Submitting an Essay
The Editors and their Advisory Board welcome the submission of papers on literary history, theory, and interpretation, as well as original materials such as letters, journals, and notebooks. PLL defines the word "language" broadly and welcomes submissions on visual and/or digital languages.
Submissions should be a minimum of 15 pages in length (not including notes and Works Cited). Decisions may take 2-6 months.
Contributors should follow the current edition of the MLA Handbook, and manuscripts should be free of all identifying information.
Submissions must not be under consideration elsewhere.
Submissions should be made electronically. Address messages to pll@siue.edu and include the word "Submission" followed by a shortened title in the subject line. Attach the essay in the form of a PDF file. Include an abstract of no more than 150 words in the body of the e-mail. Also include a postal mailing address and a phone number.
A Note to Graduate Student Authors
PLL encourages early-career scholars to submit their work and is pleased to publish it. However, unrevised seminar papers are highly unlikely to pass, or even enter, the peer-review process. Prior to sending their work, graduate students should discuss differences between a seminar paper and a journal article with their mentors and seek the mentors' suggestions for a thorough revision. Such a revision will increase the chances of placing the work successfully and/or receiving fruitful reader feedback.
Authors of accepted submissions will be asked to furnish a copy in the form of a Microsoft Word file via email attachment.
All submissions and other correspondence on editorial matters should be emailed to msautma@siue.edu.
Book Reviews
PLL publishes reviews of significant recent peer-reviewed volumes of literary and cultural criticism and theory. The Editor selects the titles and asks qualified scholars to write reviews. In some cases, we review books suggested by the representatives of academic and university presses. Confirmed reviewers will receive specific guidelines from the Managing Editor.
Please note:
- we do not accept unsolicited reviews and review requests from individuals, and
- we do not review works of creative writing and creative non-fiction.
