# JANZSSA Submission Guidelines _Updated July 2026_ JANZSSA provides a distinctive space for student services practitioners and researchers to reflect upon, and share, practice to enhance student engagement, participation, wellbeing, and success. JANZSSA is an online journal, publishing open access content, primarily for student services practitioners and professionals. ## **Articles Invited** JANZSSA publishes _peer-reviewed papers_, _professional papers_, _book reviews_, _interviews_, _Voices From the Field_, and _opinion pieces_. Articles approved for publication are given early allocation of a DOI and published online prior to release within a JANZSSA issue. Submissions from first-time and returning authors are welcomed. ## Article Categories **Peer-reviewed (refereed) papers** aim to make a new or enhanced contribution to the understanding of post-secondary student engagement, student participation, student wellbeing, and student development through original or applied research that is scholarly in nature. Manuscripts are reviewed by other experts/professionals in the field for quality, accuracy, originality, validity, and significance. Peer-reviewed articles are generally authored by scholars or specialists and readership includes scholars, researchers, professionals, and practitioners. **Professional papers** document experience and/or practice and present practical outcomes, analysis, and recommendations. Authors and the primary target audience are commonly professionals and/or practitioners. A professional paper could potentially be developed into a peer-reviewed paper. Professional papers are reviewed by members of the Editorial Board. **Book reviews** provide a critical evaluation and/or analysis of titles with relevance to student services in post-secondary education, considering their contribution to the field, not just describing or summarising content. Reviews should be written for a non-specialist audience, primarily student service professionals and practitioners. Book reviews are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and one Associate Editor. **Opinion pieces** are invited articles by subject experts. They are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and one Associate Editor. **Voices From the Field** features a broad diversity of perspectives, ideas, reflections, and opinions on key topics and emerging issues. Professional and academic staff, students, and external partners may contribute a brief written or visual response to a specific prompt, presenting personal ideas, opinions, and experiences. Opportunities to contribute to Voices From the Field are advertised up to twice a year, and contributions are considered on a first-come, first-served basis to a predetermined maximum quantity per section. **Interviews**: _If you are interested in submitting an interview, please contact [janzssa@anzssa.com](mailto:janzssa@anzssa.com) for guidelines and submission requirements._ **Full details of JANZSSA’s review processes are available [here](https://janzssa.scholasticahq.com/post/2126).** ## Suitable Content Manuscripts may include reports of student services in practice, policy matters, and research projects. A focus on current issues in higher education is welcomed. The guiding editorial policy is that manuscripts are of interest to student service professionals and practitioners, and are of a high standard. Papers are accepted in English only. ## Quality Submissions All submissions are required to comply with JANZSSA content and layout requirements, and be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling accuracy prior to submission. Manuscripts will be returned to authors for corrections, if required, prior to consideration for publication or distribution for peer review. ## **Submission Policies** Articles submitted to JANZSSA should not have been published or submitted elsewhere. If similar or related work has already been published or submitted elsewhere, please include this with your submission. The iThenticate plagiarism detection tool is used by JANZSSA to verify original content. For papers based on data gathering, appropriate ethics approval must have been obtained and authors must comply with research ethics in its publication. Please refer to [JANZSSA's Policies](https://janzssa.scholasticahq.com/pages/443-policies) for futher details. ## **Technical Requirements** ## Templates and Exemplars Access downloadable templates, exemplars, and general guidelines for structuring and preparing your manuscript document [here](https://janzssa.scholasticahq.com/post/2028-preparing-your-janzssa-submission). ## Document Format All articles should be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document. Please disable EndNote or other reference management tools before submitting your manuscript. ## Language and Spelling JANZSSA uses Australian English. Please refer to the Macquarie Dictionary: [https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/](https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/) ## Article Length Manuscripts would normally be between 3,000 and 7,000 words. Book reviews may be between approximately 800 and 1,200 words. At the Editor’s discretion, manuscripts outside these recommendations may be returned to authors to be revised. ## Lede Please include an overview of your article (<30 words) below the References. This will be used in the online publishing process and will be removed from your final manuscript before publication. ## Abstract All manuscripts submitted must include a brief (<250 words) Abstract. ## Keywords Please insert a selection of appropriate keywords under your Abstract for online search facilitation. ## Page Layout Articles need to be submitted as a Word document using the following layout instructions: * A4 Portrait orientation (individual pages can be rotated to landscape for formatting of large Figures or Tables if necessary). * Margins: Top: 0.89”; Bottom: 0.89”; Left: 0.79”; Right: O.79” ## Text Specifications * Typeface: Times New Roman * Line spacing: 1.0 * Alignment: Left * Heading and paragraph styles: * Manuscript title: 14 pt; bold; centred; title case * Heading 1: 12 pt; bold; sentence case * Heading 2: 12 pt; bold; Italic; sentence case * Heading 3: 12 pt; italic; sentence case * Body text: 12 pt * Footnotes: 9 pt * Abstract: 10 pt; italic; indent 0.1” * Reference list: 10 pt; hanging indent 0.5” * Block quotes: 12 pt; italic; indent 0.5” * Table and figure titles: 10 pt (formatted per APA 7 style) ## Figures and Tables Figures and tables should adhere to APA 7 formatting requirements: * Figures: [https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/figures](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/figures) * Tables: [https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/tables](https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures/tables) Additional requirements: * Please only use the labels: Table (for tables) or Figure (for all other photographs, diagrams, and illustrations). * Number and name tables and figures in sequence: Table xx or Figure xx * In addition to inclusion within the manuscript, please submit all figures separately in the following formats: * Graphs, charts, schematics, and line art: PDF (vector); AI (Adobe Illustrator); SVG; or EPS. * Photographs and illustrations: JPEG; PNG; PDF; AI (Adobe Illustrator); PSD (Adobe Photoshop); TIFF; SVG; or EPS. Please supply in the highest available resolution. * **Please add alternative (alt) text to all figures in the manuscript. Useful guidelines: [https://poet.diagramcenter.org/how.html](https://poet.diagramcenter.org/how.html)** ## Referencing Referencing style is APA 7: [https://apastyle.apa.org/](https://apastyle.apa.org/) * Please include DOIs or URLs where available. * Articles submitted with incorrect, incomplete, or inaccurate referencing will be returned to the lead author for correction and this will delay the publishing process. * Please do not include references in the reference list unless they are included in text. ## **Copyright and Licensing** * JANZSSA is an open access journal and all JANZSSA articles are published under an [Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). * Authors retain copyright for published articles. * The author is responsible for checking that all supplied material (e.g., figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, and data) is not subject to copyright or ownership rights which would prohibit publication. You may be required to provide evidence of reproduction permissions, Creative Commons status, or ownership of material to the Editorial team. ## **Indexing** All JANZSSA articles are indexed in the [Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)](https://doaj.org/toc/2207-8460) and [Informit](https://search.informit.org/journal/janzssa). JANZSSA holds the esteemed DOAJ Seal for demonstrating best practice in open access publishing. ## **Archiving** JANZSSA articles are archived in [Portico](https://www.portico.org/). Authors may deposit versions of their work into a repository of their choice, such as Sherpa/Romeo or an institutional repository. ## **Submission Process** Submissions will only be accepted through the JANZSSA portal: [https://app.scholasticahq.com/submissions/janzssa/new](https://app.scholasticahq.com/submissions/janzssa/new) ## Likely Outcomes Following review, you will be notified of one of the following outcomes: * Accept * Revise and resubmit with minor revisions * Revise and resubmit with major revisions * Reject * Revise and resubmit with an optional referral to the JANZSSA Writing Coaching Program * Reject with an optional referral to the JANZSSA Writing Coaching Program ## Peer-Reviewed Articles Authors who wish to submit an item to be considered for publication as a peer-reviewed article **must select this option at the time of submission**. If an author does not specify this, the Editors will consider the article for publication in the Professional section. **Please submit a de-identified version of the paper as the Primary Manuscript File**. An identified version may also be supplied as an additional file. Lead authors must also remove other identifying information and replace any such words or sentence with “words removed for purposes of author anonymity” so that it is not possible to identify the author/s once the author names have been removed. You will be advised via email as to the outcome of the peer review, and the subsequent processes. ## Professional Articles Manuscripts submitted for consideration for publication as a professional article will be published subject to a peer review process and at the discretion of the Editors. Authors may be asked to make amendments to the manuscript prior to publication. You will be advised via email as to the outcome of the review process, and the subsequent processes. **Full details of JANZSSA’s review processes are available [here](https://janzssa.scholasticahq.com/post/2126).** ## **Submission Deadlines** JANZSSA publishes Online First articles on a rolling basis, with full issues published in April and October each year. Deadline for submission of _professional_ manuscripts: * 31 January for the April issue * 31 July for the October issue Deadline for submission of _peer-reviewed_ manuscripts: * 31 January for the April issue * 30 June for the October issue ## **Enquiries** Any queries regarding submission format should be directed to the editorial team at [janzssa@anzssa.com](mailto:janzssa@anzssa.com). ## **Submission Checklist** 1. Submission aligns with the themes and JANZSSA general requirements. 1. Abstract, lede, and keywords have been added to your article. 1. JANZSSA page layout has been used. 1. JANZSSA paragraph and heading styles have been applied. 1. APA 7 referencing has been used throughout and all references are included in full, including DOIs or URLs where available. 1. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation have been reviewed and the manuscript has been thoroughly proofread. 1. Figures and tables align with JANZSSA specifications. 1. Additional copies of all figures have been supplied as separate files in the specified format/s. 1. Alternative text has been added to all figures. 1. A de-identified version of paper has been supplied (peer-reviewed articles only). 1. Authors’ contact details and ORCID iDs have been included, if applicable. 1. Brief (<70 words) acknowledgements have been included, if applicable. # Special Issues JANZSSA welcomes expressions of interest (EOIs) for special issues, which are considered on an ad hoc basis. Please direct enquiries to the [JANZSSA Editor-in-Chief](mailto:janzssa@anzssa.com), who will advise on suitability and whether the journal is currently open for special issue EOIs.

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Students‟ Initial Experiences of a University Degree in Child Care