Submission Guidelines

Contents:
Articles and Reviews
Poetry or Creative Writing
Photographs and Images
Summary of Submission Guidelines
Footnote Citation Style Examples
Frequently Asked Questions

Articles and Reviews

For articles, we require the use of Chicago Manual of Style (14th ed.) citation guideline and the use of footnotes with bibliography. Articles should be 2500–6000 words in length, excluding notes and bibliography. Book, article, film, television, and web reviews should be approximately 500–2000 words. All text-based articles must be sent in Microsoft Word format.

The editors of NeoAmericanist will provide confirmation of receipt and evaluate the work for inclusion in the next available edition. Manuscripts will not be considered if published elsewhere, or are under consideration at another journal. All submitted works are peer-reviewed anonymously by our editorial staff. Those accepted will be held for up to one year in the possibility that it may be used for a later edition of the journal.

Prior to publication, copyright forms must be completed by the author and returned to the editors. Only the authors of those works accepted for publication in the journal will be asked to sign the appropriate copyright documentation. More details will be provided once the article or review has been formally accepted.

Poetry or Creative Writing

Submissions of poetry or creative writing on America should be sent in Microsoft Word format. Such works should be roughly between 20–1000 words in length. Include your name, level of study (graduate or undergraduate), and any institution you are currently attending or most recently attended or any relevant affiliations. If possible, also provide a title for your work and a very brief paragraph contextualizing the piece (this can be interpretive or autobiographical in nature).

Photographs and Images

In addition to manuscripts, NeoAmericanist accepts photographic and image submissions that demonstrate visually any theme pertaining to America. Once the images have been reviewed by our editors, contributors will be notified of the editor's final decision. If their work is selected contributors will also be involved in the design layout of their work to be displayed in the next edition.

Send images with titles in JPEG (.jpeg) format. Write a short description (50–500 words) explaining what each image, or collection of images, says about America. Also, include your name, level of study (graduate or undergraduate) and college/university you are attending or most recently attended.

The editors' decisions are final and are not subject to appeal.

Submit all manuscripts and images to the editors through the Submission Form found on this website

Summary of Submission Guidelines

Articles and Reviews

• Chicago Manual Style (14th ed.)
• Microsoft Word format
• Footnotes and Bibliography (no endnotes)
• Font: Times New Roman, size 12pt
• Length: 2500–6000 words for Articles; 500–2000 for Reviews
• Include: Title of paper, level it was written (undergraduate or graduate), your current level of studies, and current or most recent college/university attended

Poetry/Creative Writing

• Microsoft Word format
• Length: between 20–1000 words
• Include: Title of work, level it was written (undergraduate or graduate), your current level of studies, current or most recent college/university attended, and (if possible) write a very brief paragraph contextualizing the piece

Photographs and Images

• Send image(s) in JPEG (.jpg) format
• Write a short description explaining what the image, or collection of images, says about America (roughly 50–500 words)
• Include: Title of image/collection, level it was written (undergraduate or graduate), your current level of studies, current or most recent college/university attended

FOOTNOTE Citation Style EXAMPLES

(all footnotes size 10pt):

1. Books/Monographs:

Merritt Roe Smith, Harper's Ferry Armory and the New Technology: The Challenge of Change (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1977).

Leo Marx, The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1964), 21-23.

Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970).

Christian Schultz, Travels on an Inland Voyage (1810; reprint, Ridgewood, NJ: Gregg Press, 1968).

Timothy Dwight, Travels in New England and New York, ed. Barbara Miller Solomon, 4 vols. (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1969), I, 6-7.

2. Periodicals (Articles, Newspapers, etc.)

Bruce Kuklick, "Myth and Symbol in American Studies," American Quarterly 24, 2 (October 1972), 435-450.

William Leuchtenburg, "The Great Depression," in Comer Vann Woodward, ed., The Comparative Approach to American History (New York: Basic Books, 1968), 297.

John Doe, "[Headline]," Time, June 16-23, 1990, 41-43.

"[Headline]," New York Times, October 11 1951, 17.

New York World, May 1 1898, 1-2.

3. Subsequent References (use author's last name and page):

Smith, 45.

Dwight, II, 129-130.

Marx, Machine in the Garden, 107-108. [If multiple works by same author are cited, use title as well as in this example]

4. Ibid (italicized and with period):

Ibid.

Ibid., 148-149.

Frequently Asked Questions

A List of the TOP TEN COMMON QUESTIONS NeoAmericanist is asked most frequently by students and contributors (Last updated Jan 2008):

1. How do I submit a paper, or other work, to NeoAmerianist?
The only way to submit works to NeoAmericanist is to upload them through the main website. Click the link titled "_submission form" on the left of the screen and follow the steps to upload your work. It's that simple. (Due to mailbox overload, we no longer receive email submissions)

2. My Paper/Review/Idea is on _________________, would this be appropriate for NeoAmericanist?
The Answer to this one is also simple. If it has ANYTHING to do with the study of America than you're more than halfway there! This question is probably the most common any person will ask when submitting to any journal. However, NeoAmericanist is designed to be user friendly, educate and aid students in publishing in an internationally available publication. As such, the mandate of the journal is to consider any paper for publication so long as it is composed by a student (any level of post-secondary education) and pertains to the study of America. And lastly, don't be intimidated! NeoAmericanist is here to help you learn and progress as a critical and thoughtful student of American Studies.

3. What are the requirements that NeoAmericanist has on the style format of an article I wish to submit?
This is the other half of making sure that your paper is ready to send to NeoAmericanist. We suggest that you go to our website, click on "submission guidelines" to make sure that your work fits the basic format. CONFORMING TO A JOURNAL'S GUIDELINES IS PRIMARILY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL SUMITTING THEIR WORK. This is not a complicated or demanding series of format requests especially when compared to many other journals, NeoAmericanist's submission guidelines are quite easy to adhere to.

4. What is the editorial process at NeoAmericanist, and how is my paper evaluated by editors?
The editorial process at NeoAmericanist is simple, but involves a number of steps. When a work is received by the editorial staff, it is immediately checked for basic content and format standards. This means we make sure it is the right length, it is from a student, and that there are no glaring problems that would complicate the following editorial process. Next, the paper is blinded (all identifying markers) by the staff and the paper is sent to a peer-reviewer that has experience with the topic of the work. The reviewer reads the paper, makes notes on any problems re: substantive matters (e.g. research or writing) and then suggests to the executive editorial team what the next step for the given work should be. If the paper is considered appropriate for publication, it's sent to the author with suggested changes; If it is seen as needing too much work for immediate publication it is sent back to the author with suggestions on how to improve it for publication. If the work is selected to go on in the process the author is given a set time to make changes and get them back, at which time another editor (this time a copyeditor) reviews the work for its final touches: aesthetics/form and syntax, such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and structure. Once the changes are made on this draft the paper is ready to be published.

5. How long does it take for my paper to be evaluated?
I wish there was a simple answer to this question. Generally any submission to a publisher or journal can take as long as a year or two to complete the entire editorial process. Fortunately, NeoAmericanist's editors work a little bit faster and are focused on providing constructive feedback to contributors. You will receive confirmation from the journal almost immediately, and then it all depends on when the next edition of the journal is scheduled for release. NeoAmericanist follows a loose editorial schedule that features two full review rotations per year. This means that your article will be reviewed and feedback provided within a maximum six-month period. Just keep in mind our CFP dates and estimated release dates for the next publication.

6. If my work is published, will I still be able to submit my article to other journals?
No. Once published, an article becomes the property of the journal that publishes it for a certain length of time. If a work is selected, authors will be asked to sign a contract allowing their article or review to be published. This is standard procedure and fundamental to academic publishing and done so journals do not have to worry about repetition.

7. Can I re-submit my work if it is turned down?
Should a work be rejected and bounced back to you at any point in the editorial process you are more than welcome to resubmit the work with the suggested revisions. We encourage people to improve on their work and it to us again. Just remember to keep in mind why it was bounced back the first time and make appropriate changes.

8. How do I become a Corresponding or Coordinating editor with NeoAmericanist?
Easy, send us an email informing us of your interest. Include your current level of study, institution you are attending or the most recent attended, and your areas of academic experience and interest relating to the study of America. As an interdisciplinary publication we welcome students from all academic backgrounds arts, social science, and science to get involved. More information on the duties of these editorial positions can be found at neoamericanist.org under "_how to get involved."

9. I am a Corresponding/Coordinating Editor with the journal, does this exclude me from submitting my work?
NO!! By no means does your involvement exclude you from submitting to the journal. Editors are welcome to submit work with the understanding that it will receive the same blinded process and treatment that other papers would. The only exception to this rule is if you are invited to publish a work or contribute a piece by the executive, in which case the article is considered an editorial rather than a blinded or peer-reviewed work.

10. Why is the word limit set to between 2,500–6,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography) for articles?
The word limit is set because of the nature of the journal's editorial review and selection process. Our dedicated editorial staff of student volunteers give their time and effort to meticulously review submissions to NeoAmericanist. Because of the volume of submissions it is impossible for these editors to deal with works exceeding the 6,000 word limit and provide sufficient, constructive feedback to the authors and editorial executive during the selection of articles.