Journal of Park and Recreation Administration
Forms for Associate Editors: Instructions for Reviewers
Following are the instructions that should be printed and sent with the manuscript to be submitted for consideration for publication in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. It is most important that reviews are received within three weeks.
Recommendations should be based upon four basic criteria for evaluation established by the Editorial Policy Board:
1. Significance of Topic
- The topic should be relevant to the field of park and recreation administration in the broadest sense.
- The topic should be timely.
- Most importantly, the manuscript should make a contribution to knowledge and the development of theory and/or practice. The manuscript may contain new information, substantiation or contradiction of previous findings, reorganization of information to present new insights, application of new or improved research methods, etc.
2. Content of Research
- This criterion is concerned with strengths and weaknesses of the research, substantive content, methodology, and basic understandings.
- Good scholarship should be evidenced.
- There must be considerable knowledge and depth of understanding shown as well as appropriate methodology and analysis of data.
- Content of research should be distinguished from No. 3, which is quality of writing.
3. Quality of Presentation
- The writing should convey clearly, accurately, and concisely the message with which the manuscript is concerned.
- Graphics should be appropriately used and basic data properly presented without discrepancies in writing.
- The sequence of logic must be adequate, the grammar should be correct, and length of the manuscript should not exceed twenty-five double spaced pages.
4. Implications for Professional Practice
- Manuscripts must contain a discussion of the implications for professional practice. The research findings should provide a basis for such discussion related to problem solving and action by the park and recreation practitioner.
- It is requested that you specifically justify the recommendations you make. Without such an explanation it is difficult to advise on revisions.
Note: Your comments will be returned to the author without identification of the reviewer and it is helpful if you could "key" your comments by numbers of letters to the manuscript or refer to the page, paragraph, or section of the article when commenting about it.
It is important to differentiate between weaknesses in writing and weaknesses in the research itself. You may write on the manuscript. Please demonstrate respect for the author by refraining from sarcasm, derogatory comments, or other negative remarks.
If changes or corrections are to be made, a paragraph or so stating what is wrong and why it is wrong is useful to the editor in advising changes. The associate editor and two other persons will evaluate each manuscript with the final decision regarding disposition based upon the aggregate opinions.
