Guidelines for Submitting an Article to IMA for Publication

IMA supports the appropriate sharing of innovative ideas and practices, research, and descriptive information related to mentoring. We also are always seeking current information about mentoring events (outside of IMA), new publications and books regarding mentoring, and other mentoring "news".  If you have experience and ideas for mentoring, we ask that you SHARE THESE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES BY SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT TO THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR.

It’s not as hard as you may think.

The IMA's expanded schedule and wider newsletter content mean that we need YOUR HELP to provide the quality information and guidance to make each and every issue of this newsletter something for which every member “cannot wait”!    How can you help?

A. Abstract - Got a recent mentoring dissertation? Share your abstract with us.
B. Best Practices - What have you learned that’s great advice, that everyone needs?
C. Challenges - Tell us about the challenges you face in your mentoring program
D. Discovery - Share the discoveries you have made in your work.
E. Explore - Have you seen a new book, or found a link that others should explore?
F. Fun - What fun ice breaker or activity do you know for mentor or protégé training?
G. Grant - Have you heard about a new grant for mentoring programs?
H. Help - What good advice has a mentor or a protégé in your program given?
I. Insights - Offer your insights from a helpful book or article you have just read.
J. Justice - What story do you know of how mentoring helped a disadvantaged person?
K. Kindness - Share an example of how a mentor’s kindness changed a life.
L. Lessons - What lessons has mentoring work taught you?
M. Mentor the Mentors - How do you support your mentors after training?
N. Never Give Up - How can a mentor help a protégé learn to stick at problem solving?
O. Opportunity - How did a mentor help you change a problem into an opportunity?
P. Pleasure - What pleasure has being a mentor brought to you?
Q. Let us know what the questions are for which you want advice.
R. Research - Is there a link to mentoring research you have seen that others could use? S. Success - Tell us about the successes experienced in your mentoring program.
T. The Thing - What is the most important thing for a mentoring program leader to do?
U. Understand - How can mentors help protégés understand their need to listen?
V. Verify - How do you verify that effective mentoring is really happening?
W. Waste - What do mentors do that they never should, because it is a waste of time?
X. eXtreme - Share a story of a mentor really going out of their way to be helpful.
Y. YOU - How has effective mentoring helped you to succeed?
Z. Zany - What’s the zaniest mentoring story you know?

DON’T WORRY about how good a writer you are, about finding the right words, or best way to say things.   I, your friendly newsletter editor, shall help you transform your ideas and experiences into value for others’ learning.

Just send me what you have and ask for my ideas and suggestions, and together, we shall help our colleagues benefit.

Send your offerings to sweenyb@sbcglobal, and use the subject, “Possible IMA newsletter article”. Thanks!!

WANT TO USE A DIIFERENT APPROACH ?   NEED MORE GUIDANCE ?

• Review the list of topics given on the resources pages for members or non members.  Do you see any needing more information?
• Consider sharing what you have learned, especially if your experience could be useful to others and addresses an area needing more information.
• Write out your experience using the criteria and advice below:
  • Use brief paragraphs and sub headings which make obvious what you have to say. This helps learners quickly find the areas in which they are interested.
  • Write in a straight forward, practitioner-focused style.
  • Briefly describe:
    • your setting
    • the topic of focus and it's importance to other mentoring leaders and programs
    • what you have learned about the topic
    • what data or experiences lead to this learning
    • conclusions and recommendations for programs and/or mentoring practice
  • Our interest is the kind of information described above, but we do not insist on a specific format or sequence for the article. In fact, the typical research study headings are too predictable and uninteresting. Create unique and more descriptive headings for your article.
  • Review what you have written from the reader's perspective and revise it as needed. For example, explain all abbreviations and context specific language. Remember, IMA is an international organization.
  • Include citations in APA style.
• Have at least one other person review and critique, then edit your manuscript for errors, unclear statements, incomplete pronoun references, etc.
• Submit electronically to: cedu_ima@wmich.edu

Your work will be reviewed by THE CO EDITORS and you will be informed of their recommendations regarding publication.