Lateral is the peer-reviewed, open access journal of the Cultural Studies Association. Lateral is currently published on a semiannual basis, fall and spring. This journal does not charge any type of article processing charge (APC) or article submission charge.
Aims & Scope
Lateral accepts submissions on any topic related to the field or practice of cultural studies within historical and/or contemporary contexts. Strong submissions situate their considerations of cultural practices, critical theories, and/or pedagogies within established and emerging conversations on racism, capitalism, sexuality, gender, ability, colonialism, and their many intersections. In addition to finished academic papers, the editors also welcome contributions that engage or have the potential to engage the multimedia and interactive aspects of this open-access, web-based platform. For additional context, see the access and inclusion section of our publication ethics statement.
Submission Guidelines for Authors
Lateral does not accept submissions that are previously published or under consideration at other publications. Once submitted, manuscripts may not be submitted to other venues without notifying the Lateral editors first.
Articles should be between 4,000 and 9,500 words in length and prepared according to the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style using notes, with DOIs for sources wherever possible (find DOIs). All articles should be submitted as Microsoft Word compatible files. In order to facilitate double-anonymous peer review, identifiable information such as authors’ names should not appear on manuscripts.
Submissions are only accepted electronically through our online submission form. New users will be required to create an account. Existing users can login using the link above to track their submission or create a new one.
All manuscripts are reviewed by the editors to determine if the submission falls within the aims and scope of the journal and is of sufficient scholarly quality. Editorial review is usually completed within two months of receipt of manuscript. Submissions that pass editorial review are sent for double-anonymous peer review with at least two reviewers. These reviews and a publication decision (accept, accept with revisions, revise and resubmit, reject) are returned to authors, on average, within six months of the original manuscript submission. Articles are usually published within three months of final acceptance. Additional details are available in the peer review section of our publication ethics statement. We have been experiencing an increase in turnaround times since the onset of the pandemic and appreciate your patience.
All articles published in Lateral are distributed under a Creative Commons license; authors retain copyright over their works and are free to self-archive or deposit submitted, accepted, or published versions of them. The journal currently uses a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International 4.0 International License. Under the terms of this license, you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made; you may not use this material for commercial purposes.
Book Reviews
Lateral publishes ongoing reviews of books relevant to the field of cultural studies. In the spirit of Lateral and the contemporary traditions informing cultural studies, more broadly, reviewers are faculty as well as graduate students working toward advanced degrees, artists (across many different media and working within or against traditional arts-institutional contexts), and movement activists who can speak well towards the central theme and claims of the book under review.
Reviews are approximately 1,000 words in length and are vetted. Reviews may be rejected if they do not meet the criteria of publishable written work. They may also be designated “revise and resubmit” or “conditionally accepted” based on the quality of the written work. We expect reviewers to submit their reviews within two months and two weeks of receipt of the book.
Prospective reviewers should consult our updated list of available titles and review request form.
Forums, Sections, and Other Projects
Lateral publishes guest-edited forums, sections, and other projects on any topic related to the field or practice of cultural studies within historical and/or contemporary contexts. Guest editors are particularly encouraged to situate their proposals within established and emerging conversations on racism, capitalism, sexuality, gender, ability, colonialism, and their many intersections. Guest editors are responsible for defining the scope of their project (in conversation with the Lateral co-editors), soliciting work in inclusive ways, conducting peer review in accordance with Lateral’s editorial policies, recommending work for publication, and promoting published work.
Proposals are developed and reviewed through a two-stage review process. To express interest, please complete an initial proposal form with information about the content, format, and frequency of the project. The Lateral co-editors will review and respond to proposals within approximately one month. If the initial proposal shows promise, the co-editors will meet with the prospective guest editors to develop their ideas and invite a draft CFP (if applicable), which contains full details about the scope of the project and its timeline.
The following models have been particularly successful in the past, and may be useful in framing your proposal. We are also open to other formats that may be proposed.
- Forums are timely and inclusive tools for conversation, education, and agitation. Entries are media-rich and written in accessible prose. A forum consists of several short entries (3,000–5,000 words) written by traditional academic authors, as well as journalists, artists, and activists. Past examples include:
- Towards Third Worlding, edited by Rayya El Zein & Malav Kanuga
- Cultural Constructions of Race and Racism in the Middle East and North Africa / Southwest Asia and North Africa (MENA/SWANA), edited by Rayya El Zein
- Universal Basic Income, edited by David Zeglen
- Emergent Critical Analytics for Alternative Humanities, edited by Chris A. Eng and Amy K. King
- Special sections are collections of traditional academic articles around a common theme or set of questions. Articles may range from 4,000–9,000 words, as well as responses by critics and original authors. These may be durational and span many issues or even years of the journal, or they may be a singular collection of work. Past examples include:
- Aporias, edited by Joshua Falek
- Political Economy and the Arts, edited by Katerina Paramana
- Years in Cultural Studies, edited by Josen Diaz
- Multimedia projects draw on Lateral’s digital publishing capabilities to incorporate audio, video, or other media centrally alongside textual elements. Past examples include:
- Positions podcast, produced by Mark Nunes and Elaine Venter
- Crip Pandemic Life: A Tapestry, edited by Theodora Danylevich and Alyson Patsavas
To express interest, please complete our initial proposal form with information about the content, format, and frequency of your project.
Peer Reviewers
Please use this form to express interest in reviewing for Lateral. The co-editors will be in touch if they receive a submission that fits your interests and availability. Potential reviewers have the option to accept or decline each review. If they accept, they are provided with prompts for evaluating the article.