Guidelines for Authors

Call for Papers | Guidelines for Authors | FAQ for the Working Paper Series | Main Kinder & Braver World Project website

  • Content Requirements:
    • Papers must address one of the following two topics:
      • Youth Movements for Social Change. What is known about youth organizing and youth social movements?  How do adults and youth work together for social change?  How do youth movements leverage technology? What are psychosocial predictors of youth engagement? How do peer norms affect youth activism? What is the relationship between self-efficacy and youth empowerment? What are key research insights that organizations trying to create a social movement with youth need to know?
      • The Role of Youth Organizations.  Youth have long participated in religious and secular organizations, including programs like the Girl Scouts of America, 4-H, and Gay-Straight Alliances.  How has participation in these organizations shaped youths’ worldviews, civic engagement, and social wellbeing?  What kinds of organizational structures work best to engage youth? Does participation in youth organizations predict healthy civic engagement? How is social media used by youth organizations? What are notable successes and failures in creating youth organizations? What are key lessons from youth organizations that anyone working to support youth should know?
    • Papers must rely on peer-reviewed research or equivalent scholarship (e.g., law review articles or legal decisions) must reflect that research accurately, and must appropriately attribute and cite that research.  The research can be from any one of a number of fields and disciplines, including social science, scientific, mental health, health, or legal. 
    • While papers are expected to focus on research about youth, to the extent that empowering youth to create a kinder, braver world involves guiding adults to help them, research on adults also may be relevant. 
    • Papers must be sensitive to the fact that youth come from different socio-economic backgrounds, values, racial and ethnic groups, genders and sexual orientations.  
    • Papers must acknowledge limitations of the research on which they rely. For example, a paper based on research about one demographic (i.e. youth in urban areas) must acknowledge that the findings cannot necessarily be extrapolated to other groups (i.e., youth in rural settings).  A paper based on research among one age group (i.e., high school students), may not necessarily be extrapolated to another (i.e., all children).
    • Papers must be new work, written specifically for publication in the KBW Research Series.
    • Papers must provide recommendations or ideas to a clear target audience or audiences.  The audiences may include, for example: youth, parents, teachers, school administrators, school boards, afterschool programs, coaches, choral directors, religious leaders, and community centers. 
    • While most papers will be focused on U.S. audiences, some may have an international reach.
    • Papers must be well written and accessible to the target audience(s), in terms of language, style, and length.  Literature reviews or legal analyses can be 10-20 pages in length, but most papers should be under 10 pages. The shorter, the better. 
    • Papers must further the goal of empowering youth to create a kinder, braver world.
    • Papers must benefit both the target audience and the community as a whole.
  • Length and Formatting requirements: 
    • Papers should be an appropriate length for the given audience and goal. Literature reviews or legal analyses can be 10-20 pages in length, but most papers should be under 10 pages. Even shorter is preferred.
    • Each paper must be submitted in Microsoft Word, double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font. Margins should be 1 inch at the top and bottom of the page and 1 ¼ inch from the left and right hand sides of the page; 
    • Papers should include the author’s name, affiliation, and contact information.
  • What to Submit and Deadline:  Authors should submit the following to kbw-series@cyber.harvard.edu no later than July 25, 2012:
    • The paper they propose to publish;
    • A cv or biography of the author; and
    • A summary describing:
      • The content and goal of the paper;
      • The target audience of the paper; and
      • Ways in which the author works with and/or intends to reach that audience. 
  • Review Criteria: Papers will be reviewed by the Editors and by other experts in the field with a focus on the content, length, and formatting requirements provided.  The review team may vary in constitution over time, but will be made up of scholars, practitioners, and other experts representing a wide range of disciplines and experiences.  
  • Acceptance Process: The Editors will inform Authors in September, 2012, whether or not a paper has been accepted for publication.  If a paper is accepted, the Editors may provide the author with editing suggestions or requirements.  The Editors also may suggest that two or more authors work together to publish one paper, if their topics align in an appropriate manner.
  • Final Editing and Formatting: Authors are expected to edit, cite check, and format their own papers, using the parameters set by the Editors.
  • Final Submissions: Authors must submit their final paper in September, 2012, approximately two weeks after they are told that a paper has been accepted for publication.
  • Publication: Papers will be published on the KBW series website, and uploaded to the Working Paper Series on SSRN.  Papers will be published in early October 2012.
  • Publicizing Papers and the KBW Series: The Berkman Center and the Editors will publicize the KBW research series in a variety of ways, including sending email notices to multiple lists, blogging, and tweeting.  Authors are expected to make the same effort, both for their paper and for the series as a whole.  Authors also may work with the Berkman Center and the Editors to identify other ways to publicize papers to the intended audience, for example through local or national associations. 
  • Copyright: Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License: Details.
  • Reservation of Rights: At all steps during this process and at all times, the Editors and the Berkman Center retain the sole right to decide whether or not to accept papers, publish papers, and/or remove papers from publication.

Call for Papers | Guidelines for Authors | FAQ for the Working Paper Series | Main Kinder & Braver World Project website

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