GENERAL GUIDELINES

Aphasiology is concerned with all aspects of language impairment and related disorders resulting from brain damage. The journal encourages papers which address theoretical, empirical, and clinical topics from any disciplinary perspective; cross disciplinary work is welcome. Aphasiology publishes peer reviewed clinical and experimental research papers, review essays, theoretical notes, comments, and critiques. Research reports can take the form of group studies, single case studies, or surveys, on psychological, linguistic, medical, and social aspects of aphasia. Ideas for Clinical Fora are welcome.

Aphasiology publishes several kinds of contribution:

• review articles - peer-refereed, reflective theoretically based papers exploring existing thinking, methodologies, and presenting new perspectives.
• research reports - accounts of qualitative and quantitative enquiries, including implications for future practice and directions for future research.
• clinical forums - discussion and exchanges of views on key clinical issues.
• research notes - short reports on work of a preliminary nature.
• book reviews - concise and critical insights into newly published books.

Contacting the Editors:

Professor Chris Code, School of Psychology, Washington Singer Laboratories, Exeter University, Perry Road, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK. Email: C.F.S.Code@exeter.ac.uk Tel: +44 01392 264642. Fax: +44 01392 264623

Professor Robert Marshall, Rehabilitation Sciences and Division of Communication Disorders, University of Kentucky, UK Wethington Building, Room 124-F, 900 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY, 40536-0200, USA.

Book Reviews

Books for review, or offers to review a book, should be sent to:

Professor Roelien Bastiaanse, Book Review Editor, Faculteit der Letteren, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, PO Box 716, 9700 Groningen, The Netherlands.

Submitting a paper to Aphasiology

Please read these Guidelines with care and attention: failure to follow them may result in your paper being delayed. Note especially the referencing conventions used by Aphasiology and the requirement to avoid gender-, race-, and creed-specific language, and for adherence to the Ethics of Experimentation.

Aphasiology articles have a maximum limit of 7,500 words.  This 7,500 words is to include main text only.  It excludes title, author's contact details, abstract, references, figures, tables, captions and footnotes. 

Aphasiology considers all manuscripts at the Editor's discretion; and the Editor's decision is final.

Copyright. It is a condition of publication that authors vest or license copyright in their articles, including abstracts, in Psychology Press, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article, and the journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors may, of course, use the material elsewhere after publication providing that prior permission is obtained from Taylor & Francis. Authors are themselves responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources. To view the 'Copyright Transfer Frequently Asked Questions please visit www.tandf.co.uk/journals/copyright.asp.

Aphasiology considers all manuscripts on the strict condition that they have been submitted only to Aphasiology , that they have not been published already, nor are they under consideration for publication, nor in press elsewhere. Authors who fail to adhere to this condition will be charged all costs which Aphasiology incurs, and their papers will not be published.

All submissions should be made online at the Aphasiology Manuscript Central site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.

• Please write clearly and concisely, stating your objectives clearly and defining your terms. Your arguments should be substantiated with well reasoned supporting evidence.
• In writing your paper, you are encouraged to review articles in the area you are addressing which have been previously published in the journal, and where you feel appropriate, to reference them. This will enhance context, coherence, and continuity for our readers.
• For all manuscripts, gender-, race-, and creed-inclusive language is mandatory.
• Ethics of Experimentation: Contributors are required to follow the procedures in force in their countries which govern the ethics of work done with human subjects. The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) represents a minimal requirement.
• Abstracts are required for all papers submitted, they should be between 150 and 400 words and should precede the text of a paper; see 'Abstracts'.
• Manuscripts should be double-spaced throughout, including the reference section.
• Authors should include telephone and fax numbers as well as e-mail addresses on the cover page of manuscripts.

Journal Production Editor: authorqueries@tandf.co.uk

COPYRIGHT PERMISSION

Contributors are required to secure permission for the reproduction of any figure, table, or extensive (more than six manuscript lines) extract from the text, from a source which is copyrighted -- or owned -- by a party other than Psychology Press or the contributor.

This applies both to direct reproduction or 'derivative reproduction' -- when the contributor has created a new figure or table which derives substantially from a copyrighted source.

The following form of words can be used in seeking permission:

Dear [COPYRIGHT HOLDER]

I/we are preparing for publication an article entitled
[STATE TITLE]
to be published by Psychology Press in Aphasiology.

I/we should be grateful if you would grant us permission to include the following materials:
[STATE FIGURE NUMBER AND ORIGINAL SOURCE]
We are requesting non-exclusive rights in this edition and in all forms. It is understood, of course, that full acknowledgement will be given to the source.

Please note that Psychology Press are signatories of and respect the spirit of the STM Agreement regarding the free sharing and dissemination of scholarly information.

Your prompt consideration of this request would be greatly appreciated.

Yours faithfully

ABSTRACTS

Structured Abstracts:

Authors submitting papers should note that from Volume 16 Issue 1 (2002), the journal is introducing Structured Abstracts. There is good evidence that Structured Abstracts are clearer for readers and facilitate better appropriate indexing and citation of papers.

The essential features of the Structured Abstract are given below. Note in particular that any clinical implications should be clearly stated.

Abstract (Between 150-400 words)
Background: Describe the background to the study;
Aims: State the aims and objectives of the study including any clear research questions or hypotheses.
Methods & Procedures: To include outline of the methodology and design of experiments; materials employed and subject/participant numbers with basic relevant demographic information; the nature of the analyses performed.
Outcomes & Results: Outline the important and relevant results of the analyses.
Conclusions: State the basic conclusions and implications of the study. State, clearly and usefully, if there are implications for management, treatment or service delivery.

Review Abstract:

Background: Outline the background to the review.
Aims: State the primary objective of the paper; the reasons behind your critical review and analyses of the literature; your approach and methods if relevant.
Main Contribution: The main outcomes of the paper and results of analyses; and any implications for future research and for management, treatment or service delivery.
Conclusions: State your main conclusions.

CODE OF EXPERIMENTAL ETHICS AND PRACTICE

Contributors are required to follow the procedures in force in their countries which govern the ethics of work done with human or animal subjects. The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) represents a minimal requirement.

When experimental animals are used, state the species, strain, number used, and other pertinent descriptive characteristics.

For human subjects or patients, describe their characteristics.

For human participants in a research survey, secure the consent for data and other material -- verbatim quotations from interviews, etc. -- to be used.

When describing surgical procedures on animals, identify the pre anaesthetic and anaesthetic agents used and state the amount of concentration and the route and frequency of administration for each. The use of paralytic agents, such as curare or succinylcholine, is not an acceptable substitute for anaesthetics. For other invasive procedures on animals, report the analgesic or tranquillising drugs used; if none were used, provide justification for such exclusion.

When reporting studies on unanaesthetized animals or on humans, indicate that the procedures followed were in accordance with institutional guidelines.

Specific permission for facial photographs of patients is required. A letter of consent must accompany the photographs of patients in which a possibility of identification exists. It is not sufficient to cover the eyes to mask identity.

Papers should be prepared in the format prescribed by the American Psychological Association. For full details of this format, please see the Publication Manual of the APA (5th edition).

Typescripts. The style and format of the typescripts should conform to the specifications given in the Publication Manual of the APA (5th edition). Typescripts should be double spaced on one side only of A4 paper, with adequate margins, and numbered throughout. The title page of an article should contain only:

(1) the title of the paper (as concise as possible), the name(s) of the authors and full postal address(es) of their institution(s);
(2) a short title not exceeding 40 letters and spaces, which will be used for page headlines;
(3) name and address of the author to whom correspondence and proofs should be sent;
(4) your telephone, fax and e-mail numbers, as this helps speed of processing considerably.

Abstract. As above.

Headings. Indicate headings and subheadings for different sections of the paper clearly. Do not number headings.

Acknowledgements. These should be as brief as possible and typed on a separate sheet at the beginning of the text.

Permission to quote. Any direct quotation, regardless of length, must be accompanied by a reference citation that includes a page number. Any quote over six manuscript lines should have formal written permission to quote from the copyright owner. It is the author's responsibility to determine whether permission is required from the copyright owner and, if so, to obtain it.

Footnotes. These should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Essential footnotes should be indicated by superscript figures in the text and collected on a separate sheet at the end of the manuscript.

Figures should only be used when essential. Where possible, related diagrams should be grouped together to form a single figure. Figures should be drawn to professional standards and it is recommended that the linear dimensions of figures be approximately twice those intended for the final printed version. (Maximum printed figure size 181 mm x 114 mm, including caption.) Make sure that axes of graphs are properly labelled, and that appropriate units are given. Each of these should be on a separate page, not integrated with the text. Figures will be reproduced directly from originals supplied by the author(s). These must be of good quality, clearly and completely lettered. Make sure that axes of graphs are properly labelled, and that appropriate units are given. Photocopies will reproduce poorly, as will pale or broken originals. Dense tones should be avoided, and never combined with lettering. Avoid pale tints, especially in bar graphs. Half-tone figures should be clear, highly-contrasted black and white glossy prints.

The figure captions should be typed in a separate section, headed, e.g., "Figure 2", in Arabic numerals. Instructions for placing the figure should be given in parentheses in the text, e.g., "(Figure 2 about here)". More detailed Guidelines for the Preparation of Figure Artwork are available from the publisher: Psychology Press, 27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA, UK (Email: authorqueries@tandf.co.uk).

Statistics. Results of statistical tests should be given in the following form:

"... results showed an effect of group, F(2, 21) = 13.74, MSE = 451.98, p < .001, but there was no effect of repeated trials, F(5, 105) = 1.44, MSE = 17.70, and no interaction, F(10, 105) = 1.34, MSE = 17.70."

Other tests should be reported in a similar manner to the above example of an F -ratio. For a fuller explanation of statistical presentation, see pages 136-147 of the APA Publication Manual (5th ed.). For guidelines on presenting statistical significance, see pages 24-25.

Abbreviations. Abbreviations should be avoided except in the most standard of cases. Experimental conditions should be named in full, except in tables and figures.

Notes on Participant Description

Submissions involving research with aphasic participants should include, wherever necessary (and this will be the case for most submissions), adequate participant descriptions and assessment details. Brookshire (1983) provides a list of factors (below) reviewed and updated recently by Roberts et al. (2003) that referees can bear in mind when evaluating a submission.

Greater detail will be required for single case studies than for large group studies. For single case studies detailed and clear assessment details including raw scores on assessments are usually required.

Robey et al., (1999) recommend that for single case treatment studies, sufficient detail (e.g., raw scores, descriptive statistics) is required so that standard deviations can be calculated from data presented to allow meta-analysis of series of published single case treatment studies.

Authors and referees please note that Aphasiology requires that the word 'aphasic' is written as an adjective, not a noun. There are two reasons for this. The first is the grammatical one and the second is that it is perceived as offensive by some to describe an aphasic person as 'an aphasic'. The first reason is trivial but adds support to the second, which is important. So the word 'aphasic' should always be qualified by 'participants, speaker, subject, client, patient, person', whichever is appropriate for the field of study (e.g., 'patient' in the context of a medical study, 'speaker' for linguidtic and phonetic studies).

Brookshire, R. (1983) Subject description and generality of results in experiments with aphasic adults. Journal of Speech & Hearing Disorders, 48, 342-346.

Roberts, P.M., Code, C. & McNeil, M.R. (2003) Describing participants in aphasia research: Part I. Audit of current practice. Aphasiology, 17, 911-932.

Robey, R.R., Schultz, M.C., Crawford, A.B. & Sinner, C.A. (1999) Single-subject clinical-outcome research: designs, data, effect sizes, and analyses. Aphasiology, 13, 445-473.

Volume contents and author index. The list of contents and the author index for the whole of the year's issues are published in the last issue of the year of each journal. For Aphasiology, this is issue 12 (December).