Format Guidelines for The Eagle Feather

Style Manual. The official style manuals for The Eagle Feather (TEF) are as follows:

1. American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: Fifth Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

2. The Chicago Manual of Style. (2003). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

3. Gibaldi, Joseph. (2003). MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers: Sixth Edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America.

All manuscripts submitted to TEF must conform to the style and formatting guidelines therein (unless otherwise agreed) and except as noted in the instructions below. The brief guidelines provided below are specific to TEF. Authors are responsible for consulting the style manual of choice for thorough guidelines on manuscript preparation.

Authorship. TEF is a journal for undergraduate scholars attending the University of North Texas. Therefore, all research articles submitted should have an undergraduate student at UNT as the first author. The research reported in the article and the writing of the article should be substantially that of the undergraduate scholar. Because it is expected that undergraduate scholars are still apprentices-in-training in their area of research, it is the policy of TEF to also include faculty mentors as second authors. This policy recognizes the substantial role faculty mentors play in developing and shaping the research and the publications of their students.

Types of Articles. Articles published by undergraduate scholars in TEF are primary articles that have not been previously published. Types of articles may include reports on empirical quantitative and qualitative research, policy analysis, historical analysis, case studies, critical reviews of literature in an area, theoretical articles, methodological articles, and critical literary or artistic analyses. Research can be in any basic or applied field of study, including the physical and life sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, education, engineering, and the arts. Invited articles may also be included at the discretion of the Editorial Board, including highlights on innovative undergraduate teaching, students as authors, and keynote speeches at the University of North Texas’ Annual Scholars Day Conference held in the spring of each academic year.

TEF Copyright. The Eagle Feather and the University of North Texas Libraries hold the copyright to all articles published in the journal. When submitting a manuscript for review by TEF, student scholars and faculty mentors should submit signed copyright forms, available elsewhere on this website. Authors retain the rights to their work and may publish it elsewhere under two conditions. First, the authors must obtain written permission from the Editor-in-Chief and the University of North Texas Libraries, who hold the copyright. Second, the secondary publisher must be made aware that the article has been previously published in TEF.

Title Page. The title page should include the name of the article (10-12 words in length), the name and department affiliation of the student scholar and mentor, and a footnote with acknowledgments of grant agencies, organizations, institutions, or people who contributed substantially or financially to the research. All material should be centered and single-spaced.

Biographical Sketch and Photo. The student scholar should attach a biographical sketch of no more than 120 words, which includes the scholar’s major area of study, previous professional presentations and publications, current activities, and future plans. A digital color photo (headshot) of the student author should be attached for publication in the journal.

Abstract. The abstract should start on a separate page. It should be no more than 120 words in length and should be double-spaced. The abstract should concisely describe the research contained in the article. A short running head of no more than 40 characters and page numbers should begin on the abstract page (page 2 in the manuscript) and should be located in the top right-hand corner of the abstract page. The running head and page numbers should continue on each succeeding page.

Text. The text of the article should not exceed 20 doubled-spaced, typed pages. Paragraphs should use a hanging indentation of .5”. Text should be left-justified. Margins should be 1” all around (top, bottom, left and right sides) for the text, as well as the reference list and all tables and figures. Three headings will usually be sufficient for articles in TEF. The first heading should be regular type, use uppercase and lowercase letters, and be centered (Level 1 in APA Manual); the second heading should be italicized, use upper and lowercase letters, and be flush with the left margin (APA Level 3); and the third heading should be italicized, should use lowercase letters after the first letter, and should be indented .5” from the left margin (APA Level 4). Headings should be double-spaced, as all other text is. No extra lines or spacing should be included. The running head and page numbers should be included in the top right-hand corner of each page.

Tables and Figures. Tables and figures should be prepared using Word 2003 or higher and should be “camera-ready” when submitted for review by TEF. Numbers in tables should be right-justified within cells of the table. Tables and figures should be able to stand alone for the reader. Each table should be labeled sequentially in the order that it appears in the article. Each figure should also be labeled sequentially. Each table and figure should have a descriptive title that tells the reader what information is contained therein. In addition to copies of figures and tables in the Word document, authors should submit copies of all figures and tables in separate jpeg format files.

Reference List, In-text References, and Endnotes. The reference list and in-text references or endnotes should be meticulously prepared, conforming to one of the three major style manuals in all particulars. The reference list, bibliography, or works cited list should only contain references actually used in the manuscript. References should be used judiciously and only when absolutely relevant to the research topic or design. More than 30 references are discouraged. The reference list, bibliography, or works cited page should begin on a new page, be double-spaced, and have a .5” hanging indent after the first line; that is, the first line of each reference should be flush with the left margin, and all others indented .5”. The running head and page numbers should be included in the top right-hand corner of each page.

Copyright Release for Quoted Material and Artwork. If the work of another author is quoted extensively or published artwork, tables, or figures are reproduced in the manuscript, it may be necessary to obtain permission to use the material in The Eagle Feather. Authors are responsible for providing all relevant permissions to the TEF editor when the manuscript is submitted for review. Failure to obtain such permissions may result in the article not being published.

Research Compliance. The University of North Texas and The Eagle Feather subscribe to the highest standards of ethics and safety. Student scholars and their mentors are responsible for ensuring that the work included in manuscripts submitted to TEF conforms to the university guidelines for research compliance. These guidelines are presented in detail on the UNT website by the Office of Research Services at http://www.unt.edu/ospa/compliance/index.html. Six research compliance committees ensure compliance at UNT. They are: (1) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; (2) Conflict of Interest Review Committee, (3) Institutional Review Board (IRB), (4) Institutional Biosafety Committee, (5) Radiation Safety Committee, and (6) Scholarly Misconduct Committee. Student scholars and mentors are responsible for complying with the guidelines of research compliance for the manuscripts submitted. Only manuscripts that are in full compliance with the guidelines of the relevant committees can be published in TEF.

Plagiarism and Fabrication. The Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities at the University of North Texas defines plagiarism as “the deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas, words, or statements of another person as one’s own without acknowledgment.” Fabrication is “intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.” (Definitions retrieved from CSRR at http://www.unt.edu/csrr/academic_dishonesty.htm on June 28, 2006.) The student scholar and faculty mentor should ensure that the material submitted does not contain material that has been either plagiarized or fabricated.

Word Processing. The manuscript should be prepared with Word 2003 or higher using Times New Roman 12-point font. Bolding should not be used in the title, titles of tables or figures, or headings. Margins should be 1” all around in 8 ½” by 11” image. All text and the reference list should be left justified.

Electronic Submission. Authors wishing to submit manuscripts for review should use the submission checklist available on this site to assemble the documents that are required to accompany the manuscript. The materials should be submitted at the same time to the journal electronically at eaglefeather@unt.edu. Authors will be notified when their materials have been received and their file is complete. When the file is complete, the manuscript will be sent out to two reviewers with a request for a completed review within two weeks. Manuscript reviews with a recommendation for acceptance or rejection will be returned to the authors within three weeks from the time the manuscript file is complete and the manuscript sent to the reviewers. Any requested revisions in the manuscript are due back to TEF within two weeks. All comments and questions should be submitted to the Editor of The Eagle Feather.