International Association of Facilitators

Group Facilitation: A Research & Applications Journal

Frequently Asked Questions

Some questions from authors and answers from the editor

1. What is the maximum length for a journal article?

We do not have a formal length limit. Articles are generally 4,000 to 7,000 words.

2. Is the journal strictly an empirical research journal?

No. We publish research reviews, case studies, practical methods (if they explain the underlying theory), as well as empirical research. Our audience is more the scholarly practitioner than the academic researcher.

3. To which section of the journal do you see this paper belonging?

The sections are described in the Call for Papers and Submission Guidelines, which you should review before submitting an article. If you are not sure for which section your article would be most appropriate (Application and Practice; Theory and Research; or Essay) we will be glad to suggest an appropriate section after we have reviewed the article.

4. Though I have experience with group facilitation, my paper is not about group facilitation per se. How do you see us revising the paper with an orientation toward group facilitators?

What makes a paper desirable for the journal is not that it is about group facilitation, but that it is relevant for group facilitators. You should set the context, drawing on your own group facilitation work.

5. For what purpose should I use the APA Style Guide?

Perhaps the major issue on which the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" (APA Style Guide) guide should be consulted is to how source materials should be cited. This publication and simplified APA style guides can be found in libraries. More information can be found here.

6. Why do you need a bio for each author

Bios of each author are published in the journal. Please be sure to include a short bio (75-125 words) on all authors.

7. Is my article more suitable for publication in the journal or in the International Association of Facilitators newsletter?

To distinguish between a journal or newsletter article I think about two easy criteria and then some harder ones. Two easy ones are:

Length: journal articles have varied in length from 3000-7000 words; newsletter articles are shorter.
Citations: journal articles make extensive reference to pertinent literature with specific citations (not just bibliographies); newsletter articles provide limited references or bibliographies.

There are more difficult criteria such as:

Depth: journal articles are more comprehensive and thoughtful, exploring, integrating and/or reconciling multiple points of view; newsletter articles may be narrower in focus and more one-sided.
Contribution: journal articles make a substantive contribution to the field by presenting empirical research, insigthful summary or integration of previous research, or application that produces insights and or raises useful questions. Newsletter articles may repeat existing information tailored for consumption by our audience without necessarily making a new contribution to the field.

These are by no means comprehensive or inflexible but hopefully provide some guidance that suggests which publication a particular article is best suited for.

8. When is the due date for submissions?

Regarding deadlines and due dates, we do not review articles with a particular issue in mind.* Rather, we accept articles for review as they are submitted and publish them on the web as they are completed. Articles, essays, and book reviews that have been accepted for publication must be received in final form by November 1 for inclusion in that year's issue.

*Special Issues are an exception. A special issue has multiple articles on a single topic and has established submission, review and revision deadlines.

9. What should I include in my abstract?

The abstract will appear at the beginning of your article when it is published in the Journal. Also, it will appear on the IAF webpage for the Journal and will be used by any of the publicly accessible databases and indexing services that cover the Journal, such as Proquest. Please refer to this information on abstracts.