a|b: Auto|Biography Studies

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.).

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.

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.