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Author Guidelines

Submissions should be full articles that have not been submitted or published elsewhere.

Articles should provide something new to the existing literature. The word count should be 2500-5000 words and citations should adhere to The Chicago Manual of Style (author/date). The style should be accessible and well-documented. Authors may consult the editor if a topic requires more length. The manuscript must be neither previously published nor submitted elsewhere simultaneously.

Peer Review Process

All LDRS submissions are subjected to the single-blind review process, and referees are explicitly asked to indicate when a manuscript is worthy but needs more detailed guidance in order to be fully acceptable for publication in LDRS. Submissions to LDRS are fully peer-reviewed by three reviewers, who include established librarians with extensive experience and knowledge pertaining to the topics they review. LDRS reviewers are not necessarily members of the LDRS editorial board.

The goal of the peer review process is to provide constructive ideas to give authors an opportunity to improve on an article. The goals of all involved: the author, the reviewers, and the editor, is to ensure the highest quality possible for the publication.

Authors are notified of the referees’ comments and editors’ decision by email, usually within four to eight weeks of the receipt of the manuscript. Depending on the length of the manuscripts, and the referees involved, we do not guarantee a turnaround time. We do not decline manuscripts without offering suggestions to solve identified problems or to place an article more appropriately. An accepted article will be scheduled for a particular future issue and published following the submission of an acceptable final manuscript.

Editorial Practices

Editing and publishing a peer-reviewed journal is a cooperative endeavor involving a number of people and factors. Manuscripts may progress quickly or slowly for various reasons, including the number of incoming manuscripts and the time constraints of everyone involved.

The editors attempt to handle the review and publication process as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest level of quality. For these reasons, submissions are accepted at any time, rather than for specific issues.

In most cases, authors will be notified within ninety days whether or not their submission has been accepted.

Manuscript Guidelines

Authors should make certain that all submitted materials are clear of copyright claims or that they obtain permission as required by law.

Prepare articles and references according to the Chicago Manual of Style (author-date). As librarians, we recognize that often, academic scholarship has a biased citation pattern, and as editors of a journal about EDI we aim to amplify underrepresented voices. While submitted articles should rely on references based on their merits, authors are encouraged to cite meritorious work by current authors in the field that will advance EDI in academic scholarship.

Use of headings and subheadings is encouraged to make an article more readable.

  • Avoid overuse of the passive voice.
  • Use standard United States spelling.
  • Spell out acronyms and abbreviations when first used in the text.
  • The author is responsible for obtaining copyright permission for all materials from other works to be reproduced in LDRS.

Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

Prepare your figures at print publication quality resolution, using applications capable of generating high-resolution .jpg files (600 d.p.i. for line drawings and 300 d.p.i. for color and halftone artwork). Figures should be set at 4.5 inches wide.

Acceptance

If a submission is accepted, the author will sign an agreement with LDRS and the Work will subsequently appear in LDRS.