About the Forum

The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues

The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues (FFCI) is a refereed e-journal that is designed to enhance knowledge about matters of current interest to professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences, and 4-H Youth Development.

Types of Articles Published in FFCI

The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues (FFCI) is a refereed publication that seeks to enhance knowledge about matters of current interest to professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences, as well as to clientele. Articles published in FFCI further the mission of Extension by facilitating the transfer and application of research-based and evidence-based knowledge.

We invite the submission of articles from professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences, or related fields of study. Articles appropriate for our publication include articles on:

  • food and nutrition
  • health
  • family resource management (budgeting, credit, consumer issues, investments, retirement planning, etc.)
  • legal issues (estate planning, legal issues of preparing for dependency, family law, etc.)
  • housing and house furnishings
  • human development (child care, family relationships, stress, adult development, etc.)
  • apparel and textiles

Contributions solicited for main articles include critical analysis and interpretation of major trends, research with clear implications for Extension programming, and descriptions of research-based or evidence-based programs and outcomes. Contributions solicited for program articles include descriptions of promising programs and pilot projects. For more information about the kind of articles solicited, read the Editor’s Corner of the Summer 1998 issue. See also, “Impact beyond the profession.”

Refereed Manuscripts

The following types of manuscripts are refereed by at least three Editorial Board members, reviewers, and/or professionals in the same or related field of study:

  • Feature articles are informational, explanatory, or a critical analysis and interpretation of major trends.
  • Applied research articles have clear implications for extension and outreach educational programming.
  • Program articles describe research-based or evidence-based programs and outcomes, or describe promising programs and pilot projects.
  • Comprehensive reviews are in-depth reviews of literature or research, with analysis.
Non-Refereed Manuscripts

A manuscript submitted as a perspectives article or a review of educational materials is screened by the Editor or an Associate Editor.  These types of articles are not refereed.

The following types of non-refereed manuscripts are screened by the Editor or an Associate Editor:

  • Perspectives is an opinion column based upon the author’s viewpoints about a topic of current interest.
  • Reviews is a column where the authors review educational materials, such as books, curricula, videos, audio/visual materials, Web sites, etc.

Manuscripts may be submitted at any time. For manuscripts accepted in the first round of reviews, the estimated timeframe from submission to publication is as follows:

  • January 1 — Spring Issue
  • May 1 — Summer Issue
  • September 1 — Fall/Winter Issue