Frequently Asked Questions
- Who can submit?
- Is my work appropriate?
- How does PRISM define region?
- What types of submissions are allowed?
- What is the submission deadline?
- How do I submit my article?
- How does the review process work?
- How should I include citations in my work?
- How should I format my work?
- Who can submit?
PRISM accepts submissions from authors in any discipline provided the author owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article. Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note: "publication" in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication. In addition, by submitting material to PRISM, the author is stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process at PRISM. For additional information about the submission process, please consult the Instructions for Authors page.
- Is my work appropriate?
PRISM provides a venue for scholars to share their theoretical frameworks, evaluations of the impact and effectiveness, and reflections on engagement initiatives between college and universities and their surrounding communities and regions. Because interaction with the university is important to the aims of our journal, manuscripts should have an explicit discussion of the interactions and relationships of those in and outside the university.
In addition, for spring issues, works should fit appropriately with the established theme.
For more information on our journal’s aims and scopes, please go here
.For further questions on whether or not your work is appropriate, please contact Joe Gershtenson,editor of PRISM.
- How does PRISM define region?
For the purpose of PRISM, region is defined very broadly. Although the focus of PRISM is how universities interact outside of the university to engage with the regions that surround them, the idea of region is broad and expansive.
Further questions may be sent to Joe Gershtenson,editor of PRISM.- What types of submissions are allowed?
PRISM invites research, case studies and applied research, and reflection articles and manuscripts. For more information, visit our instructions for Authors page.
Further questions may be sent to Joe Gershtenson,editor of PRISM.- What is the submission deadline?
For Spring issues, the submission deadline is January 31st. For Fall issues, the submission deadline is July 31st. Manuscripts will be accepted any time before the deadline and are accepted on a rolling basis.
- How do I submit my article?
During the submission process, you will have to: Read and accept the Article Submission Agreement
Provide information about yourself
Provide information about any authors
Upload your article and related itemsBefore you begin, make sure you have the following items:
- Article Title
- An abstract (separate from the article body)
- Keywords for your article (optional)
- Article in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word, or RTF.
- Articles must be submitted without a title page, abstract, or page numbers. These will be provided by the system.
To begin your article submission, please click here.
After reading the instructions, click continue at the bottom of the page.
You will be prompted to accept the policies and terms of submitting an article. If you choose to do so, select accept.
The next page will be a prompt for information about you. Fill it out and click continue.
The third page will require you to add any authors. If you worked with a co-author to complete the article, add their names here. After you have completed this step, click continue.
On the next page, you will fill out information about your manuscript. This includes the title of the article, your abstract, your cover letter, and the full text of your submission. After you have completed this, click submit. After you have finished, the submission process is completed.- How does the review process work?
PRISM uses a double-blind review process. It is essential therefore, that authors do not include any identifying information in their article submissions. Identifying information includes any of the authors' names, University names, identification of community partners, or any general reference that may indicate where the submission came from or who it was written by. If the manuscript is accepted, then the article will be reverted back to its original state. Each article submission is assigned to a minimum of two reviewers (typically three) with expertise in the article’s area of focus. The manuscript will also be read by the editor. The editors aim for timely disposition of submissions and communication with authors (including provision of article reviews). Decisions about the manuscript are typically made in five to six weeks after it has been received.
For additional information see the Instructions for Authors page.
- How should I include citations in my work?
PRISM accepts articles in APA style.
- How should I format my work?
PRISM has no general rules about the formatting of articles for initial submission. There are, however, rules governing the formatting of the final submission. See Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for details. Although Berkeley Electronic Press can provide limited technical support, it is ultimately the responsibility of the author to produce electronic versions of the article as both high-quality PDF (Adobe's Portable Document Format) and Microsoft Word files.
It is understood that the current state of technology of Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) is such that there are no, and can be no, guarantees that documents in PDF will work perfectly with all possible hardware and software configurations that readers may have.