Guidelines for Authors

Papers must be no more than 5,000 words in length (approximately 20 pages), and can be authored by one or multiple persons. Academic social work writing of any genre is acceptable. Submissions will be reviewed anonymously by the editorial board during the winter quarter for publication in the next Advocates' Forum issue.

What do we publish?

  • Research Papers - Quantitative and qualitative research, research papers, and clinical case studies
  • Essays - Commentary and theoretical papers
  • Voices from the Field - Reflective accounts of working in the field social work. Written works involving Crown Family School field placements will also be subject to review by the office of field education.
  • Additional Submissions - We encourage authors to submit written works that fall outside of, or in between categories including creative writing.

Criteria

  • Original - Advocates' Forum is looking for original written pieces that expand the field of social work.
  • Nuanced - Advocates' Forum is looking for written works that build complexity -- such as a variety of viewpoints, balanced presentation of sources and/or an acknowledgement of limitations
  • Relevant - Advocates' Forum is looking for written pieces that demonstrate a relevance to the field of social work and/or demonstrates recommendations for a more socially just society.
  • Timely - Advocates' Forum is looking for written pieces that relate to current issues in social work and help readers better understand current issues and/or better prepare them for action in their field

For more detailed guidelines, please review the list below:

  1. Papers should be emailed to Janelle Goodwill, faculty adviser to Advocate's Forum.
  2. Submissions must be no longer than 5,000 words (approximately 20 pages), including citations.
  3. Advocates' Forum requires all submissions that use information from individuals or organizations get approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Human Subjects protections. Those protections vary depending on the type of submission, so do not let this deter you from considering a submission. Please contact an Advocates' Forum editor and/or the faculty advisor for more information about this requirement and the IRB process.
  4. Citations should conform to the author-date system in APA Style, 7th ed., 2020.
  5. Papers should be double-spaced.
  6. Please include the following information in the body of your email: Author(s)' full name and contact info; year of Crown Family School graduation; and title of submission.
  7. Authors should attach their articles to the email (MS Word compatible).
  8. Other material submitted should include a title page (which should only list the title of the paper), an abstract (100 word limit), and references cited in the article. The title page, abstract, and references should all be on separate pages.
  9. The order of the submission should be:

    IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE EMAIL
    Include "Advocates' Forum Submission" in the subject of the email.

    IN THE BODY OF THE EMAIL
    a) Author(s)' full name and contact info; b) year of Crown Family School graduation; c) and title of submission.

    IN A SINGLE DOCUMENT ATTACHMENT
    a) title page; b) abstract page; c) article; d) references

  10. References must be cited in text as well as on a separate reference page.
  11. Papers can be from a course, field placement, or independent project.
  12. Submissions should be on issues related to either clinical or administrative social work.
  13. Papers may be submitted by one or multiple authors.
  14. All authors will receive a confirmation of email receipt upon submission. Please contact the co-editors if you do not receive an email receipt within one week of your submission.
  15. Each student may only be part of one submission. ONE submission per student.
  16. Authors must obtain copyright clearance for the use of any photos, charts/graphs, illustrations, or any other visuals that are not original to the author. Proof of that copyright clearance needs to be submitted to Assistant Professor Janelle Goodwill.
  17. Any photos, charts/graphs, or illustrations submitted must be high resolution, 300 dpi, and in one of the following file formats: .eps, .jpg, .ai, .png.