Review Criteria 7: The quality of the manuscript’s organization

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This assessment of a manuscript’s organization requires the reviewer to look inward.  If the reviewer finds the manuscript confusing, the manuscript is likely disorganized. While confusing material is not publishable, the reviewer should ask themselves if the manuscript could benefit from minor reorganization changes?

To assess the quality of the manuscript’s organization, begin by reviewing the Manuscript Submission Policy guidelines.  

Navigate the manuscript to determine if the following criteria is in alignment with the Manuscript Policy:

  • Content must be related to the journal’s mission.
  • Length between 12-20 double-spaced pages (not including references), and justification for a page count exceeding 20 pages.
  • Inclusion of a title that clearly communicates the content of the manuscript, an abstract that does not exceed 250 words and addresses key aspects from article content (e.g., problem of focus, theoretical framework, research question, implications), and five keywords that reflect manuscript content and support the reader in locating the published article.
  • The manuscript must be original work and not published elsewhere. This can be determined by conducting an internet search for the author(s) and previous publications.
  • The manuscript must be in a Word document (or compatible) file in alignment with the journal’s manuscript policy guidelines for font sizes and removal of pages numbers and headers.
  • Tables, figures, and illustrations should be embedded within the manuscript. Include figures and tables where you would like them to appear in the document.
  • The most current version of APA Style must be applied, including references.
  • All references and citations must match.