General Guidelines on Preparation and Length of Manuscripts

Manuscripts should be written in standard English, following the style outlined in The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. The manual is available for purchase from the web site of the American Psychological Association (APA). In addition, a number of web sites offer guidance on APA format, such as the APA Style web site, the APA Style Writing Workshop of the online Writing Workshop of Purdue University, and JVIB's own Instructions for Preparing Structured Abstracts.

Length

A manuscript needs to meet the length requirements of the category or department of the journal to which it is being submitted. Details are available in the description for each category in the Submission Categories section of this page. The maximum length of full manuscripts is 5,000 words. Maximum lengths of Research Reports, Practice Perspectives, and Practice Reports are 2,500 words. The word count excludes tables, references, and the cover page. Note that one double-spaced word-processed page equals about 250 words. (If an author is having trouble meeting these word count thresholds, please contact the editor in chief.)

Abstracts

Every article published in JVIB after January 1, 2012 that includes original data and meta-analyses needs to include a structured abstract of no more than 300 words. Abstracts should be prepared in JVIB style—see Instructions for Preparing Structured Abstracts.

Other articles need to include an unstructured abstract of no more than 50 words that summarizes the objective, main points, and conclusions of the article.

Abstracts are not required for Research Reports, Practice Reports, Around the World, Practice Perspectives, editorials, commentaries, or special features. If you are unsure whether to write a 50- or 300-word abstract, please submit a 300-word abstract. The editors will provide additional guidance during the peer review process.

Terminology

As in other areas of study, the fields of visual impairment and vision rehabilitation have their own terminology. However, different authors use these terms in different ways, and the meanings of various terms often overlap. To avoid confusion, authors are advised to define their terminology clearly in the manuscript. For a list of preferred terminology of AFB, the publisher of JVIB, visit the Style Guidelines for AFB Authors.

Formatting and Electronic File Preparation

JVIB uses Microsoft Word as its standard word processor for text, but manuscripts may also be submitted in Rich Text Format or ASCII. Authors should prepare their manuscripts as plainly as possible to facilitate problem-free copyediting and typesetting. JVIB's standard file formatting preferences include one-inch margins, Times Roman 12-point type, double-spaced lines, and numbered pages.

Figures and Tables

Figures and tables should not be embedded in text files. Each one should be saved as a separate file. Figures should be created in black and white or grayscale only and in a mainstream graphics software package, such as Word, Adobe Illustrator, Free Hand, Adobe Photoshop, or Excel. Reserve tables and figures to present crucial data directly related to the text of the manuscript and to simplify a discussion that would otherwise be dense with numbers. These elements should in all cases supplement, not duplicate, the text.

Photographs

When submitting photographs taken with a digital camera, images should be created at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) and stored as EPS, JPEG, or TIF files. Note that photographs must be in black-and-white or grayscale format.

Submission Categories

Article:

Full-length manuscripts on research, theory, reviews of the literature, or practice-based activities. The topics may have far-reaching and broad impact. All articles are peer reviewed.
Length: 2,500-5,000 words (If longer, please contact the editor in chief.)

Research Report:

A shorter format for presenting research results. The main difference between articles and Research Reports is length. In addition, Research Reports may have a more focused or narrow impact than articles and may report pilot studies, research in progress, or studies with a small number of subjects. All Research Reports are peer reviewed.
Length: 1,000-2,500 words (If longer, please contact the editor in chief.)

Practice Perspectives and Practice Reports:

JVIB publishes two briefer features that are intended for readers who work daily with people who are visually impaired. Authors of these features are often practicing professionals.

In Practice Perspectives, authors describe strategies that have helped them in teaching a particular skill or topic. They use observations and examples from their own experience that will help others to be more effective in instruction roles. This feature is an excellent forum for first-time authors who are also practitioners. Practice Perspectives are peer reviewed.
Length: 500-2,500 words (If longer, please contact the editor in chief.)

Practice Reports also provide information that will be useful for professionals in practice, but they include data or systematic explorations of a question related to instruction. Although authors describe a more focused investigation of an issue or question than they would in a Practice Perspectives, literature reviews or methodological detail are not necessary. Practice Reports are peer reviewed.
Length: 1,000-2,500 words (If longer, please contact the editor in chief.)

Around the World:

A forum for reporting on research or programs that are specific to one culture or part of the world and that may not have broader relevance. Around the World manuscripts are peer reviewed.
Length: 500-2,500 words (If longer, please contact the editor in chief.)

Comment:

A discussion of a timely topic, based on the author's experience or opinions. Comments are not peer reviewed.
Length: 500-2,000 words

Letter to the Editor:

A direct response to a paper that was recently published in JVIB. The authors of the paper referred to are given a chance to respond to the letter in the same issue in which the letter appears. Note that letters may be edited for length and style. Letters are not peer reviewed.
Length: Varies

Book Review:

An evaluation of a recent book that assesses its value for JVIB readers. Unsolicited manuscripts are not considered. Scholarly books should be sent to the Editor in Chief for consideration; general interest books about blindness or disability should be sent to jvib@afb.org.
Length: 500-2,000 words

Publishing Criteria

All work submitted to JVIB must be the author's original work. The work must be submitted only to JVIB and must not have been published before, including online.

The manuscript needs to have the potential to provoke thought within the field of visual impairment and blindness or to help practitioners better perform their professional duties, add new knowledge, serve as a notation on previously published work, or have the potential to stimulate notations by others. Also, it is equally important in qualitative and quantitative studies to give a detailed account of sample selection, sample characteristics, and observation (including questioning) methods. Authors are encouraged to discuss how the findings of their study might affect the day-to-day services delivered by educators, rehabilitation specialists, and other practitioners.

JVIB encourages the submission of qualitative papers that interpret, describe, and narrate what has taken place. Qualitative papers can provide an additional, even necessary, dimension when survey data require supplementary, descriptive information or when a topic lends itself more to discussion than to conclusions. Single- and multiple-case histories and ethnographies are especially welcome. It is generally more important for a qualitative study to explain how the analysis was done; in quantitative studies that is usually fairly self-evident.

Every author whose work is accepted for publication in JVIB is required to sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement, which gives AFB the exclusive right to publish and disseminate the author's work to the fullest extent, including online. For detailed information on authors' rights and responsibilities related to work submitted to JVIB, please visit the Permissions and Reprints page.

Conflict of Interest, Human Subjects, and Informed Consent

Conflict of Interest:

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as a research subject's welfare or the validity of research) may be influenced by another secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal rivalry). Conflicts of interest relating to materials submitted to JVIB should be acknowledged and openly stated. Although conflicts of interest do not necessarily preclude publication, readers are entitled to know that such interests exist, and the journal's editors must be aware of their existence. Therefore, authors are required to provide disclosure of financial interests or other potential conflicts. It is the responsibility of the first author of a submitted manuscript to communicate to the journal any author's possible conflict of interest at the time of submission.

Human Subjects and Informed Consent:

If human subjects were involved in a study, the authors must confirm that the research followed the tenets of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects (available at https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/). A statement in the Methods section of the submitted article should explicitly state the name and location of the approving ethics committee (institutional review board) and that informed consent was obtained from the subjects.

Submission Information

Manuscripts may be submitted for peer review year-round through Sage Publishing's ScholarOne site: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jvib. Text and table files should be in ASCII text or Microsoft Word format. Figures and photographs must be submitted in black and white only. Images need to have a resolution of 300 dpi or higher, and should be submitted as EPS, TIF, or JPEG files.

All submissions should include a separate cover letter. The cover letter needs to include the following information for the lead author and the corresponding author (if different):

  • Name of author
  • Mailing address
  • Telephone number
  • E-mail address

Authors will be required to sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement. JVIB does not consider manuscripts that are simultaneously submitted elsewhere or previously published elsewhere, including online postings.

Contact Information

Manuscripts need to be submitted for peer review through Sage Publishing's ScholarOne site: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jvib

Questions, book reviews, commentaries, and letters to the editor can be sent to Editor in Chief Dr. Sandra Lewis: slewis@fsu.edu.

News and information, as well as general-interest books for review, should be sent to:

JVIB
Public Policy & Research Institute
1401 South Clark Street, Suite 730
Arlington, VA 22202
E-mail: rebeccab@afb.org or jvib@afb.org

Display advertisements or classified advertisements should be sent to:

JVIB Advertising
Atth: Cody Michel
Advertising Coordinator
SAGE Publishing
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
Phone: (805) 410-7231
E-mail: Cody.Michel@sagepub.com

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