We are pleased to announce the arrival of Canadian Literature Issue 236, Lost and Found! Laura Moss’ editorial this issue is an advice column on how to increase your chances of publication in an academic journal. She writes:
As the editor of a journal, I’m often asked how people can increase their article’s chances of publication. Having served as editor (and acting editor) for five years now, I’ve read over a thousand readers’ reports and written many hundred decision letters. Over the course of adjudication of submissions, I’ve noticed patterns of omission and problem areas that are consistently noted across reports. I have learned what peers read for and where critical emphasis often lies in peer review. I also know that most academics occupy the double role of being both writers and evaluators. So, when I conceived of the idea for this editorial, I thought it would be useful to reach beyond my own observations and to consult my academic community. On Facebook, I asked my colleagues across fields for “useful tips/editorial feedback that you’ve been given or that you have given to others.” They, in turn, offered their advice (thus all the people quoted below shared their comments in that social media venue. I am grateful to all). Interestingly, almost all the comments were ones I have seen before in peer review readers’ reports. Such crowdsourcing loosely illustrates that while sub-fields may vary, what readers seem to value as publishable scholarship often shares certain features.
—Laura Moss, “An Editor’s Advice: How to Increase Your Chances of Publication in an Academic Journal”
This issue also features:
- Articles by Jennifer Harris, Emma Cleary, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andre Furlani, and Heather Macfarlane.
- Poetry by Gillian Wallace, Lydia Kwa, A. F. Moritz, Franco Cortese, Angeline Schellenberg, and Sara Mang.
- Reviews by Gisèle M. Baxter, Liza Bolen, François-Emmanuël Boucher, Stephen Cain, MLA Chernoff, Hilary Clark, Ryan J. Cox, Heidi Tiedemann Darroch, Susie DeCoste, Paul Denham, Greg Doran, Scott Duchesne, Stephen Dunning, Jeff Fedoruk, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Lydia Forssander-Song, Alexandre Gauthier, Jennifer Henderson, Suzanne James, Kyle Kinaschuk, Sarah-Jean Krahn, Zoë Landale, Dorothy F. Lane, Christine Lorre-Johnston, Shao-Pin Luo, Sarah MacKenzie, Krzysztof Majer, Linda Morra, Marcia Nardi, Tracy O’Brien, Claire Omhovère, Jane Elizabeth Parker, Olivia Pellegrino, Ryan Porter, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, Jason Rotstein, Ralph Sarkonak, Neil Surkan, Cheryl Suzack, Yusuf Varachia, Carl Watts, and Lorraine York.
- Opinions and Notes by Joseph Pivato and Robert Thacker.
The new issue can be ordered through our online store. Happy reading!