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Author Guidelines

Guidelines for Writing Articles for The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling

C. S. Lewis once mused: I sometimes think that writing is like driving sheep down a road. If there is any gate to the left or right, the readers will most certainly go into it.

    Lewis' thought hints at difficulties implicit in creating the written word-a reality evident to the Editors of The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling who return more manuscripts than they accept while preferring the situation to be otherwise. These guidelines represent our attempt to assist authors and, thereby, reverse this submission-rejection ratio. Certain limitations and weaknesses appear in articles submitted repeatedly; they constitute the headings and content for these a good portion of the following guidelines.

Knowing the Readership

     The following questions seem simple enough:

            "To whom is my article addressed?"

            "What group or professional guild would be interested in what I have to say?"

     Professional writers understand the importance of being aware of their audiences. This understanding is usually hard won. Likely, many have been browbeaten into learning about their intended medium and its audience before submitting their written wares. Failure to recognize a realistic target-group usually leads to rejection, the word writers' dread. Such rejection often marks the end of a writing career at its inception. Writing for The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling requires similar focus and discipline.

     The best way to get to know JPC&C's readership is to read The Journal on a regular basis. The Journal's Editors frequently receive manuscripts that are so far removed from the interests of The Journal that one can only conclude that the author never has seen a recent issue let alone read or analyzed one. Some common signs are particularly telling: There is nothing in the least bit pastoral or religious or spiritual in the topic or in its treatment; the manuscript is far over the length requirement; the article was sent to the Business Office or by-email rather than being submitted directly online; the form used has no resemblance to the one adopted by The Journal.  Chances are that such clues get expressed in the article as well leading to its return and rejection.

     The intended readership of The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling is complicated by the realities of its sundry constituencies.  A majority of its readers are members of one or more of the following professional organizations:

• Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)
• Canadian Association for Spiritual Care / Association canadienne de soins spirituels (CASC/ACSS)  (formerly CAPPE/ACPEP)
• College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP)
• National Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC)
• National Institute of Business and Industrial Chaplains (NIBIC)

     Members of these associations make up about seventy percent of The Journal's readership. Individual subscribers, some of whom are specialists in pastoral/spiritual care worldwide, military chaplains, ministers, priests, nuns, rabbis, and monks, psychologists, physicians, nurses, and social workers and interested others. All are involved and/or interested in pastoral and spiritual care, broadly envisioned. Within this broad spectrum many readers have some highly specialized interests. The hospital chaplain may be looking for specific information that is of only passing interest to a chaplain in an industrial, military, or penal setting. The seminary professor may have a minimal concern for a "how-to-do" article on the pastoral care of children. The pastoral counselor or pastoral psychotherapist may not be enthusiastically interested in a scholarly essay on a theological theme or a clinical pastoral educator's supervisory style. The Editors of The Journal constantly select articles that will be informative and helpful to this broad spectrum of theoreticians and practitioners in the pastoral arts and sciences.

     In this context, the author faces a similarly difficult task. In general, the more narrowly specialized the manuscript, the less likely the article will be accepted. Another clue: the greater the absence of pastoral or religious or spiritual dimensions, the greater the chances are for rejection.  In the context of such factors, the following general expectations are offered to help potential authors.

     Journal editors look for novelty in the context of current literature that reflects: 

• concrete and detailed reports of significant items of pastoral work, with discussion and critical reflection.
• research of importance to the ministry and mission of institutions such as church and synagogue, mosque or faith community.
• articles advancing an understanding of Pastoral Education, pastoral/spiritually-informed counseling/psychotherapy, and chaplaincy.
• manuscripts that explore the distinctive as well as the common characteristics of specialized ministry in relation to other helping professions or institutions.
• manuscripts representing interdisciplinary concerns and approaches

     Journal Reviewers:

• assess whether the author has written from a broad and inclusive perspective on research, practice, and ethics-unless the article is about a "narrow" aspect of the field and a narrow, ethically appropriate scholarly perspective is appropriate.
• pay attention to the publication dates and sources of information and the accuracy of descriptive statements.
• pay attention to the level of knowledge that the author has of the field of pastoral/practical theology and pastoral/spiritual care, counseling, education, etc. and ensure that the field is understood and described accurately.
• ensure that the author has not written in such a way as to disparage the various elements of the JPC&C constituency.

Knowing The Journal's Space Limitations

     The Journal is currently published electronically on a quarterly basis with a limited printed double issue twice a year.  With rare exception, full article submissions to The Journal should not exceed 20 pages including references. Editors often receive manuscripts of 30 and even 40 pages.  Submissions of excessive length will be returned. Your manuscript is one of many received.  An average of 3-5 full article manuscripts per week are submitted for publishing consideration.  Getting published in a professional journal remains a competitive business.   Space limitations may actually enhance your submission, requiring conciseness and focus, as Jacques Barzun (1975) titled one of his many fine books on writing, Simple & Direct.

The Place of Research

     The Journal's Editors note that most professional articles should be based on research (or in-search). However, authors should not be intimidated by a monolithic notion of research whether that is empirical or experimental, quantitative or qualitative.  First and foremost, research is a systematic form of inquiry. Too often pastoral and spiritual "type" persons associate "numbers" with research. Often this association is negative and frightening, particularly if one's education has been in a classical or literary frame. Some topics do demand quantitative approaches whereas other topics are not amenable to such approaches. (VandeCreek, et al.1998).

     Both the Editors and the readership value research and appreciate the way in which research findings are reported. Research is to be presented in a systematic way consistent with the assumptions about the subject matter being investigated, whether from a theological, sociological, psychological, phenomenological, or statistical perspective.  Both formal qualitative and quantitative research studies should be consistent with the clearly established models shared by all academic disciplines.  The Editors are very much interested in clearly written interpretations of data that have been generated through careful research, whether quantitative or qualitative.  Authors who list massive data or describe intricate methodological manipulations and nuances should indicate the availability of such via references so that those readers interested in such details may write to you for these data and elaborations. In reporting such findings, readability and interest-generation and general comprehension by a broad audience remain paramount.

Keeping a Focus on Organization

     Writers wishing to communicate to readers need to maintain a sharp focus and offer readers a clear organizing principle. The following advice from the late Paul Pruyser, former Editor of the Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, is very appropriate and might well be memorized by all who write for professional and scholarly publications:

• Poor manuscripts tend to have more than one focus, and are therefore confusing and distracting.
• Poor manuscripts are inadequately organized. A good rule to follow is to move from the known to the unknown; therefore, the opening paragraph should set the stage by proceeding from what is known and holding a promise for the not-yet-known which the author seeks to articulate.
• Impose an organization on your material: work with provisional sub-titles or center heads, each dealing with a specific facet of the message.

     Too often manuscripts received by The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling's Editors lack such an organized sense. The presence of an organized and focused principle can be achieved by following a few simple steps:

• Outline before starting to write (even though you might change your outline in the writing process).
• Use headings and sub-headings in organizing your materials and in holding a focus.
• Sit back occasionally during the writing and rewriting processes to examine your evolving article with these questions clearly in mind:
• Is my writing holding to my main theme?
• Does each paragraph and section move the material forward toward an end which will enlighten or assist the reader?

Ruthlessly cut out those words, sentences, paragraphs, or sections that deviate from your primary theme or that stall the forward movement of your article.

Treating the Pastoral and Spiritual Explicitly

     Although most readers of The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling are well versed in current psychological and psychiatric literature, particularly in their clinical expressions, the Editors constantly attempt to find ways of highlighting the pastoral, spiritual, religious, and theological contributions of the topics being treated. It is not unusual to receive manuscripts that could just as well be published in a psychological or psychiatric journal. These articles may contain some excellent and helpful information but the added focus on pastoral and spiritual aspects characterize the focus and mission of JPC&C.

      "Pastoral" or "spiritual" or "religious" or "theological" are ambiguous terms having a variety of meanings and shades of connotations. But there is a general enough understanding  in the terms to allow for their focus. The answers to the following questions, for instance, may help the author determine if his or her article has a proper slant for JPC&C:

• Are there explicit descriptions, implications, or illustrations that clearly depict the material as religious, spiritual, or pastoral in content or tone?
• Does the article draw practical implications for those caregivers who see their professional work as an expression of their religious and faith commitments?
• Has the topic special significance for religious institutions and for one or more of their ministries in specialized settings?
• Do the interpretations or reflections contain theological ways of understanding as well, perhaps, as psychological or sociological ways?
• Is the topic of such a nature that clergy and/or religious lay persons will find it not only interesting but contributing to their attempts to serve their faith groups?
• Does caring rooted in faith assume a strong role in the rationale for the article?

Not every article will get positive responses to every one of these questions. But an article that misses all of these concerns is probably going to be returned because its author has failed to take seriously the particular slant expected by The Journal readership.

Writing Clearly and Directly       

     "Clutter," writes William Zinsser, "is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon." (Zinsser, 1994).

     For many years the Editors of The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling have asked that authors write "as clearly, simply, and directly as topics permit." Still, the second most prevalent reason for rejecting manuscripts (the first being the absence of a proper focus) is the lack of good writing. Often manuscripts are ambiguous, complicated, and circuitous.  Some editors claim that poor writing is simply a natural expression of flaws in the writer's thoughts, that it is impossible for a muddy thinker to write clearly. In some instances, a poorly written article is probably a premature article; the ideas are not ready to be put down on paper or the ideas written have not been reviewed thoroughly.  It is equally true that many poorly written articles contain interesting ideas and marvelous notions worth sharing. The writer simply has failed to make such ideas and notions clear to others because of clumsy style, poor grammar, or lazy syntax.

          Potential authors for The Journal benefit by reflecting on the following questions: "Is this word or phrase or sentence designed more to hide than to reveal?" or, "Am I selecting this complex form of expression because I frankly haven't thought through this idea carefully?" or, "Am I using this word or style primarily because I think it will help establish me as a 'scholar'?" or, "Do I write in this complex way because I believe my ideas really 'transcend' the power of the English language?"

     Whether through failure to appreciate the basic principles of the English language or though literary exhibitionism, poor writing has a way of coming out as poor writing. Editors and readers sense it well enough.

     Editors, of course, cannot offer courses in writing as part of their editorial responsibilities, although the Editors of The Journal do attempt to give authors feedback on why their manuscripts have not been accepted.

Still, there are simple ways of improving a manuscript before it is sub-mitted to editors. Here are a couple of suggestions:

     1. Revising. Rarely do professional writers consider a first or even second draft, the final draft. Yet, Editors of JPC&C frequently receive manuscripts devoid of even elementary proofreading, let alone serious revising. This lack of review and revision highlights a failure of the most necessary part of any rewriting-reduction. In commenting on this point, one critic has written:

Nonprofessional writers are relieved when they've been able to produce an abundance of words-and they try hard to keep them. Professionals, however, are pleased to find how many they can cut in successive revisions...Seventy-five percent of all revisions eliminating words already written; the remaining twenty-five percent is improving the words that remain.(Cheney, 1983).

   A large majority of manuscripts received by The Journal are far longer than necessary. Compressing, condensing, and tightening not only allow more space for additional articles, it strengthens the article.

     True revision is hard work.  Only about thirty percent of the authors follow through on the invitation to prepare a revision when The Journal's Editors ask for rewrites. Revising involves a great deal  more than reducing or cutting. Frequently, for instance, JPC&C Editors find it necessary to write on accepted articles: "Needs more than routine editing, correction of grammar, punctuation, etc. before it gets to the printer." Clear-eyed revising can also correct much of these manuscript limitations.

     Today's writers have the advantage of software that tells them when they they are making spelling and grammar/syntax errors.

     2. Criticism. Next to cutting and revising, perhaps the most difficult chore for the writer is becoming exposed to the critical eyes of others. Yet having others-colleagues, relatives, friends, enemies-read what you have written usually can improve a manuscript before it reaches an editor's desk. The trick is to take such criticisms seriously but not too seriously. After all, the writing belongs to you, and you should not make changes too readily. At the same time, having another set of critical eyes cover your writing will often detect flaws you won't see.

     There are at least two forms of critical comments that can help to improve a manuscript. The first concerns writing style, grammatical construction, and general syntactical problems. If you have a colleague or friend you know is competent in English composition, let this person read your article for these issues Again, take such criticisms seriously but not too seriously. After all, an English purist can devastate most any written document - and in doing so reduce readability. Consider such criticisms, but remember that grammar and punctuation are not writ in stone. If in doubt regarding a critic's observations, check any one of the dozens of excellent resources available.

     The second form of criticism is one that focuses on technical accuracy. Many articles published in The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling cut across several disciplines. An author cannot be an expert in all disciplines. Thinking otherwise is a sure way of inviting criticisms after-the-fact.

     For example, if you have included generalizations about psychoanalysis and have never read a single book or article by Sigmund Freud, it would make sense to have an analyst give that section a reading.  Or if you make reference to a particular religious practice from a tradition far removed from your own, search out a representative of that faith group to see if what you have written comes close to being accurate or fair.

     Proper documentation is important and can help, especially if you have made sweeping generalizations or controversial claims. Provide your reader with adequate documentation (or a source for such documentation).

Of course, expertise-like criticism and proper documentation are not writ in stone either. Anyone who has lived in the academic world knows that scholars - even scholars in the same field of inquiry - frequently differ in their understandings. Still, their criticisms can alert the author to errors in fact, oversimplifications, and nuances of meaning that may be exceedingly important to recognize. They can, in other words, improve the manuscript before it ever gets to an editor.

Persistence in the Submission of Articles

       Several weeks after catching his first smallmouth bass, an eleven-year-old boy fishing with his father said, "I'm sure glad most people give up fishing when they don't catch a fish the first time they go fishing. Can you imagine how crowded the lakes would be if they didn't give up?"

     The young fisher could just as well have been talking about writing. If there is one lesson or truth repeated over and over again in professional writer's magazines it is the shibboleth, "Keep-sending-manuscripts-out-to-editors!" Just as you can't catch fish without getting your line wet, so too you can't get published without sending your manuscript to editors-again and again and again.

     There is no need to speculate as to why it is that so many writers cease writing once they get their first rejection. But they do, and that is unfortunate. The old anecdote of how a writer wallpapered his study with rejection slips before having his first story published is not fiction or exaggeration.  Fortunately, potential writers for The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling need not experience such a radical scenario. A little persistence, coupled with making use of some of the suggestions in these guidelines, usually will be enough to get published in The Journal.

                                               References

Barzun, J. (1975). Simple & direct: A rhetoric for writers. New York: Harper & Row.

VandeCreek, L., et al. (1998). Research in pastoral care & counseling: Qualitative and qualitative approaches. Decatur, GA: Journal of Pastoral Care Publications, Inc.

Zinsser, W. (1994). On writing well: An informal guide to writing nonfiction. New York: Harper & Row.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

1. The submission is an original work that has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
2. The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
   
3. Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
4. The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
5. The text adheres to the APA stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
6. If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review have been followed.

Copyright Notice

Authors must transfer copyright of accepted articles to the Journal of Pastoral Care Publications, Inc.

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