Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences

For Authors

Submit Manuscript

JFCS accepts manuscripts in the categories listed below. All submitted manuscripts should be reader-friendly. Write in a clear, direct, concise style, avoiding wordiness and jargon. To build upon FCS knowledge, it is appropriate that manuscripts include references. Reviewers evaluate each manuscript on the basis of content, originality, scientific accuracy, clarity, and contribution to family and consumer sciences. References must be in APA style (7th ed.). Manuscripts in all categories may exceed the word limit guidelines when deemed essential to the quality of the manuscript. Word limits refer to the body of the manuscript, not references.

Please note that as part of our commitment to academic integrity, all submissions are routinely checked using plagiarism prevention tools to ensure originality and adherence to ethical publishing standards. We encourage authors to review their work thoroughly before submission to avoid any potential issues.

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, do no satisfy authorship criteria. Attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs.

Contributions by artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies to a study or to an article’s contents must be clearly reported in a dedicated section of the Methods, or in the Acknowledgements section for article types lacking a Methods section. This section should include the name(s) of any tools used, a description of how the authors used the tool(s) and evaluated the validity of the tool’s outputs, and a clear statement of which aspects of the study, article contents, data, or supporting files were affected/generated by AI tool usage. (Ethical Publishing Practice | PLOS One)

Manuscript submission fees for the JFCS are $40 per submission.

JFCS may provide direct fee assistance, for authors who can not afford the publication fee, an application form must be completed prior to the manuscript submission. Contact our Managing Editor for more information.

Article Types and Submission Requirements

**Professional Practice—Full (Peer Reviewed) **
Up to 3,500 words.

Articles on best practices of FCS, including teaching. Well organized documentation of professional experiences and insights to help enlighten and inspire the broader community of FCS practitioners. Include a clear purpose statement in the introduction and provide enough details about a project, initiative, or situation that will enable readers to incorporate them into their own work. Conclude with specific recommendations and considerations for readers. Invited manuscripts are usually not peer reviewed but can be upon request. A maximum of two illustrations (tables, figures, or drawings) may be included.

Professional Practice—Brief (Peer Review)
Up to 1,000 words.

Similar to a full professional practice article but smaller in scope. Potentially more heavily based on professional opinion and insight or a narrow twist on a practical approach.

Scholarship (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 4,500 words.

Manuscripts with a basic or applied focus that usually involve evaluating data, include original research, program evaluation, issue-oriented literature reviews, the scholarship of teaching and learning, or theory or philosophical papers. Manuscripts should include:

Abstract;
Introduction stating the purpose and relevance of the scholarship to FCS;
Clear and full description of hypotheses or objectives, interventions, and methods, including criteria for sampling and the measures used (when applicable—see “Important Note” below);
Presentation of appropriate findings or results;
Discussion and limitations; and
Applications/conclusions relevant to FCS professionals.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For scholarship articles that include data, you must download, complete, and include the verification form along with your submission. It can be attached to your email as a separate file. If the form is not included, the manuscript will not be processed or reviewed. Scholarship section authors must verify that all items on this form can be answered in the affirmative.

Student-led Scholarship (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 2,500 words.

Submissions must include a student as lead author and should be scholarly in nature (e.g., a focused literature review with conclusions applicable to FCS practitioners; experiments or surveys conducted primarily by students, a synthesis of relevant theoretical perspectives that inform practice, etc.). Students must include an endorsement letter from a professional mentor or co-author (e.g., faculty member) who helps assist with preparing a polished manuscript. A typical student paper for a class assignment would likely not meet the standards for publication without additional attention and guidance. Students may also contribute to other article categories according to the respective guidelines. Also, include the verification form noted above when applicable.

Feature (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 2,000 words.

Features are in-depth, rigorous presentations of breakthrough thinking and applications in FCS, and typically are based on the theme of each issue. Features may also be theory and philosophy papers. To determine potential interest in a topic, prepare a two or three page summary answering the following questions. 1) What is the central message of the proposed manuscript? 2) What is new, useful, and important about the idea? 3) What are the real-world implications? 3) What research supports the logic in the proposed manuscript? 4) What academic, professional, or personal experience will be drawn upon to make the argument convincing? Submit the summary electronically to the editor. Articles submitted to other categories (e.g., Practice) could be considered by the editor, after a full peer review process, to be used as a feature article with permission of the author(s).

Reflections (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 500 words.

Readers are invited to respond and share their perspectives on previous articles or issues within FCS. (No submission fee required.)

JFCS Legacy Series (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 1,500 words.

Contribute to the recording of the profession’s history! Do you know a living FCS professional who could be considered a legacy builder? Are you interested in researching the legacy of someone and writing an article for publication in the JFCS?

Did You Know? (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 500 words.

News briefs, “factoids,” or research findings that impact the lives of individuals, families, and communities served by FCS professionals.

Reviews of New Books (Peer Reviewed)
Up to 500 words.
Books should relate to family and consumer sciences and should be recent titles. Their primary intent should not be course texts.

Additional required files
Submit the entire article in one document that includes main article, references, abstract, figures and tables (Word/Rich Text). If certain graphics/illustrations (PowerPoint, etc.) cannot easily be embedded in the main article file, they can be in a separate document.

To prepare the manuscript for BLIND PEER REVIEW, authors must REMOVE identifying information to include author name(s), affiliation(s) or institution, footnotes, acknowledgment, and references to grant. Replace text that would identify the author, institution, etc. with the phrase “blinded for review”.

Submit the cover letter as a separate document.

All submissions must include a separate authors’ page (includes: full name, academic degrees (highest level only), certifications related to FCS, affiliations (position title, organization, address, phone number, email, AAFCS Membership ID number for each author) Note: Type authors names in the order they should appear in the article.

Editorial and Peer Review Process

Before a manuscript is sent out for BLIND PEER REVIEW, an initial screening is performed. This may result in the manuscript being returned to the author(s) if relevance is not clear, guidelines are not met, if it is incomplete or if the editors believe that further work or development is necessary before it is sent out for peer-review. Manuscripts undergo a blind review process. Manuscripts are accepted at the discretion of the Journal editors. If plagiarism is suspected, the author will be contacted.

Publication details

Manuscripts submitted for consideration or published elsewhere may not be submitted to or published by JFCS. Theses and dissertations published in hard copy, microfiche, and/or electronic formats are not considered to be previously published. Manuscripts developed from theses and dissertations regardless of the publication format are eligible for submission to the JFCS if not submitted to another journal. Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium. Findings previously presented in an oral report or in an abstract in conjunction with a scientific or professional conference may be submitted for consideration. Copies of possibly duplicative materials that have been previously published or are being considered elsewhere must be provided at the time of manuscript submission and may preclude consideration by the JFCS.

To clarify and protect the rights of both the author and publisher, AAFCS requires authors to assign all rights to AAFCS before an article is printed.