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Contributor Guidelines

Gain CPD recognition

AASW members whose articles are published in the practice section of Social Work Focus can claim time spent to research and prepare these towards their CPD requirements, specifically Category 3. We accept up to five articles in line with each issue’s social work in practice theme.

Write for us

Articles can be one-page (650 words) or two pages (1,300) words including your 50-word professional biography. Social Work Focus is a professional magazine (not a journal) so your article should not be academic in nature. It should focus on the theme of each issue, engage readers and share knowledge. While authors do not need to be members of the AASW or social workers, articles must be relevant to social work practice. They can be about professional experiences, employer-driven initiatives, research projects or discoveries, career achievements, innovative practice, professional development, client stories and more. If referring to a source, describe it rather than add it as a citation. You can include one hyperlink in each article and should include a short introductory paragraph at the top of the document. Articles must not have been published in print or online previously, including as a blog post.

Articles can be up to 300 words and provide information on one topic relevant to social workers. These items may include news about a social worker award ceremony, an event or initiative of an AASW accredited school of social work or a conference, scholarship, grant or new resource such as a book or blog. Keep in mind the publishing dates of the magazine to ensure your news is as current as possible.

Remembering AASW members who have died are welcomed. They must be up to 400 words, including the birth and death dates of the social worker and a 50-word author biography, and must be accompanied by a high-resolution photo of the subject (2 MB or 300 x 300 dpi). No author photo is required.

A 50-word professional biography must accompany all social work in practice articles in the magazine. It must be included at the end of your article, in the same Word document, along with your contact details.

We require a photo of you the author to accompany your biography and article, but would also welcome another professional photograph relevant to the article’s content that you are happy to share. All photos must be high resolution (min. 2 MB in size or 300 x 300 dpi in resolution) and supplied as a JPEG file attached to an email. Photos not taken by you must include a credit to the photographer.

How to submit your article

  • Please review the Social Work Focus contributor guidelines to ensure that everything you need to submit is attached to your email. It helps us if we do not have to chase you for author photos and bios or to cut text to meet word limits. It also helps if you can respond to our emails within our timelines during the editing process. Such things may delay the magazine or result in your article being excluded from an issue of Social Work Focus, and we don’t want that. We want to see you shine and, in that way, promote the social work profession.
  • Attach your article and bio (Word) and high-resolution photos (JPEGs) to an email.
  • As the lead time for the publication of the magazine is long and content submission deadlines are months in advance of publishing, you may need to be patient. We hope that when your article is published, you will feel it was worth the wait. 

 

For more information contact: email the Editor of Social Work Focus.