Peer review process

Journal of Black Language and Culture operates on a double-anonymous peer review policy, with both authors and reviewers remaining anonymous throughout the peer review process except under circumstances where the identity of the author is critical to the review. See the Submitting your materials page for further guidance on how to anonymize your manuscript.

All submissions are by default peer-reviewed by at least 2 external reviewers.

Anonymity during peer review

Double-anonymous peer review is the default process for submissions to JBLAC. However, in order to respect the lived experiences of authors as forms of expertise, in rare cases where author identity cannot be fully concealed (e.g., because of the nature of the data, lived experience, or methodology), JBLAC allows authors to choose whether they wish to undergo a single- or double-anonymous review process. For some work, a single-anonymized review (i.e., the author's identity is known to reviewers, but reviewers remain anonymous) can be crucial for reviewers in understanding the context and significance of the authors' work. To maintain the integrity of the review process, every effort should be made to prevent the identities of authors and reviewers from being known to each other, unless the author has opted for a single-anonymous review. Submitted manuscripts and supplementary materials will be made available to reviewers as prepared by their authors. If the editorial team identifies a document that has not been appropriately anonymized (in cases where anonymity is requested), the document will be returned to the author for proper anonymization before any further editorial action is taken. The primary responsibility for ensuring anonymity lies with the authors and reviewers, particularly those reviewers who opt to submit documents as part of their review. Authors should indicate their preference for a single- or double-anonymous review by either including or omitting identifying information in their submissions. For more information on best practices for ensuring anonymity, please consult our guidelines on this topic.

Appeals

To appeal an editorial decision, please contact the Editors (jblac@lsadc.org) and specify the reason for your appeal. Your appeal will be reviewed by at least one Editor who did not review the manuscript originally. The final decision regarding your appeal will rest with the journal’s Editors.