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guide for ScholarOne authors before making a submission. Complete guidelines for preparing and submitting your manuscript to this journal are provided below.
Use these instructions if you are preparing a manuscript to submit to Nordic Journal of Music Therapy. To explore our journals portfolio, visit http://www.tandfonline.com/, and for more author resources, visit our Author Services website.
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy considers all manuscripts on the strict condition that
- the manuscript is your own original work, and does not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published work.
- the manuscript has been submitted only to Nordic Journal of Music Therapy; it is not under consideration or peer review or accepted for publication or in press or published elsewhere.
- the manuscript contains nothing that is abusive, defamatory, libellous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.
Please note that Nordic Journal of Music Therapy uses CrossCheck™ software to screen manuscripts for unoriginal material. By submitting your manuscript to Nordic Journal of Music Therapy you are agreeing to any necessary originality checks your manuscript may have to undergo during the peer-review and production processes.
Any author who fails to adhere to the above conditions will be charged with costs which Nordic Journal of Music Therapy incurs for their manuscript at the discretion of Nordic Journal of Music Therapy’s Editors and Taylor & Francis, and their manuscript will be rejected.
This journal is compliant with the Research Councils UK OA policy. Please see the licence options and embargo periods here .
Contents List
Manuscript preparation
- General guidelines
- Genre characteristics
- Style guidelines
- Figures
- Publication charges
- Reproduction of copyright material
- Supplemental online material
Manuscript submission
Copyright and authors’ rights
Free article access
Reprints and journal copies
Open access
Manuscript preparation
1. General guidelines
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- Manuscripts are accepted in English. Any consistent spelling and punctuation styles may be used. Please use double quotation marks, except where “a quotation is ‘within’ a quotation”. Long quotations of 40 words or more should be indented without quotation marks.
- A typical manuscript will not exceed 4000-6000 words excluding tables, references, captions, footnotes and endnotes. Manuscripts that greatly exceed this will be critically reviewed with respect to length. Authors should include a word count with their manuscript.
- Manuscripts should be compiled in the following order: title page; abstract; keywords; main text; acknowledgements; references; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figure caption(s) (as a list).
- Abstracts of 200-250 words are required for all manuscripts submitted.
- Each manuscript should have 3 to 6 keywords.
- In writing your paper, you are encouraged to review articles in the area you are addressing that have been previously published in the Journal and, where you feel appropriate, to reference them. This will enhance context, coherence and continuity for our readers.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) is a means of making your article more visible to anyone who might be looking for it. Please consult our guidance here.
- Section headings should be concise.
- All authors of a manuscript should include their full names, affiliations, postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses on the cover page of the manuscript. One author should be identified as the corresponding author. Please give the affiliation where the research was conducted. If any of the named co-authors moves affiliation during the peer review process, the new affiliation can be given as a footnote. Please note that no changes to affiliation can be made after the manuscript is accepted. Please note that the email address of the corresponding author will normally be displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal style) and the online article.
- All persons who have a reasonable claim to authorship must be named in the manuscript as co-authors; the corresponding author must be authorized by all co-authors to act as an agent on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript, and the order of names should be agreed by all authors.
- Please supply a short biographical note for each author.
- Please supply all details required by any funding and grant-awarding bodies as an Acknowledgement on the title page of the manuscript, in a separate paragraph, as follows:
- For single agency grants: "This work was supported by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number xxxx]."
- For multiple agency grants: "This work was supported by the [Funding Agency 1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency 2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency 3] under Grant [number xxxx]."
- Authors must also incorporate a Disclosure Statement which will acknowledge any financial interest or benefit they have arising from the direct applications of their research.
- For all manuscripts non-discriminatory language is mandatory. Sexist or racist terms must not be used.
- Authors must adhere to SI units. Units are not italicised.
- When using a word which is or is asserted to be a proprietary term or trade mark, authors must use the symbol ® or TM.
All authors are asked to aspire to achieve fluency and economy of expression and to follow established scholarly principles of orderly and clear presentation. When writing about processes in music therapy, one of the things to consider carefully is how to develop a reflexive style of writing. Authors are also encouraged to submit audio and video material, which may be published on our website along with the written text in the journal itself.
2. Genre Characteristics
The Journal publishes:
- Empirically based research (quantitative and qualitative studies)
- Literature-based research (theoretical studies, historical research, and review articles)
These subtypes cover most of the texts submitted, but the list is not meant to be exhaustive. There may be overlap between types and the potential value of using mixed methods and models is acknowledged by the journal. Other genres include:
- Essays
- Perspectives on Practive
- Dialogues and Debates
2.1 Empirically Based Research
This section includes reports of original research based upon quantitative and/or qualitative empirical material. We urge authors to follow the IMRaD principle whenever possible:
Introduction : Develop the problem of investigation, review pertinent literature, and state the aim of the work.
Method : Describe details of the method used (subjects, materials, design, and method of analysis), so that - when relevant - the study may be replicated.
Results : Present representative empirical material.
Discussion : Discuss principles and relationships and point out exceptions. Show agreement or disagreement with published research work. A conclusion and statements about the significance of the work may be presented at the end of the discussion or in a separate section.
2.1.1 Quantitative Studies
NJMT recommends a broad range of quantitative studies, including study protocol s. NJMT recommends using available guidelines for the reporting of quantitative research, such as the CONSORT statement for randomised controlled trials and similar guidelines for other types of quantitative research. Where applicable, the respective checklists should be submitted as a supplemental file when you upload your manuscript to our submission system. These will not be published, but will facilitate the review process. For the presentation of results, information about direction and magnitude of effects (for example effect size) is often essential. The appropriate use of figures is also often important and helpful in understanding the meaning of the results of quantitative research.
2.1.2 Qualitative Studies
Qualitative research is a broad label covering approaches such as case studies and interpretive ethnography and biography, informed by a large range of perspectives, such as grounded theory, phenomenology, hermeneutics and critical theory, as well as feminist, postmodern, and postcolonial perspectives. How the researchers position themselves in this landscape determines to some degree the criteria of evaluation. While in some cases systematic analysis of the empirical material is central, in other cases the interpretative and critical aspects will be crucial. The reflexivity of the researcher more than the rigor of the method will count as the criterion for evaluation of such studies. Authors should consult available guidelines such as Aigen's guidelines for publishing qualitative research (
Aigen, 2012 , including the supplementary web material) and the EPICURE agenda for evaluating qualitative research (
Gold, 2010 ;
Stige, Malterud & Midtgarden 2009 ).
NJMT welcomes mixed-methods research, but does not currently have an own genre category for it. Authors should choose the category that fits best. Note that the genre categories facilitate the review process but are not part of the published articles.
2.2 Literature-based research
This section includes theoretical studies, historical research, and review articles, and may therefore include texts informed by a large range of meta-theoretical perspectives:
2.2.1 Theoretical Studies
Authors of theoretical articles draw on existing literature in order to promote or evaluate theories of music therapy or fields closely related to music therapy. As music therapy is multi-faceted, theoretical articles may build upon scientific research literature and/or theoretical contributions from the humanities. NJMT encourages authors to provide theoretical contributions to the field. Moreover, NJMT finds it especially important to encourage developments that integrate clinical relevance, empirical grounding, critical awareness, and philosophical refinement.
2.2.2 Historical research
As the discipline and profession of music therapy grows older and becomes more culturally and geographically diverse, the importance of historical research is increasing. Historical research goes beyond the description of events and the gathering of facts and dates to include critical examinations and interpretations of these events in order to understand the contexts, processes, agents, and ideas that helped to shape them.
2.2.3 Review articles
Review articles are critical evaluations of material that has already been published. NJMT wants to stimulate the production of such articles. Review articles contribute to the development of music therapy by considering the evolution of existing research in elucidating an issue or problem. Authors should:
- Define and clarify the issue or problem to be reviewed
- Summarize previous research in order to inform the readers about the state of knowledge pertaining to the issue or problem
- Identify gaps, inconsistencies, and contradictions - as well as other aspects - in the literature reviewed
- Suggest further steps in the investigation of the problem or issue.
For systematic reviews of quantitative research, we recommend using available guidelines for the reporting, such as the PRISMA statement .
2.3 Essays
Some reflections and contributions are difficult to forge into traditional styles of research articles and academic articles. NJMT therefore has an essay section to make advanced reflections in a more free and personal style available to the readers. Texts in this genre may elaborate upon an issue or problem, in an analytic and interpretative manner, including constructive speculations. One sub-genre is the book review essay, reflecting upon one or several pertinent books in the field.
2.4 Perspectives on practice
Texts in the Perspectives on Practice section have a practical or clinical focus and the authors reflect upon presented case material or vignettes. While authors are encouraged to relate their reflections to current research and theory, texts in Perspectives on Practice are not themselves presented as research or theoretical contributions. NJMT considers this section to be very important in that it may contribute to the integration of practice and theory. Contributions on innovative and new practices, as well as on more conventional practices of music therapy, are encouraged.
2.5 Book Reviews
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy has an active policy on book reviews. We want to present constructive reviews of the most important recent books within the field. Books are usually reviewed upon invitation, however, if you are interested in reviewing a book, please write to our Book Review Editor Simon Gilbertson . Include a brief presentation of yourself and a complete reference to the book you would like to review.
2.6 Letters to the Editor
The aim of this genre is to encourage discussion of recent articles that appeared in the journal and of topical issues of general relevance. This genre was introduced in 2012 and will in some ways replace the earlier Forum. Letters to the Editor should be around 500 words in length and may include up to five references and one small figure or table. Letters will be selected and evaluated by the editors only and will not be sent for external review. Please be aware that the original letter may be edited in terms of length.
3. Style guidelines
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4. Figures
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- Please provide the highest quality figure format possible. Please be sure that all imported scanned material is scanned at the appropriate resolution: 1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour.
- Figures must be saved separate to text. Please do not embed figures in the manuscript file.
- Files should be saved as one of the following formats: TIFF (tagged image file format), PostScript or EPS (encapsulated PostScript), and should contain all the necessary font information and the source file of the application (e.g. CorelDraw/Mac, CorelDraw/PC).
- All figures must be numbered in the order in which they appear in the manuscript (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2). In multi-part figures, each part should be labelled (e.g. Figure 1(a), Figure 1(b)).
- Figure captions must be saved separately, as part of the file containing the complete text of the manuscript, and numbered correspondingly.
- The filename for a graphic should be descriptive of the graphic, e.g. Figure1, Figure2a.
5. Publication charges
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Submission fee
There is no submission fee for Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.
Page charges
There are no page charges for Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.
Colour charges
Authors should restrict their use of colour to situations where it is necessary on scientific, and not merely cosmetic, grounds. Colour figures will be reproduced in colour in the online edition of the journal free of charge. If it is necessary for the figures to be reproduced in colour in the print version, a charge will apply. Charges for colour pages are £250 per figure ($395 US Dollars; $385 Australian Dollars; 315 Euros). If you wish to have more than 4 colour figures, figures 5 and above will be charged at £50 per figure ($80 US Dollars; $75 Australian Dollars; 63 Euros). Waivers may apply for some articles – please consult the Production Editor regarding waivers.
Depending on your location, these charges may be subject to Value Added Tax.
6. Reproduction of copyright material
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If you wish to include any material in your manuscript in which you do not hold copyright, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owner, prior to submission. Such material may be in the form of text, data, table, illustration, photograph, line drawing, audio clip, video clip, film still, and screenshot, and any supplemental material you propose to include. This applies to direct (verbatim or facsimile) reproduction as well as “derivative reproduction” (where you have created a new figure or table which derives substantially from a copyrighted source).
You must ensure appropriate acknowledgement is given to the permission granted to you for reuse by the copyright holder in each figure or table caption. You are solely responsible for any fees which the copyright holder may charge for reuse.
The reproduction of short extracts of text, excluding poetry and song lyrics, for the purposes of criticism may be possible without formal permission on the basis that the quotation is reproduced accurately and full attribution is given.
For further information and FAQs on the reproduction of copyright material, please consult our Guide.
7. Supplemental online material
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Authors are encouraged to submit animations, movie files, sound files or any additional information for online publication.
Manuscript submission
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All submissions should be made online at the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy Scholar One Manuscripts website. New users should first create an account. Once logged on to the site, submissions should be made via the Author Centre. Online user guides and access to a helpdesk are available on this website.
Manuscripts may be submitted in any standard editable format, including Word and EndNote. These files will be automatically converted into a PDF file for the review process. LaTeX files should be converted to PDF prior to submission because ScholarOne Manuscripts is not able to convert LaTeX files into PDFs directly. All LaTeX source files should be uploaded alongside the PDF.
Click here for information regarding anonymous peer review.
Copyright and authors' rights
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To assure the integrity, dissemination, and protection against copyright infringement of published articles, you will be asked to assign to The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, via a Publishing Agreement, the copyright in your article. Your Article is defined as the final, definitive, and citable Version of Record, and includes: (a) the accepted manuscript in its final form, including the abstract, text, bibliography, and all accompanying tables, illustrations, data; and (b) any supplemental material hosted by Taylor & Francis. Our Publishing Agreement with you will constitute the entire agreement and the sole understanding between The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre and you; no amendment, addendum, or other communication will be taken into account when interpreting your and The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre rights and obligations under this Agreement.
Copyright policy is explained in detail here.
Free article access
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As an author, you will receive free access to your article on Taylor & Francis Online. You will be given access to the My authored works section of Taylor & Francis Online, which shows you all your published articles. You can easily view, read, and download your published articles from there. In addition, if someone has cited your article, you will be able to see this information. We are committed to promoting and increasing the visibility of your article and have provided guidance on how you can help. Also within My authored works, author eprints allow you as an author to quickly and easily give anyone free access to the electronic version of your article so that your friends and contacts can read and download your published article for free. This applies to all authors (not just the corresponding author).
Reprints and journal copies
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Corresponding authors can receive a complimentary copy of the issue containing their article. Article reprints can be ordered through Rightslink® when you receive your proofs. If you have any queries about reprints, please contact the Taylor & Francis Author Services team at reprints@tandf.co.uk. To order extra copies of the issue containing your article, please contact our Customer Services team at Adhoc@tandf.co.uk
Open Access
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Taylor & Francis Open Select provides authors or their research sponsors and funders with the option of paying a publishing fee and thereby making an article permanently available for free online access – open access – immediately on publication to anyone, anywhere, at any time. This option is made available once an article has been accepted in peer review.
Full details of our Open Access programme
Last updated 23/10/2013
