a/b: Auto/Biography Studies welcomes submissions of scholarly essays related to all aspects of autobiography and biography studies. We are especially interested in scholarship that crosses disciplinary and genre boundaries, explores new sites and methods of identity construction, and in receiving submissions from the international community of scholars of life narrative. All submitted essays should have a relevant theoretical framework and participate in contemporary conversations within the field of auto/biography studies.
Potential contributors may find it helpful to refer to back issues of a/b: Auto/Biography Studies prior to submitting their work for consideration. Individual articles and full issues are now available on Project MUSE.
Submission guidelines:
Essays should be between 7,500 and 12,000 words in length, including notes and the Works Cited pages.
All essays must follow the format of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.). Please click here to view the complete a/b Style Sheet.
Authors must also include a fifty-word abstract and two to four keywords with their submissions.
In order to ensure a blind peer review, remove any identifying information, including citations that refer to you as the author in the first person. Cite previous publications, etc. with your last name to preserve the blind reading process.
Include your name, address, email, the title of your essay, and your affiliation in a cover letter or cover sheet for your essay.
Cover letters may be addressed to the editors, Emily Hipchen and Ricia Anne Chansky.
Essays must be submitted through our online submissions portal. Please click here to submit your essay or go to http://abstudies.submittable.com/submit.
Please note that while we do make every effort to respond to submitters in a timely manner, the peer-review process can take between six and eight months. While we do read submissions year round, submissions received over the summer recess may take longer to process.
It is the author’s responsibility to secure any necessary copyright permissions and essays may not progress into the publication stage without written proof of right to reprint.
Special Issues:
The Editors of a/b: Auto/Biography Studies welcome proposals for special issues. If you are interested in becoming a guest editor and proposing a special issue of a/b, please consult our Special Issue Proposal Guidelines.
Essay Clusters:
In order to promote sustained attention to a specific theme within a regular issue, the Editors of a/b: Auto/Biography Studies also welcome proposals for essay clusters consisting of three to four essays that strongly speak to each other through interrelated themes. Guest editors for essay clusters write abbreviated introductory essays of six to ten pages. Interested parties should follow the Special Issue Proposal Guidelines above, clearly noting that the proposal is for an Essay Cluster.
Book Reviews:
Scholarly books for review may be sent to our Book Review Editor, Tanya Kam. Please note that we do not review autobiographies; our reviews are of critical monographs addressing auto/biography studies. All inquiries may be addressed to: kamt@uww.edu
Tanya Kam, Book Review Editor
a/b: Auto/Biography Studies
Department of Languages and Literatures
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Whitewater, WI 53190-1790
If you would like to be considered as a potential book reviewer for a/b, please email the Book Review Editor a brief description of your research interests and attach a copy of your CV to the email. We do not accept unsolicited reviews.
Recommendations of texts to review and all other inquiries regarding book reviews may also be directed to the Book Review Editor.
Additional Information:
Information regarding conferences, calls for papers, and other information of particular interest to the academic community of scholars of life narrative may be sent to: a/b@unc.edu. While the editors make every effort to be inclusive, we cannot guarantee that all submitted materials will be published.
