NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS

The BJDD publishes scientific articles on work dealing with different approaches to the habilitation problems of people with a mental handicap. Contributions may originate from anywhere in the world but must be written in acceptable and fluent English, avoiding technical jargon as far as possible.

The BJDD puts much emphasis on the practical application of scientific findings and prospective contributors should keep in mind that acceptance of a manuscript for publication will depend to a great extent not so much on ‘interesting findings' as on its direct relevance to habilitation work. Readers of the BJDD expect that articles should give them some scientific help and insight in their practical work.

Form of Manuscripts: Manuscripts can be submitted electronically either as an email attachment or on computer diskette, accompanied by one hard copy. Regardless of the form of submission, all manuscripts must use point size 12 (preferably Times New Roman) and be double-spaced throughout with 2.5 cm margins all round. All pages should be numbered consecutively, including references, tables and figures legends. Be concise and avoid repetition. The manuscript must not have been published previously, or concomitantly submitted to another journal.

1/. Title Page. This page should contain the title, authors' names in full, qualifications, present position and authors' affiliation, with postal address. The telephone number, fax number and E-Mail address, if available, of the communicating author should also be given. To expedite publication E-Mail will be used whenever possible.

2/. Text. The body of the paper should comprise not more than twelve double-spaced pages and be divided into the following sections where applicable: Introduction, Method, Results, Practical Application, Discussion, Summary, Acknowledgements.

3/. References. Only articles that have been published or are in press should be included in the references. Unpublished results or personal communications should be cited as such within the text. References in the text should be made with author's name, comma, and year of publication in parentheses. Where there are two authors they should be cited as "Name and Name". Where there are more than two authors these should be cited as "First Author et al.," italicized, or underlined to indicate italics. References should be listed alphabetically at the end of the manuscript under the heading "References". They should conform to the following style:

• (a) Journal citations: Author, A. B. (1994) Title in full Journal name in full, Vol, first page - last page. Do NOT abbreviate Journal names. The name of the Journal should be either italicized, or underlined to indicate italics.
• (b) Article in a Book: Author, A. B. (1994) Title in full. In: Editor 1, A. B. (Ed.). Book name in full pp. first page - last page. Place of Publication, Publisher. The name of the Book should either be italicised, or underlined to indicate italics.
• (c) Book citations: Author, A. B. (1994) Book name in full. Place of Publication, Publisher. The name of the Book should either be italicized, or underlined to indicate italics.
• (d) Multiple authors or editors, list all: Author 1, A. B. and Author 2, C. D. or Author 1, A. B., Author 2, C. D., and Author 3, E. F.

4./ Tables. Tables should be numbered consecutively with Roman numerals in order of appearance in the text, and collected at the end of the manuscript. Type each table double spaced on a separate page with a short descriptive title typed directly above the table, and with any necessary footnotes (indicated by superscript lowercase italic letters) typed directly below the table. All tables must be self explanatory and there must be a key to abbreviations.

5/. Figures. All figures should be submitted in a form to permit photographic reproduction without retouching or redrawing and should be cited consecutively in the text with legends collected at the end of the manuscript and typed double-spaced on a separate page. Identify all figures on the back lightly in soft pencil with author's name and figure number. Artwork should be professionally drafted or generated by high resolution computer graphics. Lettering should be large enough (10 to 12 points) to take a reduction of 50-60%. Symbols used to identify points within a graph should be large enough that they will be easily distinguishable after reduction. All figures must be self explanatory.

Copyright: Upon publication, copyright ownership is conveyed to the British Society for Developmental Disabilities. The BJDD freely grants the author the right to republish the article provided the bibliographical details of the first publication in the BJDD are quoted.

The hardcopy paper form must exactly match the computer file. Label the disk with the type of computer used, the type of software and the version number, and the disk format. File names must clearly indicate the contents of each file. All tabular material will be set conventionally. Figures must be prepared as camera-ready copy (see above).

Proofreading: Authors will receive proofs of their article for correction of type setting errors. Authors will be charged for extensive changes at this stage. Proofs must be returned to the Editor within 48 hours of receipt. If proofs are not returned within this time-period the Editor may either publish the article without author corrections or delay publication by one issue of the BJDD.

Reprints: Authors receive 20 copies of their paper free of charge and can order further copies at cost-price.

Submission: The BJDD pursues an anonymous review policy. Authors may suggest up to five possible reviewers in the field. Rejected manuscripts will NOT be returned.

Hard copies and electronic disks should be sent to:
 

The Publications and Editorial Office

The British Journal of Developmental Disabilities,

Weyprechtgasse 10, A-2340 Mödling, AUSTRIA

Email attachments should be sent to editor@bjdd.org
 

The BJDD is published twice a year, in January and July, by the British Society for Developmental Disabilities