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How to offer of an article for publication
The Editors of the Journal of the British Academy welcome high-quality articles associated with any of the British Academy’s own programmes, activities and interests.
Purpose and character of the Journal
The Journal of the British Academy is a platform for high-quality informed comment by scholars working in the humanities and social sciences, on matters of political, social and cultural interest. It taps new and exciting thinking and research. It provides space for reflection on current scholarship, and the exploration of new areas. It highlights the international range of the British Academy’s interests.
Some articles may take the form of dialogues between two or more academics.
The Journal also publishes ‘commentary’ pieces (typically of 3-4,000 words), which can include responses to articles recently published in the Journal.
Readership of the Journal
Journal articles are intended primarily for an academic readership. But because the Journal’s disciplinary range is so broad, across the entire spectrum of the humanities and social sciences, articles should be inclusive and accessible to readers who are not specialists in a particular field. For some articles, the appropriate readership may include those with related non-academic expertise (e.g. practitioners or policymakers).
Pre-submission enquiry
If you are interested in offering an article, you are strongly advised to email a pre-submission enquiry to [email protected]
This should include the title of the article, the names and institutional affiliations of any co-authors, an indication of the British Academy programme or activity with which the article is associated, an outline of the article’s theme and purpose (up to 500 words), and estimates for the number of words and figures.
From this, the Editors will be able to indicate whether they are interested in receiving a formal submission.
Submission of article for consideration
Articles should be prepared in line with the guidance given in the ‘Notes to Authors’.
The article text should be emailed to [email protected]
Please include the email contact details of any co-author(s).
If you have not submitted a pre-submission enquiry, please provide a statement (up to 100 words) of how the proposed article is associated with one or more of the British Academy’s own programmes or activities.
Assessment of articles
The Journal has two Editors, covering humanities and social science subjects, respectively. All articles are reviewed by at least one other independent expert reader. The copy of the article text sent for review will not include your name or other authorship information on the title page. As part of the review process, you may be asked to make reasonable changes to the text. The final decision on acceptance of an article for inclusion in the Journal rests with the Editors.
How to propose a supplementary issue
The Editors of the Journal of the British Academy welcome proposals for thematic collections of papers, associated with the British Academy’s own programmes and activities.
Pre-submission enquiry
If you are interested in being the ‘guest editor’ of such a supplementary issue, you are strongly advised to email a pre-submission enquiry to [email protected].
This should include the title of the supplementary issue, the names and institutional affiliations of any co-editors, an indication of the British Academy programme or activity with which the issue is associated, a brief summary of the issue’s theme and purpose, and an overview of the intended number of articles and range of contributors.
From this, the Editors will be able to indicate whether they are interested in receiving a formal proposal.
Proposal
For a formal proposal, the following information should be emailed to [email protected]
- Name of proposer and contact email address
- Title of supplementary issue
- Name(s) and current institutional affiliation(s) of issue editor(s)
- Background: indication of how the proposed issue is associated with one or more of the British Academy’s own programmes or activities (up to 100 words)
- Introductory statement about the issue, explaining its focus and significance (including impact on scholarship, and any wider policy or public interest implications) (up to 500 words)
- For each article: name(s) and current institutional affiliation(s) of the author(s), plus an abstract (up to 150 words)
- The British Academy is committed to showcasing a diverse community of scholars across the humanities and social sciences. We view diversity in the broadest sense - including age, career stage, institutional affiliation, ethnicity and gender. Indicate in what ways you have sought to meet the equality, diversity and inclusion criteria that the British Academy is interested in.
- Proposed word limit for articles
- Proposed deadline by which contributors should submit article drafts to the issue editor(s)
- Estimated date when the final edited text of the whole issue will be submitted by the issue editor(s)
Assessment of proposals
The Journal has two Editors, covering humanities and social science subjects, respectively. As part of the review process, you may be asked to make reasonable changes to the proposed issue. The final decision on acceptance of a proposal for a supplementary issue of the Journal rests with the Editors.
Data protection
The British Academy is committed to protecting and storing securely any personal and sensitive data held. (‘Personal data’ means any information relating to you, through which you can be identified, such as name, contact details and employment information.)
As a prospective Journal author or guest editor, your personal data (name, contact information, employment information) is stored by the British Academy’s Publishing Department. This information can be updated at your request.
As part of your relationship with us, the British Academy’s Publishing Department will use your personal data to: process your submission; pass your submission onto assessors and to the Editors of the Journal; and to convey the outcome of your submission. Other relevant members of British Academy staff may also view your submission.
Proposers of supplementary issues must secure the permission of all contributors to be listed as potential contributors in their proposal.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to speak to us about the way in which we process your personal data, please email [email protected].