As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
I ensure that the submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
I ensure that all the names of authors and other identifying information has been taken away in the original manuscript text. (Not applicable for Book Reviews and Guest Editorials but the box must be checked).
I have removed hidden data and author information in all files' “file properties”. (To do this in Word, go to the open document and click on "File">"Info">"Check for issues” > Inspect document". Inspect “Document properties and personal information”, click on “Remove all”, and save). I understand that failure to do this step will result in the manuscript being returned directly to the authors.
I ensure that I have followed IJAL's formatting guidelines and that the submission is within the specified word limit.
The submission has undergone spell check and grammar check.
Where the manuscript reports original research, I confirm that I have included an ethical statement in the text, e.g. that the study was subject to the appropriate level of ethical review (blinded), or a statement indicating that ethical review was not required. (Not applicable for Book Reviews and Guest Editorials but box must be checked).
The journal will perform plagiarism check on each manuscript before publication. I accept that the journal will perform plagiarism checks on the manuscript, should the manuscript be considered for publication.
My submission includes an abstract where the article's aim, theoretical framework, methods, results, the unique contribution to the field of knowledge, and relevance to an international audience are clearly stated (This box must be checked even for Guest Editorials and Book Reviews).
Author Guidelines
Before you submit your manuscript, please make sure that your manuscript follows our submission guidelines, including manuscript length, our instructions to anonymize your manuscript, and the IJAL reference style. We reserve the right to return your submission without a decision, if the journal guidelines are not met.
Preparation instructions for original manuscripts
Check that your manuscript has the correct length. Original manuscripts should have 4,000-9,000 words including references and footnotesbut excluding the title and abstract. Tables and figures should be attached in a separate file and not included in the word imit.
Format your manuscript correctly. The main text should be double spaced and written in Times New Roman font size 12. First level headers should be written in bold, second level headers in italics. Do not use a numerical system in your headers (1, 1.1, 1.2 etc). Your manuscript should have page numbers.
Language. You may use British or American English as long as consistency is observed. Bear in mind the multidisciplinary and international readership of the journal. Use a clear readable style, avoiding jargon. If technical terms or acronyms are included, define them when first used. Before submission, do a spell-check and a grammar check.
Check that your manuscript file is thoroughly blinded, even in the file’s properties. There should be no author- or acknowledgement information in the manuscript text. Anonymize references to your own publications by referring to e.g. (AUTHOR 2019), in the main text, in-line reference, and in the reference list. It is important that you also erase author identification information in the file's properties to ensure a double blind peer review. With Microsoft Office documents, you do this by opening your manuscript file and clicking on the tab “File” and then “Check for Issues” and “Inspect document”. Inspect "Document properties and personal information", click "Remove all" and save. With a Mac, you can do this step under "Security" > "Remove personal information from file properties on save" and save. If you do not remove the author identification in the file properties, your document is not fully anonymized and will be returned to you.
In the comments for the Editor, specify author details, acknowledgements and details of ethical review. We no longer recommend sending this as a file attachment. In the field where you can make comments to the Editor, provide the names and affiliations held by the author(s) and the contact details of the corresponding author (work address and e-mail), any acknowledgements, and if it is applicable, the full name of the body providing the favorable ethical review and reference number. Also see point “Ethical statement” below.
Abstract. The manuscript should include an Abstract with a maximum of 150 words. The abstract must clearly state the article's aim, theoretical framework, methods, results, the unique contribution to the field of knowledge, and the relevance to an international audience.
Keywords. There should be up to five Keywords in alphabetical order (these are not included in the manuscript word limit). In order to facilitate the search of our articles in established database engines, we recommend authors to use keywords that are in tune with those often used in social scientific databases such as Social Science Citation Index and Sociological Abstracts.
Ethical statement. Where the manuscript reports original research, confirmation must be given that ethical guidelines have been met, for example adherence to the legal requirements of the study country. In the manuscript text, authors must provide evidence that the study was subject to the appropriate level of ethical review (by e.g. review authority, university, hospital etc.) or provide a statement indicating that ethical review was not required. Provide blinded details in the manuscript and only include specific details of the ethical review in the separate attachment containing author information / acknowledgements.
Clarificatory footnotes should be used sparingly. If you wish to comment or clarify a statement in your manuscript with a footnote, keep it to a minimum. In the published article, footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page (not as end notes).
Tables / Figures should be in a separate file. Any tables and figures should be compiled in a separate file from the main manuscript text. Start a separate page for each figure and/or table. The tables and figures should have a short self-explanatory title and should be numbered consecutively, for example: “Table 1. Characteristics of focus group participants, 1990-1995 (n=39)”. Titles for tables should be above the table, while titles for figures should be below the figure. Check that all tables and figures are referred to in the running text and their approximate position in the text should be indicated by writing e.g. “INSERT TABLE 1 ABOUT HERE”. Photographs and figures may be supplied in color. Extremely small type must be avoided as figures are often reduced in size.
Permissions. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere.
Your submission should not be previously published. Submission of a manuscript to the journal is taken to imply that the manuscript has not previously been published and is not considered for publication elsewhere. The ownership of material published in IJAL remains with the author(s).
References. Follow APA 6th edition or later.
Preparation instructions for Book reviews
Book reviews should have between 800–1,200 words.
The title of the book review should be in this format: Stephen Katz (ed.) (2018). Ageing in Everyday Life. Materialities and Embodiments. Bristol: Policy Press, 208 pp. ISBN 978-1447335917 (hardback).
Book reviews do not need to be anonymized. Provide your name, affiliation and contact details on the first page of the book review.
Citations and references in the reviewed book or in other works must appear in a reference list at the end of the review. Use APA 6th edition or later.
Copyright Notice
Since 2020 the International Journal of Ageing and Later Life uses a Creative Commons: Attribution license, which allows users to distribute the work and to reform or build upon it without the author's permission. Full reference to the author must be given.
