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Author Guidelines

The Editor
maracicot@gmail.com

All papers should be submitted via the submit article feature on this website. Potential authors may contact the editor informally by email to discuss submission prior to this. Papers substantially above the recommeded word limits will be returned.

Paper classifications

Open Government welcomes contributions in a range of formats from all those with an interest in freedom of information. Authors are encouraged to contact the Editor in advance to discuss possible topics.

Research (2000-5000 words)
Peer Reviewed.
Papers presenting results from scholarly and/or scientific enquiries.

Resarch could include:

Case study (2500-5000 words)
Peer Reviewed.
Papers presenting a detailed analysis of an exemplary model related to freedom of information. Case studies may be examples of best practice, innovation or cautionary accounts.

Literature review (2500-5000 words)
Peer reviewed.
Reviews of currently available scholarly literature.

Also considered:

Conference Reports (1000 words) Discussion of delegates experience from relevant conferences, including sessions attended and details of key note presentations.

Brief communication (1000 words) Short articles discussing research in progress.

Viewpoint (1000 words) Short articles discussing opinion on or experience of current topics related to freedom of information.

Book review (600 words) Intended reviewers are welcome to contact the Editor for suggested reading.

The Peer Review process

Research papers, case studies and literature reviews are all subject to peer review prior to publication.

Each peer reviewed submission is initially reviewed by the Editor and, if judged suitable for this publication, it is then sent to two referees for double blind peer review. Based on the referees’ recommendations, the paper is either accepted as is, returned to authors for revision together with comments from the peer review, or rejected. If formal review is not requested, the decision whether or not to publish is made in consultation with the editorial board.

Correspondence, submission and refereeing of papers for Open Government are all handled electronically. This is more efficient for most contributors and speeds the process of publication.

Submission requirements

Format

Please note requirements below: manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be returned

Manuscripts should preferably be in Times New Roman, font size 12 and double spaced.

Please use either Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format. Documents submitted in HTML will be returned.

Author(s) details The author(s) details should be supplied on separate sheet, not on the main document. Please supply:
• Title (if appropriate - Prof, Dr)
• Full name
• Organisation
• Address
• email

Abstract and keywords An abstract of 150-250 words should accompany all research papers, case studies, literature reviews and conference papers.

Please also supply up to 8 keywords that best summarise the content of your submission.

Titles and headings All submissions (except viewpoints and letters) must have clearly defined title.

Headings can be used but should not be numbered. Headings should be in bold, Times New Roman, font size 12.

Illustrations, tables and graphs Illustrations must be supplied in either .gif or .jpg format.

Tables and graphs should be supplied in a separate Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format document. They should be numbered with Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv…) corresponding to their appearance in the text.

References

References should be given using the Harvard system. A guide to using the Harvard system for those not familiar with it is available at: this site or this site

The reference list at the end of your manuscript should provide full details of each reference you make. Please do not include additional material in this list. Additional bibliographies of items not cited in your text may be appended to your manuscript for inclusion at the Editor’s discretion.

Example reference list
ALLPORT, F.H. (1924) Social psychology. Houghton
ALLPORT, G. and POSTMAN, L. (1947) The psychology of rumour. Holt BLUMER, H. (1939) Collective behaviour
Armed Forces Act 1996: Chapter 33 [online] HMSO 1996 Available at ; www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/1996046.htm [Accessed 7th January 1997]
In: PARK, R.E. (ed.) An outline of the principles of sociology. Barnes and Noble. pp.219-280
DENNING, A.T. (Chairman) (1963) Report in the light of circumstances surrounding the resignation of the former Secretary of State for War, Mr. J.D. Profumo (Cmnd.2152) H.M.S.O.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000. (c.36) London, HMSO
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER(2005) Decision Notice FS50068973 Public Authority: Calderdale Council. 24th November 2005. Available online: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/cms/DocumentUploads/Decision_Notice_FS50068973.pdf [Accessed 3rd April 2006]
LANG, K. and LANG, J.E. (1961) Collective dynamics. Crowell
LEBON, G. (1960) The crowd. Viking
SMELSER, N.J. (1962) Theory of collective behaviour. Free Press
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (1994) Academic careers for experimental computer scientists and engineers. [online] U.S.A. National Academy of Sciences. Available at: www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/acesc [Accessed 10th September 1996]
TURNER, R.H. (1964a) Collective behaviour.
In: FARIS, R.E. (ed.) Handbook of modern sociology. Rand McNally. pp.382-425
TURNER, R.H. (1964b) New theoretical frameworks. Sociological Quarterly Vol.5, pp.122-132

The numerical reference system should not be used for bibliographic referneces but can used to for notes to readers that do not need to appear in the text

Havavard uses the following methods to reference in the text:

A recent report (Smithson, 1995) suggests that ...
Parkinson (1989) found that ...
Several studies (Brown, 1958; Jones, 1964; Smith, 1976) have investigated ...

To refer to a specific page or section, include the page number(s) after the year, e.g.

In a recent report, Smithson (1995: 46) concluded that ....

In a recent report, Smithson (1995, p.46) concluded that ....

In a recent article, Jamieson (1994, pp.59-60) argued against accepted notions of ...

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

1. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
2. The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
3. All URL addresses in the text (e.g., http://www.opengovjournal.org) are activated and ready to click.
4. The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
5. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
6. The text, if submitted to a peer-reviewed section (e.g., Articles), has had the authors' names removed. If an author is cited, "Author" and year are used in the bibliography and footnotes, instead of author's name, paper title, etc. The author's name has also been removed from the document's Properties, which in Microsoft Word is found in the File menu.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.