All authors are required to submit their articles through the Journal of Black Language and Culture ScholarOne site: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.c...

Submissions Preparation 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: 

Acknowledgement that the Author has reviewed our Author Guidelines and Notes for Contributors, ensuring  that their manuscript meets JBLAC’s outlined criteria.

The Author has included the word count on the first or last page of the manuscript, and the  Article conforms to JBLAC’s length, style, and reference guidelines, based on the relevant submission category specified in the Author Guidelines. 

The Author has ensured that the document adheres to LSA’s style guidelines and referencing format (for reference, see LSA Style Sheet). 

The author believes that the paper is within the scope of JBLAC. The paper presents new findings relevant to scholars studying Black language and culture, demonstrating clear significance for advancing research in these areas. [As a guideline, if your paper does not engage with works published in leading journals that focus on Black language, Black studies, African/a studies, linguistics, and related interdisciplinary fields, it is unlikely to be considered within our scope. Engagement with scholarship from key journals and conferences in these areas is essential for a submission to be sent out for review.]

The article must be the author's own original work, and the author must hold the copyright. If the article has multiple authors, all contributors must be properly credited, and the submission should be made jointly by all authors.

The article must not have been previously published, should not be under review elsewhere, and cannot be submitted to another publication while it is under consideration at JBLAC.

JBLAC is committed to a double-anonymous peer review process (with the identities of both author and reviewer anonymised). Authors should ensure that they do not include identifying information in their paper. However, in certain cases, in order to maintain respect for lived experiences as a form of expertise, JBLAC allows authors to choose, during the submission process, whether to make their identity known to reviewers, especially those who view this as a crucial element in understanding their work.

 The submitted file is a pdf file. Do not submit a Microsoft doc(x) file; convert it to pdf first!

Author Guidelines

JBLAC is open to all areas and subfields concerning the study of language. The journal welcomes submissions from, but is not limited to, the following areas of inquiry: Black/Africana studies, African-American Studies, Linguistics, English, Modern Languages, Rhetoric and Composition, Education, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Feminist and Gender Studies, Disability Studies, Latinx Studies, World Languages, Communication Studies, and American Studies.  Authors may submit articles in one of the following genres: 

Review articles that are theoretical in nature. Review articles may be in an empirical or essay format. Range: 4,000-8,000 words. These articles survey key literature, theoretical frameworks, or major works to clarify or advance conceptual understandings. The work often takes the form of essays, field reviews, or book reviews, such as the introductory essay in the JBLAC issue.

Empirical articles that are qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, or rooted in humanistic inquiry are welcome. They should clearly state the study’s population, methodology, and limitations, and may include deep interpretive or philosophical analysis aligned with the journal’s themes. They should be between 8,000-10,000 words.

Interdisciplinary works that fuse research with poetry, nonfiction, lyrics, drama, or another medium to explore complex topics from multiple angles. Submissions may use empirical data or sources and/or appear as standalone works with author reflections or fully integrated formats within the word limit. To accompany the work, we would like a 2,000-4,000-word synopsis geared for a scholarly audience.  

Pedagogical tools that are designed to be used in a teaching and learning environment. Submissions should clearly define the pedagogical issue, reflect on positionality and context, engage with relevant literature, and address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) throughout. They should 4,000-5,000 words, and follow the following guidelines: 

• Does the article address the teaching of linguistics or the use of linguistic concepts/theory in the teaching of Black language and culture?
• How clearly does the author describe the Black language and culture pedagogical issue under investigation?
• Does the author explain their positionality and institutional context, and how that influences their approach to the Black language and culture pedagogical issue?
• In what ways does the author discuss the applicability of this approach outside of their own context?
• In what ways does the literature review situate the article in a broader pedagogical context, both within the study of Black language and culture and more broadly in the scholarship of teaching and learning?
• In what ways does the author provide support or evidence for their proposed approach to the pedagogical issue?
• How are issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) discussed and addressed throughout the article, as an integral aspect of the criteria above, when relevant.

“How Did You Do That?” articles that share practical, behind-the-scenes insights into conducting Black language and culture research, blending methodology with professional development. They highlight tools, strategies, and reflections often missing from traditional academic articles. They should be between 3,000-5,000 words.  

Student “FUBU” For You By You student-authored pieces (undergraduate, masters, graduate student), in any accepted genre, are crafted specifically for a student audience and classroom use. They aim to be accessible, engaging, and directly usable in both P-12 and higher education settings. They should be approximately 4,000-6,000 words

Squibs are concise articles (2,000–4,000 words) across any accepted category, offering sharp insights in a shorter format. They are especially encouraged by faculty with heavy teaching responsibilities.

Format, Length and Documentation

 All submissions should adhere to the LSA Style Sheet when formatting manuscripts. Manuscript lengths should adhere to guidelines specified by genre type above.  Authors should not submit a manuscript to JBLAC that is under review at another journal, or which has been published in totality or in part through another scholarly outlet.   We ask that you complete the Copyright Transfer Agreement, Exclusive License Agreement or Open Access Agreement, to warrant that your manuscript is an original work, has not been published and has not been submitted for publication.  In addition, authors should submit an “Author contribution statement” which describes how each person contributed to the submitted work.

Please note: All submissions should be accompanied by an abstract, no longer than 200 words in length, along with  5-7 keywords

References

Figures, charts, and images must be clear and in one of the following formats (e.g., JPEG, PNG, GIF, or Microsoft Application Files). If authors wish to use figures, tables, charts, artwork, images, or extensive quotes from other sources, they must obtain permission and cover any associated fees required by the copyright holder.

For a complete set of guidelines see this Author Checklist.

Ethics

If your article presents findings from empirical or observational research, you must ensure both the ethical integrity and validity of your methods.  In line with this, we encourage researchers to engage in critical reflection throughout their research process, acknowledging their positionality.  Furthermore, we encourage authors to base their interaction with research participants in a commitment to collaboration and reciprocity.  Underlying all this is an ethic of humility (Limes-Taylor Henderson & Esposito, 2017).   Before submitting your work, review the Ethics guidelines hyperlinked above. Be aware that if you use, quote, or reproduce unpublished writings from students, teachers, or others, you should obtain clearance from your local IRB or written permission from the authors, even if their work is used anonymously.  If you publish to a preprint server, acknowledge that JBLAC is the first publisher.

Copyright Notice

Upon acceptance of an article, authors are required to agree to the JBLAC Copyright License Agreement, which can be previewed here. Authors retain the copyright to their articles published in JBLAC. Requests for reprints or excerpts should be directed to the original authors, and authors must ensure that proper acknowledgment of JBLAC as the original publisher is included in any reprints or excerpts of the article.

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You will need to create a ScholarOne account if you do not have one. (If you are unsure if you have an account, or have forgotten your password, use the password help function). Please contact the journal’s Editors (jblac@lsadc.org) if you have any questions about the process.

Please also ensure you have read the Preparing your materials section before submitting your article.