Submissions

Author Guidelines

The JGI is accepting new manuscripts.

ETHICAL GUIDELINES AND APPROVAL

JGI expects authors to follow established best practices for medical/addiction research. Authors are encouraged to review the recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals, ICMJE and/or ISAJE. Best practice guidelines may be found here: http://www.isaje.net/ethical-guidelines.html The JGI follows the standards stipulated by the Farmington Consensus, authors are expected to review this document and abide by its guidelines.

Statement on the rights of human participants

Please note that research submitted to the journal must be ethically approved (see COPE 2001). Authors will be asked to provide documented institutional approval for all studies involving people and previously recorded data (COPE 2001). It is expected that full informed consent will be sought (COPE 2001) when conducting research on human participants.  When participants are unable to give fully informed consent, researchers should follow best practice international guidelines (COPE 2001), and must detail alternative consent procedures to JGI editors upon submission. JGI editorial staff will consider these procedures and make a decision on whether to allow peer review upon submission. 

When detailing information on the use of human participants researchers must formally declare that the study was conducted in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration as outlined by the World Medical Association. Examples include, “Research conducted with human participants was approved by the (institutional/committee name, study number, and date of approval). Committee approval is in accordance with ethical guidelines detailed in the 1964 Helsinki Declaration or any of its succeeding amendments.”

Statement on the use of non-human animals in research

The Journal of Gambling Issues is committed to ensuring the ethical treatment of research participants, including the welfare of non-human animals. Authors must confirm that all requisite guidelines were followed in experiments involving animals. This includes institutional guidelines, as well as national and international guidelines. If the university has a research ethics committee/board, authors must provide the journal with the name of the committee and the name of the study, the appropriate approval number(s), and permission dates. The following statement can be used as a template: “This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards outlined by the institution where the research took place (include relevant committee/study names and dates here).

If the university does not have a research ethics committee/board the authors must formally outline how the safety and care of animals was maintained during the course of the study and name the principal investigator in charge of animal welfare. Formal supervision must be provided for all research. Supervisors must enforce must ensure strict quality control and adherence to COPE (2001) principles and appropriate long-term accommodation of data must be secured.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

All authors must disclose any relationships or situations that pose conflicts of interest (real or perceived) and potentially bias the scope/execution/results of their work. Conflict of interest may be personal (e.g., involving family members, friends, close colleagues), financial, and/or professional (e.g., implicate career gains or losses). Potential sources of conflicting interests include, but are not limited to, grant support, sponsorship, personal relationships, professional clubs/affiliations, honoraria, royalties, conference support, consultation or other employment opportunities, copyright and patent issues.

The corresponding author must supply a statement clarifying all sources of funding and any potential conflict of interest on behalf of themselves and all remaining study authors. Examples of such statements include the following:

“No conflicts of interest are reported by any of the authors.”

“Author X was funded by a research grant from Agency X to study the efficacy of A, B, and C.”

“Authors X and Y both received funding from corporation A for this study. Corporation A did not have any influence over any aspects of study design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or dissemination of the results.”

THE REVIEW PROCESS

All peer-reviewed manuscripts [i.e., papers intended as Original Articles (Quantitative and/or Qualitative Research), Policy Papers, Brief Reports, Literature Reviews, Clinical papers] are evaluated anonymously by at least two reviewers with expertise in the field of gambling studies, and/or relevant specialization in a related discipline. If the reviewers are in disagreement over the merit of a paper, an additional review is solicited. The editor mediates the reviewers’ assessments and makes the final decision. There are three possible outcomes: 1) the manuscript is accepted as is; 2) the manuscript is returned with minor or major revisions and authors are provided with reviewers' comments and an invitation to rewrite and resubmit for review; 3) the manuscript is rejected.

If a manuscript is accepted the author(s) will receive a copy-edited draft of their manuscript, and must answer all queries and carefully check all editorial changes. Authors are responsible for the specific content of their manuscripts, including the accuracy of citations and references.

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

We support the manuscript style conventions of the American Psychological Association (APA) as presented in the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2020). Some FAQs about this style are answered on the APA website, at http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html.

Papers that do not follow APA guidelines may be returned with a request to conform to this standard. Please limit the use of endnotes and/or footnotes. 

It is strongly emphasized that authors ensure all documents submitted to Manuscript Central are anonymized, that is, void of any information that reveals an author’s identity. 

Submissions must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. 

Manuscript text must be typewritten in 12-point Times New Roman typeface, and should be formatted with 1.25" margins on all four sides. Tables and figures must be formatted in font size 10. No font smaller than 10 points may be used anywhere in the manuscript. An abstract of 250 words or less should briefly present the rationale of the study, methodology, results (including p-values when applicable) and conclusions.

Citations and references

References and citations are formatted according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2020). Please provide DOIs for all referenced articles where available. Papers that reference book chapters without the chapter's page numbers will be returned for completion. Ultimate responsibility for accuracy of citations rests with the authors.

Tables and figures

Please submit your manuscript with the tables and figures in order at the end of your manuscript, after the references. Do not insert tables and figures in the text. All tables and figures should be cited in the text. Tables and figures should be submitted in a modifiable file format and be of highest possible resolution. Figures should use Arial font. Tables and all other text in the manuscript should be in Times New Roman font, 12 point.

When submitting tables and figures, indicate in the text the approximate position of each table/figure, as illustrated below:

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Table 1 about here
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Submission types

Original Article We invite researchers to submit manuscripts that report new findings related to problem gambling, gaming or technology use. All submissions are peer reviewed in confidence by at least two reviewers for their scientific merit and then mediated by the editor. Both quantitative and qualitative studies accepted for review. Submissions should aim to be 6,500 words or less (minus References, Abstract, Tables/Figures); if more space is required please approach the managing editor with your rationale. Abstract not exceeding 250-words required. Please ensure you include the abstract at the start of the main manuscript, as well as uploading to "abstract" field of submission portal.

Literature Review  We invite researchers to submit manuscripts that summarize the scientific literature pertaining to an area of problem gambling, gaming or technology use. All submissions are peer reviewed in confidence by at least two reviewers for their scientific merit and/or contribution to public discourse in the field of gambling studies and then mediated by the editor. Reviews should aim to be 8,000 words or less (minus References, Abstract, Tables/Figures); if more space is required please approach the managing editor with your rationale. Abstract not exceeding 250-words required. Please ensure you include the abstract at the start of the main manuscript, as well as uploading to "abstract" field of submission portal.

Policy Paper  We invite manuscripts that examine policy issues about gambling, gaming  or technology use. All submissions are peer reviewed in confidence by at least two reviewers and then mediated by the editor for their value in exploring how public life and policy are and have been affected by gambling. Submissions should aim to be 6,500 words or less (minus References, Abstract, Tables/Figures); if more space is required please approach the managing editor with your rationale. Abstract not exceeding 250-words required. Please ensure you include the abstract at the start of the main manuscript, as well as uploading to "abstract" field of submission portal.

Brief Reports and Replication Papers  JGI welcomes papers that replicate research findings as a way to address the replication crisis in science. Short papers that are replications - both confirmatory or refutatory - will be considered for publication. Brief reports quickly present new research and clinical results to our readers. Submissions should aim to be 900 words or less (minus References, Abstract, Tables/Figures); if more space is required please approach the managing editor with your rationale. Abstract not exceeding 150-words required. Please ensure you include the abstract at the start of the main manuscript, as well as uploading to "abstract" field of submission portal.

Clinic  All submissions are peer reviewed in confidence by at least two clinicians—then mediated by the editor—for their soundness and value to practising clinicians. Clinical manuscripts based on one’s clinical insights and observations (in contrast to a manuscript based on a research protocol that presents hypotheses and empirical findings) will be adjudicated on the bases of a) credibility (i.e., the practices and insights offered seem credible in the light of current theories and approaches), b) value (i.e., the ideas are of genuine value to at least some workers in problem gambling counselling/therapy), and c) originality (i.e., the ideas must be original enough so that they are worth the attention of clinicians, so as to prevent stale ideas that most clinicians know). No abstract is required.

First person accounts  We request narratives about the experience of gambling and how it affects the writer and others, perhaps as family, friend, gambling staff, or clinician. A submission will be reviewed in confidence by the editor and may be reviewed by the Editorial board for its value in making gambling issues come alive for our readers. First person accounts do not need abstracts or references. No abstract is required.

Opinion Paper & Debate Series These papers offer new understandings of gambling to our readers. A Debate Series consist of perspectives that support and/or counter an Opinion paper. Opinion/debate papers are not peer reviewed. They are evaluated by the editor for their potential value in offering new ideas about gambling. JGI Editorial Board members may be consulted for their assessment of the manuscript’s views/values. Opinion papers should not exceed 2,500 words. No abstract is required. 

Book/Film Reviews  These summaries and discussions of the value of gambling-related books, movies, websites and other information modes are reviewed by the editor and may be reviewed by the Editorial Board. Note: authors are responsible for all citations within the text being included in a reference list. No abstract is required.

Letters to the Editor  We invite letters discussing gambling topics. We cannot publish anonymous letters, those of a libelous nature, or those with ad hominem arguments. Letters to the editor are reviewed and chosen by the editor and members of the JGI Editorial Board. Letters are limited to 400 words of text and authors who are cited in a letter may be invited to respond. No abstract is required. Each published letter will include the author's first and last names, professional title(s) if relevant, province or state, country, and a statement of completing interests.