Journal of Applied Gerontology
Comprehensive Coverage
Journal of Applied Gerontology publishes articles in all subdisciplines of gerontology whose findings, conclusions, or suggestions have clear and sometimes immediate applicability to the problems encountered by older persons, as well as articles that inform research and the development of interventions. Read original studies by distinguished authors with comprehensive coverage of areas of gerontological practice and policy including:
- Caregiving
- Exercise
- Death and dying
- Physical activity
- Ethnicity and aging
- Technology and care
- Advance directives
- Housing
- Long-term services and supports
- Home and community-based services
- Mental health
- Retirement planning
- Sexuality
- Volunteering
- Driving and transportation
- Frontline care workers
- Ageism
Discussions, Information, and Ideas
Unique in focus, Journal of Applied Gerontology fills a void in the existing literature on gerontology by continually enhancing the dissemination and utilization of knowledge in this fast-growing field. The journal publishes findings, recommendations, and promising ideas which have significance for older persons everywhere. Offering you more than thought-provoking articles and in-depth Special Issues, each volume features a range of discussions, information and ideas, including
- An annual title/author index for easy reference
- Contributions from leading researchers in the field
- Methods for applying research to practice
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Submit your manuscript today at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/JAG.
Journal of Applied Gerontology is the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society. Journal of Applied Gerontology features articles that focus on research applications intended to improve the health and quality of life of older persons or to enhance our understanding of age-related issues that will eventually lead to such outcomes. We construe application to include original investigations or meta-analyses/systematic reviews that have significant clinical, policy, and/or practice implications. Rigorous studies of theoretical, conceptual, or methodological issues pertaining to research application are also welcome.
Journal of Applied Gerontology is also highlighting submissions in three areas that will advance the state-of-the-art in applied gerontological/geriatric research:
- studies that employ mixed methodologies (i.e., the integration of qualitative and quantitative data);
- efforts that translate evidence-based research to clinical practice; and
- policy evaluations that apply evaluation principles and methods to examine the implementation and effectiveness of a government or institutional policy or program.
Because the circulation and intended audience of the Journal of Applied Gerontology is global and diverse, contributions from international scholars and across disciplines are encouraged.
| Debra Dobbs | School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, USA |
| Malcolm P. Cutchin, 2007-2011 | Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, USA |
| Joseph E. Gaugler, 2011-2017 | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Wiley P. Mangum, 1982-1985 | University of South Florida, USA |
| William J. McCauley, 1992-1995 | George Mason University, USA |
| Jim Mitchell, 2003-2007 | East Carolina University, USA |
| Larry L. Mullins, 1999-2003 | Auburn University, USA |
| Thomas A. Rich, 1982-1985 (deceased) | University of South Florida, USA |
| Julie T. Robison, 2017-2023 | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Graham D. Rowles, 1995-1999 | University of Kentucky, USA |
| Miles E. Simpson, 1986-1992 | North Carolina Central University, USA |
| Jessica Yauk | University of South Florida, USA |
| Ellen Brown | Florida International University, USA |
| Ganesh Babulal | Washington University in St. Louis, USA |
| M. Aaron Guest | Arizona State University, USA |
| Dylan Jester | VA Palo Alto Health Care System, USA |
| Christopher M. Kelly | University of Nebraska Omaha, USA |
| Molly Perkins | Emory University School of Medicine, USA |
| Lindsay Peterson | University of South Florida, USA |
| Ishan C. Williams | University of Virginia, USA |
| Kathleen Abrahamson | College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, USA |
| Keith A. Anderson | University of Mississippi, USA |
| Robert Applebaum | Miami University, USA |
| Liat Ayalon | Bar-Ilan University, Israel |
| Todd Becker | Washington University in St. Louis, USA |
| Anna Beeber | Johns Hopkins University, USA |
| Alexis Bender | Emory University, USA |
| Caroline Bergeron | Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada |
| Diane Berish | Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Laura Brown | University of Manchester, UK |
| Monique Brown | University of South Carolina, USA |
| Julia Burgdorf | The Center for Home Care Policy & Research at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, USA |
| Qiuchang (Katy) Cao | Florida State University, USA |
| Eilon Caspi | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Nicholas Castle | West Virginia University, USA |
| Susan M. Chambre | Baruch College, USA |
| Lin Chen | Fudan University, China |
| David A. Chiriboga | University of South Florida, USA |
| Namkee Choi | University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Constance Coogle | Virginia Commonwealth University, USA |
| Jennifer Craft Morgan | Georgia State University, USA |
| Sara S. Czaja | Weill Cornell Medicine, USA |
| Holly Dabelko-Schoeny | Ohio State University, USA |
| David Dosa | Brown University, USA |
| Elise Eifert | University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA |
| Fayron Epps | Emory University, USA |
| Chanee Fabius | Johns Hopkins University, USA |
| Mary Gallant | University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA |
| R. Turner Goins | Western Carolina University, USA |
| Ann Gruber-Baldini | University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA |
| Cindy Gruman | Westat, Inc., USA |
| John Harris | University of Pittsburgh, USA |
| Carrie Henning-Smith | University of Minnesota USA |
| Karen B. Hirschman | University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, USA |
| Cassandra L. Hua | University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA |
| Sean Huang | Georgetown University, USA |
| Sclinda Janssen | University of North Dakota, USA |
| Shannon Jarrott | The Ohio State Univeristy, USA |
| Candace Kemp | Georgia State University, USA |
| Laura Keyes | University of North Texas, USA |
| Jennifer Kinney | Miami University, USA |
| Mariya Kovaleva | University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA |
| Jung Kwak | The University of Texas at Austin, USA |
| Sandi Lane | University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, USA |
| Yeonjung Lee | Chung-Ang University, South Korea |
| Jane Lowers | Emory University, USA |
| Nan Lu | Renmin University, China |
| Terry Lum | The University of Hong Kong, China |
| Heather Menne | Social Policy, Health & Economic Research, RTI International, Washington DC, USA |
| Pamela Nadash | University of Massachusetts Boston, USA |
| Nan Sook Park | University of South Florida, USA |
| Cynthia Peden-McAlpine | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Jason L. Powell | University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Minakshi Raj | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA |
| Julie T. Robison | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Miriam Ryvicker | Visiting Nurse Service of New York, USA |
| Hari Sharma | University of Iowa, USA |
| Jane Strommen | North Dakota State University, USA |
| Allison Warren | VA Connecticut/Yale University, USA |
| Judith Weissman | New York University, USA |
| Bei Wu | New York University, USA |
| Jong-Sung Yoon | University of South Dakota, USA |
| Faika Zanjani | Virginia Commonwealth University, USA |
| Rebecca Abbott | University of Exeter, UK |
| Diane Berish | Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Grace Caskie | Lehigh University, USA |
| Angela Curl | Miami University, USA |
| Cynthia Gruman | Westat Inc., USA |
| Zachary Hass | Purdue University, USA |
| Richard Jones | Brown University, USA |
| George A. Kelley | West Virginia University, USA |
| Heejung Kim | Yonsei University, Korea |
| Janine Krüger | Nelson Mandela University, South Africa |
| Chia-ling Kuo | University of Connecticut, USA |
| Ka Keat Lim | King's College, London, UK |
| Nan Lu | Renmin University, China |
| Ryan McGrath | North Dakota State University, USA |
| Hongdao Meng | University of South Florida, USA |
| George Papandonatos | Brown University, USA |
| Romil Parikh | University of Minnesota, USA |
| Anna Rubtsova | Emory University, USA |
| Jeffrey Stokes | University of Massachusetts Boston, USA |
| Jonathon Vivoda | Miami University, USA |
| Bomikazi Zeka | University of Canberra, Australia |
Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Journal of Applied Gerontology
Journal of Applied Gerontology is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics
The Journal of Applied Gerontology recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jag to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically. Authors will be required to set up an online account on the SAGE Track system powered by ScholarOne.
Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of the Journal of Applied Gerontology will be reviewed.
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal.
As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.
- What do we publish?
1.1 Aims & Scope
1.2 Article types
1.3 Submission Blinding
1.4 Submission Format
1.5 Writing your paper - Editorial policies
2.1 Peer review policy
2.2 Authorship
2.3 Acknowledgements
2.4 Funding
2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
2.6 Research ethics and patient consent
2.7 Reporting guidelines - Publishing policies
3.1 Publication ethics
3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
3.3 Open access and author archiving - Preparing your manuscript
4.1 Formatting
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
4.3 Supplementary material
4.4 Reference style
4.5 English language editing services - Submitting your manuscript
5.1 ORCID
5.2 Information required for completing your submission
5.3 Permissions - On acceptance and publication
6.1 SAGE Production
6.2 Online First publication
6.3 Access to your published article
6.4 Promoting your article - Further information
Before submitting your manuscript to the Journal of Applied Gerontology, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.
Journal of Applied Gerontology is the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society. It features articles that focus on research applications intended to improve the health and quality of life of older persons or to enhance our understanding of age-related issues that will eventually lead to such outcomes. We construe application to include original investigations or meta-analyses/systematic reviews that have significant clinical, policy, and/or practice implications. Studies of theoretical, conceptual, or methodological issues pertaining to research application are also welcome.
Journal of Applied Gerontology is also highlighting submissions in three areas that will advance the state-of-the-art in applied gerontological /geriatric research: 1) studies that employ mixed methodologies (i.e., the integration of qualitative and quantitative data); 2) efforts that translate evidence-based research to clinical practice; and 3) process evaluations or studies that examine treatment/intervention implementation in-depth. Because the circulation and intended audience of the Journal of Applied Gerontology is global and diverse, contributions from international scholars and across disciplines are encouraged.
The manuscript text and references should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins. The body of the text must be less than 6,000 words (including abstract and references).
Brief research reports, commentaries, or practice reviews of up to 2,500 words (including abstract and references) are also welcome.
Shorter manuscript submissions are appreciated.
An abstract of up to 150 words must be included with all submissions.
Authors who wish to have their manuscripts considered as a highlighted mixed method, translational, or process evaluation study should indicate this in a cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief.
To facilitate blind review, manuscripts and abstracts with no identifiers must be accompanied by a separate title page document with title, author(s), and affiliations(s), including complete mailing and e-mail address(es), Conflict of Interest (COI) statement, IRB protocol/human subjects approval numbers acknowledgements and funders. See sections 2.5 and 2.6 below for further details.
The blinded manuscript should contain no identifiers (including but not limited to author name(s) or initials, institutions, Institutional Review Board (IRB) name or institution, protocol numbers, Conflicts of Interest (COI) statements, acknowledgments, funders, HIPAA identifiers or references to author(s)’ previously published work that would reveal authors’ identity). These required items will be added after manuscript acceptance.
Manuscripts submitted will be reviewed initially by the Editor for conformance to blind review requirements.
The format outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition) should be employed. All tables and figures should be placed at the end of the text or uploaded in a separate file. Do not include tables or figures in the body of the text. Indicate in the text where each table or figure should appear.
Manuscripts accepted for publication are subject to stylistic editing with the edited draft sent to the corresponding author for final review.
It is the author’s responsibility to disclose any potential conflict of interest regarding the manuscript on their title page. Authors will be required to fill out financial disclosure information and sign an exclusive licensee agreement upon acceptance of a manuscript. Any conflict or financial disclosure will be published within the manuscript.
Any identifying information regarding a research participant should be removed from the manuscript or informed consent from the participant will be required.
Manuscripts must identify their IRB protocol/human subjects approval numbers on the title page. Upon submission, papers are checked to ensure that they include this identifying information.
Please upload short biographies (60 words or less) for each author. All biographies should be included in one separate file.
Any deviation from these requirements will result in a pause in manuscript processing until corrections are made.
The SAGE Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources.
1.5.1 Make your article discoverable
When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.
Journal of Applied Gerontology adheres to a rigorous double-blind reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties. Decisions on manuscripts will be made as rapidly as possible. Authors should expect to have reviewer’s comments within approximately 6 weeks. In general, Editors will seek advice from two or more expert reviewers about the scientific content and presentation of submitted articles.
Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who:
(i) Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
(ii) Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
(iii) Approved the version to be published,
(iv) Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.
Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. When a large, multicenter group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.
Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship, although all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section on the title page. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support. Authors should disclose whether they had any writing assistance and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.
2.3.1 Writing assistance
Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section in the accepted version of the manuscript. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.
It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.
The Journal of Applied Gerontology requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading on the title page.
Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
It is the policy of the Journal of Applied Gerontology to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.
Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included on the title page. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’.
For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.
2.6 Research ethics and patient consent
Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.
Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals,and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval on the title page. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number on the title page.
For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.
Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the participant(s) or a legally authorized representative in the methods section of the manuscript.
Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.
The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, all randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the completed PRISMA flow chart as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.
Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.
SAGE is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the SAGE Author Gateway.
3.1.1 Plagiarism
The Journal of Applied Gerontology and SAGE take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.
3.1.2 Prior publication
If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a SAGE journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the SAGE Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.
3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
Before publication, SAGE requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. SAGE’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive license agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants SAGE the sole and exclusive right and license to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than SAGE. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the SAGE Author Gateway.
3.3 Open access and author archiving
The Journal of Applied Gerontology offers optional open access publishing via the SAGE Choice program. For more information please visit the SAGE Choice website. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit SAGE Publishing Policies on our Journal Author Gateway.
4. Preparing your manuscript for submission
The manuscript text and references should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins. The body of the text should be less than 6,000 words (including abstract and references).
Brief research reports, commentaries, or practice reviews of up to 2,500 words (including abstract and references) are also welcome.
The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.
The format outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition) should be employed. All tables and figures should be placed at the end of the text or uploaded in a separate file. Do not include tables or figures in the body of the text. Indicate in the text where each table or figure should appear.
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit SAGE’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines.
Figures supplied in color will appear in color online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For specifically requested color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from SAGE after receipt of your accepted article. Otherwise, figures will appear in black and white in the printed version.
This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full-text of the article. Any material to be shared with reviewers must be blinded for the review process. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files.
The Journal of Applied Gerontology adheres to the APA reference style. View the APA guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.
4.5 English language editing services
Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using SAGE Language Services. Visit SAGE Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.
The Journal of Applied Gerontology is hosted on SAGE Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jag to login and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past, you likely already have had an account. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.
As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process SAGE is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities ensuring that their work is recognized.
We encourage all authors to add their ORCIDs to their SAGE Track accounts and include their ORCIDs as part of the submission process. If you don’t already have one you can create one here.
5.2 Information required for completing your submission
You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).
Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the SAGE Author Gateway.
6. On acceptance and publication
Your SAGE Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. Please note that if there are any changes to the author list at this stage all authors will be required to complete and sign a form authorizing the change.
Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the SAGE Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.
6.3 Access to your published article
SAGE provides authors with online access to their final article.
Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The SAGE Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. In addition, SAGE is partnered with Kudos, a free service that allows authors to explain, enrich, share, and measure the impact of their article. Find out how to maximize your article’s impact with Kudos.
Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Journal of Applied Gerontology editorial office as follows: jag@uchc.edu.