This continuing series of research monographs entitled Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy has been established by Barcelona Publishers for the purpose of providing opportunities for qualitative researchers to publish their studies in a refereed periodical that does not have the ordinary limits of a journal. Studies submitted for publication will be appraised by an editorial review board consisting of a group of music therapists, selected by Barcelona Publishers for their expertise in qualitative research. A volume of the monograph will be published whenever a sufficient number of studies have been accepted, rather than according to any fixed time schedule. Each monograph will feature a guest editor who will work with the researchers, editorial board, and publisher in preparing the studies for final publication. Only unpublished research studies on music therapy that are in the qualitative paradigm will be considered for publication. The following definitions shall apply:

• Unpublished: any study that has not appeared previously in a book or journal. Theses and dissertations will be considered, however, prior to submission they must be appropriately edited for publication (see below).
• Research study: any systematic, integrity-monitored inquiry that involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and ultimately leads to a discovery that enhances our understanding of music therapy.
• On music therapy: studies that deal with all areas of clinical practice, theory, research, education, supervision, and ethics in music therapy.
• Qualitative paradigm: a study that is non-positivistic in epistemology, regardless of whether numeric or non-numeric data are used. Methodologically, the studies may be naturalistic, experimental, phenomenological, hermeneutical, heuristic, constructive, theoretical, ethnographic, historical, critical, discourse analytic, or creative in approach.

Studies submitted for review should include the following sections, unless the nature of the study dictates otherwise:

• Introduction: a summary of personal involvement in the research topic
• Related Literature: a review of literature outlining the significance and need for 1) researching the topic, 2) in the qualitative paradigm.
• Problem Statement: statement of the purpose of the inquiry and, when appropriate, the specific research questions posed at the beginning of the inquiry.
• Method: a concise but comprehensive description of: how and why participants were selected; ethical precautions taken; materials and equipment used; procedures for collecting and analyzing the data; citations of other researchers who have developed or used similar methodology.
• Results and Discussion: A summary of findings and their implications.

All studies must meet ethical standards for the treatment of human subjects, as demonstrated by approval by an institutional review board. Consent forms and evidence of approval must be submitted with the study.

All reports must adhere to the following formatting guidelines:

• Text: Single-spaced, 12 font, on standard size white paper, with equal margins of 1 3/8 inches (3.5 cm) on top, bottom, left and right. Tabs and indents are ¸ inch or 1.5 cm.
• Titles and Headings: Title of study is capitalized, centered, and in 14 font; Author’s name is not capitalized, centered, and in 14 font; first level headings are capitalized, centered and in 12 font; second level headings are flush left, not capitalized and in 12 font; third level headings are italicized, not capitalized, and indented once.
• Citations and References: These must adhere to current American Psychological Association (APA) publication guidelines.
• Figures, Tables, Illustrations, Notation, Photos, etc.: These must be placed where they belong within the text document, and already inserted into the text file. Separate files will not be accepted.

Audio or video recordings will not be included in or attached to any paper publication; however, when appropriate, they may be made available on the Barcelona website.

To submit a study, send an electronic file to: barcelonapublishers@comcast.net