Quantitative Articles: Developing Studies for Publication in Counseling Journals

This article is presented as a guide for publishing quantitative articles in the Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD) and other counseling journals. I assume readers will have some knowledge of research designs, statistical analyses, research processes, and scientific writing. Thus, I write to an audience of researchers, including researchers new to research in the field of counseling. Perhaps the most tightly targeted audience for this article is professionals who are embarking on their research and publishing careers. It is hoped, however, that there will be some benefit for more experienced researchers. Although this article is specifically targeted toward researchers publishing in counseling journals, it should also be useful for researchers in the social sciences in general. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.; American Psychological Association [APA], 2010) offers extensive material on preparing quantitative articles, including guidelines on language use, scientific writing, organizing articles, citing and referencing works, presenting results data, and the publication process. The JCD and other American Counseling Association (ACA) journals, in their guidelines for authors, specify that authors submitting works follow the APA Publication Manual; and thus, it is the codified guide to preparing and submitting manuscripts for publication. The purposes of my article are twofold: (a) to present material on developing quantitative studies, an area that falls outside the scope of the APA Publication Manual, and (b) to present material on organizing and writing manuscripts describing quantitative studies, an area that falls within the scope of the Publication Manual. My intent is to highlight important--and sometimes overlooked--material in the Publication Manual, expand and clarify some of the guidelines presented in the Manual, and provide context particular to the field of counseling. In the initial section on developing quantitative studies, I provide suggestions for (a) defining research parameters, (b) designing quantitative studies, (c) operationalizing variables, and (d) selecting appropriate statistical analysis procedures. Developing Quantitative Studies The decisions researchers make before data are collected are the most important decisions. There is most often no remedy for poor data other than starting over and correcting mistakes. Thus, there are two major suggestions for getting started with a quantitative study: (a) know the literature in your area thoroughly and (b) conduct a pilot study. Defining Research Parameters The researcher's first task is to define the area to be researched. There are two major parameters that require definition: (a) what will be researched and (b) who will be the target population. The what involves the variables to be studied and the models to be tested in the quantitative research paradigm. The who involves determining the parameters of the participants and population to be studied (e.g., age range, cultural experience, presenting concern, environment). To connect the study to the larger knowledge base, researchers must first become intensely knowledgeable about the literature in the research area. The literature review will define the what and the who of the study. Many researchers, including me, have collected data and later found literature that either specified some variable not included in the study or suggested some measure or practice other than the one used. Thus, a full review of the literature is needed before a study is designed, and this literature review should expand beyond those resources that are eventually cited and referenced in the article. It follows that literature reviews should encompass fields outside counseling and psychology, being more broadly inclusive of the social sciences (e.g., sociology, human resources, communication, education). …