Submit Papers
Rural Society is published on behalf of the Centre for Rural Social Research, Charles Sturt University by eContent Management Pty Ltd. The editors welcome contributions on any aspect of rural social issues in the Asia Pacific, Indian Ocean, Australian, New Zealand and Arctic regions, including: rural sociology, rural service delivery, rural health, technology transfer, rural policy issues, rural social work, developmental economics and rural social change.
Articles dealing with rural and regional issues in other societies are welcome but topics must demonstrate relevance to readers in emerging and developed regional economies. The overall quality of Rural Society is maintained by double blind peer review through the Editorial Board.
Changes to the submission process
Please note that Rural Society has transferred lodgement and administration of submissions to an online system OJS. Authors should consult these guidelines before submitting new manuscripts.
Author guidelines (including information on journal referencing and writing style) can now be found on the OJS System.
Quick links for Authors
- register as a new author
- submit a new or revised manuscript
- track the status of your submissions in OJS
- update the details in your profile on OJS
- show the guidelines (link opens in a new window) for authors
Reference formatting should strictly follow APA guidelines:
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/studserv/my-studies/learning/guides/referencing
Note for Reviewers
A guide for reviewers can be obtained here on the OJS system.
Author Guidelines for Rural Society Manuscript Submissions
Rural Society is a multidisciplinary journal that uses a social science research format. Subsequently, manuscripts must be prepared using the following guidelines.
a) Major headings -
1. Abstract - 150-200 words that uses the present pretends to describe and summarize your manuscript
2. Keywords - please include up to 5 general keywords that will help search engines to locate your research
3. Introduction - one to two pages that begin with a broad introduction of your research topic for a global and interdisciplinary audience. Next, introduce disciplinary-specific and location-specific aspects of your topic followed by a description of what readers can expect to encounter in the remainder of the manuscript (based on your unique subheadings). Try to use the future verb tense (this research will show...)
4. Literature review - one to three pages - all manuscripts must provide an up-to-date academic literature review that contextualizes your research within the existing research literature. A minimum of 15 high quality academic sources (i.e. academic books and journal articles) should be cited and referenced. Limit citing popular media (i.e. newspapers) and government reports, unless you are conducting a literature review or secondary data analysis. The purpose of a literature review is to show what disciplinary-specific and broader contribution your manuscript will make to field existing knowledge gaps. All manuscripts must be theoretically grounded. In other words, identify and reference the theoretical paradigm that has informed your research. Please use a combination of present and past verb tense (past studies found past...which is implies...).
5. Research method - one to two pages - written in present or past verb tense
a. all manuscripts must identify their research as qualitative, quantitative or a mixed methods.
b. If conducting a literature review, explain the type conducted and why it is relevant for the topic in light of the existing, referenced research literature. It is also suitable to use the major heading 'background' as a substitution for 'literature review'.
c. The Methods section should next define and reference what specific methods were used and state why these are the most appropriate for the study conducted.
d. Discuss the strengths and limitations of all method(s) used.
e. Human ethics clearance must be obtained and evidenced for all primary conducted research with human subjects (i.e., interviews, focus groups, social experiments, etc.).
f. If you are including direct quotes from participants, then 'informed consent' must be obtained from research participants for direct quotes to be published.
g. If you used focus groups or interviews, be sure to state how the questions were developed in light of existing research literature, and offer examples.
h. The data analysis process must be identified and detailed with reference to research methods texts and/or academic literature for all manuscripts.
i. If you are reporting on complex, quantitative research, ensure it is discussed in an fashion accessible to non-technical and interdisciplinary audiences.
6. Findings - two-four pages - using past verb tense. The reporting of findings depends upon the research method employed. Your findings must be evidenced by your data. Please avoid making 'sweeping generalizations' and do not discuss the broad implications of your findings in this section; only report exactly what your empirical analysis reveals.
7. Discussion and Conclusions - one to two pages - using present and past verb tense. This section is where your interpretation of the research findings is developed in light of others' theory and research which are referenced. Mention key implications for future researchers and summarize key points.
8. Reference List - meticulous adherence to the American Psychological Association's 6th edition must be followed for the formatting of all references in the reference list as well as all in-text citations. Only include those references cited in the body of your manuscript in the Reference List. For a guide on APA formatting, please visit the Rural Society website.
9. Acknowledgments - if you research received grant funding, guidance from reviewers, colleagues, etc., please state it in up to 150 words in this section.
b) Subheadings - the creation of subheadings which are specific and relevant to your research are desirable encouraged for the literature review and/or findings sections.
c) Formatting details
a. Use single quotes to refer to 'key concepts'
b. Use direct quotes preceded by a comma, "imagine this is a direct quote from a book" (Ragusa, 2012, p. 32) for all non-paraphrased statements taken from others' works.
c. All direct quotes that exceed 3 lines of text should appear as block quotes, which are indented as a separate paragraph and have an empty line above and below the text separating it within the body of the manuscript.
d. Ensure every paragraph has an introductory sentence for which subsequent sentences contribute detail. Prior to submitting your manuscript, please review, or ask a 'critical friend' to read the entire manuscript for the quality and flow of the writing. Each paragraph should lead into the next and the entire manuscript should present a coherent argument that is well evidenced and avoids making un-evidenced assertions, assumptions, etc.
e. avoid unnecessarily capitalizing words; only capitalize proper nouns, such as names.
f. Write out numbers that are single words, such as nine and ten, and use numbers for others, such as 21 and 100.
g. Use the sign %, rather than writing out per cent.
h. Rural Society does not permit the use of footnotes or endnotes, so please incorporate all material into the body of the manuscript
i. Finally, please avoid using parentheses to write notes to the reader (as in, don't do this). Please use commas instead where relevant.
Thank you for following these author guidelines. Close adherence will facilitate the review and production process of your manuscript!
Book Reviews - Our Recommendations
We are looking for book reviews that:
- position the book in the literature
- contain a synopsis of each chapter
- critically compares the book's contribution to teaching this subject
- contains citations of scholarly work as part of its analysis
- be contained to 1500 words (three printed pages)
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