Instructions for Authors

Working Notes is a free, peer-reviewed online publication hosted by Sociology At Work. 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 our page “What is Applied Sociology?“

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 articles that profile your work or applied sociology issues or peer-reviewed articles. There are no fees for submission or publication.

General articles

General articles of up to 3,000 words will be subject to review by the editor, Dr Zuleyka Zevallos. Sociology at Work favours a conversational style style submissions that do not require academic references. If you’d like to add supporting evidence, you are welcome to use hyperlinks, but please note this is not necessary as our general articles are designed to be more informal profiles on the everyday work done by applied sociologists. We provide short questionnaires that authors can use to get you started on writing a profile about the research, activism or activities that you do, or to reflect on your career path from your sociology degree to your current job.  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. To get started, please contact us.

Peer-reviewed articles

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 Guidelines, which include information on how to prepare, reference and submit your papers. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically via email. To submit an abstract, contact the editor.

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.