Submission Guidelines

Authors interested in submitting articles for consideration in an upcoming issue of The Journal for Civic Commitment, can email submissions to Gary Daynes at [email protected].

Submission Deadlines for the Fall and Spring Issues are: February 29 and August 30, respectively. We gladly accept submissions throughout the year, however submissions received after the deadline for the next issue will be considered for the following issue.

“The literacy required to live in civil society, the competence to participate in democratic communities, the ability to think critically and act deliberately in a pluralistic world, the empathy that permits us to hear and thus accommodate others, all involve skills that must be acquired. Excellence is the product of teaching and is liberty’s measure.”

Benjamin Barber, An Aristocracy of Everyone

The Journal for Civic Commitment

a web-based publication

CCNCCE and The Journal for Civic Commitment are dedicated to:

  • Encouraging academic research and discussion in the fields of civic engagement and service learning
  • Promoting community-based service learning research projects
  • Promoting and supporting dialogue and professional growth among service learning practitioners
  • Creating a context for dialogue among diverse community voices: Academic practitioners, community leaders, organizers and volunteers, and students and
  • Broadening the circle of service learning practitioners, especially in community colleges.

The Journal for Civic Commitment – Guidelines for Submission

Service learning connects the academic curriculum to service in our local communities. As their learning is enhanced by these service experiences, students come to more fully understand the nature of societal challenges and appreciate the necessity of participating as responsible citizens in community life. Service learning is one of the conduits through which community colleges help engage an informed citizenry.

Service learning exposes students firsthand to current issues we face as a nation—and as a planet—and allows them to apply the academic curricula they’re learning in the classroom. In addition, students examine their own role, their own actions, in the preservation and maintenance of democracy.

The Journal for Civic Commitment offers research and theories, strategies, and tips and techniques to readers. It is dedicated to disseminating research-based and practical information to faculty, coordinators, administrators and state directors.

We invite you to submit an article for consideration in The Journal for Civic Commitment, a web-based publication of the Community College National Center for Community Engagement. Guidelines and timeline follows. The Journal will be published twice annually.

Although we welcome submissions from all faculty and service learning practitioners, preference will be given to articles from community colleges. We look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to email us if you would like to discuss your proposed contribution.

For more information about The Journal for Civic Commitment, contact:

Dr. Gary Daynes
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Barton College
PO Box 5000
Wilson, NC 27893

Submission Criteria:

Who can submit articles for The Journal for Civic Commitment?

Articles discussing civic engagement, service learning, service learning projects, and community-based research will be reviewed from academic faculty, community volunteers, community partners, and students.

When a student, community member, or community partner is the primary author, an academic faculty member is required to stand as a second author.
A student, community member, or community partner may write as a second author with an academic faculty member writing as first author.
Criteria pertaining to evaluation for academic excellence will be applied to all articles submitted for publication.
Artistic and literary submissions related to civic engagement and service learning will be considered for publication

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Value or usefulness to service learning and civic responsibility
  2. Presentation and interpretation of findings, discussion, and conclusions
  3. Importance and timeliness
  4. Consistency with existing literature
  5. Overall clarity of ideas and professional expression
  6. References to relevant existing work

How to submit an article to The Journal for Civic Commitment:

The Journal for Civic Commitment will be published on the internet twice annually, and is a reviewed publication. We especially encourage articles from community college faculty.

Article Requirements:

  1. Articles should be 8-15 double-spaced pages in length.
  2. Articles should be submitted in the format commonly used in printed journals. Download a sample template of the required format.
  3. Articles must include a 1-page cover page with: Author’s information – name, title, address, institution, e-mail, telephone number.
  4. Brief (1 paragraph) biography of author.
  5. Brief (1 paragraph) abstract of your paper.
  6. A signed copy of the Talent Release Form. Download Talent Release Form.
  7. Please fax completed form to (480) 461-6284 or email to Gary Daynes at [email protected].
  8. A recent photograph of the author(s) in JPG format (optional).
  9. The author assumes all responsibility for proper crediting of sources, as well as the accuracy of references, quotations, tables, etc.
  10. Photographs are welcome for consideration, although you must submit a signed Photo Release Form from all individuals shown in any photographs, and all minors in photographs must have documented parental permission. Download Photo Release Form.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Authors submitting articles to The Journal for Civic Commitment are responsible for securing any permissions or licensing pertaining to the use of copyrighted materials and photographs/graphics. Authors of accepted articles assign The Journal for Civic Commitment the right to edit, publish, and distribute their text on the Internet, to archive it, and make it permanently retrievable.

Authors do retain their copyright, so articles may be reprinted after publication as long as The Journal for Civic Commitment is acknowledged as the original site of publication. Articles that have already been published or are being considered for publication elsewhere are not eligible for publication in The Journal for Civic Commitment, unless a cross-publishing arrangement has been previously negotiated.

The publication is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service under Learn and Serve America: Higher Education Grant No. 06LHHAZ001.

Opinions or points of view expressed in the publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Learn and Serve America: Higher Education Program, or the Community College National Center for Community Engagement.