Strategic Organization

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Strategic Organization

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/SO to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Strategic Organization will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

1. What do we publish?
   1.1 Aims & Scope
   1.2 Article types
   1.3 Writing your paper
2. Editorial policies
   2.1 Peer review policy
   2.2 Authorship
   2.3 Acknowledgements
   2.4 Funding
   2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
3. Publishing policies
   3.1 Publication ethics
   3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
   3.3 Open access and author archiving
4. Preparing your manuscript
   4.1 Formatting
   4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
   4.3 Supplementary material
   4.4 Reference style
   4.5 English language editing services
5. Submitting your manuscript
   5.1 ORCID
   5.2 Information required for completing your submission
   5.3 Permissions
6. On acceptance and publication
   6.1 SAGE Production
   6.2 Online First publication
   6.3 Access to your published article
   6.4 Promoting your article
7. Further information

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to Strategic Organization, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

1.2 Article Types

Strategic Organization is interested in compact presentations, suspecting that manuscripts with over 35 pages of text contain an unclear line of argument, multiple arguments, or no argument at all. Each manuscript should contain one key point, which the author should be able to state in one sentence.

Strategic Organization is interested in good writing and uses poor writing as a reason to reject manuscripts. Manuscripts must be well argued and well written. ‘Well argued’ means that the argument is clear and logical. ‘Well written’ means that the argument is accessible and well phrased.

A basic flaw common to rejected manuscripts is that authors are unable to evaluate critically their own work and make insufficient use of colleagues before the work is submitted. All work has alternative explanations. All work contains flaws. The best way to identify these is to ask what was learned in the study and what are its limitations, and to frame the discussion in terms of these discoveries. This anticipates reviewers and improves the probability of acceptance.

Research Articles
Full papers are generally restricted to a maximum of 35 pages of double-spaced text in 12-point font, excluding title page, abstract, notes, references, tables, biographical statement, etc. We are reluctant to burden our referees with very long manuscripts. Authors who suspect that their articles will have to be cut anyway should make the required deletions before submitting.

SO!APBOX Editorial Essays
Strategic Organization encourages expression of informed opinion and thoughtful reflection. In addition to regular refereed articles, each issue of Strategic Organization will include one or more ‘SO!APBOX’ editorial essays. A soapbox is a platform used by a self-appointed, spontaneous, or informal orator, or, more broadly an outlet for delivering opinions. These editorial essays are intended to provide a forum in which interdisciplinary bridges can be forged, methodological traditions discussed, and the field of Strategic Organization staked out. 
Essay Topics and Submission Topics may include a wide range of issues and concerns pertinent to Strategic Organization. Authors should contact one of the editors directly to discuss their proposed essay topic prior to initial submission. Before doing so, authors are encouraged to read several past essays. A checklist of formal points is given in section 4, below.

Evaluation of Essays
All essay submissions to Strategic Organization are subject to review by the three editors. Publication decisions are based on the editors’ evaluation of the essays relative to the aims outlined above. The editors will endeavor to provide constructive and developmental feedback to authors within one month. Publication decisions will be made after no more than one major revision for manuscript content. The quality and development of initial submissions will thus greatly affect their likelihood of publication.

Essays are considered for publication with the understanding that their contents and contributions have not been published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

After discussing the proposed topic directly with one of the editors, submit essays via the Strategic Organization SAGE Track site: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/SO.

When asked to identify manuscript type, select "essay." Upload an electronic copy of your submission including a title page containing author-identifying contact information in Word. Your submission will be acknowledged electronically when editor and reviewers are assigned, usually within a day or two of receipt.

1.3 Writing your paper

The SAGE Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources.

1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online

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2. Editorial policies

2.1 Peer review policy

All submissions to Strategic Organization are subject to a strictly double-blinded peer review process in which the reviewers' names are withheld from the author(s) and, the author's name(s) from the reviewers. Reviewers may, at their own discretion, opt to reveal their identity to the author in their review but our standard policy practice is for both identities to remain concealed; manuscripts prepared in a way that compromises this will be returned for revision prior to review. Publication decisions are based on the recommendations of members of the journal's editorial board. Submissions are usually assigned to one editor and three editorial board members for consideration; particularly weak or inappropriate submissions may be returned promptly without formal review. These will be sent to the author submitting the paper along with a cover letter from the editor conveying the decision whether or not to publish the paper.

Strategic Organization endeavors to provide constructive and developmental feedback to authors within three months. Publication decisions will be made after no more than one major revision for manuscript content. The quality and development of initial submissions will thus greatly affect their likelihood of publication.

To permit anonymity, the author's name should not appear on the manuscript. Instead, prepare a separate file giving the title of the article and the name and affiliation of each author. A footnote on this page should contain acknowledgments and information on grants.

Manuscripts are considered for publication with the understanding that their contents and contributions – both empirical and theoretical – have not been published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

As part of the submission process you will be asked to provide the names of X peers who could be called upon to review your manuscript. Recommended reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Please be aware of any conflicts of interest when recommending reviewers. Examples of conflicts of interest include (but are not limited to) the below: 

• The reviewer should have no prior knowledge of your submission
• The reviewer should not have recently collaborated with any of the authors
• Reviewer nominees from the same institution as any of the authors are not permitted

Please note that the Editors are not obliged to invite any recommended/opposed reviewers to assess your manuscript. 

2.2 Authorship

All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

2.3 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.

Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of your article prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable), any notes and your References.

2.4 Funding

Strategic Organization requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of Strategic Organization to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.

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3. Publishing Policies

3.1 Publication ethics

SAGE is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the SAGE Author Gateway

3.1.1 Plagiarism

Strategic Organization and SAGE take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

3.1.2 Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a SAGE journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the SAGE Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, SAGE requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. SAGE’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants SAGE the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than SAGE. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the SAGE Author Gateway

3.3 Open access and author archiving

Strategic Organization offers optional open access publishing via the SAGE Choice programme. For more information please visit the SAGE Choice website. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit SAGE Publishing Policies on our Journal Author Gateway.

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4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

4.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit SAGE’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines  

Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from SAGE after receipt of your accepted article.

4.3 Supplementary material

Strategic Organization does not currently accept supplemental files.

4.4 Reference style

Strategic Organization adheres to the SAGE Harvard reference style. View the SAGE Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the SAGE Harvard EndNote output file

4.5 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using SAGE Language Services. Visit SAGE Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

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5. Submitting your manuscript

Strategic Organization is hosted on SAGE Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/SO to login and submit your article online. 

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created.  For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

Checklist for All Submissions:

1. Title Page and Abstract: To permit anonymity, the author's name should not appear on the manuscript. Instead, prepare a separate file giving the title of the article and the name and affiliation of each author. A footnote on this page should contain acknowledgments and information on grants.

• The title of the manuscript should also be typed on the first page of the anonymized manuscript, along with an informative abstract of about 100-150 words.
• Literature Review: Discuss only literature that pertains directly to the thesis or research of the paper. Cite a representative set of references when there is a large literature
• Headings: Organize the paper by using primary, secondary, and tertiary headings.
• Terminology: Define a term (or mathematical symbol) accurately and use it consistently with that meaning throughout. Use the same term (or mathematical symbol) for the same concept throughout the paper.
• Writing:

1. Do not repeat the same idea in different words; find the best way to say it.
2. Avoid jargon; do not mistake it for technical terminology.
3. Use the past tense for discussing earlier studies or presenting methods, samples, data, findings, results, conclusions, etc.
4. Use the active voice whenever possible and avoid using strings of nouns to modify a final noun.

• Style Format:

1. Quotation marks – use only for direct quotations.
2. Italics – omit unless absolutely necessary.
3. Parentheses – avoid in textual material.
4. Abbreviations – use those known by the general public; spell out abbreviated terms when first used.
5. Numbers – spell out those that begin a sentence and numbers from one to nine.

• Footnotes: Use footnotes sparingly. Except where impossible to do so, important material should be incorporated into the text; material having weak relevance should be deleted. Place footnotes following the last page of text.
• Typing: Type in block form; do not indent for paragraphs. Type everything, except tables, double-spaced, including footnotes, references, and appendices; double-space between paragraphs. Type tables, figures, footnotes, references, and appendix each on separate pages.
• Figures and Tables: Figures and tables should be directly pertinent to the discussion. Present graphic material so that the meaning is immediately clear. Each file should contain the entire manuscript. Please place each table and figure on a separate page at the end of the submission file, and indicate their position within the main text clearly. [Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures previously published elsewhere.]

Strategic Organization is interested in compact, provocative editorials that will stimulate discussion and help to shape the journal and the field. Each essay should contain one key point, which the author should be able to state in one sentence. Essays are limited to 2,500 words in length. Essays should be written in EDITORIAL, not article format. This means writing in the first person, using active voice and employing references sparingly.

Checklist for SO!APBOX Essay Submissions

1. Title Page: Attach a cover page giving the title of the essay and the name and affiliation of each author. A footnote on this page should contain acknowledgments and information on grants.
2. Length: The length of essays is limited to 2,500 words (roughly 10-12 pages of double-spaced text in 12-point font).
3. Headings: Organize the essay, as appropriate by using primary, secondary, and tertiary headings.
4. Terminology: Write accessibly. Define terms accurately and use them consistently. Use the same term for the same concept throughout the essay.
5. Writing:
   1. Avoid jargon.
   2. Write in the first person.
   3. Use the active voice whenever possible
   4. Avoid using strings of nouns to modify a final noun.
6. Style Format:
   1. Quotation marks – use only for direct quotations.
   2. Italics – omit unless absolutely necessary.
   3. Parentheses – avoid in textual material.
   4. Abbreviations – use those known by the general public; spell out abbreviated terms when first used.
   5. Numbers – spell out those that begin a sentence and numbers from one to nine.
7. Footnotes: Avoid them. Except where impossible to do so, important material should be incorporated into the text; material having weak relevance should be deleted. Place footnotes following the last page of text.

5.1 ORCID

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process SAGE is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities ensuring that their work is recognised.

We encourage all authors to add their ORCIDs to their SAGE Track accounts and include their ORCIDs as part of the submission process. If you don’t already have one you can create one here.

5.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

5.3 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the SAGE Author Gateway

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6. On acceptance and publication

6.1 SAGE Production

Your SAGE Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. Please note that if there are any changes to the author list at this stage all authors will be required to complete and sign a form authorising the change.

6.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the SAGE Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

6.3 Access to your published article

SAGE provides authors with online access to their final article.

6.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The SAGE Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. In addition, SAGE is partnered with Kudos, a free service that allows authors to explain, enrich, share, and measure the impact of their article. Find out how to maximise your article’s impact with Kudos. 

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7. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Strategic Organization editorial office as follows:

 ann.langley@hec.ca