Anonymity for Review

Anonymity for Review

Some JOE Authors substitute "[state]" for the names of their states in submissions intended for double-blind review in order to ensure anonymity. This is not required, but it's certainly permitted.

The surprising thing, though, is that a few of those authors use "[state]" in the texts of their articles but put their states' names in the article titles. Talk about defeating the purpose!

Then there are the post-reviewer revisions authors send to me. At that stage, authors should remember to substitute their states' names for "[state]" throughout. Again, it's surprising that authors neglect this step.

While I'm on the subject of anonymity, let me remind JOE authors of my December 2008 Editor's Page, "Remove Personal Information for Review & Quicker Review Results!" There, they'll find instructions for removing all traces of hidden personal information from files. "Remove Personal Information for Review & Quicker Review Results!" is another of the helpful links on the Help for JOE Authors page <https://www.joe.org/for-authors-help.php>, something I also discussed in June <https://www.joe.org/joe/2012june/ed1.php>.

A Call for Papers from NACTA

NACTA Journal and the Journal of Extension (JOE) complement each other, as illustrated by the number of JOE authors who are on NACTA's Executive Committee and among its Committee Chairs and Liaisons. That's why I'm talking about this call for papers.

NACTA, North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, has issued a call for papers on "Globalization: Implications for teaching and learning in post-secondary agricultural education" to appear in an anticipated September 2013 issue of NACTA Journal.

"Different types of contributions, including empirical research, conceptual models, theory building, innovative methods and applications, case studies and innovative teaching tips" are invited.

The submission deadline for papers is May 1, 2013.

Anyone interested in submitting a paper can find full information at <http://www.nactateachers.org/announcements/1955-call-for-papers-for-nacta-journal.html>.

August JOE

Perhaps because I am a communicator by trade, the first Feature, "Stories and Storytelling in Extension Work," really resonates with me. The authors explain that, "we're spending considerable time counting and measuring our efforts to defend the public impacts and value of our work " but "argue that we also need to become better storytellers by learning how to craft and strategically communicate stories that capture important truths about the public value, meaning, and significance of our work." I think they're right.

Swinging all the way to the Tools of the Trade articles (and bypassing some genuinely excellent articles in between) coastal communities are front and center in "Increasing Risk Awareness: The Coastal Community Resilience Index" and "Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction in Coastal Communities: An Extension Service Guide to Stormwater Management Practices."

And the first and last Tools of the Trade articles, "The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing: A Review" and "Evaluating Your Environmental Education Programs: A Workbook for Practitioners—A Book Review" highlight books that contain plenty of help for JOE authors, especially those new to scholarly publishing.

Just five of 36 articles in an issue in which every article is worth reading.