Manuscript Submission Guide

Submission Requirements

Manuscripts should not exceed 25 double-spaced, typed pages (inclusive of references and tables, but exclusive of any images). Use APA (7th edition) format. Please submit a single file which includes tables, graphs, and images embedded at the end of the document. If accepted for publication, we will request them as separate files.

The manuscript should be fully blinded, free of all authors’ names. Citations of authors’ works should appear as “(Author, DATE)” in the text and be listed at the top of the reference list. The author(s) must secure permission to include samples of student work, photographs of students, and any copyrighted work.

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Children’s Literature should not be under review for publication elsewhere. In addition, manuscripts should not have been previously published in another journal.

All submissions should be made electronically through Scholastica as “feature article manuscript” submissions. Authors will need to login to their existing Scholastica account or create an account as part of the manuscript submission process.

Additional Required Information
During the submission process, submitting authors will be asked to provide:

• The names, email addresses, and school/professional affiliations of all co-authors
• An abstract of approximately 50-100 words
• An indication of the issue for which the manuscript is being submitted.

For the “Article Type” prompt, please select the option labeled “Feature Article Manuscript.”

Editorial and Peer Review Process

Please note that our review process begins after the submission deadline for each issue (August 15 for our Spring issue and January 15 for our Fall issue). Although we are open to submissions throughout the calendar year, you might experience a lengthier response time from us if your manuscript has been submitted between these dates.

After each submission deadline, all submitted manuscripts will first be screened by the editorial team. Incomplete submissions will not be sent out for peer review. Any manuscript that is selected for peer review will be reviewed by at least two reviewers. Final decisions will be made approximately 8-12 weeks prior to issue publication.

Copyright

The Children’s Literature Assembly is the copyright owner of all of JCL’s Content.

Manuscript Calls

Spring 2027: Open Theme (Submission Deadline: August 15, 2026)

The Open Theme of the Journal of Children’s Literature Spring 2026 issue reflects the incoming editorial team’s focus on expansive inclusivity, a framework that honors and welcomes a variety of topics, stances, approaches, orientations, and perspectives from those invested in children’s literature from empirical, theoretical, and pedagogical perspectives. Submissions might consider such questions as:

• What patterns do you see in children’s literature across time and in the present that are worth illuminating and can inform theory, policy, and practice?
• What are some urgent, vital issues relating to children’s literature you are experiencing in your work, inside or outside of classroom spaces, right now? How are you working to navigate troubled waters in the spirit of making “good trouble”?
• In what ways can children’s literature speak to and/or raise critical awareness about significant human concerns?
• How might young readers be (re)centered in our understandings of children’s literature, as well as our teaching and research around it?
• What are the ideological messages embedded in and emanating from children’s literature?

We are especially interested in illuminating scholarship that contributes to timely, important conversations in the field.

For any questions, please contact jcl@childrensliteratureassembly.org.