Submission Guidelines
The OD Practitioner, published by the Organization Development Network since 1973, welcomes submissions by authors who are practitioners of OD, clients of OD processes, human resources staff who have partnered with OD practitioners or are practicing OD in their companies, and academics who teach OD theory and practice. This is a summary of the guidelines; for complete information, download the complete Submission Guidelines for Potential Authors (PDF). For information or to discuss your article idea, contact Marilyn Blair, managing editor, +1.303.985.4858.
Editorial Policy
Partnering with Editors
Editing an Article for Publication
Other Publications
Policy on Self-Promotion
Editorial Policy
The OD Practitioner is peer reviewed. The Editor makes the final decision about which reviewed articles will be published and in which issue.
Partnering with Editors
The OD Practitioner is the product of a partnership between authors and a peer review team of seasoned practitioners and academics. Authors who partner well with the Editor and the Review Board members follow this step-by-step process:
- Contact the Editor to discuss your topic before you write—five to six months before the publication date.
- Submit your article by e-mail in MS Word. The deadlines are:
- Two members of the Review Board will review your article. If they recommend acceptance, one of them will serve as primary reviewer. He or she will call or e-mail you with feedback on your article, including recommended changes, which may involve some rewriting. Once you have made the recommended changes, you will work with the Editor to ready your article for publication.
- Once the Editor has decided to publish your article in a particular issue, you will be contacted to submit final copy, including your biography, via email.
| Summer issue | April 1 |
| Fall issue | July 1 |
| Winter issue | October 1 |
| Spring issue | January 1 |
Editing an Article for Publication
Length
Articles are usually 3,000 to 4,000 words (approximately 6-14 pages, double-spaced). Book reviews and essays are generally 500 to 1,000 words (approximately 2 ½ to 4 pages, double-spaced).
Content
Review Board members evaluate submitted material to see if it contributes to the field of OD and provides an adequate mirror of current practice. We encourage practical reviews of theory, interventions and experiments in the art and science of organization development. Standard formats for the OD Practitioner include articles, book reviews and essays.
Style
The OD Practitioner welcomes articles that:
- include cases, illustrations, and practical applications
- are lively and succinct
- reflect critically on issues related to the current practice of OD
- clearly state the purpose and content of the article
- present ideas logically and with clear transitions
- are gender-inclusive
- avoid jargon and overly formal expressions
- avoid self-promotion
- are professionally written in the best of Standard Written English
Footnotes and References
Because OD Practitioner articles usually represent the original ideas of practitioners, they rarely include footnotes. Citing within the text is acceptable and a short list (5 to 7) of References is expected at the end of most articles. The OD Practitioner uses the APA Style. This style uses parenthetical reference citations within the text of the paper. We also use Chicago Style on our Reference List.
Graphics
Camera-ready graphics that enhance an article are encouraged. If you have questions or concerns about graphics or computer art, please contact the Editor.
Other Publications
We publish only original articles, not reprints from other publications or journals.
Policy on Self-Promotion
We do not accept articles that have marketing or advertising of your practice as a central part of the writing.