide a regular citation the same way anyone else citing this work would. Please do not replace your last name with “Author,” as this may result in author identification.
   • Citing your own manuscripts that are currently under review or forthcoming may reveal your identity in the review process. These citations should be temporarily deleted for the peer review process. If necessary information about your manuscript is in an unpublished paper or dissertation, provide an appendix for reviewers with this information.
10. Format tables according to JMF’s modified APA format and embed them in the manuscript for the review process.
    • Consult the APA Publication Manual for advice about when to include tables, pp.147-149, and figures, pp.176-177. Tables must be submitted in an editable format. The JMF-specific style guide can be found online.
    • To facilitate the review process, Tables and Figures should be embedded in the text, rather than placed at the end of the manuscript as will be required after acceptance. Many reviewers prefer this format when reviewing manuscripts electronically
11. 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.
    Wiley, JMF's publisher, provides more detailed information on the submission of electronic artwork (PDF).
12. Enter names and affiliations of all co-authors in the appropriate fields in Manuscript Central.
    In order to send your manuscript out for review, we must know the names and affiliations of all co-authors before we select potential reviewers for your manuscript.
13. Select up to 6 keywords for your submission from the list provided on the submission page in Manuscript Central and review tips for search engine optimization (SEO).
    Choosing the most relevant keywords assists us in selecting appropriate reviewers for your manuscript. In addition, should your manuscript be published in JMF, the keywords influence the visibility of your manuscript via search engines and the extent to which it is cited by others. Additional tips for search engine optimization should be reviewed online at Wiley Author Services.
14. Pay the one-time submission fee (for first submissions only).
    There is a nonrefundable submission fee assessed at the time of submission ($25 for NCFR members, $35 for nonmembers).

Updated August 2019

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