Submission Guidelines

General Information

• Manuscripts are limited to 9,000 words INCLUDING references and endnotes for articles and 5,000 words INCLUDING references and endnotes for research notes. (Research notes should also have fewer figures and references.)  Regardless of the subject matter, writing style, etc., if your paper exceeds our word count, it will not be sent out for review.  The paper will be returned to you. The manuscript may not be submitted to another journal while under review by Social Forces.
• Microsoft Word is the preferred format for submitted manuscripts.
  
• The standard NON-REFUNDABLE manuscript processing fee for Social Forces is $40. The fee is $20 for manuscripts written solely by students (as of 10/2009).
• Social Forces has transitioned to the use of Manuscript Central, a web-based peer review management system.  After submitting your processing fee as described below, follow the next set of directions on submitting a new manuscript through Manuscript Central. 
  
• IMPORTANT:  If you received a "Revise and Resubmit" decision on a paper which was originally handled in JournalTech, our previous online system, you will need to submit your revision using Manuscript Central instead.  Follow the instructions below under "Submitting a Manuscript."  You will NOT need to pay another manuscript processing fee.  You will need to note that the manuscript has been previously submitted (there is a question in the submission process asking this).  Please give the previous JournalTech manuscript number for reference (e.g. 2006.123).  Also include a note in the cover letter section that your manuscript was originally reviewed in JournalTech.  This is the only way we will be able to identify your paper as a resubmission rather than starting it over as a new submission.  Please upload your summary of revisions along with your manuscript files.  Make sure that no identifying information (names, institutions, etc.) is present in your uploaded files.  That is, do NOT upload a complete title page or include your name in your summary of revisions.  Your identifying information will be collected elsewhere during the submission process.

Submitting a Processing Fee:

Please submit payment before submitting the manuscript.

Social Forces prefers online payment by credit/debit card.  If paying by credit card, submit your VISA or MasterCard information on our secured website by doing the following:

Click on this link. At the bottom of the page under "Submission Fee for Authors," click on the appropriate monetary icon.  Enter a quantity of one, click "Add to Shopping Cart," click "Buy Now" and enter the appropriate information in the secure checkout area. An order number will be listed on the screen after you've submitted the payment.  You must include this number in the "cover letter" section of your new submission on Manuscript Central.  Your manuscript will not be processed until we receive this order number.  If you are submitting a revised manuscript, you do not need to pay the fee again.

If paying by check, U.S. Money order or International Money Order please send a check for the appropriate amount made payable to Social Forces to:

Social Forces
Room 168
Hamilton Hall CB 3210
Department of Sociology
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill NC 27599-3210

The check should include a note or a letter with the email address of the primary author.

Submitting a Manuscript:

Please Note: Social Forces has transitioned to all electronic submissions.

Once you have paid your manuscript submission fee, please follow the instructions below for creating an account, logging in, and submitting your manuscript through Manuscript Central.

Author instructions for submitting articles to Social Forces using Manuscript Central:

• Go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sf
• If you have submitted a manuscript to OR reviewed a manuscript for Social Forces in the past, you may already have an account in Manuscript Central.  Your User ID is most likely some form of the email address you used when you last worked with Social Forces. Before attempting to create a new account, try entering your email address into the "Password Help" function on the main login page.  If your email address is recognized, you'll shortly receive an automated email with instructions.
  
•  If you already have an account, log in and go to the "Author Center" to submit your manuscript.  If you do not know your password, enter your email address into the "Password Help" function on the main login page, and you will shortly receive an email with instructions.
  
• If you have never before submitted a manuscript OR reviewed for Social Forces you will need to create an account. On the login screen, in the upper right corner, you will see the link to “Create Account”.  Click the link.  Follow the instructions to create an account.  Note that you do NOT upload your manuscript at this point. **If you try to create an account and are told an account already exists using your email address or name, please enter that email address into the "Password Help" function on the main login page to retrieve a password.**
• Once you are logged in and have entered any account information, you must go to your Author Center to submit your manuscript.  If you do do not see the Author Center, click on the link to the Main Menu on the top left of the page and then proceed to the Author Center.  You will see a link on the right side of the page which directs you to click to submit a new manuscript.  
• Follow the instructions on the screen to submit your manuscript.  If you have questions at any point during the above process or subsequent manuscript submission process, first click on the red “Get Help Now” link on the upper right corner of the page you are on.  You will be directed to a support website which includes a quick Author tutorial with more detailed information on submitting your manuscript and troubleshooting any problems.
• At any point while logged into Manuscript Central, you may alter or update your user information by clicking on the "Edit Account" link in the upper right corner of the web page.

Additional information regarding manuscript submission:

• Make sure that your manuscript will be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. The file extension should be ".doc"
  
• Tables and Figures should be editable in Microsoft Word and limited to a total of 10. (ex. 5 tables and 5 figures, 7 tables and 3 figures, etc.) Here is an example of a table. Here are a couple examples of figures.
  
• You are responsible for making sure that the uploaded manuscript consists of the complete text of the manuscript MINUS any identifying information in the title page, acknowledgements, and/or any running headers to allow blinded review.  Please note: If you have used the "track changes" feature at any point during the composition of your submission, make sure to accept all of the changes before saving the final version that you will upload.  This is also true for the submission of revised manuscripts.  If you do not do this, reviewers may be able to see your name and comments, compromising the blind review system.  If this happens, we will have to start over with a new reviewer, significantly delaying the review process.
• During the submission process, you will be required to enter (1) Manuscript Type (Original Article); (2) Title; (3) Running Head (50 characters); (4) Abstract (limit 125 words).  You must also include the order number for your submission fee in the "Cover Letter" section.  If you do not include this number, your manuscript may be returned to you.  If you wish to include an "acknowledgements" statement for your paper, we suggest entering it in the "Cover Letter" section.  Do not include it in any uploaded manuscript files, since the statement may contain identifying information.
• Note: For papers submitted as research notes, please indicate the status of the paper as such somewhere on the title page of your uploaded manuscript submission.  Research notes are not distinguished in any other way to reviewers.
• We encourage you to enter appropriate keywords, as this helps us match appropriate reviewers to your manuscript.  Please only use the free text fields as absolutely necessary (i.e. no keywords in the existing list are appropriate for your manuscript)
• When entering co-author information, please follow the instructions at that point in Manuscript Central to check if an author already exists in our database (it is best to initially search by last name).  If the author is found, his/her information will be automatically filled out for you.
  
• Formatting: Do not use any automatic features including headers, footnotes, endnotes or references.
  
• Text: 11 pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced with 1-inch margins all around. Include call-outs to tables and figures by placing copies of titles in the text where they should be located. (For example, Table 1: Rankings by Number).
• Endnotes/Notes: Use only for substantive comments bearing on content. Mark consecutively beginning with numeral 1. Should be in 10 pt. Times New Roman. No footnotes. No automatic formatting. (Type endnotes manually rather than using the Insert menu of your word processing program.)
• References - Alphabetize by author and follow Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). 
• Surveys - Adhere to The American Association for Public Opinion Research. 2006. Standard Definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys. 4th edition. Lenexa, Kansas: AAPOR. (PDF)