Journal of Trauma & Dissociation

Submission Instructions for Authors
Editor Jennifer Freyd, Ph.D


1. MISSION. The Journal of Trauma & Dissociation is the official scientific journal of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. The Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed scientific literature on dissociation and trauma, seeks manuscripts on theory, basic science research, clinical treatment and research related to interpersonal trauma and/or dissociation in children and adults. The Journal welcomes contributions from a variety of different approaches including anthropological, cross-cultural, epidemiological, neurobiological, psychological, psychometric, psychotherapeutic, and social viewpoints.

2. TYPES OF ARTICLES. The Journal of Trauma & Dissociation accepts review articles, theoretical articles, original research articles, clinical contributions, case reports, commentaries, and letters to the editors.  Regular articles (including review, theory, research, and clinical submissions) are limited to 5,500 words and brief reports to 3000 words. Commentaries, which must pertain to a JTD published paper or be of general interest to readers, are limited to 1000 words. Letters to the editor, which can be in response to a published paper or a topic of general interest to readers, are limited to 500 words. Authors should specify the type of article they are submitting. The editors may reclassify the type of submission as appropriate. The Journal does not review or publish first person case reports (accounts of authors' personal psychological experiences). Due to our value on authenticity and veracity of crucial case information, composite case studies are not published. The Journal publishes the editorials that open each issue by invitation only. The Journal does not publish unsolicited book or media reviews but welcomes recommendations of recent books and media for review. If you are an author, editor, or producer and would like your material considered for review in JTD, please contact the Associate Editor for Book & Media Reviews.

3. PRIOR PUBLICATION. Submission of a manuscript to the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation represents a certification on the part of the author(s) that it is original material, and that neither the manuscript or a version of it has been published elsewhere, is not being considered for publication elsewhere, and has been approved by each author. Any form of publication other than an abstract of less than 400 words constitutes prior publication. This includes portions of symposia, proceedings, books/chapters, invited papers or any types of reports, and electronic databases. Authors wishing to submit manuscripts involving data or clinical observations previously used in published, in press, submitted (or to be submitted) papers should provide the Editor with this relevant information and an explanation regarding how those papers differ from the current submission.

4. AUTHORSHIP. Authorship credit should be limited to those who have made substantial contributions to the article in terms of design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and drafting and revising the manuscript. Acquisition of funding or provision of data alone is not sufficient to merit authorship. General supervision of the research group is not sufficient either. Individuals contributing less than a key role to the paper should be recognized in an Acknowledgement. Editors may require authors to justify the assignment of authorship. Each author must take public responsibility for the content of the article.

5. DISCLOSURE OF COMPETING INTERESTS. All forms of financial support must be stated in an Acknowledgment. Any commercial or financial involvements among the authors that might present the appearance of a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article should be disclosed in the cover letter. Such involvements may include (but are not limited to) institutional or corporate affiliations not already specified, paid consultations, stock ownership or other equity involvement, patent ownership, travel funds, and royalties received from rating scales, inventions, or therapeutic methods. The Editor may share this information with the reviewers, but such involvements will not represent automatic grounds for rejection of the submission. A statement of such involvements will accompany the article, if published. Authors will be asked to attest in writing concerning any competing interests at the time of submission.

6. PATIENT INFORMED CONSENT AND PATIENT PRIVACY.  Authors must have written informed consent from any patient/clients described in case study material. The authors must take steps to protect the identity of patients reported in case reports and elsewhere. Identifying information (e.g., names, initials, hospitals, dates) must be avoided or changed.  Note that authors must both protect the integrity of the case study information such that crucial details for interpretation are retained, and protect patient privacy such that non-crucial details that could violate the privacy of the patient are changed.  Authors who wish guidelines for protection of patient anonymity are referred to “Statements from the Vancouver Group, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors” in British Medical Journal 1991; 302: 1194. Authors submitting case study material will be required to complete a “Case Presentation Checklist” available at http://pages.uoregon.edu/dynamic/jjf/jtd/.  Within the case report itself there should be a statement that the patient/client has given informed written consent for the publication and that the identity of the patient/client has been disguised by omission and alteration of non-crucial information.

7. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT. Papers that report results of data collected from human participants must include a statement that written informed consent was obtained from participants after adequately explaining the study’s procedures to them. Deviations from the standard written informed consent process should be fully explained. Approval by an Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee should be documented and mentioned in the written report.

8. MANUSCRIPT LENGTH. Manuscript articles may be up to 5,500 words (approximately five to 18 double-spaced pages) including references and tables and figures, as appropriate to the type of article. Review articles, theoretical articles, research reports, and clinical discussions should contain a maximum of 5,500 words. Brief reports should be no more than 3,000 words. Commentaries are limited to 1000 words. Letters to the editor may contain no more than 500 words. Lengthier manuscripts may be considered for special reasons or circumstances.

9. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT. For writing style and reference formats, the Journal uses the style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition, 2020). Manuscripts must be prepared in a standard U.S. letter or A4 page format, double-spaced, with 1 inch or 3 centimeter margins on all sides. Text font should be proportional and with serif (e.g., Times New Roman 12 point font). Manuscripts should have the following order: Title page, abstract, text, references, tables and figures. Pages should be numbered beginning with the title page.

Title Page
Title page must include, title; authors and degrees; location of the institution and place where the work was done; corresponding author's name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address; word count; key words for index purposes; and acknowledgment of previous presentation, grant support, commercial support, or other credit.

Abstract
A single paragraph abstract of 100-250 words must be provided. For those submitting via the electronic submission portal, ScholarOne, inlcude the abstract in both the abstract field and with the main text.

Text
The text should contain an introduction that describes the objectives of the article and a review of the relevant scientific literature. Subsequent sections should describe the main subject matter (theoretical, clinical or research), a discussion of the subject matter, and conclusions. Research papers must include sections on methods and results, followed by discussion. Methods must contain an adequate description of instruments, research participants and statistical analyses, and results must be fully reported including the test values, degrees of freedom, whether tests were one- or two-tailed, probability and significance, and N values as appropriate. Research articles involving research with human participants must include a statement that informed consent was obtained or if not, why not.

Citations and References
For writing style and reference formats, the Journal uses the style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition, 2020). For in text and reference format details seeTaylor & Francis Reference Format Guide.

Graphics, Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
All graphics must be “camera-ready.” Tables should be prepared using standard word processing software (MS Word preferred). Illustrations should be prepared using either graphics software or artistically rendered in black ink so that they can be used either as they are or reduced in size. Whenever possible, figures should be submitted with the manuscript in digital form. Fonts should be proportional and sans serif (e.g., Arial). Author name(s) and manuscript name should be lightly written on the reverse of graphics. Indicate in the text the approximate placement of all graphics. Graphics including photographs are considered part of accepted manuscripts and are retained by the Publisher. If submitted graphics are unacceptable for publication, the Publisher reserves the right to redo the graphics and to charge the author(s) a fee of $35 per hour for this service.

10. MANUSCRIPT STYLE. Taylor and Francis has English-language editing services that can be accessed prior to submission: https://www.tandfeditingservices.com/. Authors who need a guide for English journal writing may wish to refer to the Style section of “Suggestions to Authors” in Neurology 1996; 46: 298-300. The editors are recommending only the writing style section.Use gender inclusive language. In referring to human beings, authors should use the phrases “in humans,” “in humankind,” or “in human beings,” rather than the phrase “in man” or the word “man.” Authors should avoid “he” in referring to generic persons as well as the awkward “he/she” construction by making the subject plural, e.g., “Therapists should inquire about amnesia whenever they suspect dissociation,” rather than “A therapist should inquire about amnesia whenever he/she suspects dissociation.” Alternatively, when referring to hypothetical persons, authors may alternate between male and female subjects. Numbers in the text. Authors should use Arabic numerals for numbers above nine, and for designators such as Case 4 or Patient 2. Authors should spell out numbers one through nine and numbers at the beginning sentences. Use the active voice whenever possible: We will ask authors that rely heavily on use of the passive voice to re-write manuscripts in the active voice. While the use of the phrase “the author(s)” is acceptable, we encourage authors to use first and third person pronouns, i.e., “I” and “we,” to avoid an awkward or stilted writing style.

11. SUBMISSION AND REVIEW PROCESS. All regular new manuscripts must be submitted on ScholarOne, our submission website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/WJTD.  For submissions to Special Issues: you should send your manuscript to the Special Issue Editors by email. In addition authors will need to submit the Author Assurance form that can be found at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/societyimages/wjtd/AuthorAssuranceChecklist.docx.  Submissions are peer-reviewed by anonymous reviewers unless the editor first determines the paper is obviously not suitable for JTD. Reviewers provide written comments that are sent to the authors by the Editor. Authors are informed about the Editor’s decision after completion of the review process.  In most cases, we inform authors within eight to ten weeks following receipt of the manuscript as to the results of the initial review of their manuscripts.  Rejected articles will not be re-reviewed.

12. COPYRIGHT TRANSFER. Copyright ownership of manuscripts must be transferred to the Publisher by signature of author(s) prior to publication. It is permissible for a single author to sign the copyright transfer form provided that the author is authorized by all co-authors to sign on their behalf. The publisher will send copyright assignment forms to the corresponding author upon acceptance of a paper.

Return to JTD homepage