Submit a Journal Manuscript

Manuscripts are accepted for consideration by Family Systems with the understanding that they represent original material, have not been published previously, and are not being considered for publication elsewhere. They should generally be 2500 to 7500 words, although longer articles will sometimes be accepted. These can be theoretical papers, clinical or experimental research studies, field studies, subject-oriented papers, case reports (brief quotes may be used in such reports, but not transcripts of sessions), and literature reviews.

Careful attention should be paid to preserve anonymity in case reports and similar articles. The journal will also publish brief reports, which are generally approximately 1500 - 2500 words. Ideas stimulated by theoretical thinking, clinical experiences, observations of the natural world, reading, or other sources can be the basis of such reports. Family Systems also has a book review section. Reviews of books, chosen at the author’s discretion, must critically engage the ideas presented and discuss their relevance to the development of Bowen family systems theory.

submission

Manuscripts may be sent by email to Dr. Robert J. Noone, Editor, Family Systems. Authors will be advised of the decision about their manuscripts as rapidly as possible. For examples of articles, brief reports, and book reviews, please contact Paulis Waber.

Copyright

The copyright on all material published in Family Systems is held by the Georgetown Family Center. Authors sign a copyright agreement when their article is accepted for publication.

Format

Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with guidelines provided by The Chicago Manual of Style. Please use our style sheet as a formatting reference.

After an article has been accepted for publication, it is copyedited for literary style, conformity to the style of this journal, clarity of presentation, coherence, punctuation, standard usage of terms, and spelling. Authors will have an opportunity to review edited copy prior to publication. Original artwork must be submitted for tables, charts, graphs and illustrations.

Abstract and keywords

An abstract of 150 words should be prepared as a lead-in to the article. An abstract is also needed for a brief report. This will be printed in italics and should cover the intent, scope, and principal findings of the article. Please also provide about 10 keywords related to your article topic. No abstract or keywords aare needed for book reviews.

Authors

At the top of your article or on a separate page, please prove your name as you’d like it to appear in the journal, professional degrees/title, a 2-3 sentence biography that includes the name and location of the principal institutional affiliation, and the best email contact for journal readers. This information will be utilized if the article is accepted, but will not be seen by reviewers.

References

An important responsibility of the author is to prepare a correct reference list. The journal uses the Chicago Manual of Style for citation formatting. References should be checked against original sources. An alphabatized reference list should be located at the end of the manuscript. Journal names should be spelled out. References in the text should indicate the author and date of publication. Page number(s) should be included only when a direct quote is used. Please refer to our style sheet and to a current issue of Family Systems for examples of the proper format. Contact Paulis Waber for a sample reference list.