The CSSF State of Family (SoF) project has two branches or pathways:
- Academic Pathway: Scholars interested in writing academic reports can submit their manuscripts to Marriage and Family Review (MFR), a peer-reviewed academic journal. Manuscripts submitted to MFR will undergo a normal review process.
- General Pathway: Scholars interested in writing general reports can submit their manuscripts to CSSF. Staff members of CSSF will review submitted manuscripts before considering them for publication. If approved, the reports will be posted on the CSSF website.
The CSSF SoF project also has a developmental growth process to train scholars (undergraduate, masters, and doctoral) on the CSSF reports. Through the developmental growth process, scholars will:
- Build knowledge and expertise about families in a defined location.
- Develop research skills for systematically studying families.
- Produce audio or video presentations about families.
- Build their confidence in their family science knowledge and skills.
- Begin the process of writing more comprehensive reports that can then be submitted to MFR.
The developmental growth process will involve the following steps:
- Scholars will be assigned a mentor who is an expert on families in a defined location.
- Scholars will work with their mentor to develop a research plan for writing their SoF report.
- Scholars will collect data and analyze the data for their SoF report.
- Scholars will write a draft of their SoF report and submit it to their mentor for feedback.
- Scholars will revise their SoF report based on their mentor’s feedback.
- Scholars will submit their final SoF report to the CSSF for review.
The CSSF SoF project is a unique opportunity for scholars to learn about families in a defined location, develop research skills, and build their confidence. The project also provides scholars with the opportunity to publish their work in a peer-reviewed academic journal or on the CSSF website.
Benefits of the Developmental Growth Process
The developmental growth process of the CSSF SoF project offers a number of benefits to scholars, including:
- Opportunity to learn from experts: Scholars will have the opportunity to learn from mentors who are experts on families in a defined location.
- Development of research skills: Scholars will develop research skills for systematically studying families, including data collection, data analysis, and report writing.
- Opportunity to publish work: Scholars have the opportunity to publish their work in a peer-reviewed academic journal or on the CSSF website.
- Development of confidence: Scholars will build their confidence in their ability to write about families and to publish their work.
- Preparation for future research: The developmental growth process will prepare scholars for future research on families.
