General Instructions:
- Documents must be in Word format (extension “.doc” or “.docx”).
- The manuscript must be anonymous and include: – title, abstract, and keywords in Italian and English – manuscript – bibliography.
- Authors’ details must be fully completed (including affiliation).
- Orthographic and syntactic accuracy.
- Length: 7000 words including notes and bibliographic references. 1500 words for reviews.
- Abstract: 150 words; both in Italian and English.
- Keywords: 3 to 5; both in Italian and English.
- Manuscript titles: a maximum of two levels of titles, both in lowercase.
- Page and Text Setup:
– Page format: A4.
– Margins: top 2.5 cm; bottom 2 cm; right 2 cm; left 2 cm; binding 0 cm.
– Text: Corbel 11, single spacing, single column.
– Paper title: Corbel 14 bold centered, lowercase (never uppercase).
– Authors: Corbel 12 bold centered, lowercase.
– Authors’ affiliations (with any asterisks): Corbel 11 bold centered, lowercase.
– Translators: Corbel 11 non-bold centered, lowercase.
– Italian abstract and Italian keywords: Corbel 11 justified.
– English title: Corbel 11 bold italic justified, lowercase.
– English abstract and English keywords: Corbel 11 italic justified.
– Footnotes: Corbel 9, single spacing, numbered with progressive Arabic numbers.
– Formatting: text should be justified but not hyphenated. No indentations in paragraphs or after titles.
– Paragraphs: paragraph titles are in bold and numbered with progressive Arabic numbers. If subparagraphs are present, insert the paragraph number first and then the subparagraph number (in progression), also in bold, italic, and numbered with progressive Arabic numbers. For example:
- Introduction
1.1 First subparagraph
1.1.1. Subparagraph of the first subparagraph (no further levels).
- Special Characters:
– Bold is used exclusively for article titles, paragraphs, and bibliography;
– Italics are used for foreign words, to emphasize words or short phrases, and where subparagraphs are present;
– Quotation marks “…” are used to indicate short direct quotes, uncommon words or phrases, slang, or with ironic meaning;
– Underlining is not used.
Suggestions:
– In line with each author’s style, it is suggested to use italics and quotation marks moderately and to follow the suggestions in the guidelines so that the articles can present as similar formal characteristics as possible;
– Where constructs’ polarities are inserted into the text, it is suggested to use italics for both poles, not to use quotation marks, and to insert vs between the two polarities (e.g., always vs never), maintaining italics even when referring to only one polarity of the construct (e.g., “the choice of the always pole brings together the majority of the research participants”).
- Figures, Tables, and Charts:
– Not protected by copyright or with authorization for reproduction.
– Accompanied by a caption (Corbel 10).
– Must be submitted both as inserts in the text and as attachments in the format:
– “.jpeg” for illustrations and charts;
– “.doc” for tables.
- Translations:
– If the manuscript has been translated from an article published in another journal, the translated title must include a footnote with thanks to the editors and authors for granting the translation, the link to the original, and its reference. Example: 2 We thank the editors of the journal Personal Construct Theory & Practice and the author for kindly granting the translation of the article. The original is available at the link: http://www.pcp-net.org/journal/pctp19/giliberto19.pdf. Giliberto, M. (2019). The story of Desdemona: Psychotherapy with a PCP approach. Personal Construct Theory & Practice, 16, 72-81.
Citation Guidelines
- Indirect Citations
If you report the thoughts of an author but not their exact words, you can use a dual format. Author’s surname followed by the year of publication in parentheses:
– According to Kelly (1955), text.
Surname and year of publication in parentheses, separated by a comma:
– text (Kelly, 1955).
The APA guidelines encourage providing the page number preceded by “p.” (with a space before the number):
– text (Kelly, 1955, p. 123).
- Short Direct Citations
Short quotes should be placed between English quotation marks (“…”). If there are quotes within the quotation, use these «…».
Any additions within the quotation should be placed in square brackets (e.g., [addition]).
Any omissions are indicated with three ellipses in square brackets (e.g., […]).
If there are parts in other languages within the quotation, render them in italics. Any added italics should be specified in square brackets at the end of the quotation (e.g., [my italics]). It is necessary to include the author, the year of publication, and the page number of reference preceded by “p.” (with a space before the number).
Two forms of citation are provided, as in case 1:
– According to Kelly (1955), “quote text” (p. 302).
– “quote text” (Kelly, 1955, p. 302).
- Long Direct Citations (more than 40 words)
Long quotes are formatted with the same font as the text but start on a new line, indented 5 spaces from the left margin. English quotation marks are not used. If there are quotation marks within the quote: «…» for direct speech within quotes and ‘…‘ for quotes within quotes. If there are parts in other languages within the quote, render them in italics. The parenthesis indicating the page reference should be placed after the concluding period of the quote:
– Kelly (1955) states that: quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote. (p. 35)
- Author Citations
One Author
Cite the author’s surname and year of publication: – Kelly (1995), text. – text (Kelly, 1995).
Two Authors
Cite both authors’ surnames and the year of publication. You can use a dual format. Authors’ surnames separated by the word “and” followed by the year of publication in parentheses:
– According to Bannister and Fransella (1986) text.
Authors’ surnames separated by the “&” symbol, followed by a comma and the year of publication. All in parentheses:
– text (Bannister & Fransella, 1986).
Three to Five Authors
List all authors and the year of publication both in the text and in parentheses the first time you cite the work:
– According to Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, and Harlow (1993) text.
– text (Kernis, Cornell, Sun, Berry, & Harlow, 1993).
In subsequent citations, include only the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” both in the text and in parentheses:
– Kernis et al. (1993) text.
– text (Kernis et al., 1993).
Six or More Authors
List only the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” both in the text and in parentheses:
– Harris et al. (2001) text.
– text (Harris et al., 2001).
Two or More Works in the Same Parentheses
In this case, references should be separated by a semicolon “;”:
– text (Kelly, 1995; Bannister & Fransella, 1986).
Authors with the Same Surname
To avoid confusion, it is recommended to prefix the surname with the initial of the first name:
– text (E. Johnson, 2001; L. Johnson, 1998).
Two or More Publications by the Same Author in the Same Year
Each work should be identified with progressive alphabetical letters (to be listed in the bibliography):
– Green (1998a) argues that…
- Citations of Translated Authors
When citing a translated author, indicate the year of the original publication/the year of the translated publication:
– Neimeyer (2009/2012) text.
– text (Neimeyer, 2009/2012).
- Same Reference
When there is a completely identical reference to the previous one (same author, same publication, possibly same page), use the following in italics:
– text (ibidem).
It can be accompanied by the page number only if it is different:
– text (ibidem, p. 14).
- Citing a Website
You can cite a website by indicating it in parentheses:
– text (www.icp-italia.it).
- Citing Personal Communications
Since the sources are not accessible to readers, personal communications are not included in the bibliography; they can be cited in the text, providing the initials and surname of the source, and a precise date reference as possible. Example:
– R. A. Neimeyer (personal communication, August 8, 2019)
– text (R. A. Neimeyer, personal communication, August 8, 2019).
Bibliography Guidelines
The bibliography should be at the end of the text and in alphabetical order. It provides the necessary information for the reader to retrieve the sources used. It is recommended to use Refworks for compiling the bibliography.
Every work cited in the article must appear in the bibliography; likewise, every reference must be present in the text. It is necessary to order the works of the same author from the least recent to the most recent:
- Berndt, T. J. (1981).
- Berndt, T. J. (1999). If an author appears both as a single author and as the first name of a group of authors, the publications should be ordered from the most recent to the least recent:
- Berndt, T. J. (1999).
- Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). If an author (or a group of authors) has published multiple writings in the same year, they should be ordered alphabetically by the first letter of the title of the work; next to the year of publication, progressive lowercase alphabetical letters should be inserted, which will also be reported in the citations present in the text:
- Berndt, T. J. (1981a).
- Berndt, T. J. (1981b).
- General Setup: Authors
One Author
Author, A. A. (year).
– Kelly, G. A. (1955).
Two Authors
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year).
– Bannister, D., & Fransella, F. (1986).
Three to Six Authors
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., & Author, F. F. (year).
– Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., Harlow, T., & Bach, J. S. (1993).
More than 6 Authors
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., & Author, F. F., … Author, X. X. (year).
– Miller, F. H., Choi, M. J., Angeli, L. L., Harland, A. A., Stamos, J. A., Thomas, S. T., … Rubin, L. H. (2009).
- Articles
Author, A. A., Author B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Title of the article. Journal Name, volume number (issue number), page numbers separated by a hyphen. http://dx.doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyyy The DOI-Digital Object Identifier is reported if the article is retrieved from online journals. If it has not been assigned to the article, the URL of the web page of the journal from which the article is accessed should be reported.
– Gillies, J., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2006). Loss, grief, and the search for significance: Toward a model of meaning reconstruction in bereavement. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 19(1), 31-65. doi:10.1080/10720530500311182
– Dupuis, F., Johnston, K. M., Lavoie, M., Lepore, F., & Lassonde, M. (2000). Concussions in athletes produce brain dysfunction as revealed by event-related potentials. NeuroReport, 11(18), 4087-92. Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/
- Books
Author, A. A. (year). Title of the book: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher.
– Kelly, G. A. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs (vol.1-2). New York, NY: Norton.
- Translated Books
Author, A. A. (year of the translated publication). Translated title of the book: Subtitle. (A. A. Translator & B. B. Translator, Trans.). Place of publication: Publisher. (Original work published year of original publication).
– Laplace, P. S. (1951). A philosophical essay on probabilities. (F. W. Truscott & F. L. Emory, Trans.). New York, NY: Dover. (Original work published 1814)
Both dates must appear in the text: Laplace (1814/1951).
- Books in Non-Original Edition
Author, A. A. (year of reissue). Title of the book: Subtitle (edition number). Place of publication: Publisher.
– Kelly, G. A. (1991). The psychology of personal constructs (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
- Books Without Authors but With One or More Editors
Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (year). Title of the book: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher.
Editor, A. A., & Editor, B. B. (Eds.). (year). Title of the book: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher.
– Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
- Books With One or More Editors in Addition to the Author(s)
Author, A. A. (year). Title of the book: Subtitle. A. A. Editor (Ed.). Place of publication: Publisher.
– Plath, S. (2000). The unabridged journals. K. V. Kukil (Ed.). New York, NY: Anchor.
- Chapter in an Edited Book
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Title of the chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of the book (pp. page numbers of the chapter separated by a hyphen). Place of publication: Publisher.
– O’Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men’s and women’s gender role journeys: Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). New York, NY: Springer.
- 9. Papers Presented at Conferences, Congresses, Study Days
Author, A. A. (year, month). Title of the paper. Paper presented at the title of the conference/congress/study day, City, State.
– Lanktree, C., & Briere, J. (1991, January). Early data on the trauma symptom checklist for children (TSC-C). Paper presented at the meeting of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, San Diego, CA.
- 10. Conference, Congress, Study Day Proceedings
Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (year). Proceedings of the title of the conference/congress/study day. Place of publication: Publisher.
– Schnase, J. L., & Cunnius, E. L. (Eds.). (1995). Proceedings from CSCL ’95: The First International Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- 11. Electronic Sources
If the material is retrieved online (electronic journal article, electronic book, online encyclopedia and dictionaries, etc.), it is required to include the reference link preceded by “Retrieved from”:
– Parker-Pope, T. (2008, May 6). Psychiatry handbook linked to drug industry. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com
– De Huff, E. W. (n.d.). Taytay’s tales: Traditional Pueblo Indian tales. Retrieved from http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/dehuff/taytay/taytay.html
– Feminism. (n.d.). In Encyclopædia Britannica online. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/724633/feminism
- 12. Films, TV Series
Producer, P. P. (producer), & Director, R. R. (director) [director only for films]. (year). Title of the film or series. Country/city of origin: Distribution company/television network.
– Bender, L. (producer), Van Sant, G. (director). (1997). Good Will Hunting [film]. United States of America: Miramax Films.
– Bellisario, D. L. (Producer). (1992). Exciting action show [television series]. Hollywood, CA: American Broadcasting Company.
- Webography
The possible section “Webography” appears after the bibliography. Insert the websites cited in the text in alphabetical order, based on the initial of the website name:
Submission and Evaluation
The Rivista Italiana di Costruttivismo publishes contributions of theoretical, applicative, and methodological interest related to various disciplinary fields developed within the constructivist epistemological matrix. It also values book reviews that promote dissemination and critical analysis.
Authors are required not to submit the same manuscript for evaluation to multiple journals simultaneously.
It is possible to propose previously published works with the publisher’s authorization.
Authors, as well as the journal, do not receive any compensation for the publication of articles.
Submission Procedure
Articles should be sent to the Italian Journal of Constructivism via email to: rivistacostruttivismo@gmail.com
For each submission, three documents are required:
- Anonymous article including:
– title, abstract, and keywords in Italian and English
– manuscript
– bibliography
- Authors’ details, according to the provided format
- Publication Release, available for single and multiple authors
The documents must be in Word (extension “.doc” or “.docx”) and named as follows:
- article: title of the article without spaces (e.g., originedelcostruttivismo.doc)
- authors’ details: title of the article without spaces dash “dati” (e.g., originedelcostruttivismo-dati.doc)
- publication release: release dash author’s surname (e.g., liberatoria-xxxxx)
Evaluation of Submissions
Submissions are initially evaluated by the Editorial Board against scientific standards and adherence to editorial guidelines; if formal modifications are necessary, authors may be contacted before proceeding to the next stages.
The submissions are then anonymously evaluated by two members of the Reviewers’ group (peer review process), which includes national and international scholars and researchers in the constructivist field. Articles translated from other prestigious foreign journals are an exception.
Their favorable or unfavorable opinion on the publication and any revision suggestions are communicated to the authors in written and anonymous form; if accepted, the work must be revised and resubmitted to the Editorial Board for a final review.