Working Notes is a free, peer-reviewed online publication hosted by the Sociology At Work (S@W) website. The articles are available to the public, with the aim to provide a platform for applied sociologists to share their experiences and expertise with a broad audience. We welcome diverse contributions covering a broad range of topics of relevance to the professionalism and advocacy work undertaken applied sociologists, including analysis of their research projects and activism, as well as reflection pieces about their careers. For our purposes, applied sociology refers to sociological work conducted outside of a university for a client or interest group, including not-for-profit groups, community organisations, private institutions and government. For further discussion on this definition of applied sociology, see the "What is Applied Sociology?" page of S@W.
Writing Style
Given the wide-ranging audience that Working Notes speaks to, we encourage authors to use an accessible writing style that addresses non-specialist readers. Authors should avoid writing in disciplinary jargon even when discussing sociological theories, concepts and methods.
Academics who carry out applied sociological research and activities will also be considered for publication, but their submission should be focused on work that has been primarily undertaken outside of a university setting. Contributors should observe the submission guidelines outlined below when preparing their manuscript.
Submissions
Articles can be submitted in two ways, according to the author’s preference: general (non-refereed papers) of up to 3,000 words (including all references and endnotes) will be subject to review by the editorial board. We prefer conversational style style submissions that do not require academic references. We have a couple of short questionnaires that authors can use to get them started on writing a profile about the work they do. If you'd like to write something and want to work from these questions, please contact the Working Notes Editor: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Otherwise, we welcome creative pieces focused on issues that matter to you, as well as the experiences that have shaped your professional identity and work.
Scholarly papers of up to 5,000 words (including all references and endnotes) can also be submitted for anonymous peer-review. For further information on how to prepare your article, read the Writing Guildelines below.
Manuscripts should be submitted electronically by emailing the editor of Working Notes: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Author and Editorial Rights
Articles submitted to Working Notes cannot be under consideration by any other publication, and all manuscripts received are assumed to signify the author’s commitment to publish with us. The authors assume responsibility to obtain clearance of copyright material used in their submission. Authors retain copyright of their work after it is published in Working Notes.
The Editors reserve the right to return articles which do not comply with the format specified in these guidelines. Authors are not paid for articles accepted for publication. Manuscript submissions should be compatible with Microsoft Word 97 or above, and contributors are required to indicate the name and version of all programs used.
Writing Guidelines
The article should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.
At the beginning of the article, include the author’s name, affiliation (if relevant), correspondence and email addresses, and a brief biographical note about the author of no more than 200 words on a separate .
Manuscripts should use Times New Roman size 12 font and be double-spaced, including all indented material, endnotes and references.
Do not use abbreviations or symbols anywhere in the body of the manuscript, such as etc., e.g, &, i.e.
Refereed papers should include an abstract of no more than 200 words and indicate up to six keywords.
Save all tables and figures in a separate file. Insert a note signalling the relevant location in the text where the table and figure should appear, such as [Table 3 about here].
Footnotes are not accepted and endnotes should be kept to a minimum. Type endnotes serially at the end of the article. The authors must follow the Harvard System for referencing (see some examples below).
Referencing in the body of the paper
Author profiles and general articles do not require references.
Scholarly articles submitted for peer review should follow these conventions:
- In-text within the body of the paper: the author’s last name, year of publication and page numbers. For example: (Berger 1963: 87).
- When the author’s name is in the text: Berger (1963).
- When the author’s name is not in the text: (Berger 1963).
- Do not use abbreviations such as ibid., op cit., or op cit.
- The abbreviation ‘et. al.’ should only be used in citations where there are more than three authors, but not in the body of the paper. For example, do not write: 'Braga et. al. (2008) argue...’. Instead, write: Braga and colleagues (2008) argue...
- When using direct quotes, use single quotes, except for quotes within a quote. For example: 'Stephen Crook writes that the idea of ‘“sociology in crisis” is as old as the discipline itself’ (2004: 8).
- Always include page numbers for direct quotes and statistics
- Iindent quotes longer than three lines.
- For institutional authorship, only the minimum information of the complete citation is needed, such as: (ASA 2006: 8).
- When making more than one reference to an author in the same year, distinguish by using letters (a, b, c) attached to the year of publication. For example: (Burawoy 2005a, 2005b).
- When making a number of references within a single pair of parentheses, use semicolons and list these alphabetically: (DeMartini 1979, 1982; Germov and Poole 2006; Mills 1959).
- When quoting from an article accessed online, provide approximate pagination in square brackets, according to a printed copy from your browser for example: Sorensen (2007: [1]).
Reference List
All sources cited in the text should appear at the end of the manuscript, beginning on a new page titled ‘References’. All references should be listed alphabetically by author(s) and for each author provide year of publication, in chronological order, from oldest to most recent. For multiple authors or editors, list all authors, do not use ‘et. al.’ or symbols such as ‘&’. Use italics for titles of books and journals. For an article accessed online, include web address and last date accessed.
Journal article:
Braga, R., S. Gemignani Garcia, E Silva, L. M. (2008) ‘Public Sociology and Social Engagement: Considerations on Brazil’, Current Sociology 56(3): 415-424.
Book:
Berger, P. (1963) Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. New York: Anchor Books.
Chapter in an edited text:
Gouldner, A. W. (1965) ‘Explorations in Applied Social Science’, pp. 5-22 in A. W. Gouldner (Ed) Applied Sociology: Opportunities and Problems. New York: Free Press.
Report by an organisation:
ASA (American Sociological Association) (2006). ‘What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology?’: A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology: First Glances: What Do They Know and Where are They Going? Washington: American Sociological Association, Research and Development Department.
Webpage:
Sorensen, R. (2007) ‘Arts Failed Demand Test’, The Australian, Higher Education, 30 May. Last accessed online 26 May 2008: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22137656-12332,00.html
Image credit
Photo by tonystl via Flickr.
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