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Policies/Submissions

Contents

The Journal of International Women's Studies is an on-line, open-access, peer reviewed journal that provides a forum for scholars, activists, and students to explore the relationship between feminist theory and various forms of organizing.

General Submission Guidelines

We recommend that contributions be less than 7,500 words, inclusive of footnotes and bibliography, but we will consider longer texts if warranted by the subject matter. All submissions must contribute to the feminist mission of the journal, as detailed in “About This Journal” on our website. Only completed work should be submitted for consideration on our online portal; authors who wish to consult with editors about work-in-progress should reach out via email to: JIWS@bridgew.edu. Contributions submitted to this journal should NOT be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All submissions go through a blind peer-review process, which typically takes 3-4 months for initial review. There is NO FEE to publish in the JIWS. Since we receive so many submissions that we have had to limit our portal to being open for submissions only 2 months of each year, we ask authors to only submit ONE article or creative work per submission period (usually a "submission period" is a single month). If you have published an article with us before, we also ask that you wait 2-3 years before submitting a new article for consideration, so that we can give publishing opportunities to a wide pool of authors. Exceptions to these limitations are book and film reviews (which can be submitted at any time to our book and film review editors; see instructions below), or feminist reflections and policy briefs (which we encourage whenever the portal is open for submissions). While submitting your document, ensure you select from one of the following document categories:

  • Articles are written by scholars, researchers, or professionals who are experts in their fields, publishing the results of research.
  • Essays are also written by scholars, researchers, or professionals and include more subjective, personal and interpersonal reflective content, often challenging the norms of scholarly article formats across various disciplines. While feminist scholarly articles, rooted in feminist theory can also involve more subjective content essays largely reflect on research, scholarship, academic and professional norms to a greater degree through the lens of feminist ideals.
  • Feminist reflections are unconventional first-person reflections in a blog or vlog format heightening the personal reflective component found in essays. There is less attention to conventional and scholarly modes of citation.
  • Policy briefs aim to directly influence government policy, NGOs, and international bodies (UN, WHO, ILO, etc.) that work to shape legislative agendas. Policy briefs can help researchers create a real-world impact. We have particular requirements about the format and length of policy briefs (see below).
  • Fictional/creative works are also encouraged. We seek poetry, short stories, short plays, videos, vlogs or links to vlogs, blogs or links to blogs, photos of artworks, videos of short performance pieces, all of which should aim to heighten awareness of patriarchy, intersectional inequalities, and women’s subordination, and may also seek to transform these conditions and social inequalities.

Formatting Requirements for Submission

NOTE: Initial submissions and revised resubmissions that do not conform to all formatting requirements may be rejected and sent back to the author, delaying the review process or publication timeline. Please also consult published issues of the journal to see examples of the correct formatting. If you have specific questions about formatting or the submission process, please contact us at JIWS@bridgew.edu.

  • Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file (Word or PDF files are accepted).
  • Do NOT include your name on your submission to ensure blind review. Begin with the title only.
  • Your document should be in Times New Roman, 12-point font, single-spaced, and left/right justified.
  • Do not include page numbers.
  • Please use standard 1” margins on all sides, including your tables and figures.
  • After your piece’s title, include an Abstract of 300-350 words that summarizes your article’s topic, argument, methodology, and/or conclusions.
  • After your abstract, include a list of at least 3 Keywords (or phrases) that convey your article’s topics, themes, and/or types of research methodology.
  • All heading titles for major sections within the piece should be in bold face type, with no space between the heading and the paragraph that follows. If there are subheadings within the larger heading, use italics for the subheading titles. Insert one space before a new heading or subheading. Do not number headings, but you may number subheadings if there are more than 3 within a section.
  • Literature Reviews: Please consider whether a section entitled “Literature Review” is necessary or comprehensive enough to warrant such a title. If your review of secondary sources is not comprehensive, offer a more descriptive title for the section, such as “Feminist Theories about Domestic Violence” or “Background to the Current Problem” as relevant to your paper topic.
  • All paragraphs should be indented. Do not insert extra line breaks (spaces) between paragraphs of text. If you include a long block quotation within a paragraph, please insert one space before and one space after the indented quotation block.
  • Quotations should be surrounded by quotation marks (“ ”). Do not use italics for quotations.
  • All illustrations and tables should be labeled and captioned accurately. To the extent possible, tables and figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. Large tables or figures should be put on pages by themselves. All tables and figures must fit within 1" margins on all sides.
  • Non-English terms (in any language other than English) should be set in italics. A definition of all non-English words and terms should be made clear either in parentheses or in a footnote.
  • Titles of books and films should be set in italics rather than underlined.
  • Follow APA or MLA citation styles, or a style appropriate to your discipline. Make sure to include in-text citations in parentheses for all material that you are drawing from your references.
  • The References (or Works Cited) section should be single-spaced and in 12-point Times New Roman font. Use hanging indents for your reference list (i.e., the first line of the citation should be flush with the left margin and all other lines should be indented from the left margin by a set amount). After the last sentence of your article, please insert a line break—not a page break—and begin your references on the same page.
  • Where appropriate, please use footnotes (in 10-point font) at the bottom of the page instead of endnotes. Footnote numbers or symbols in the text must follow, rather than precede, punctuation. Given the international nature of the journal's audience, footnoted explanations are necessary for all political, geographic, historical, and popular culture references.
  • The document should be carefully proofread for English grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Submissions that need extensive English-language editing will be returned to the author, who will be responsible for seeking copyediting services before resubmission. A list of English-language copyeditors available for hire can be found at the bottom of this page.
  • Permission to extensively quote from or reproduce copyrighted material must be obtained by the authors before submission, and an Acknowledgements section with details should be included at the end of the paper before the references section. Where photographs or figures are reproduced, acknowledgment of source and copyright should be given in the caption.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

As AI tools develop and their use has become widespread, we recognize both the opportunities that these tools afford and their limitations for the field of feminist publishing. To promote ethics and the integrity of authorship and expertise, we are distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in our journal as follows:

Acceptable Uses of AI

  • AI tools may be used for translation, grammar, and word choice, to improve readability and clarity of meaning in the English language. Yet we caution authors from losing their own authorial voice by relying too heavily on AI-revision at the sentence level. As a feminist journal, the JIWS values linguistic diversity and personal voice.
  • AI tools may be used to generate tables, graphs, and figures from data drawn from accredited sources or based on the author’s own data and analysis.
  • AI tools may be used to help summarize sources in a literature review section. However, authors are responsible for consulting the source itself and fact-checking the accuracy of the summary and the legitimacy of the source, since AI sometimes creates non-existent sources.
  • AI tools may be used to outline or organize the author’s material in a logical way into sections or paragraphs, according to conventions of their discipline.
  • AI tools may be used to manage and correct references and citation practice. Yet the author is responsible for checking accuracy and avoiding plagiarism.
  • AI tools may be used to synthesize data and identify patterns that will then be analyzed by the author.

Unacceptable Uses of AI

  • Using AI to generate analysis of evidence and its significance (i.e., discussion of findings or textual analysis). These are key functions of human authorship.
  • Using AI to generate conclusions or recommendations. These are key functions of authorship based on expertise and human experience.
  • Using AI to generate the central argument of the paper, which is a key function of authorship.
  • Using AI to generate the full text of a paper, thus misrepresenting AI content as the author’s own ideas and research.
  • Using AI to fabricate data (either quantitative or qualitative). Data based on field work should be drawn from authentic encounters with human participants.
  • Citing AI-fabricated, non-existent sources that cannot be verified, or citing scholarship that the author has not consulted to ensure accuracy of any AI-generated paraphrasing of ideas. Authors must also avoid plagiarism of language from the source by citing exact quotations where appropriate.
  • Failing to disclose usage of AI tools (see disclosure policy below)

The JIWS AI Disclosure Policy

We hope that full disclosure of the usage of AI as tools for research and writing will enhance the integrity and ethics of the JIWS and will build trust between readers and authors. In that vein, we require authors to do the following:

  1. Authors should disclose, in the Acknowledgments section at the end of the paper, any AI programs that were used in the preparation and writing of their papers and for what specific purposes. Significant uses of AI could also be discussed in a Methodology section.
  2. At the level of sentence or paragraph, authors may cite AI use according to the style guide of their discipline. See https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt and https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/ for examples of how to cite AI-generated content.
  3. If no AI tools were used in the preparation and writing of the paper, the author should include a statement to that effect in an Acknowledgments section.

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Book Review Submission Guidelines

JIWS accepts book review submissions that have not been previously published or that are not currently under consideration by other journals or publications. We prefer reviews of books published in the last 3 years.

Book reviews may range from 1,000 to 2,500 words (2-5 pages single spaced). We also publish book review essays (2,000 to 3,000 words) which may review two similar books or situate a book more extensively in relation to published research. We are looking for critical reviews of these books, as discussed below, not just a synopsis.

Book reviews and inquiries should be sent via email as Word Document attachments to our Book Review editors, Sreejata Paul and Ayesha Perveen, at feministjournalbookreviews@gmail.com

Book reviews must include:

  • A brief overview of the contents, including a chapter breakdown (500-1,000 words).
  • A discussion of the research methods used by the author(s).
  • An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the book with insights from the reviewer.
  • Book reviews may also include a comparison of the book to other key publications in this field. If you do so, include in-text citations and a references section. For book review essays, a comparison is required.

The reviewer’s name, academic degree, title, institutional affiliation, and email address should be listed at the top of your document.

 

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Film Review Submission Guidelines

The JIWS accepts film review submissions.

Film review articles may vary and range from 1,500 to 3,000 words, We seek critical, reflective reviews as discussed below in the ‘critique’ section, not just a synopsis.

Film reviews must be sent via e-mail as Word Document attachments to our Film Review Editors, Olanireti Falade and Elizabeth Rajapakshe, at filmreview25.jiws@gmail.com

Information about the reviewed film should be listed at the top of the page in the following order: The reviewer’s name, title, and contact details (institutional/organizational affiliation and E-mail address) should be listed at the top of your document. A list of the following information should be provided after your contact information:

  • film title;
  • producers(s)/director(s);
  • release year;
  • length in minutes;
  • film genre and type (e.g. documentary, drama) 
  • original language, and also indicate if subtitles are available;

The film review must include:

A brief synopsis of the film's plot, structure, and characters should be provided in one or two paragraphs. The synopsis should be followed by a more detailed critique that discusses the value of the film with insights by the reviewer. Employing a feminist framework throughout, the critique should focus on gender issues and could cite a few scholarly works in women's and gender studies as context for the analysis. Evidence from the film should be included to buttress your analysis--visual details and quotes from character dialogue or voiceover, cited with time stamps. If scholarly sources are cited, include a reference section in either MLA or APA format. We particularly welcome reviews that address films from Africa, Latin America, Europe, Australia, or East Asia. If you would like to see a model of what we are looking for, see this film review, published in the JIWS in 2024: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol26/iss5/14/

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Policy Brief Submission Guidelines

The JIWS encourages research vital to informing good policy around issues pertaining to women’s equity, equality, and gender justice. Policy briefs may address issues of gender justice such as climate and ecological sustainability; the rights of groups based on class, caste, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual diversity; women’s health; LGBTQIA2+ inclusion, marginalization, health, and representation; women’s economic empowerment; women’s representation in politics; gender-based violence; women and girls with disabilities, etc.

Why publish a policy brief?

A policy brief reviews research with the aim to directly influence government policy, NGOs, and international bodies (UN, WHO, ILO, etc.) that work to shape legislative agendas. They are a trusted source of information rooted in research, serve as evidence for policy developments, and often advocate for a particular course of action. Policy briefs can help researchers create a real-world impact, and they may be rooted in the following:

  • Research findings that have far-reaching social, political, and economic implications
  • Research developments, such as new technologies or policies
  • New industry practices

Make it accessible

Policymakers are not academics. They need a digestible policy brief they can easily distill into memorable facts that can be used to argue for a policy position. When writing your policy brief, you should:

  • Keep it concise, clear, and relevant.
  • Focus on results and recommendations, not methodology.
  • Use accessible language throughout—avoid jargon and long sentences.
  • Clearly define the problem you are trying to address.
  • Identify and assess the available evidence from a range of different sources.
  • State the policy actions you believe should be taken.
  • Ensure multiple perspectives are considered; think about how your recommendations will impact different sectors of society.

Follow a standard structure

Policy briefs need to be simple, direct, and accessible to a non-academic audience. The brief should be no more than 1,500 words, including figures and tables. It should only contain information essential to set out your perspective and recommended action. We recommend you structure your policy brief like this:

Headline – choose something that will make an impact. Your headline should quickly communicate the content and should be easy to remember when citing it to argue a position.

Executive Summary (100-250 words) – help your readers get acquainted with a large body of work without having to read it all. Keep it short and use bullet points to:

  • state the purpose of the brief
  • highlight the major points you will make
  • describe any results, conclusions, or recommendations

Introduction (100-150 words) – think of this like a short journal abstract. In 4–5 sentences, state the problem your recommendation aims to solve and why it matters, and outline the overall structure and argument of the brief.

Findings (500–1,000 words) – outline your recommended policy position, associated evidence, and the considerations you have taken into account. Demonstrate an understanding of the current position and why your recommendation is preferable. Detail the impact this position will have on all affected stakeholders. We suggest that you:

  • Use headers to signpost different sections.
  • Show you understand the current policy position and its limitations.
  • Cite the latest research to evidence your policy recommendation.
  • Emphasize the application of research outcomes. If it is essential to assess methodology, keep it very brief.
  • Include key facts or impactful statistics for policy makers to cite when championing the recommendation.
  • Use figures, charts or diagrams where suitable, to catch the eye of policy makers and to underscore key facts/statistics.
  • Use input from stakeholders in academia, business, government, the third sector (non-profit organizations, charities, and voluntary groups, which operate independently of the government and private sector) and others to show a variety of perspectives have been considered.

Implications (100-200 words) – describe the possible courses of action suggested by your research, taking into account current or proposed policy options.

Recommendations (<300-500 words) – show how your policy and associated evidence contribute to a solution of the problem outlined in the introduction. Make it memorable. Explain how your recommendation should be put into action. Who will be affected and where? What are the cost implications?

References/Further Reading (contributes to total word count) – list your sources. Use open sources as much as possible so policymakers can further explore the evidence. Please consistently follow a commonly used reference style, such as APA.

Contact Details – provide your email or other contact information in an author biography footnote (after your name) and be prepared to supply more information to any who inquire.

Helpful Links to Learn More:

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The JIWS does not charge for:

  • Authors to replicate their own work, regardless of where they are publishing.
  • Authors to republish copyrighted material in not-for-profit publications.
  • Students wanting to republish their work for educational purposes.
  • Republication of the abstract only.
  • Up to five copies for personal use.
  • Republication of copyrighted material in which they are not the author, in for-profit publications.
  • Photocopying of more than five copies

Republication Policy

1)    University repositories:  The JIWS allows republication of articles and other publication genres in university repositories with proper citation of the JIWS. It is not necessary to contact us to download a JIWS and deposit it in a university repository.
2)    Edited collections and readers: The JIWS allows the republication of articles and other republication genres in edited volumes and readers with permission from the editor. There is a republication fee which on occasion is waived on request and evaluation. 
 

Please e-mail the JIWS at jiws@bridgew.edu for permission and information about fees, and if information about your particular request is not included.

English Copy Editing Services for Non-Native English Speakers

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  • Anita Balakrishnan,  English Department, Queen Mary's College, Chennai, India. shalkri@gmail.com    
  • Ayantika Dhar, Postgraduate department of English, University of Calcutta, India. ayantikadhar@gmail.com
  • Emily Brunelle, Research Assistant, Economic Development Assistance Consortium, Massachusetts, USA.  emilymichelle440@gmail.com
  • Dr. Mehak Burza, Program Coordinator for Online Global Initiatives, The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, USA. mehakburza@gmail.com
  • Perviz Masani, Freelance Copyeditor and Proofreader. perviz9@hotmail.com
  • Sharmila Ghosh moeshoujo@gmail.com

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