Policies

The Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention Policies

The Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention is an open-access, peer-reviewed, web-based journal. Manuscripts accepted for publication are posted on the website immediately upon final acceptance. There are no submission or article processing charges. As an open-access journal, JCOTR does not require authors to transfer full copyright ownership to the journal as a condition of publication.

We also ask reviewers to follow the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

The journal does not accept advertising.

Submission Guidelines

Schedule
Spring Edition Submission Deadline: December 1
Fall Edition Submission Deadline: June 1

The Submissions Page details submission and manuscript style guidelines.

Manuscript Submission Process

Submission Instructions

Authors submit manuscripts via our online submission form. Via the online form, authors will be asked to submit the following items:

  • The blind version of your manuscript (see the explanation of blind submission criteria outlined above)
  • Manuscript abstract (required for Feature Manuscripts and Campus Notes submissions)
  • Figures, tables, or graphics (if applicable)

Manuscripts submitted to JCOTR must not be under consideration by another publication. The corresponding author will be asked to affirm non-duplication of submission before the review of their manuscripts.

Review
The journal is refereed using a blind review system. Each manuscript will be evaluated based on the relevance of the topic, usefulness to the orientation, transition, retention and/or student affairs profession, writing skill, and quality of methodology and/or information. The Editor will notify the author(s) of acceptance or rejection of all manuscripts. All manuscripts received and approved for publication become the property of NODA. The editor reserves the right to edit or rewrite accepted articles to meet the journal standards. Book reviews undergo an editor-led review process.

Warranties and Statements

To publish with JCOTR, authors represent and warrant that they are the sole creators of the work and owners of all rights, titles, and interests, including the complete and undivided copyright interest to the work. The authors represent and warrant that they have not granted any person any interest, including permissions, licenses, or assignments, in the work that conflicts with the rights, titles, and interests granted here. To each author's knowledge, the work does not infringe the copyright or other intellectual property rights of any person nor defame, slander, or libel any person nor invade the privacy or other like rights of a person. The authors represent and warrant that they either have express written permission to any third-party content used in their submission to JCOTR or that they have a good-faith belief that the works they are using are in the public domain, that their use is fair, or that they are using works under an appropriate Creative Commons (or other open-content) license.

Conflict of Interest Policy

JCOTR follows NODA's conflict of interest policy.  Authors must notify editors of conflicts of interest at the time of submission. For details, please visit this page.

Non-discrimination Policy

NODA declares a policy of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in the provisions of services to the membership and the public. In recognition of responsibility to the membership, NODA reaffirms its policy of fair and equal treatment in all practices to all persons regardless of race, color, age, marital status, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual/affectional orientation, disability, or veteran status. NODA complies with all applicable federal and state regulations regarding affirmative action ann discriminatory practices.

Treatment of Human Subjects

The author affirms that an Institutional Review Board (IRB) has reviewed research projects which involve human subjects to ensure that two broad standards are upheld: first, that subjects are not placed at undue risk; second, that they give uncoerced, informed consent to their participation.

Open Access Statement

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports the greater global exchange of knowledge. The journal does not charge article processing fees or subscription fees.

Creative Commons License

All articles published in the Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention are distributed with a Creative Commons Noncommercial Attribution (CC BY-NC 4.0) license meaning that authors hold the copyright to their work. This also means that users have the right to share or adapt the article, as long as the author(s) and source are cited, and the use is for noncommercial purposes. Permission is not needed for these noncommercial uses. 

For permission for other uses or questions about use, don't hesitate to contact the editors at holl@umn.edu.

Copyright

The author(s) retains their copyright in their work.

Open Access Policy

The Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention provides immediate open access to its content, which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. This also means that the Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention does not charge article processing fees. All articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Attribution license (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Self-Archiving Policy

The copyright of each article belongs to the author(s) and grants each author the right to deposit the article in their institutional repository or any suitable subject repository, provided they do not contravene the requirements of the CC license associated with the article. 

Non-Exclusive License

Authors will grant a nonexclusive license in their work to the Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and the Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education (NODA). Such a license gives the Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention, the Libraries, and NODA the necessary rights to publish, distribute, archive, and preserve the work. However, since the license is non-exclusive, all rights will still belong to the creator, who may make any use they wish and may grant other licenses as desired. The result of this license agreement is that the author, the Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention, the Libraries, and NODA will each have broad rights to the work. 

General Terms and Conditions of Use

Users of the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing website and/or software agree not to misuse the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing service or software in any way.

The failure of University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the policies or the Submission Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the Submission Agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Submission Agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the Submission Agreement constitute the entire agreement between the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.