Women, Gender, and Families of Color

For Authors

Submit Manuscript

Please verify that all communications come from the editor directly (see “Editorial Board” for contact information) or from Scholastica. There is no cost to submit or publish in the journal unless you have requested open access for your accepted article.

General Guidelines

WGFC practices a blind-review and anonymous editorial process. Authors should submit any manuscript(s) for consideration electronically via the WGFC submission link below. If you must make a submission via the mail, please include a single hard copy and a disc containing an electronic version of the manuscript. All self-citations should be removed from manuscripts. Papers should not exceed 30 pages, including notes, tables, and references. Text should be double-spaced. Do not embed tables and illustrations within the manuscript text; please place a call-out within the text to indicate placement and place tables and/or illustrations at the end of the manuscript. Previously published work or work currently under consideration elsewhere will not be considered. Manuscript(s) should include a cover page stating author’s name(s), institutional affiliation(s), a telephone and fax number, and an e-mail address. An abstract and brief bio should also be submitted with all manuscripts. WGFC follows the guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition and all manuscripts should be written in this style. Any manuscripts not written in the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition will not be considered for review or publication. Manuscripts and discs will not be returned.

WGFC uses a combination of endnotes and a bibliography (titled “References”). Endnotes should be used for discursive material and to expand discussions. Author-date parenthetical references should be used for in-text references (e.g., Pough 2002, 2003; Wilson 1996, 2001, 2005), and a references list should include all sources cited in the article. Since WGFC uses the author-date notation system, multiple works by the same author should be arranged chronologically, not alphabetically, in the bibliography. Please refer to previous issues of WGFC for examples.

Submissions are initially reviewed by the journal editor(s) to determine whether it meets the scope and quality required to be examined by our reviewers. All articles are then sent to at least two (2) reviewers. Reviews are blind, meaning that the reviewers will not know who the author(s) submitting the article are. After an initial review, articles will be placed into four categories: 1) ACCEPT with minor revisions; 2) ENCOURAGE REVISION - the paper needs modifications, but has strengths; 3) PERMIT REVISIONS - the paper has strong potential, but is underdeveloped, and 4) DECLINE. Almost every article accepted for publication by WGFC will need additional modifications per the reviewer’s remarks. After these remarks are addressed by the author(s), the submission is returned to WGFC. After the submission has been copyedited and formatted by our copyeditor, it is sent to the author(s) and WGFC for final approval (prior to publication online). WGFC reserves the right to make minor edits to submissions during the post-review process.

Peer Review Policy
WGFC practices a blind-review and anonymous editorial process. The process involves two steps: (1) internal desk review to determine if the manuscript is ready for the second step, and (2) external peer review by an appropriate scholar expert in the field.

Facilitate a Quicker Review of Your Submission

A timely review of your manuscript is important to us. However, journal editors are increasingly finding it difficult to identify reviewers for manuscript submissions, and the editorial review process is often delayed. You can help expedite the process by providing a list of suggested potential reviewers from which we may select to offer comment on your submission. Please follow the guidelines for submitting the names of potential reviewers below. Thanks for adding this new and critical addition to your submission.

Guidelines for submitting a list of potential reviewers

  1.  Provide up to 6 names of scholarly experts in your field (preferably associate professor or above)

  2. Include current e-mail contact for each scholar, if known

  3. Upload the list of reviewers as a separate document titled “YOUR SURNAME_REVIEWERS.DOC” (ex: MURRAY_REVIEWERS.DOC)

PDF Policy

PDFs are permitted and issued for the following:

  • Tenure dossier.
  • Special workshops the author is moderating.
  • Other requests to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
  • All PDFs will include a statement of copyright and a provision that the articles will not be photocopied, distributed, or used for purposes other than the terms agreed to by UIP.

Preprints are permitted for:

  • University repositories; UIP requires a publication statement to be posted along with the preprint.
  • Some journals have their own established policies and procedures for preprints. Please be sure to first check their respective Web sites before sending your request.

Postprints are permitted for:

  • Non-profit archives and repositories; Articles must be at least one year old. UIP requires a publication statement to be posted along with the postprint and a link back to the journal of publication’s home page on the UIP website.
  • Personal and commercial Web sites; Articles must be at least three years old. UIP requires a publication statement to be posted along with the postprint and a link back to the journal of publication’s home page on the UIP website.

Please contact the Rights and Permissions Manager for more information.

Please send all requests to:
Rights and Permissions Manager
UIP-RIGHTS@uillinois.edu
Fax: 217-244-8082