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Writing Guidelines for NCID Currents Publication

Authorship

The NCID Currents publication is a joint effort with researchers and leaders across the country. The NCID team provides editorial, design, and dissemination support so that authors can focus on translating their knowledge to an engaged audience. In some cases, the NCID editorial team works with authors to establish goals for the paper’s content, timelines, and dissemination. Authors with interest in translating existing or ongoing research to a national, practice-based audience or those who want to reach specific audiences in a more accessible manner are especially encouraged to author papers in this publication.

Each paper that undergoes the review process and is accepted is published under a central theme that guides each issue. Currents publishes issues biannually and calls for papers are sent through the Diversity Scholars Network and our social media outlets.

Your piece will be distributed under the CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons license. For more information about this license, please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/.

Paper Content

  • Begin with an overview of a specific current issue related to diversity, equity, and/or inclusion.
  • Describe the significance of the issue to the author’s target audience (scholars, practitioners, leaders, and policymakers across the higher education community).
  • Succinctly present your argument, including findings from your research.
  • Include specific recommendations or action steps to guide policy, practice, or future research (as appropriate).

Paper Standards

  • Papers should be between 2,000 – 3,000 words with standard style (double-spaced, 12pt., Times New Roman) in a Word document.
  • Papers should follow APA style 6th Edition and include a list of references and/or additional resources for readers at the end of the article.
  • We encourage tables and figures to engage the reader and support the discussion. These are not included in the word count. Tables and figures should be submitted as separate files (e.g., .jpeg or png). If you have generated your graphics from Excel or similar programs, please end the spreadsheet as well. If you have photos you would like us to consider, please send a high-resolution, large-format version of the image.
  • Authors should include a brief scholarly biography (50-75 words) at the end of their submission, including their title, institution/organization, scholarly/activist interests, and point of contact. If part of the Diversity Scholars Network, authors are required to have a directory profile.
  • Just as our work and audiences are diverse, some papers may diverge from these standards. We ask that authors consult with the NCID editorial team regularly in order to produce a brief that meets everyone’s goals.

Review Process

The NCID editorial team will provide authors with creation, editorial, and dissemination support. Once a draft of the Paper has been submitted:

  • Authors will be paired with one of our talented editors who will manage the process.
  • Editors will review for content and style in an editing-tracked document, offering suggestions to revise the document.
  • Editors will format content into NCID’s standardized paper template and provide final proofreading for grammar and clarity. The editor will submit it to the author for final review and approval.

A piece may not be published or published on time if the author doesn’t follow through or if the author does not complete the piece.

Distribution

The NCID editorial team will work with authors to identify key audiences and develop a dissemination strategy, including broad distribution to NCID’s newsletters, website, and social media outlets (print versions will be made available by request).