Judges' Page Submission Guidelines and Policies

The Judges' Page newsletter is a partnership between the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and the National CASA Association. Judge J. Dean Lewis (retired) has edited the publication since its creation in 2003. An editorial team composed of National CASA and NCJFCJ staff members reviews all articles.

Publication Goals and Audience

The purpose of The Judges' Page is to educate those who advocate for the best interest of children and youth in the dependency courts and expose them to best practices that enhance the dependency court process.

Each issue of The Judges' Page provides information organized around a predetermined topic that is easily read by a wide audience, which includes judges, attorneys, CASA/GAL volunteers and other members of the child welfare community.

Publication Policy

Judges' Page articles are requested by editor J. Dean Lewis or by an appointed guest editor and reviewed by an editorial team composed of National CASA and NCJFCJ staff members. The following criteria have been endorsed by NCJFCJ and National CASA.

• The editorial team reserves the right to accept or reject any article submitted for The Judges' Page newsletter, and to edit submitted articles in any way deemed appropriate and necessary.
• Articles should be no more than 800 words in length. The editorial team reserves the right to edit articles for length, clarity and conformance with selected style guides.
• Edited articles are not routinely returned to authors for their review. However, members of the editorial team, or guest editors, may request additional information or review from authors when they deem necessary.
• When articles are presented (either as stand-alone or point/counterpoint), we may want to include, as an editorial note, direction on how to obtain additional information, or potential websites for further information.

Web Writing Tips

Studies of how users read on the web found that they do not actually read: instead, they scan the text. Authors are asked to consider the following research-based guidelines when writing for the web:

• Limit length: When preparing information for the web, the word count should be half what it would in conventional writing.
• Write short sentences and provide one idea per paragraph.
• When logical, use lists instead of paragraphs.
• In longer articles, use sub-headings.
• Incorporate hyperlinks to other resources on our website or other websites.

For additional information, see Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox article,"How to Write for the Web."