Write for SEMQ

Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly welcomes finished papers from both scholars and practitioners. Submit articles and inquiries to:

Heather Zimar
Managing Editor
Email: heatherz@aacrao.org
Phone: 607-279-7829

UPCOMING DEADLINES:  June 1, 2025; Sept. 1, 2025;  Dec. 1, 2025. and March 1, 2025.

Manuscript Preparation

Articles must be based on original research or practice in strategic enrollment management, demonstrating familiarity with SEM concepts. Citations should include at least one comprehensive SEM book, or at least two articles describing SEM basics published in the last ten years. Authors must ensure the accuracy of all statements—particularly data, quotations, and references—before submitting manuscripts. 

Articles should appeal to a readership of enrollment management researchers and practitioners in the fields of admissions, registration, financial aid, institutional research, and other student services areas. The focus should be on strategic enrollment management. Topics include (but are not limited to):

• Leadership
• Equity
• SEM Planning
• Communications/Marketing/Recruitment
• Student Access
• Student Success
• Adult/Nontraditional Students
• Transfer Students
• Faculty/Administrative Collaboration
• Graduate and Professional Schools
• Financial Aid
• Institutional Budgeting
• Operational Improvements
• Technology
• SEM Research
• Global Initiative
• Student Choice

Format

Type all copy single-spaced using a font size no smaller than 10 pt. Please include a title page that is separate from paper and includes the title of the article, the full names of the authors (including degrees), affiliations, full addresses, telephone, and e-mails. In the case of multiple authors, please indicate which author is to receive correspondence and page proofs. The main paper should not contain author/s name/s. 

Organization, Style, and Submission

Please include an abstract (50 words or so), literature review, and keywords for the article. 

In the file, please supply a short author biography for each of the authors, providing the university from which they received their degree(s), highlighting any experience relevant to the submitted article, and a short mention of their current research interests. Headings and article format may change depending on the nature of the submission. The style should follow Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, guidelines. Suggested word count is 4,500 words but will vary depending on article type and scope. 

Citations 

The following are general guidelines for citations and references. Compliance with SEMQ and Chicago guidelines, accuracy, and completeness of the references are the responsibility of the author. For direct quotations, please include the original page number; for example, Knight and Jones (1975, 74). The following are examples of appropriately formatted citations:

• Use author-date citations, not footnotes. No comma between author name and date: (Jones 1998)
• Multiple citations are listed alphabetically and separated by semi-colons: (Barnes 2003; Johnson, Stewart and Eberly 1996; Jones 1998; Ziegler 2000)
• For four or more authors in a citation:(Lucas et al. 1975)
• Include a page number after a quotation: “Behavioral segmentation entails the division of markets into groups based on their knowledge, attitude, or use of a particular product” (Braxton 1990, 88).

References

Provide a double-spaced, alphabetized list of only those references cited in the text. References to personal communication (providing the month, day, and year of the communication), papers presented at meetings, doctoral dissertations, and other unpublished material may be included. The following are examples of appropriately formatted references:

• Blog
LeBlanc, N.  and L. Marques. 2019, May 28. Anxiety in college: what we know and how to cope (blog). Harvard Health Blog. Retrieved from: www.health.harvard.edu /blog/anxiety-in-college-what-we-know-and-how-to-cope-2019052816729

• Book:
Bowen W. G., and D. Bok. 1998. The Shape of the River: Long-term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. 

• Chapter or other Titled Parts of a Book:
Kaiser, Ernest. 1964. The literature of Harlem. In Harlem: A Community in Transition, edited by J. H. Clarke. New York: Citadel Press.

• Dissertation
Barrett, L. A. 2014. The College Union and a Sense of Community for Students in Public Higher Education: Is There a Relationship? (doctoral dissertation). St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY.

• Journal (one author): 
Wenglinsky, H. H. 1996. The educational justification of historically black colleges and universities: A policy response to the U.S. Supreme Court. Education and Policy Analysis. 18(5):90-105. 

• Journal (more than one author):
Taylor, R. J., T. A. Matthews, and L. M. Chatters. 1988. Church members as a source of informal social support. Review of Religious Research. 30(4):193-203.

• Reports
American College Health Association. 2018, Fall. Undergraduate Student Reference Group. Data Report Fall 2018. Silver Spring, MD: American College Health Association. Retrieved from: www.acha.org/documents/ncha/NCHA-II_Fall_2018_Undergraduate_Reference_Group_Data_Report.pdf

• Website: 
Arkansas Tech University. 2018. About Arkansas Tech University. Russellville, AR: Author. Retrieved May 30 from: https://www.atu.edu/about.php

Figures and Tables

Please provide separate Excel documents with original source data for all figures/tables. Include the figure number and a title with a legend and caption below the visual display. Number all tables sequentially as you refer to them in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc.), likewise for figures (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Abbreviations, terminology, probability level values must be consistent across tables and figures in the same article. Likewise, formats, titles, and headings must be consistent. Do not repeat the same data in different tables. 

Headshot

Please provide a professional headshot or simple professional-style photo for publication. 

Selection and Publication Process

Consideration of publication of a manuscript is given with the understanding that the manuscript has not been published previously or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Manuscripts will be selected based on their advancement of SEM thought and practice, consideration of prior SEM literature, academic rigor, and overall quality of writing. The Managing Editor is responsible for proofreading each issue and will contact authors if clarification is needed; copy-edited manuscripts will be returned to authors for review prior to publication.

Author Copies and Honorarium

All authors will receive a PDF copy of their article for their records as well as an honorarium for their work. Authors must provide a W9 with their home address in order to process his/her honorarium.