Author Guidelines

Submit to the journal

Submissions to Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Please see Submissions Process (below) for further submission details. The manuscript should be in MS WORD format, in 1.5 line spacing and 12 point font size. Good electronic copies of all figures and tables should also be provided. All manuscripts should be run through a UK English spell check prior to submission. Author details must be uploaded on a separate file and the author(s) should not be identified anywhere else in the article.

Editorial objective
The broad objective of Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management is to provide a forum for the publication of refereed, academic papers and more applied case study material in the fashion manufacture and retail sectors. The specific aims of the journal are to: provide a refereed forum for empirically based research in clothing marketing and management encourage the production and dissemination of rigorous academic papers addressing major marketing and management issues facing the world's fashion manufacturing and retailing sectors identify best managerial and marketing practices internationally and to promote their widespread use in the sector provide a regular review of trade, production, consumption and employment trends in various countries/regions expose concepts in fashion marketing and management to rigorous study and, where appropriate, to undermine widely held myths by presenting well-focused research evidence.

Reviewing process
Each paper is reviewed by the editor and, if it is judged suitable for this publication, it is then sent to two referees for double blind peer review. Based on their recommendations, the editor then decides whether the paper should be accepted as is, revised or rejected.

Copyright
Articles submitted to the journal should not have been published before in their current or substantially similar form, or be under consideration for publication with another journal. Please see Emerald's originality guidelines for details. Use this in conjunction with the points below about references, before submission i.e. always attribute clearly using either indented text or quote marks as well as making use of the preferred Harvard style of formatting. Authors submitting articles for publication warrant that the work is not an infringement of any existing copyright and will indemnify the publisher against any breach of such warranty. For ease of dissemination and to ensure proper policing of use, papers and contributions become the legal copyright of the publisher unless otherwise agreed. The editor may make use of iThenticate software for checking the originality of submissions received. Please see our press release for further details.

Permissions
Prior to article submission, authors should clear permission to use any content that has not been created by them. Failure to do so may lead to lengthy delays in publication. Emerald is unable to publish any article which has permissions pending. The rights Emerald require are: 1. Non-exclusive rights to reproduce the material in the article or book chapter. 2. Print and electronic rights. 3. Worldwide English language rights.

To use the material for the life of the work (i.e. there should be no time restrictions on the re-use of material e.g. a one-year licence). When reproducing tables, figures or excerpts from another source, it is expected that: 1. Authors obtain the necessary written permission in advance from any third party owners of copyright for the use in print and electronic formats of any of their text, illustrations, graphics, or other material, in their manuscript. Permission must also be cleared for any minor adaptations of any work not created by them. 2. If an author adapts significantly any material, the author must inform the copyright holder of the original work. 3. Authors obtain any proof of consent statements 4. Authors must always acknowledge the source in figure captions and refer to the source in the reference list. 5. Authors should not assume that any content which is freely available on the web is free to use. Authors should check the website for details of the copyright holder to seek permission for re-use. Emerald is a member of the STM Association and participates in the reciprocal free exchange of material with other STM members. This may mean that in some cases, authors do not need to clear permission for re-use of content. Authors should check the STM website to find participating publishers and follow STM's permissions guidelines.

4.

Emerald Literati Network Editing Service

The Emerald Literati Network can recommend, via our Editing Service, a number of freelance copy editors, all themselves experienced authors, to contributors who wish to improve the standard of English in their paper before submission. This is particularly useful for those whose first language is not English.

Manuscript requirements
1. 2. 3. As a guide, articles should be between 5000 and 7000 words in length. A title of not more than eight words should be provided. A brief autobiographical note should be supplied including: Full name Affiliation E-mail address Full international contact details Brief professional biography. NB This information should be provided on a separate sheet and authors should not be identified anywhere else in the article. Authors must supply a structured abstract set out under 4-7 sub-headings (see our "How to... write an abstract" guide for practical help and guidance): Purpose (mandatory) Design/methodology/approach (mandatory) Findings (mandatory) Research limitations/implications (if applicable) Practical implications (if applicable) Social implications (if applicable) Originality/value (mandatory). Maximum is 250 words in total. Please provide up to six keywords which encapsulate the principal topics of the paper. Categorize your paper under one of these classifications: Research paper Viewpoint Technical paper Conceptual paper Case study Literature review

4.

5. 6.

 General review. Headings must be short, with a clear indication of the distinction between the hierarchy of headings. The preferred format is for headings to be presented in bold format, with consecutive numbering. 8. Notes or Endnotes should be used only if absolutely necessary and must be identified in the text by consecutive numbers, enclosed in square brackets and listed at the end of the article. 9. Each Figure and Plate should be supplied separately (i.e. not within the article itself). All Figures (charts, diagrams and line drawings) and Plates (photographic images) should be of clear quality, in black and white and numbered consecutively with arabic numerals. Figures created in MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, Illustrator and Freehand should be saved in their native formats. Electronic figures created in other applications should be copied from the origination software and pasted into a blank MS Word document or saved and imported into a MS Word document by choosing "Insert" from the menu bar, "Picture" from the drop-down menu and selecting "From File..." to select the graphic to be imported. For figures which cannot be supplied in MS Word, acceptable standard image formats are: .pdf, .ai, .wmf and .eps. If you are unable to supply graphics in these formats then please ensure they are .tif, .jpeg (.jpg) , or .bmp at a resolution of at least 300dpi and at least 10cm wide. To prepare screenshots, simultaneously press the "Alt" and "Print screen" keys on the keyboard, open a blank Microsoft Word document and simultaneously press "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the image. (Capture all the contents/windows on the computer screen to paste into MS Word, by simultaneously pressing "Ctrl" and "Print screen".) Photographic images (Plates) should be saved as .tif or .jpeg (.jpg) files at a resolution of at least 300dpi and at least 10cm wide. Digital camera settings should be set at the highest possible resolution/quality. In the text of the paper the preferred position of all tables, figures and plates should be indicated by typing on a separate line the words "Take in Figure (No.)" or "Take in Plate (No.)". 10. Tables should be typed and included as part of the manuscript. They should not be submitted as graphic elements. Supply succinct and clear captions for all tables, figures and plates. Ensure that any superscripts or asterisks are shown next to the relevant items and have corresponding explanations displayed as footnotes to the table, figure or plate. 11. References to other publications must be in Harvard style and carefully checked for completeness, accuracy and consistency. This is very important in an electronic environment because it enables your readers to exploit the Reference Linking facility on the database and link back to the works you have cited through CrossRef. You should cite publications in the text: (Adams, 2006) using the first named author's name or (Adams and Brown, 2006) citing both names of two, or (Adams et al., 2006), when there are three or more authors. At the end of the paper a reference list in alphabetical order should be supplied: For books: Surname, Initials (year), Title of Book, Publisher, Place of publication. e.g. Harrow, R. (2005), No Place to Hide, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY. For book chapters: Surname, Initials (year), "Chapter title", Editor's Surname, Initials (Ed.), Title of Book, Publisher, Place of publication, pages. e.g. Calabrese, F.A. (2005), "The early pathways: theory to practice a continuum", in Stankosky, M. (Ed.), Creating the Discipline of Knowledge Management, Elsevier, New York, NY, pp. 15-20. For journals: Surname, Initials (year), "Title of article", Journal Name, volume, number, pages. e.g. Capizzi, M.T. and Ferguson, R. (2005), "Loyalty trends for the twenty-first century", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 72-80. For published conference proceedings: Surname, Initials (year of publication), "Title of paper", in Surname, Initials (Ed.), Title of published proceeding which may include place and date(s) held, Publisher, Place of publication, Page numbers. eg Jakkilinki, R., Georgievski, M. and Sharda, N. (2007), "Connecting destinations with an ontology-based e-tourism planner", in Information and communication technologies 7.

in tourism 2007 proceedings of the international conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2007, Springer-Verlag, Vienna, pp. 12-32. For unpublished conference proceedings: Surname, Initials (year), "Title of paper", paper presented at Name of Conference, date of conference, place of conference, available at: URL if freely available on the internet (accessed date). eg Aumueller, D. (2005), "Semantic authoring and retrieval within a wiki", paper presented at the European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC), 29 May-1 June, Heraklion, Crete, available at: http://dbs.uni-leipzig.de/file/aumueller05wiksar.pdf (accessed 20 February 2007). For working papers: Surname, Initials (year), "Title of article", working paper [number if available], Institution or organization, Place of organization, date. e.g. Moizer, P. (2003), "How published academic research can inform policy decisions: the case of mandatory rotation of audit appointments", working paper, Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, Leeds, 28 March. For encyclopedia entries (with no author or editor): Title of Encyclopedia (year) "Title of entry", volume, edition, Title of Encyclopedia, Publisher, Place of publication, pages. e.g. Encyclopaedia Britannica (1926) "Psychology of culture contact", Vol. 1, 13th ed., Encyclopaedia Britannica, London and New York, NY, pp. 765-71. (For authored entries please refer to book chapter guidelines above.) For newspaper articles (authored): Surname, Initials (year), "Article title", Newspaper, date, pages. e.g. Smith, A. (2008), "Money for old rope", Daily News, 21 January, pp. 1, 3-4. For newspaper articles (non-authored): Newspaper (year), "Article title", date, pages. e.g. Daily News (2008), "Small change", 2 February, p. 7. For electronic sources: if available online the full URL should be supplied at the end of the reference, as well as a date that the resource was accessed. e.g. Castle, B. (2005), "Introduction to web services for remote portlets", available at: http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/ws-wsrp/ (accessed 12 November 2007). Standalone URLs, i.e. without an author or date, should be included either within parentheses within the main text, or preferably set as a note (roman numeral within square brackets within text followed by the full URL address at the end of the paper).

Submissions Process
Authors should note that proofs are not supplied prior to publication and ensure that the paper submitted is complete and in its final form. Submissions to Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Registration and access is available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfmm. Full information and guidance on using ScholarOne Manuscripts is available at the Emerald ScholarOne Manuscripts Support Centre: http://msc.emeraldinsight.com.

Registering on ScholarOne Manuscripts

If you have not yet registered on ScholarOne Manuscripts, please follow the instructions below: Please log on to: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfmm Click on Create Account Follow the on-screen instructions, filling in the requested details before proceeding Your username will be your email address and you have to input a password of at least 8 characters in length and containing two or more numbers Click Finish and your account has been created. If you have previously registered with another journal on ScholarOne Manuscripts but wish to submit to Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management , you will need to create an author account on Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management to do so. You can use the same username and password.

Submitting an article to Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management on ScholarOne Manuscripts

Please log on to Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfmmXXX with your username and password. This will take you through to the Welcome page (To consult the Author Guidelines for this journal, click on the Home Page link in the Resources column) Click on the Author Centre button Click on the submit a manuscript link which will take you through to the Manuscript Submission page Complete all fields and browse to upload your article When all required sections are completed, preview your .pdf proof Submit your manuscript.

What is an abstract?
A definition
An abstract is a succinct summary of a longer piece of work, usually academic in nature, which is published in isolation from the main text and should therefore stand on its own and be understandable without reference to the longer piece. It should report the latter's essential facts, and should not exaggerate or contain material that is not there. Its purpose is to act as a reference tool (for example in a library abstracting service), enabling the reader to decide whether or not to read the full text. Two common reasons for writing an abstract are 1. to summarize a longer piece of work published as a journal article, thesis, book or web page, an existing article for the purposes of a journal, 2. or to submit an application to write a paper for a conference. In both cases, you will be given specific guidelines as to how to write the abstract including a maximum word count from either the relevant publisher or the organizer of the conference; those for Emerald are set out below. Conference papers are usually selected on the basis of abstracts: see tips below.

How to go about the writing process

1. Start by writing a statement of the paper's purpose, which should be as succinct as possible. If you include background keep this to a minimum and only include such information as to provide a context. Summarize the paper, reporting its main facts. Remember the following points: Follow the chronology of the paper and use its headings as guidelines. Do not include unnecessary detail, as in the first example in "How not to write an abstract". You are writing for an audience "in the know" you can use the technical language of your discipline or profession, providing you communicate your meaning clearly, and bear in mind that you are writing to an international audience. Make sure that what you write "flows" properly, that there are "connecting words" (e.g. consequently, moreover, for example, the benefits of this study, as a result, etc.) and/or the points you make are not disjointed but follow on from one another.

2.

3.

Use the active rather than the passive voice, e.g. "The study tested" rather than "It was tested in this study". The style of writing should be dense, and sentences will probably be longer than usual. You should by now have a draft, which will probably be too long. Here are some points to remember in cutting: cut out any unnecessary words that do not add to the meaning, but make sure that the abstract is not so "cut" as to be unreadable; use full sentences, direct and indirect articles, connecting works, etc. An abstract should use continuous prose, not notes. Read through your draft, making sure that it covers the main points listed above, and that there are no grammatical, spelling or typographical errors, also that it "flows" properly. If possible, get a colleague to read through your abstract as a form of "peer review".

4. 5.

6. Submit! If you have difficulty with the general purpose statement or with summarizsing your article, it may be because the article's general concept is not that clear, or perhaps your research design or approach needs revisiting.

Instructions for writing a structured abstract for Emerald

Emerald has introduced a new format for article abstracts intended to help researchers by consistently providing the most useful information. Each abstract is made up of a number of set elements. An example is provided at the foot of this page.

1. Write the abstract

To produce a structured abstract for the journal and Emerald database, please complete the following fields about your paper. There are four fields which are obligatory (Purpose, Design/methodology/approach, Findings and Originality/value); the other three (Research limitations/implications, Practical implications, and Social implications) may be omitted if they are not applicable to your paper. Abstracts should contain no more than 250 words. Write concisely and clearly. The abstract should reflect only what appears in the original paper. Purpose What are the reason(s) for writing the paper or the aims of the research? Design/methodology/approach How are the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. What is the approach to the topic and what is the theoretical or subject scope of the paper? Findings What was found in the course of the work? This will refer to analysis, discussion, or results. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) If research is reported on in the paper this section must be completed and should include suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process. Practical implications (if applicable) What outcomes and implications for practice, applications and consequences are identified? How will the research impact upon the business or enterprise? What changes to practice should be made as a result of this research? What is the commercial or economic impact? Not all papers will have practical implications. Social implications (if applicable) What will be the impact on society of this research? How will it influence public attitudes? How will it influence (corporate) social responsibility or environmental issues? How could it inform public or industry policy? How might it affect quality of life? Not all papers will have social implications. Originality/value What is new in the paper? State the value of the paper and to whom.

2. Using keywords
Using keywords is a vital part of abstract writing, because of the practice of retrieving information electronically: keywords act as the search term. Use keywords that are specific, and that reflect what is essential about the paper. Put yourself in the position of someone researching in your field: what would you look for? Consider also whether you can use any of the current "buzz words".

3. Choose a category for the paper

Pick the category which most closely describes your paper. We understand that some papers can fit into more than one category but it is necessary to assign your paper to one of the categories these are listed and will be searchable within the database: Research paper. This category covers papers which report on any type of research undertaken by the author(s). The research may involve the construction or testing of a model or framework, action research, testing of data, market research or surveys, empirical, scientific or clinical research. Viewpoint. Any paper, where content is dependent on the author's opinion and interpretation, should be included in this category; this also includes journalistic pieces. Technical paper. Describes and evaluates technical products, processes or services. Conceptual paper. These papers will not be based on research but will develop hypotheses. The papers are likely to be discursive and will cover philosophical discussions and comparative studies of others' work and thinking. Case study. Case studies describe actual interventions or experiences within organizations. They may well be subjective and will not generally report on research. A description of a legal case or a hypothetical case study used as a teaching exercise would also fit into this category. Literature review. It is expected that all types of paper cite any relevant literature so this category should only be used if the main purpose of the paper is to annotate and/or critique the literature in a particular subject area. It may be a selective bibliography providing advice on information sources or it may be comprehensive in that the paper's aim is to cover the main contributors to the development of a topic and explore their different views. General review. This category covers those papers which provide an overview or historical examination of some concept, technique or phenomenon. The papers are likely to be more descriptive or instructional ("how to" papers) than discursive.

Tips for writing abstracts for conference papers

The difficulty here is that you will probably be writing the abstract as a preamble to the actual paper, rather than subsequent to it. Here are some points to remember: 1. Clarify in your own mind what is the purpose of the paper: what it is that you are going to do. 2. 3. Look carefully at the themes of the conference: note those that apply and frame your paper accordingly. Very often, the submission procedure will dictate the format and the number of words of the abstract. For example: Title Name of presenter, contact details Category of presentation (e.g. workshop, research paper, short paper, poster etc.) Conference themes addressed. Key words that will help people deciding whether or not to participate to understand its focus. Objectives/intended outcomes and activities for participants The abstract.

4. 5.

Stick closely to the length given. You will often have no choice in this matter, because if you submit electronically you will find yourself cut off in mid sentence as you reach the required limit. When writing the abstract, ask yourself the following questions: What is the purpose of my paper? This should, as with any abstract, be a general definition statement about the objectives of your paper. What approach am I using? I.e. am I reviewing the literature, describing a case study, supporting a research hypothesis, and if the latter, what is my research design and research methodology? What are my findings? What is the import of my findings? Choose your keywords carefully, making sure that they match the themes of the conference.

6.

Some examples of abstracts

Below find some examples of structured abstracts for the various categories of Emerald articles. The keywords are also listed. Note that we have deliberataley chosen older articles so that you can compare the structured abstracts supplied below with the unstructured abstracts required at the time of publication (just click on the article link).

Structured abstract examples in this section

Literature review Case study Conceptual paper Research paper General review

Example of a structured abstract for a literature review

Surviving and thriving in academia: a selective bibliography for new faculty members Deborah Lee Reference Services Review Vol. 31 No. 1 Literature review Purpose To provide a selective bibliography for graduate students and new faculty members with sources which can help them develop their academic career. Design/methodology/approach A range of recently published (1993-2002) works, which aim to provide practical advice rather than theoretical books on pedagogy or educational administration, are critiqued to aid the individual make the

transition into academia. The sources are sorted into sections: finding an academic job, general advice, teaching, research and publishing, tenure and organizations. Findings Provides information about each source, indicating what can be found there and how the information can help. Recognises the lack of real training of many academics before they are expected to take on teaching/researching duties and finds some texts which help. Research limitations/implications It's not an exhaustive list and apart from one UK book all the rest are US publications which perhaps limits its usefulness elsewhere. Practical implications A very useful source of information and impartial advice for graduate students planning to continue in academia or for those who have recently obtained a position in academia. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified information/resources need and offers practical help to an individual starting out on an academic career. Keywords: Bibliography, Higher education, Teachers, Academic staff, Research, Publishing

Examples of structured abstracts for case studies

Cash to accrual and cash to accrual: a case study of financial reporting in two NSW hospitals 1857 to post-1975 Julie E.M. Scott, Jill L. McKinnon and Graeme L. Harrison Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal Vol. 16 No. 1 Case study Purpose This study traces the development of financial reporting in two publicly funded hospitals in New South Wales over the period 1857 to post-1975, with particular focus on the use of cash and accrual accounting. Design/methodology/approach The historical analysis draws on process and conceptual change and stakeholder theory, and uses both primary and secondary data, Findings to describe patterns of change (and non-change) in the hospital's financial reporting and to identify the social and political influences associated with such reporting. Originality/value This study provides historical context for recent developments in public sector reporting and accountability in Australia, particularly the (re)introduction of accrual accounting, and provides insights into the nature of accounting change both in public sector organisations and generally. Keywords: Public sector accounting, Financial reporting, Hospitals, Accounting history, Analysis, Stakeholders, Australia A comparative analysis of vertical integration in the UK brewing and petrol industries Gary Cook Journal of Economic Studies Vol. 24 No. 3 Case study Purpose Looks fundamentally at the reasons for vertical integration. Specifically addresses the question of why vertical integration and close contractual equivalents have arisen in the petrol and brewing sectors of the UK. Design/methodology/approach Reports the results of a comparative case study. Considers the ability of power and efficiency explanations to account for both the current pattern of vertical integration and its changes over time. Findings Principally concludes the following: the recent history of vertical integration is better accounted for by

efficiency rationales in the case of petrol and by market power in the case of brewing. Nevertheless, elements of both are present in each industry. Practical implications particularly the (re)introduction of accrual accounting, and provides insights into the nature of accounting change both in public sector organisations and generally. Originality/value Given the strong similarity in vertical and horizontal industry structure between these sectors, this implies that a case by case approach is preferable to a form-based approach. Keywords: Brewing industry, Petrol, Transaction costs, Vertical integration

Example of a structured abstract for a conceptual paper

The changing internal market for ethical discourses in the Canadian CA profession Dean Neu, Constance Friesen and Jeffery Everett Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal Vol. 16 No. 1 Conceptual paper Purpose Starting from the premise that formal ethical codes and other ethical discourses differ in their audiences, effects and characteristics, analyses how practitioner-directed ethical discourses have spoken and continued to speak about character-based ethics. Design/methodology/approach Borrowing from the literature on professions and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice, starts from the assumption that editorials in practitioner-orientated publications are a form of cultural good traded on an internal symbolic market. By providing access to symbolic capital, trade in this good acts to bind together members of the accounting profession, yet trade in this good also has the potential to obscure a number of important, underlying social issues. The study is based on a close (textual) reading of editorials in the Canadian Chartered Accountant (subsequently renamed CA Magazine) from 1911 to 1999, and this reading is framed in the light of a number of macro-level and meso-level (contextual) changes. Findings It is found that character-based ethical discourses continue to pervade this professional field. Originality/value These discourses, however, do not continue without important changes that themselves need to be explained in light of the more widespread, non-professional field. Keywords: Accountants, Ethics, Professionalism, Canada

Example of a structured abstract for a research paper

Structuring international service operations: a theoretical framework and a case study in the ITsector Bert Meijboom and Migon Houtepen International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol. 22 No. 8 Research paper Purpose The specific challenges with which companies pursuing international manufacturing strategies are faced, if their output also contains a service dimension, are addressed. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical framework is proposed based on three virtually complementary perspectives by integrating international production, demand, and contemporary ICT-based theory. Subsequently, an exploratory case study in a pure service environment is described that illustrates the value of the framework. Findings It is possible, for example, to apply the theoretical framework to case studies in internationally-operating companies delivering a mix of goods and services. Research limitations/implications The present study provides a starting-point for further research in the international manufacturing sector.

Originality/value Moreover, the framework has proven to be useful in improving the European structure of the case company. This is a notable and promising side-effect of the exploratory study, at least from a managerial point of view. Keywords: Multinationals, Service operations, Location, Decision making, Case studies

Example of a structured abstract for a general review

Prioritising for healthy schools activities: an initial review exercise Fenella Starkey and Judy Orme Health Education Vol. 100 No. 4 General review Purpose This paper focuses on one aspect of Health Promotion Service Avon's Schools for Health Project 1997/98, which is the development, implementation, analysis and evaluation of an initial review questionnaire completed by teachers, non-teaching staff, parents and pupils. This provided a baseline audit tool in 13 schools. Design/methodology/approach The initial review questionnaire covered topics within the areas of environment, school ethos, staff and pupil wellbeing, curriculum and community. Findings Benefits arising from the initial review exercise identified by schools included: giving all school members the chance to put their views across; engaging people in the project and raising awareness of the school's involvement in the project; and giving legitimacy to concerns raised informally by staff. Practical implications The importance of ensuring that any questionnaire given to non-teaching staff and pupils is "jargon-free" and "user-friendly" was highlighted by some of the teachers involved. Originality/value Helped schools to identify areas for development via the project. Keywords: Schools, Evaluation, Health, Education, Assessment

How not to write an abstract: examples of poor abstracts

What is an abstract? One of the best ways of learning to write good abstracts is to look at other people's mistakes. Review the three abstracts below, and compare your reactions to our own comments.

Abstract 1
Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) is an area which is rapidly expanding amongst Higher Education institutions as the power of available hardware rises facilitating new and innovative HE teaching and learning environments. The University Institute of recently allocated funds to stimulate a learning technology program which was generally intended to impinge on all 4 Faculties within the insititution. Each faculty was asked to bring forward, software development schemes and bids for equipment and other, necessary resources such as human resources, consumables, etc. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of a team of academics in the Department of French, School of Modern Languages within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies at the University Institute of in the development of a Computer-assisted learning software program. Funding was made available from a central source to develop and implement a software program to assist French language learners to acquire vocabulary in "an innovative and measurably effective manner". The software was implemented and tested on a cohort of level 2 students who had, in general, studied French for 8 years, and staff and students were consulted with regards to their reactions. Permission to use this article is granted by Professor Gabriel Jacobs at the University of Swansea

Comments on Abstract 1
Half the abstract is taken up with unnecessary background information about the funding. The full title of the department is unnecessary detail. All this is very wordy, and doesn't relate to what the paper is about. The "purpose" statement could be rephrased: "This paper describes the evaluation of a piece of software designed to assist the acquisition of French vocabulary with a group of level 2 students". There needs to be more description of the methodology how many students? How was the testing done? What, precisely, was evaluated? What were the findings, and what are the implications of the findings? The language used is vague what is meant by "other, necessary resources such as human resources, consumables, etc.", what was "demonstrably efficient" about the style of learning? What was the nature of the consultation with staff and students? There are also a number of grammatical errors, e.g. commas in the wrong places (substantiate, software development). "Mock posh" language is used, i.e. the reference to academics (don't need to use this word unless differentiating from administrators). In short, the abstract contains much information which is of only marginal importance, and merely repeats, almost word for word, what is in the body text; the syntax and punctuation is often defective, verbose and trying too hard to write in an "academic" manner. True of much of the paper.

Abstract 2
Reviews the manufacturing and processing challenges involved in the later stages of the manufacture of large area full frontal wire mesh coating and describes some of the techniques employed by CSW Packaging Solutions.

Comments on Abstract 2
This abstract is far too short and does not provide enough information about the paper. It describes the purpose of the paper and its main subject but gives us nothing on what was done (method) or on results. Specifically, it could have listed the "techniques" mentioned, provided some of the key criticisms and then gone on to implications for practice, i.e. recommendations.

Abstract 3
In this article, research as "mass media" (Lerhmann) is appraised. "Videocy" or videoed research results are examined. A form of video research with its roots in action research, Cabalistic methodology and oral anthropology is reported on. The counterparts it produces, wherein disclosure loops are used to produce an effect similar to the fractalizations of reality, achieves a powerful simulation of reality. But is it a "responsible" form of (research) practice?

Comments on Abstract 3
We are given the paper's purpose but nothing about the methodology and it doesn't explain the scope of the study. It's too short and last but not least, it leaves us with a question!! No summary or results or conclusions are given. An abstract shouldn't be like an advertisement or cliff hanger in a TV serial. The language is abstruse, it's not long enough, and out of context it's fairly meaningless.