Published in cooperation with the Hofstra University School of Law

Guidelines for Reviewers of Family Court Review Manuscripts

The following guidelines are offered to assist your review of a manuscript as well as help you formulate your comments to the author. They are not meant to be inclusive nor are they meant to restrain your own methodology of analysis.

Click here for the Manuscript Evaluation Form (PDF file)

GUIDELINES FOR THE REVIEWER:

Be candid-
Direct and constructive criticism is useful to a contributor.

Avoid negative and hostile evaluation style-
A positive style is more professional and will encourage contributors to make further contributions to the profession either by rethinking and revising their work or by continuing to submit manuscripts for review.

Avoid generalities-
Specific examples are helpful because they give the contributor something more tangible to think about.

Topics Which Should Be Addressed in a Critical Review:

Theory-
Does this manuscript promote the development of theory in directions not previously explored or is it a restatement of already known ideas?

Program description-
Is there sufficient detail in the description to inform the reader adequately as well as to demonstrate the uniqueness of the program?

Interdisciplinary Interest-
Will this paper appeal to all of the disciplines who read this journal: Judges, lawyers, mediators, evaluators and other mental health professionals?

Data Analysis-
Are the statistics appropriately used and appropriately interpreted?

Techniques of practice-
Are they described clearly and do they extend the current knowledge sufficiently to merit publication?

Writing style-
Is that writing focused, clear, and written in a style appropriate for a professional journal?