For Authors

Please verify that all communications come from the editor directly (see “Editorial Board” for contact information) or from Scholastica. There is no cost to submit or publish in the journal unless you have requested open access for your accepted article.

Manuscript Submissions

The Journal of Appalachian Studies seeks articles based on original empirical research, including applied research, as well as literary criticism and reflections on conceptual, theoretical, and methodological issues in Appalachian studies. Given the Journal’s broad readership, we encourage consideration of the wider implications of each study. Submissions must be written in a style that can be understood by non-specialists.

We will consider rigorous scholarship from scholars, teachers, activists, and others whose work focuses on the Appalachian region. The current editor invites scholarship which compares the Appalachian region to other regions in the world and places the region in a critical, global context. All submissions are expected to demonstrate an understanding of relevant Appalachian studies literature.

Submission Guidelines

Articles must be submitted to the journal’s online manuscript submission portal. This secure, personalized resource will allow you to track your manuscript through each step of the review and acceptance process.

The journal uses a double-blind peer review process. Authors should prepare their manuscripts in a way that does not reveal their identity to reviewers. Please do not include your name or affiliation on the manuscript and make sure that tables and figures do not contain any related identifiers. References to work previously undertaken by the author(s) should be written in third person (avoid phrases such as “as we have shown before”). Acknowledgements and references to funding sources should be omitted from the initial submission. Please ensure that document properties are also anonymized (see “Ensuring a Blind Review” on the submission checklist for detailed instructions).

Authors should verify that: the submission has not been previously published and that it is not before another journal for consideration (if so, an explanation should be provided to the editor); the submission file is in Microsoft Word format (or a file type compatible with MS Word); URLs for the references have been provided when appropriate; the text is double-spaced and uses a twelve point font; all illustrations, figures, and tables have been placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end of the manuscript. You will be asked to insert image location callouts and submit high resolution files if your manuscript is accepted for publication.

Authors will be asked to provide an abstract and brief bio statement (not more than thirty words) for each contributor at the time of submission. Sample bio: Christopher Leadingham is a PhD candidate in the history department at the University of Kentucky and is the associate editor of the Journal of Appalachian Studies.

Roundtables and other compendiums by multiple authors should be submitted as a single document.

Submitted manuscripts must adhere to the formatting and stylistic requirements outlined below. Manuscripts are accepted pending editorial revision. Authors should expect to work with the editorial staff to prepare the document for copyediting and publication.

The Journal follows the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed.

Word Count limits

Articles should be between 5,000 - 7,000 words (approximately 20 to 25 pages) including notes, citations, and references.

Teaching / Research / Community Notes should not exceed 4,000 words (approximately 12-15 pages) including notes, citations, and references.

Manuscripts that significantly exceed the above word counts should be discussed with the editor before submission; some may need to be shortened before they are accepted for publication.

Peer Review Process:

Manuscripts are assigned an editor; normally the main journal editor is assigned, or in the case of a special issue, the main journal editor is assigned as well as the themed issue editor(s)
Initial editorial review to ensure that the manuscript is anonymous, suitable for the journal, and ready for peer review; at this point articles might be returned to the author for further preparation
If the article is ready, the editor uses the reviewer database to assign reviewers, or adds additional reviewers to the database as needed.
When reviews are back, the editor makes a decision and may decline the article, send the article out for major revision, or ask for minor revisions
In the case of major revisions, the reviewers are asked to review the resubmission.
With at least two positive reviews the article is accepted, often with minor revisions requested before publication