Submissions

Submission is currently disabled for this journal.

The Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis does not accept manuscripts on a rolling-basis. Please look for our call for papers and submission deadlines in spring and fall semesters which are posted on our website and across social media platforms. All submissions are expected to be full-length submissions. Submissions that are solely abstracts will be desk rejected.

About

The Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis is a peer-reviewed online journal that provides a space for emerging scholars, educators, and activists to engage in critical and progressive inter/transdisciplinary scholarship and dialogue that supports awareness of social justice issues and challenges individuals to move towards advocacy and concrete engagement with social justice movements. JCTP is also committed to providing all authors with developmental feedback that helps clarify, sharpen, and communicate ideas and arguments in a manner accessible to a broad social justice community. 

Focus and Scope

Please see the Call for Papers for the focus and scope of our next issue.

Submission Checklist

Manuscripts must adhere to the theme of the journal's Call for Papers. Submissions should be clear, concise, and well-organized. All manuscripts must follow the 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide for formatting, references, and citations. Manuscripts that do not follow APA 7 may be sent back to the authors for correction before being considered. Please combine all tables, figures, and references into one document for submission and review.

The submission system offers step-by-step instructions that will guide you through the process. Be prepared to input the following information in the open text fields:

  • Author name(s), email(s), institution(s)
  • Article title
  • Abstract (where appropriate)
  • Acknowledgments
  • Article type (manuscript, poetry, book review, testimonial, etc)
  • Keywords
  • Any notes to the editors

Please have the following document(s) ready to upload: 

  • Full, written work for publication submission in a .doc/.docx format. This should be blinded throughout the entire work -- any reference to the author(s) will be a desk reject and the author(s) will need to blind their work and resubmit the blinded copy for consideration.
  • Include an abstract (200 words or less) on the first page of the manuscript where appropriate
  • All submissions should follow APA 7 formatting. Some changes from APA 6 to 7 are listed below but this list is not exhaustive. Make sure you are using the reference guide when formatting your work:
    • All citations must have a DOI where appropriate 
    • Single space after a period, do not double space. 
    • Please verify all in-text and references are APA 7, not APA 6
    • Use 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins
    • Check headers to ensure accuracy and adherence to APA 7
    • Avoid footnotes
    • All direct quotes must have a page or paragraph number with the author name
    • Authors are reminded to use words that cannot be read as biased, oppressive, or offensive by reasonable people. For example, avoid the use of the term "subject." Use more specific reference, such as "student," "client," or "participant" instead. See 7th Eds. APA for non-biased language examples. 
  • A cover page for the editorial board, if desired (not required, any notes to the board can be left in the comment box at submission)

Submissions should not exceed 30 double-spaced pages, excluding references, tables, and figures. Please include all references, tables, and figures in one document.

As the Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis adheres to a double-blind review process, please ensure that the work(s) uploaded are completely blinded in preparation for submission. Work(s) submitted that is not blinded will be desk rejected and the author will have to resubmit.

Book Review Guidelines 

The Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis welcomes book reviews about recent, relevant, multidisciplinary works related to social justice. If you are interested in reviewing a book for the next issue of the Journal, please email us at jctp@iastate.edu and adhere to the following requirements: 

  • Select a book published within the past two years, unless you are specifically interested in doing a critical update or reflection on a historical (but foundational) work. 
  • Consider whether the book fits with the Journal’s special call – this is not a requirement. 
  • Write a statement giving essential information about the book, including title, author, first copyright date, general subject matter, and ISBN. 
  • Provide a brief description of your background – current role or position, expertise in the subject area of the book, why you are interested in reviewing the book, etc. 

If the Journal agrees to accept your book review, please use the following guidelines when drafting your review: 

  • State the author(s) main argument(s) and offer the reader a sense of the scope of the topic(s) covered in the book. Some questions to consider are: What is the standpoint of the author(s) and who is their intended audience? Did they situate their study/work in a specific field and if so, what elements might be missing with regards to other research or knowledge in that area? 
  • Offer praise and critique. What does the book afford us to see? What are some of the limitations of the book? While thinking about praise and critique ask the following four questions: “Is the review fair and accurate in its presentation of the evidence, arguments, and methodology of the book?” “Does the review present a reasoned evaluation of the book and its conclusions?” Is the review “written in a manner that will promote understanding and further discussion,” specifically of social justice themes? 
  • Evaluate the book for interest, accuracy, and objectivity, as well as importance, thoroughness, and usefulness to its intended audience. Explain the ways in which the works relate to other work on the subject. Note the extent to which the authors address appropriate issues of social justice and inequalities. 
  • Offer a reading recommendation. Should people read this book, and if so, who amongst people? It is unlikely that everyone should read the book so think about who might benefit from a read. Here it might be helpful to reflect on how the book helps you think about your own work. 
  • Try to find further information about the author - reputation, qualifications, influences, biographical, etc. – any information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would help to establish the author's authority. Can you discern any connections between the author's philosophy, life experience, and the reviewed book? 

Book reviews should not exceed 1,500 to 2,000 words and should be typed using double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font. See the most recent APA style guide for any references and in-text citations. 

Copyright Notice

Articles published in the Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC). Users may reproduce, disseminate, display, or adapt this article for non-commercial purposes, provided the author is properly cited. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

Peer Review

The Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis utilizes a double-anonymous peer review process. Submissions should not contain any clues to the identity of the author(s). Double-check manuscripts for (a) self-citations; (b) institution name; and (c) references to institution-specific documents. Please make sure that all submitted manuscripts are blinded. Any works submitted that have not been properly blinded will not move forward to the review process until that has happened. 

Licences

Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis allows the following licences for submission:

  • Copyright
    © the author(s). All rights reserved.
  • CC BY 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-ND 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-NC 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-SA 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Publication Fees

JCTP does not charge any publication fees.

Publication Cycle

This journal publishes two issues a year.

Sections

Section or article type

Public Submissions

Peer Reviewed

Indexed

Letter from the Editor

Article

Interview

Article

Book Review

Poetry