EDUCATION AND TREATMENT OF CHILDREN Vol. 37, No.

2, 2014

Education and Treatment of Children

Manuscript Guidelines
Education and Treatment of Children (ETC) is devoted to the dissemination of information concerning the development of services
for children and youth. A primary criterion for publication is that the
material be of direct value to educators, parents, child care providers, or mental health professionals in improving the effectiveness of
their services. Therefore, authors are required to compose their manuscripts in a clear, concise style that will be readily understood by the
practitioners who are likely to make use of the information.
Materials appropriate for publication include experimental research, research reviews, data-based case studies, procedure or program descriptions, issue-oriented papers, and brief communications.
Nonexperimental papers should emphasize the manner in which the
described procedure, program, or issue relates to the practical concerns of professionals in the field. Experimental studies should demonstrate usefulness of the described procedure, adequacy of the data
in showing a functional relationship between the procedures and
observed behavior changes, and evidence that measurements taken
were reliable. ETC utilizes a broad base of researchers, educators,
clinical practitioners, and graduate students in the editorial review
process.
Experimental Studies
Manuscripts that document a clear functional relationship between procedures used and behavior changes observed will be considered for publication in the Studies section of ETC. Replications are
welcome, especially when the original study has been published in
a source that is unlikely to come to the attention of the practitioners
who would use the procedures in their work or when the replication
includes some change in the procedures, population, or setting for the
study. Original research studies that investigate procedures of use to
practitioners are also welcome. Potential usefulness of the procedures,
behavior changes of magnitudes that have practical implications, accuracy of the data, and clarity of the presentation for practitioners are
the considerations used by our reviewers when judging an experimental study manuscripts suitability for publication in ETC.
Data-Based Case Studies
Manuscripts that meet the following criteria will be considered
for publication in the Data-Based Case Studies section of ETC. The
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minimum requirements are: (1) a demonstration of direct, quantitative measurement of specific client behaviors repeated over time that
guided the clinical and/or educational decision making reported in
the study; and (2) a contribution to advancing teaching/training/treatment effectiveness by serving (a) as a source of ideas and hypotheses
for further research, (b) as a source of developing teaching/training/
treatment techniques, such as a study of a rare phenomenon, (c) as a
counter instance for notions that are considered to be universally applicable, or (d) as persuasive and motivational (see ETC, 22 (2), for references). Replications in real-life situations of procedures developed
under rigorous research protocols are welcome, especially when the
original study was a highly controlled experiment. Also, data based
case studies that highlight efficient and effective means to collect data
that guide treatment/teaching will be accepted.
Reviews of the Literature
Reviews should be focused on the implications of the results of
studies for practitioners whose clients may benefit from the procedures described by the literature. Reviews need not be comprehensive as long as the literature not included would in no way alter the
implications for practice described by the review. The style, format,
and organization should be such that practitioners will clearly understand what is being presented. It is important to caution practitioners
about the limitations of the implications for practice drawn from the
research literature. This may include discussions of legal, ethical, scientific, and logistical limitations and associated issues.
Program Descriptions
It is important for practitioners and program managers to know
what resources will be required to successfully implement programs
or procedures that have been useful to others. ETC publishes such
program or procedure descriptions when reviewers indicate that the
description clearly communicates this information. This typically
means that the manuscript includes an introduction that identifies
a framework into which the program fits, or a rationale for the programs operation; basic information regarding the geographic area
served and the program location, accessibility, funding sources, etc.; a
clear description of the clients served; the number, types, and training
of staff who implement the program; details of the actual operation
of the program; documentation of program successes; and discussion
of any and all aspects of the program that will allow readers to determine the feasibility and desirability of implementing the program or
procedure in their settings.

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Forum Articles
Papers for the Forum section of ETC will generally be discussions of legal, ethical, and other issues important to persons working with children; discussions and/or descriptions of methods and
techniques that provide information directly applicable to the assessment, treatment, and evaluation of services for children; descriptions of guidelines or criteria useful in planning and implementing
assessment, treatment, and evaluation programs for children; behavior analyses of situations relevant to the education and treatment of
children; theoretical papers that focus on the potential applications of
the position taken; or survey research that addresses important social
and criterion-related validity issues regarding evidence-based practices that improve the services for children and youth. It is difficult
to describe a set of specific review criteria that are appropriate for
the wide variety of manuscripts that can be considered for the Forum
section of ETC. In general, Forum manuscripts will be reviewed to
determine if a manuscript provides information that can be directly
applied to the education and treatment of children; addresses an issue
or problem that affects a large population of children, professionals,
or parents; clearly and cogently make its points; considers all of the
critical information relevant to the topic; and adds to our knowledge
regarding the education and treatment of children.
Book Reviews
The goal of a book review is to provide sufficient information
for readers to make an informed decision regarding their interest in
obtaining and reading the book. To accomplish that goal, the reviewer
must provide identifying information, a description of the books purpose and content, and evaluative comments regarding the adequacy
and completeness of the material covered. In general, a relatively
complete review will require two to five double-spaced, typed pages.
General Issues in the Reviewing Process
The publication of data based studies in ETC is intended to provide those involved in the education and treatment of children with
useful empirical information. The editorial review process is designed
to identify such information in the manuscripts that are submitted for
review. The accuracy and clarity of the useful information is shaped
by the review process with the result that the investigators efforts are
recognized by the publication of an article that is of interest to many
of our readers. The editorial review process articulates what is useful,
accurate, and clearly communicated in each manuscript. It also identifies what is not useful, accurate and/or clearly communicated. Finally,

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the review process determines whether or not a given manuscript is

ready to be published, can be revised so that it will be publishable, or
cannot be revised so that it will be publishable.
The usefulness of information contained in a manuscript is a
judgment made by reviewers who have dealt with similar problems
in similar settings. They are asked to determine whether or not the
procedures used would be feasible for others to use and whether or
not the results produced justify the effort required. Researchers who
are familiar with available methodology judge the accuracy of the
information presented. They are asked to determine whether or not
measurement procedures were used that will give readers confidence
that the data reflect the behaviors that occurred. In addition, they indicate whether or not the conditions under which the data were collected in combination with the results obtained are sufficient to assure readers that the procedures employed were responsible for the
changes in behaviors that were observed. Reviewers are also asked to
comment on the clarity of the presentation and to provide suggestions
to the authors that will improve the readability of the manuscript.
Only infrequently does a manuscript fully satisfy all the criteria
when it is submitted. More frequently manuscripts are improved by
the interactions among reviewers, an associate editor, an editor, and
the authors as they pass through the editorial review process. Often
the improvement of a manuscript results in it meeting the publication
criteria and it is ultimately published. Sometimes manuscripts cannot
be or are not improved so that they meet the criteria and they are not
published.

Copyright of Education & Treatment of Children (West Virginia University Press) is the
property of West Virginia University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to
multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission.
However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Copyright of Education & Treatment of Children is the property of West Virginia University
Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv
without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print,
download, or email articles for individual use.