Guidelines for Manuscript Submission

Instructions for authors

Thank you for choosing to submit your paper to us. These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly. Please take the time to read and follow them as closely as possible, as doing so will ensure your paper matches the journal's requirements.

Journal of Literature Across Borders is an international, peer-reviewed journal publishing high-quality, original research. Please see the journal's Aims & Scope for information about its focus and peer-review policy.

Please note that this journal only publishes manuscripts in English.

Journal of Literature Across Borders accepts original articles.

Jlab is committed to peer-review integrity and upholding the highest standards of review. Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be single anonymous peer reviewed by two independent, anonymous experts.

 

Preparing Your Paper

Structure

Your paper should be compiled in the following order: title page; abstract; keywords; main text introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion; acknowledgments; declaration of interest statement; references; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figures; figure captions (as a list).

 

Word Limits

While no formal word limit is specified by the journal, the manuscript is approximately 6,000–8,000 words in length, which aligns with prevailing norms in the field.

 

Submission Format:

  • The manuscripts should follow MLA format, including the essential elements that are needed to evaluate a manuscript: abstract, author affiliation, figures, tables, funder information, and references. Further details may be requested upon acceptance.
  • References should be in MLA format, and a consistent scholarly citation format is applied. Author name(s), journal or book title, article or chapter title, year of publication, volume and issue (where appropriate) and page numbers are essential. All bibliographic entries must contain a corresponding in-text citation. The addition of DOI (Digital Object Identifier) numbers is recommended but not essential.
  • Spelling can be US or UK English so long as usage is consistent.

Note that, regardless of the file format of the original submission, an editable version of the article must be supplied at the revision stage.

 

Checklist: What to Include

  1. Author details. All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript, following by a short bio note. Where available, please also include ORCiDs and social media handles (e.g. LinkedIn). One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article. Authors’ affiliations are the affiliations where the research was conducted. If any of the named co-authors moves affiliation during the peer-review process, the new affiliation can be given as a footnote. Please note that no changes to affiliation can be made after your paper is accepted. 
  2. The article hould contain an unstructured abstract of 200 words.
  3. Funding details.Please supply all details required by your funding and grant-awarding bodies as follows:
    For single agency grants
    This work was supported by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number xxxx].
    For multiple agency grants
    This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].
  4. Disclosure statement.This is to acknowledge any financial or non-financial interest that has arisen from the direct applications of your research. If there are no relevant competing interests to declare please state this within the article, for example: The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.
  5. Biographical note.Please supply a short biographical note for each author. This could be adapted from your departmental website or academic networking profile and should be relatively brief (e.g. no more than 200 words).
  6. Data availability statement.If there is a data set associated with the paper, please provide information about where the data supporting the results or analyses presented in the paper can be found. Where applicable, this should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s). 
  7. Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for color, at the correct size). Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
  8. Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text. Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text. Please supply editable files.

 

Using Third-Party Material

You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article. The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission. If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.

 

Disclosure Statement

Please include a disclosure statement, using the subheading “Disclosure of interest.” If you have no interests to declare, please state this (suggested wording: The authors report there are no competing interests to declare).

 

Complying with Ethics of Experimentation

Please ensure that all research reported in submitted papers has been conducted in an ethical and responsible manner, and is in full compliance with all relevant codes of experimentation and legislation. All original research papers involving humans, animals, plants, biological material, protected or non-public datasets, collections or sites, must include a written statement in the Methods section, confirming ethical approval has been obtained from the appropriate local ethics committee or Institutional Review Board and that where relevant, informed consent has been obtained.

 

Consent

Authors must include a statement to confirm that any patient, service user, or participant (or that person’s parent or legal guardian) in any type of qualitative or quantitative research, has given informed consent to participate in the research

 

Data Sharing Policy

At the point of submission, you will be asked if there is a data set associated with the paper. If you reply yes, you will be asked to provide the DOI, pre-registered DOI, hyperlink, or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s). If you have selected to provide a pre-registered DOI, please be prepared to share the reviewer URL associated with your data deposit, upon request by reviewers.

 

Publication Charges

There are no submission fees, publication fees or page charges for this journal.

 

Guidelines for Manuscript Submission

(Based on MLA Handbook, 9th Edition)

 

  1. Originality and Scope

Submissions must present original, unpublished scholarly research relevant to the aims and scope of the journal. Manuscripts must not be under review or published elsewhere in any form.

 

  1. Length of Manuscripts
    Manuscripts must be 5,000–7,000 words.

The word count includes:
Abstract
Main text
Notes
Works Cited
Appendices (if any) are excluded from the word count.

 

  1. Language, Spelling, and Style
    Manuscripts must be written in formal academic English.
    American spelling, punctuation, and usage     must be used consistently (e.g., color, organization).
    Authors should follow conventions outlined in the MLA Handbook, 9th Edition, especially chapters on prose mechanics, punctuation, capitalization, and numbers.

 

  1. Anonymity and Author Identification
    The journal follows a double-blind peer review process.

Manuscripts must be fully anonymized:
Do not include author names, affiliations, ORCID IDs, acknowledgments, or funding details.
Avoid self-identifying references; cite your own work in the third person.
Remove all identifying metadata from the file.

 

  1. Title, Abstract, and Keywords
    Title    : Clear, concise, and centered; use title-style capitalization.

Abstract:
150–250 words
Should state the research problem, method, and main findings

Keywords:
Begin the list with the label Keywords: (italicized), followed by the keywords in lowercase (except proper nouns), separated by commas, and without a final period.
Provide 5–8 keywords
Listed below the abstract

 

  1. Document Formatting

Formatting should follow MLA manuscript conventions:
Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
Spacing: Double-spaced throughout (including quotations, notes, and Works Cited)
Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides
Alignment: Left-aligned; do not justify text
Paragraphs: Indent the first line of all paragraphs by 0.5 inch, including the first paragraph of the manuscript and the first paragraph following any heading. Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs.
Pagination: Page numbers in the upper right corner

 

  1. Headings and Subheadings
    Use headings to organize longer manuscripts clearly.

Headings should:
Be consistent in style and hierarchy
Follow MLA title capitalization rules

Avoid excessive subdivision.

Do not number headings unless required by disciplinary convention.

Placement & Alignment
Headings and subheadings should be left-aligned.
Do not center or right-align headings.

Font & Size
Use the same font as the body text (Times New Roman, 12-point).
Do not change font size for headings.

Style
Headings should be bold to distinguish them from the main text.
Subheadings may be italicized if needed to show hierarchy, but avoid excessive mixing of styles.
Maintain consistency throughout the manuscript.
Maintain consistency throughout the manuscript.

Capitalization
Follow MLA title capitalization rules: capitalize all major words, but lowercase articles, prepositions, and conjunctions unless they begin the heading.

Example: Methods of Data Collection 

Hierarchy
Use headings to organize longer manuscripts clearly.
Keep hierarchy simple: no more than three levels of headings.
Avoid excessive subdivision.

Numbering
MLA does not require numbering of headings.
If disciplinary convention requires numbering (e.g., law, engineering), use Arabic numerals consistently (1, 1.1, 1.2).

 

  1. Quotations
    • Short Quotations
      Prose quotations of fewer than four lines should be incorporated into the text using double quotation marks.
    • Block Quotations
      Prose quotations of four or more lines must:
      Begin on a new line
      Be indented 0.5 inch from the left margin
      Be double-spaced
      Appear without quotation marks
      Parenthetical citations follow the final punctuation.

Poetry: Use a block quotation if the passage runs more than three lines.
Quotation Marks: Do not enclose the block quotation in quotation marks unless they appear in the original text.
Punctuation & Citation: Place the period before the parenthetical citation.

 

  1. In-Text Citations
    Use MLA parenthetical citation style: (Author page).
    Page numbers must be provided where available.
    Citations must correspond exactly to entries in the Works Cited list.
    Block Quotations Prose: Use a block quotation if the passage runs more than four lines.

 

  1. Notes
    Use endnotes, not footnotes.

Notes should be used sparingly and only for:
Clarification
Contextual information

Do not use notes for routine bibliographic citation.

Notes (MLA 9th Edition)

Endnotes are required and permitted; footnotes are not allowed.

Endnotes must be used sparingly and only for substantive or explanatory comments.

Endnotes must not be used for bibliographic citation.

Endnote Format

Font: Times New Roman, 12-point

Spacing: Double-spaced

Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides

Numbering: Consecutive Arabic numerals

Placement: At the end of the manuscript, before the Works Cited section

 

  1. Figures, Images, Tables, and Graphs

All visual materials must be:
Clearly labeled (Fig. 1, Table 1, etc.)
Referred to explicitly in the text

Each figure or table must include:
descriptive caption
Source information where applicable

Authors are responsible for securing copyright permissions if required .

 

  1. Numbers

Spell out numbers one through one hundred.

Use numerals for:
Numbers above one hundred
Dates, percentages, measurements, and statistical data

Maintain consistency throughout the manuscript.

 

  1. Punctuation and Mechanics

Use:
Double quotation marks for quotations
Single quotation marks for quotations within quotations

Italicize titles of longer works (books, journals, films).

Avoid underlining except where linguistically required.

Use the serial comma consistently.

 

  1. Works Cited (References)

Include a Works Cited section at the end of the manuscript.

Follow MLA 9th Edition formatting strictly:

Alphabetical order by author surname
Hanging indent (0.5 inch)
Double-spaced entries

Every in-text citation must have a corresponding Works Cited entry and vice versa.

  1. What the Works Cited page looks like (model layout)

Works Cited (centered; double-spaced)

Entries are alphabetized by the first element (usually author surname).

Use hanging indent (first line flush left; subsequent lines indented 0.5").

Entire list is double-spaced.

(Your word processor will handle double-spacing; below I show hanging indent with line breaks and an indented second line

 

  1. In-text citation ↔ Works Cited: examples

Book (one author)
In-text: (Ahmed 42)
Works Cited:
Ahmed, Sara. Living a Feminist Life. Duke UP, 2017.

 

Journal article (with DOI)
In-text: (Nguyen 118)
Works Cited:
Nguyen, Viet Thanh. “The Ethics of Memory.” PMLA, vol. 132, no. 1, 2017, pp. 115–130. doi:10.1632/pmla.2017.132.1.115.

 

Chapter in an edited book
In-text: (Butler 15)
Works Cited:
Butler, Judith. “Gender Trouble, Then and Now.” The Routledge Companion to Feminism and Postfeminism, edited by Sarah Gamble, Routledge, 2017, pp. 11–25.

 

Work on a website (page/article)
In-text: (Modern Language Association)
Works Cited:
Modern Language Association. “MLA Works Cited: A Quick Guide.” MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association, style.mla.org.

(If your journal requires access dates, add: Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.)

 

Film

In-text: (Parasite)
Works Cited:
Bong, Joon Ho, director. Parasite. CJ Entertainment, 2019.

Poem (Anthology)

In-text: (Dickinson 214)
Works Cited:
Dickinson, Emily. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson et al., 6th ed., W. W. Norton, 2018, p. 214.

Unpublished Dissertation

In-text: (Kim 142)
Works Cited:
Kim, Soo-Min. Memory and Trauma in Postwar Korean Literature. 2018. University of California, Berkeley, PhD dissertation.

Website (page)

In-text: (“Using Endnotes”)
Works Cited:
“Using Endnotes in MLA Style.” MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association, style.mla.org/notes.

Two authors (book or article)

In-text: (García and Lee 77)
Works Cited:
García, Marisol, and Thomas Lee. Writing across Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.

 

Three or more authors

In-text: (Hassan et al. 203)
Works Cited:
Hassan, Nadia, et al. “Rhetoric and Reading Practices in Digital Archives.” Journal of Modern Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, 2021, pp. 199–220.

 

Source with no author (cite by title)

In-text: (“Editorial Policies” 3)
Works Cited:
“Editorial Policies for Humanities Journals.” Journal Publishing Handbook, 2022, pp. 1–10.

 

Multiple works by one author
Borroff, Marie. Language and the Poet: Verbal Artistry in Frost, Stevens, and Moore. U of Chicago P, 1979.

———. “Sound Symbolism as Drama in the Poetry of Robert Frost.” PMLA, vol. 107, no. 1, Jan. 1992, pp. 131–44. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/462806.
(Three em dashes or hyphens stand for exactly the same name)

 

Multiple works by more two authors
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar, editors. The Female Imagination and the Modernist Aesthetic. Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1986.

———. "Sexual Linguistics: Gender, Language, Sexuality." New Literary History, vol. 16, no. 3, spring 1985, pp. 515-43. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/ 468838.

 

Multiple works by more than two authors

Perry, John, et al. Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings. 7th ed., Oxford UP, 2015.

——— Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings. 8th ed., Oxford UP, 2018.

 

  1. Plagiarism, AI Use, and Academic Integrity
    Manuscripts must be entirely original.
    The journal has a zero-tolerance policy for:
    Plagiarism
    Self-plagiarism
    Improper paraphrasing

AI-generated content may not substitute for original scholarly argument or analysis.
Limited use of AI for language editing must be disclosed if applicable.
All submissions may be screened using plagiarism-detection software.

 

  1. Ethical Research and Source Use
    Authors must:
    Accurately represent all sources
    Avoid fabrication, falsification, or misquotation

Ethical breaches constitute grounds for rejection or retraction.

 

  1. File Format and Submission
    Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.
    PDFs are not accepted for initial submission.

 

  1. Review and Editorial Process
    All manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review.

Editorial decisions are based on:
Originality
Scholarly rigor
Methodological soundness
Clarity of expression
Adherence to these guidelines

 

  1. Revisions and Final Acceptance
    Authors may be required to revise manuscripts in response to reviewer and editorial feedback.

Final acceptance is contingent upon full compliance with MLA style and journal requirements.

 

Reference

Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook. 9th ed., MLA, 2021.