Submissions
JCS is open for submissions
Publishing Ethos
Accessibility and open scholarship are foundational to the Journal of Contemplative Studies’ publishing ethos. JCS does not charge publication fees, reflecting our ethical commitment to the free dissemination of knowledge. By providing open access to its publications, JCS seeks to bring high-quality, interdisciplinary scholarship to readers and contributors across institutions, disciplines, and backgrounds. The journal welcomes submissions from scholars at all career stages and from a broad range of intellectual traditions, and is committed to rigorous peer review that reflects the breadth and vitality of the field. The members of JCS’s Executive and Editorial Boards are committed to ensuring equitable representation within the scholarly community of Contemplative Studies. The journal’s core mission is to expand the reach and relevance of cutting-edge scholarship in Contemplative Studies while keeping it freely available to all.
Content Types
The following types of submissions are accepted:
- Standalone articles on original research and scholarship (up to 15,000 words, not including endnotes and citations)
- Articles for Special Issues on thematic topics with guest editors (up to 15,000 words, not including endnotes and citations)
- Book reviews on new publications (up to 2,500 words)
- Narrative reviews on a body of literature with synthesis and interpretation (up to 7,500 words)
- Contemplative Currents public scholarship submissions in the form of essays, conference reports, and video proceedings (up to 2,500 words)
| Content Type | Public Call for Submissions | Peer Reviewed | Indexed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standalone Article | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Article for Special Issue | ✓ (sometimes) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Book Review | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Narrative Review | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Currents | ✓ |
Contact the JCS editors with questions or to propose a Special Issue: contemplativejournal@virginia.edu
Submission Checklist
Manuscript submissions must:
- Adhere to the Manuscript Preparation Guide
- Be in a Microsoft Word document
- Not be under consideration elsewhere
- Omit references that identify the name of the author(s) for Research Articles that are to undergo peer-review
- Provide an abstract of the article (150-200 words)
- Include endnotes and list of Works Cited, if applicable
- Include complete captions, credit, and copyright information or authorization to reproduce for all images, if applicable
- Sign the Author Agreement
Peer-Review Process
Articles and book review proposals submitted to the journal are first reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an invited guest editor of a Special Issue. Submissions that do not fall within the scope of the journal or do not meet our quality standards are rejected at this first stage.
If the submission passes initial review, articles are anonymously peer-reviewed by two independent scholars in the field. These scholars can be members of the Advisory or Editorial Board, but are never on the journal’s editorial team. General article reviews are double-blind, which means the author(s) do not know who the reviewers are, and reviewers do not know the author(s). Peer-review for Special Issue articles is at least single-blind, where the author(s) do not know who the reviewers are, but may be double-blind depending on the issue. All articles go through at least two rounds of peer-review with an optional third round as needed.
Book reviews do not typically go through a separate peer-review process, and are instead thoroughly evaluated by the journal’s editors.
The peer review process is projected to take 10-weeks. Submissions will be accepted for publication only once authors have made revisions or responded adequately to the recommendations made by reviewers.
How to Submit
To submit an article or review, register and follow the process via the JCS Submission portal.
JCS uses the digital platform Janeway for article submission and the editorial process to send the manuscript back and forth between author(s) and editors. This ensures consistent and stable pathways of communication and file control. If issues come up using Janeway, email contemplativejournal@virginia.edu and we will find solutions.
Copyright Notice and License
The Journal of Contemplative Studies © 2022 The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.
Individual articles published by the Journal of Contemplative Studies are copyright of the author(s) and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC-ND), under which:
- Attributions must give appropriate credit to the author(s) and journal, provide links to the journal source webpage and license, and indicate if changes were made. Attribution should appear as follows: ©YEAR AUTHOR NAME. Originally published and licensed by Journal of Contemplative Studies under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0.
- Reusers may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses the reuser or their use.
- Reusers may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
- Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.