Submissions

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Focus and Scope

The Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures (JOLCEL) is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes two issues per year in open access. We publish both thematic and miscellaneous issues. Miscellaneous issues bundle individual articles that we first publish as advance articles. These advance articles receive stable DOIs and page numbers from the moment they are ready for publication, which assures faster publication. Our format for thematic issues is dialogical and combines three to five articles with a reaction by a respondent.

JOLCEL offers a platform for research on the history of European literature from the perspective of Latin literature as a transnational and cosmopolitan influence. We encourage contributions on Latin literature throughout the ages and on the literatures and literary cultures in which Latin played a role, either as a language, a literature, an educational system, or as a literary culture. Furthermore, we invite articles that treat similar cosmopolitan languages and literatures that can shed a light on the history of Latin.

Contributions to the journal treat topics that cross traditional chronological and linguistic boundaries. From the first century AD to roughly the eighteenth century, Latin remained a strong undercurrent in European history. It functioned as the standard equipment of European authors and their readers. Through its constant interactions with other languages with cosmopolitan standing (Greek, Arabic and Hebrew) and with the rapidly changing literary production in the vernaculars, Latin strongly defined Europe’s literary identity.

The dialogical approach to European literary identity is reflected in the journal’s format. Papers are clustered in groups of three based on a common question, but regarded from the viewpoints of different historical periods and/or literatures. For each group, a specialist on the subject reflects upon the papers in an additional contribution. This respondent looks for connections and differences and places the insights in a broader perspective. In this way, we establish a dialogue between voices that rarely come into contact in traditional academic structures. The respondents moderate the ongoing debate and guarantee the journal’s place at the frontiers of research.

Thematic issues

Next to individual submissions, we also welcome proposals for thematic issues that bring together three to five articles. Please send us an email at relics@ugent.be with the following information:

  • Names and contact details of every contributor
  • 100 words about the theme
  • Titles and 100-word abstracts of every contribution
  • Optional: the name of a respondent. You can also leave this to us.

You will be informed of acceptance or rejection of your proposal within a month. At that time, we will also propose a timing for publication.

We welcome thematic issues on the whole range of periods and subjects that JOLCEL covers, which also means the other cosmopolitan literatures of Europe that come into touch with Latin. If you are uncertain about whether a theme would fit our journal, do not hesitate to contact us and tell us about your idea.

RELICS

The journal is closely linked to the activities of the research network RELICS (Researchers of European Literary Identity, Cosmopolitanism and the Schools), which aims to develop a large international network of researchers interested in these themes. Since January 2021, RELICS is the coordinator of a broader research unit, entitled “Literatures without Borders. A Historical-Comparative Study of Premodern Literary Transnationality.” The focus of this project is on premodern literatures after Antiquity with a transnational character and within the geographical boundaries encompassing North Africa, the Middle East and Europe: Latin, Byzantine Greek, Arabic and Hebrew-Yiddish-Ladino.


Submission Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
  • The pages are numbered to help reviewers; the text is between 7,000 and 9,000 words, footnotes excluded; does not count more than 12,000 words with footnotes included; is 1.5-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs...
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • The file has been anonymised, i.e., it does not contain the name of the author either in the text or as part of the document properties.

Copyright Notice

Articles published in JOLCEL are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (CC-BY 4.0). This licence allows researchers to download, copy, share, transform, extend, or republish, as long as the original author and publisher are cited. The copyright remains with the author.

Peer Review

JOLCEL adheres to the COPE guidelines on ethical publishing (https://publicationethics.org).

An article submitted to JOLCEL is first screened by the editor and can be rejected at this stage if it fails to meet the minimum criteria. Articles submitted to JOLCEL must:

  • not be under review elsewhere,
  • fall within the scope and theme of the journal,
  • present original research that has not previously been published and that contributes to the present state of knowledge,
  • use a clear and correct language.

The editorial board appoints two external referees for a double-blind peer review of the article. Editors and reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest resulting from direct competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors. Submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents by the editors and the reviewers. In case of conflicting reviews, editors can seek additional reviews, of which decision the author will be informed. Decisions about publication are made by the editor on the basis of the reviewers’ reports.

The editor’s decision is communicated to the author together with the recommendations of the referees. In case of a request for major changes, the revised manuscript is returned to the referees, who may request another revision. The editor is responsible for the final decision on the article and informs the author of this decision as soon as it is made.

Response articles go through a different editorial process. Authors of response articles are invited by the editorial board, and their articles are reviewed by the editors.

A notification of acceptance or a request for revision may be expected within 6 months of submission of the article. The article will be scheduled in the issue that is up for publication, except when this issue is a thematic one.

Licences

Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures allows the following licences for submission:

  • CC BY 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Publication Fees

JOLCEL does not have submission or publication charges.

Publication Cycle

JOLCEL publishes two issues per year in open access.

Open access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.