Help for JOE Authors Offers Just That

Help for JOE Authors Offers Just That

The Help for JOE Authors page offers just what its name promises—help. The page has three categories of helpful information under the headings JOE Article Advice, JOE Style, and JOE Policy and Practice. Prospective authors need this help, whether they realize it or not.

And many authors don't. In 2014, for example, I rejected 19% of the submissions I received and returned 40% to their authors for revision before accepting them as suitable for publication (Commentary, Tools of the Trade) or double-blind review (Feature, Research in Brief, Ideas at Work). Most were rejected or returned for revision because their authors failed to consult the Help for JOE Authors page before they submitted their articles, despite the fact that the JOE Submission Guidelines specifically recommends that authors should consult the page before they submit their articles.

The downside of having an article rejected is obvious, but having an article returned for revision is also problematic. It costs authors extra effort and, more important, time before their articles are published or reviewed, and we all know that time is precious in the promotion and tenure process.

How headings help readers and authors, what's wrong with skimpy references sections, the importance of heading hierarchy, the advantages of using active voice, differences among JOE article categories, ethical ways of getting more articles from the same research—all that and much more is available on Help for JOE Authors. Take advantage.

A Quick Goodbye

This is my 96th and last Editor's Page. After 16 years, I'm stepping down as JOE editor, effective December 31. Those of you who read my October Editor's Page know that JOE will be in the good hands of new editor Debbie Allen.

I want to thank the many JOE authors I've worked with over the years, the JOE Web Developers, the gifted and dedicated JOE reviewers who have done so much to "raise the JOE bar," and the equally dedicated board members of Extension Journal, Inc., who have worked to make JOE the journal that it is.

Serving as JOE editor has been a pleasure and a privilege. Thank you all.

December JOE

There are two excellent Commentaries in this issue, another fine article on climate change, "Envisioning New Roles for Land-Grant University Extension: Lessons Learned from Climate Change Outreach in the Midwest" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015december/comm1.php>, and one that asks the probing question, "Whither Leadership, Whither Extension" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015december/comm2.php>.

There are several articles on empowering youth, the one closest to my heart as an editor is "The Youth Writers: Developing Curriculum for Their Peers" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015december/iw1.php>. And writing also features in "Writing Panels Articulate Extension Public Value in the West" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015december/tt1.php>.

As has so often been the case, there are a number of articles on some technological tools of our trade, including "Use of Interactive Electronic Audience Response Tools (Clickers) to Evaluate Knowledge Gained in Extension Programming" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015december/tt5.php> and "'Clickers' and HACCP: Educating a Diverse Food Industry Audience with Technology" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015december/tt6.php>.

Those are just six of the articles in yet another outstanding issue of your Journal of Extension.