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Journal of Rural Mental Health (JRMH)

The focus of JRMH is rural mental health research, practice, and policy. Submissions may take a number of forms such as reports of original research; theoretical or review articles; program descriptions; first-person articles by consumer/survivors; book and media reviews; creative efforts; and letters to the editor.

General Call for Papers

The JRMH is a peer-reviewed journal committed to providing an archival source for materials on rural mental health research, practice, and policy. We seek topics on mental health in rural and frontier regions in the United States and internationally, such as

  • Original qualitative and quantitative research
  • Theoretical or review articles
  • Program descriptions
  • First-person articles by consumer/survivors
  • Book and media reviews
  • Creative efforts
  • Letters to the editor
  • Reports

Articles will be reviewed by at least two, but preferably three, blind reviewers. When appropriate, additional statistical review may be conducted. The Editor, with the assistance of the Associate Editors, will examine the reviews and make decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of articles.

Articles selected for publication will be judged by their contribution to the field, their ethical appropriateness, and by overall quality. In the event of good content and poor writing, an attempt will be made by the Publication Office to assist in improving the writing quality.

Send submissions in Word format by email to jrmh@isu.edu. All documents should be prepared in APA format. For scholarly documents include an abstract of no more than 150 words, 6-8 keywords, and complete endnote and reference sections. Scholarly papers should be between 12-20 pages, double spaced. Create all images, tables, and figures accorded to APA format. Please submit one version of the paper with running head and authors’ names, a second version with all identifying markers removed—authors’ names, university locations, etc. to be sent to referees. Include a cover letter to the editor.

Submissions are accepted at any time and, if accepted, are published in the soonest appropriate issue of the JRMH.

Submission Guidelines and Manuscript Preparation

Submit electronic version of manuscripts to: info@narmh.org

Submission to Journal of Rural Mental Health assumes adherence to the anonymous peer review process. Final judgment is made by the editor, who relies on reviewers' recommendations.

Authors submitting manuscripts for possible publication in Rural Mental Health must abide by the following manuscript guidelines.

Manuscript Preparation

Journal of Rural Mental Health follows the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition.

General Formatting

  • Double-space all parts of the manuscript, including abstract, quotes, references, and tables.
  • The components of the manuscript should be arranged in the following order:
    1. MS Title Page
    2. Abstract
    3. Text of article
    4. Notes (however, place notes regarding grant support on the title page)
    5. Reference list
    6. Appendices (if any)
    7. Tables (if any)
    8. Figure titles & figures (if any)
  • See the APA Publication Manual, pages 219-238, for guidelines to citing other works in the text.
  • See pages 239-281 in the Publication Manual for guidelines to preparing end references.

Tables & Figures

  • An exception to APA 5th ed., our printer prefers that for each table or figure, you insert a location note (e.g., Table 1 about here) at the appropriate place in the text.
  • Figures must be high quality laser prints or camera-ready prints. Include one laser print or camera-ready print of each figure at the time of acceptance.
  • Titles and notes to figures must be typed, double-spaced, on a separate manuscript page.
  • Tables and figures should be kept to a minimum. (See the APA Publication Manual, pp. 147-207.)

Manuscript Length

  • Use one-inch margins and a 12-point type size. Type font should be clear and readable; unusual typefaces are discouraged.
  • Together, abstract, text, references, and tables should total approximately 12-20 manuscript pages.

Electronic Version of Manuscript

  • At the time of acceptance, you will be asked to submit an electronic version of your manuscript. If possible, save your manuscript in Microsoft Word (PC format, no MACs accepted). Do not save the manuscript in Text Only or ASCII format.

Additional Items Required

  • An abstract of no more than 75 words should precede the body of the paper. (See the APA Publication Manual, pp. 12-15)
  • Immediately below the abstract, list up to six key words, in alphabetical order, by which the paper may be indexed.
  • Brief note acknowledging grant assistance, and/or previous presentation may be placed at the bottom of the title page.