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Journal of Family Life is a gathering place for ideas and information addressing all aspects of American family life.
We welcome traditional research papers and essays, poetry, music, photo essays, video and short films. We encourage submissions from all disciplines including psychology, sociology, family studies, religious studies, theology, anthropology, literature, cultural studies, history, women’s studies, political science, philosophy, media studies, the arts, journalism, or the sciences.
We also encourage submissions from non-academics, such as journalists, novelists, parents and observers. Submissions will be reviewed by experts in the pertinent field.
General submission guidelines
If you would like to inquire about submitting your work for consideration, e-mail us. Please do not submit your work through this e-mail – it’s only for general inquiries. If you wish to make a formal submission to the journal, please complete our online form before sending us your material. (Or you may download a submission form and mail it to us.)
Following are general guidelines for all submissions. The journal has more specific text and HTML guidelines for written content, as well as more specific guidelines for imagery, audio and video.
- Each submission, including photo, video and music, should include a 150-word abstract of its content.
- At the time you submit your work for consideration, it may not be under review by another media outlet or already published in another venue.
- Submissions will be peer-reviewed, a process that may take 2-4 weeks. We will respond to all who submit.
The peer review process
Our review process is designed to assure readers that all submissions published in Journal of Family Life have attained a high standard of excellence, as judged by researchers who have expert knowledge in the pertinent field.
- Submissions go through a double-blind peer review by two reviewers selected by the editorial board. Names of reviewers are not released to authors, nor will reviewers know the identities of authors whose work they review.
- Reviewers decide whether submissions conform to the journal´s scope. Reviewers also examine the work's significance, methods, academic rigor, responsiveness to the latest literature and debates, conclusions, references and overall presentation (including the use of audio/visual and web-based materials when available and pertinent).
- Journal of Family Life editors may forward questions from reviewers to the authors for clarification.
- After the initial review process has been completed, the editorial board will decide whether to accept, reject, or ask for revisions to the submission. If revisions are requested, authors may review shared comments, and have the option of re-submitting or withdrawing their submission from consideration.
 
Submissions will be published individually at the time of their acceptance by the editorial board. Published items will not be affiliated with a volume or issue, but will be identified by date of publication.
- Authors retain copyright for content published in Journal of Family Life, with publication rights granted to the journal. Any reproduction of original content from Journal of Family Life must a) seek copyright from authors and b) acknowledge Journal of Family Life as the site of original publication.
