Submissions

ENGAGE! publishes articles that reflect community-engaged and community-based participatory research (CEnR/CBPR). Both are inclusive and collaborative inquiry processes. To the extent possible, all partners participate in and share decision-making. Control over all stages of the research process - defining the problem, collecting and interpreting data, disseminating findings, and applying the results to address community issues- is shared. Clearly defining the roles of the collaborators in the research process is important. The goal is to contribute to both the discipline and strengthening the well-being of the community.

Manuscripts must demonstrate these aspects in their submission, program description, and collaboration. If this approach is not evident the result may be rejection or a request to substantially modify submission. Please see the following references for further explanation:

• Israel, B. A., Eng, E., Schulz, A. J., & Parker, E. A. (2012). Introduction to Methods for CBPR for Health. In Israel, B. A., Eng, E., Schulz, A. J., & Parker, E. A. (Eds.). (2012). Methods for Community-Based Participatory Research for Health. John Wiley & Sons.
• Castro-Reyes, P., Cooks, J., Drew, E., Edwards, K., Freeman, E., Isaacs, M. L., & Wat, E. (2015, November). Research ethics reconsidered in the context of community-engaged research. In American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo, October(pp. 31-4).
• Springett, J. & Wallerstein, N. (2008). Issues in Participatory Evaluation. In Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. (Eds.). (2008). Community-based participatory research for health: From process to outcomes. John Wiley & Sons.

Articles should be free of racial, religious, gender, ethnic, or any other form of bias.

Submitted manuscripts must not be under consideration elsewhere and must be previously unpublished. Nor should manuscripts have been published elsewhere in substantially the same form. All submissions should be sent to ENGAGE! Inquiries should be sent to engagejo@iupui.edu.

Formatting Basics

• File Types: MS Office, OpenOffice or RTF
• Font: 12 points, Times New Roman; Single-spaced
• Length: 6,000 words including references and appendixes. No exceptions will be made for word length.
• Language: Manuscripts must be in English. Australian, British or American spelling is acceptable

Readability

Accepted manuscripts will be edited to journal/ magazine style. As a community-university journal with a broad, multilingual readership, clear, accessible language is strongly encouraged. Thus, avoid as possible using technical and scientific terms that only academic readers are likely to understand. If you need to use these terms, include definitions.

Manuscript components

• Title: the title should clearly describe the article
• Abstract: All manuscripts must include an abstract of 250-300 words that reflects the content of the article. Abstracts will be written in English and in the language where research originates (if different from English)
• Keywords: include a list of up to six keywords that best suit the topic of the manuscript
• Main Text:
• • Employ italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses)
  • All illustrations, figures, and tables will be placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. Tables will be presented following the American Psychological Association (APA) style.
  • Use footnotes only to provide additional content or acknowledge copyright permission status
  • Photos will be high quality and will be submitted in TIFF, JPG or PNG formats
• References: Manuscripts should use the APA latest Edition style of referencing.

Policy-Focused Manuscripts

ENGAGE! editors invite policy-focused manuscripts for upcoming issues. ENGAGE! encourages manuscripts that explore questions such as: how policy problems and issues are defined and constructed, how issues are placed on the political and policy agenda, how policy options emerge, and how and why governments act or do not act. Policy-focused manuscripts may take different forms including policy briefs, policy evaluations, and articles examining analysis, formulation, and/or implementation. If you are submitting a policy brief, follow the instructions below.

Instructions for Submission of a Policy Brief

Policy briefs communicate complex policy issues to stakeholders and policymakers. Toward that end, ENGAGE! requests briefs between 1200 and  1500 words following the format outlined below. The format is designed to communicate the public policy process and implications of it as these relate to a public problem of interest to a lay audience.

Title of the Brief:  (≤10 words)

Summary: Offer a succinct summary of the issue discussed in the brief. (≤200 words)

Section Header 1: Public Problem (15% of the main text)

Provide a brief background of the selected policy problem:

• What is the issue/public problem?
• Why is it important?
• What will your brief discuss?

Section Header 2: Trends (20%)

Present at least two key trends at the core of the issue:

• Include at least one graphic representation of a data point that highlights the social problem
• Include subheads that explain what the key trends are (e.g. Rental costs are rising)

Section Header 3: Policy Considerations (30%)

Present two to three key points about what has been done or what is being proposed to address the problem. This discussion may include:

• Explicit, written, and enacted policy tools
• Decisions or legislation that were considered but not enacted
• Funding allocations
• Implementation efforts, including implementation of a policy or agency/organizational practices
• Include subheads that explain key policy efforts (e.g. SB 113 or Department of Public Works )

Section Header 4: Implications (20%)

What will it take to address this issue well? Among questions to consider:

• Are the outcomes or implementation of these efforts equitable? Why or why not?
• Who or what entities benefit from the policy?
• What modifications or amendments might be needed for better implementation or outcomes?
• Any early ideas, findings, or trends about effectiveness? (E.g. is a population improving from the policy tool?)
• Are there key actors that should be involved in the process (or less involved)?
• What are other states, locations doing?

Section Header 5: Recommendations/Call to Action (15%)

Offer two to three bullet points that would assist a policymaker or local leader to strengthen the policy tool or develop one. Focus on what various stakeholders can do, beyond policymakers and local leaders, to advance engagement toward justice.

Submissions

• All manuscripts are accepted on an ongoing basis.
• Authors will send two files, one with the manuscript including title, abstract, keywords, main text and references, and a second one with the title of the article, name of the authors, organization of affiliation, and position (if applicable).
• Authors and reviewers remain anonymous. Authors should not identify themselves in any way in their manuscripts.
• Authors need to carefully consider the appropriate category for their submission: Manuscripts, Book Reviews, or Student Voices.

Please see the Announcements page for information about the topic for the most recent call for submissions.

Review and publication process

Peer Review Process: ENGAGE! is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original work. Manuscripts are reviewed using a double-blind peer-review process. Articles are accepted on the basis of appropriateness, clarity, sound methodology, and utility for CEnR/CBPR. Reviewers are given 6 weeks to complete their review of submissions.

Publisher: ENGAGE! is published by the IUPUI Office of Community Engagement. This journal is hosted and supported by the IUPUI University Library.

Publication Frequency: ENGAGE! is published three times per year.

Open Access Policy: ENGAGE!  provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal, or use them for any other lawful purpose.