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Submissions

This page is designed to help you ensure your submission is ready for and fits the scope of the journal.

Before submitting you should read over the guidelines here, then register an account (or login if you have an existing account)


About

Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities and arts, disability rights advocates, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities. It represents the full range of methods, epistemologies, perspectives, and content that the field of disability studies embraces. DSQ is committed to developing theoretical and practical knowledge about disability and to promoting the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society. (ISSN: 1041-5718; eISSN: 2159-8371)


Focus and Scope

Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities and arts, disability rights advocates, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities. It represents the full range of methods, epistemologies, perspectives, and content that the field of disability studies embraces. DSQ is committed to developing theoretical and practical knowledge about disability and to promoting the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society. (ISSN: 1041-5718; eISSN: 2159-8371)


Submission Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

  • Authors need to be members of the Society for Disability Studies in order to submit a manuscript. SDS memberships are on a sliding scale, starting at $5/month, and cancellable at any time. If you are not currently a member, please sign up here before submitting your manuscript: https://www.patreon.com/SocietyforDisabilityStudies.

  • To ensure the integrity of the peer-reviewed, you must anonymize your document properties (file info) as well as the text of your document. Avoid or minimize self citations (you can reintroduce them after the peer review). When you cannot avoid a self citation, refer to your work in the third person. Also remove any acknowledgments or references to funding sources until after the peer review.
    • In addition, you must remove author info from the file properties of your Word document.**
      Instructions:
      • Microsoft Office: In File Properties, remove author identification.  
      • Word for Windows/ Word 365:  Go to File > Info > Check for Issue (menu to the left of "Inspect Document").
      • Click "Inspect Document," make sure to check the box next to "Document properties and Personal Information," and then click "Inspect" at th bottom of the dialogue box. If there is a red exclamation mark next to "Document Properties and Personal Information" it will give you the option to "Remove All," which you should click.
      • Word for MacOS: go to Tools > Protect Document > Remove personal information for this file on save > click OK, and then save the file. Before submitting your file, please re-open the document and check to make sure all personal information has been removed.
  • To ensure the accessibility of the journal's content, all images or figures must be accompanied by a text description.
  •  Articles must correctly conform to a standard citation and reference format: APA, ASA, Chicago, or MLA. 

    For formatting and style issues not related to citations (indentation, formatting of quotations, punctuation, etc.), consult the Chicago Manual of Style.  We may reject submissions with too many errors or that do not adhere to a standard citation style, so proofreading and consultation of the appropriate citations style guide is strongly recommended. 

    In keeping with the Chicago Manual of Style, authors should always use double quotation marks (“), not single quotation marks (‘). The only time authors should use single quotation marks is when there is a quote within a quote. This is true for both the text and citations. In addition, commas and periods come before quotation marks whenever there is not a parenthetical citation (APA or MLA) that requires a different order.

  • To comply with the terms of the publisher's Crossref membership, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) must be included with references when they are available. To check for DOIs, you can use the Free DOI Lookup form on the Crossref website. By checking the box, you assert that you have included DOIs where applicable. If there is no DOI make sure to use a stable URL and test it from a browser where you are not logged in to your university account (many authors provide URLs that require a login to their university library account).

  • Make your document accessible. All submissions should:
    • be double-spaced, including abstract, quotations, and citations (single spacing is not accessible)
    • be left-aligned, with indented paragraphs
    • not have extra spaces between paragraphs
    • use 12-point font size or larger
    • use fonts such as Calibri and Times New Roman that are easy to read. Avoid fonts like Garamond that are difficult to read.
    • place quotations in-text unless they are more than one hundred words, in which case they are set off as block
    • quotes (specific exceptions can be made for dialogue and other special circumstances --see Chicago Manual of Style for guidance on this and other formatting and style issues).

  • Article submissions must include a one-paragraph abstract (double-spaced) and a list of keywords. This may not be necessary for some submissions, such as creative works.

  • Write for a general disability studies audience, not just for people from your own discipline. Most readers outside your field will want to get right to the material that is most interesting and original; they will not want to wade through a lengthy literature review section at the start of your paper. It is better to weave discussions of relevant literature into your paper as you make your arguments. It is also better to minimize jargon and make your writing accessible to a wide disability studies audience.

  • All figures, charts, graphs, and images must include alt text. See below for more detailed guidance.

  • Contributors may not submit articles with AI-generated content unless they are using it to illustrate artificial intelligence, and then only when clearly identified and with the express written permission of a DSQ editor.

Copyright Notice

This Author Agreement for Disability Studies Quarterly ("Agreement") is entered into by and between The Ohio State University, on behalf of its University Libraries ("Publisher") and the author ("Author").

For good and valuable consideration, Publisher and Author agree as follows: 

1. Author hereby grants to Publisher the right to publish, reproduce, distribute, translate, transmit and display his/her submitted work and an abstract thereof ("Work") in the Disability Studies Quarterly in whole or in part and in all formats and all media. as well as to ensure accessibility of works under University policy and current web accessibility standards. Author also hereby grants to Publisher the right for Publisher to enter into agreements with third parties that grant such third parties any or all of the rights that Author has granted to Publisher herein. The aforementioned rights may include the rights necessary to index and abstract the Work. The Author agrees that any subsequent publication of the Work will credit Disability Studies Quarterly as the site of first publication and provide a link to Disability Studies Quarterly. This Agreement is subject to the terms and expectations outlined on Publisher's website (http://go.osu.edu/publishing-services). 

2. Author represents and warrants that: (1) they are the creator and rights holder of the Work; (2) Publisher's exercise of the rights granted to Publisher herein will not infringe or violate any copyright or any other right of a third party; (3) if the Work contains any third party content, they have obtained the unrestricted permission of the copyright owner or that use of third party material is allowed because the material is in the public domain or an appropriate fair use analysis has been performed and there is a reasonable belief that use is permitted and (4) the Work contains nothing libelous or otherwise unlawful. Author hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Publisher and its trustees, officers, employees, agents, and subgrantees from all claims related to Publisher's exercise of the rights granted to Publisher herein or related to the subject matter covered in Author's representations and warranties.

Disability Studies Quarterly is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, to allow for certain types of reuse without permission. By submitting this agreement, the Author agrees to apply a CC BY 4.0 license to the Work upon publication.


Peer Review

All articles and creative works are reviewed by peers who have the appropriate knowledge and expertise. When we receive a new submission at DSQ we read it first, as editors, and then determine 2-4 peer reviewers for each submission.  We contact those reviewers and begin by requesting a review back in 4 weeks time.  Reviewers don't always respond quickly (or even agree to do the review) and thus, additional reviewers, or nudges for initial reviewers, must often follow.  It is not uncommon for the peer review process to take up to 6 months although we do our best to move a new submission through the process as quickly as possible.  

If you have not heard anything back from the DSQ editors on the status of your submission in 8-12 weeks time, you should always feel free to contact us and we will update you regarding the review process for your submission.

Once we have reviews back, we read those reviews and the original submission once again; we make careful consideration in our regular editorial meetings about the next steps forward.  A DSQ Editorial Decision Letter then goes back to the author/s.  If it is a Revise & Resubmit, we indicate the extent of those revisions (and include the original peer reviewer comments).  We generally ask for a revision in 3 month's time; we also ask that such revisions also include a cover letter from the author/s that details the revisions that were made.

Final publication decisions are made by the Editor/s based on information gathered from the peer reviews and the success and extent of the revision that is re-submitted.


Licences

The following licences are allowed:

  • Copyright
    © the author(s). All rights reserved.
  • CC BY 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-ND 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-NC 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • CC BY-SA 4.0
    Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
  • imported
    None

Publication Fees

You should update this section to show any fees that your journal charges.


Publication Cycle

DSQ is published by The Ohio State University Libraries four times a year: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.


Sections

Sections submission information
Section or article type Public Submissions Peer Reviewed Indexed
Theme Section: Disability Culture in Children's Literature: Forum papers Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Technology, Part 2 Yes Yes Yes
Forum: Million Dollar Baby Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Technology Part 1 Yes Yes Yes
Theme Issue: Disability Studies in Public Health and the Health Professions Yes Yes Yes
Commentary Section: Disability Studies and Public Health Education Yes Yes Yes
Theme Issue: Disability and Geography II Yes Yes Yes
Theme Issue: Education and Disability Studies Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Disability Culture in Children's Literature. Yes Yes Yes
Article Yes Yes Yes
314 Yes Yes Yes
Section III: Survivance & New Directions Yes Yes Yes
Book and Film Reviews Yes Yes Yes
Prefatory Matter Yes Yes Yes
Critical Disability Studies in Higher Education Yes Yes Yes
Articles and Creative Works Yes Yes Yes
Section I: Kinship Yes Yes Yes
Section II: Place Yes Yes Yes
Neurodiversity, Past and Present Yes Yes Yes
Special Section on Metis Yes Yes Yes
Section III: Knowledge Making Yes Yes Yes
Book Reviews Yes Yes Yes
Representations of Disability in Film Yes Yes Yes
Section I: Reorientations Yes Yes Yes
Section II: Revisitations, Revisions Yes Yes Yes
Access Yes Yes Yes
Global Politics Yes Yes Yes
Re-Imagining Yes Yes Yes
Challenges to Normalcy Yes Yes Yes
Re-Framing Yes Yes Yes
Creation Yes Yes Yes
Performance Yes Yes Yes
Articles Yes Yes Yes
Coming Out, Staying In Yes Yes Yes
Disability Disrupted/Rethinking Disability Yes Yes Yes
Living Disabled/Disabled Lives Yes Yes Yes
Epistemologies Yes Yes Yes
Citizenships Yes Yes Yes
Creative Works Yes Yes Yes
Book and Media Reviews Yes Yes Yes
Re-Reading Yes Yes Yes
Special Issue: Disability, Work and Representation: New Perspectives Yes Yes Yes
Sustenance and Sustainability Yes Yes Yes
What's in a Name? The Critical Crossroads of Disability Studies Yes Yes Yes
Resisting Diagnosis Yes Yes Yes
Embracing Neurodiversity Yes Yes Yes
Disability's Ever Presence Yes Yes Yes
World Disrupters Yes Yes Yes
(Il)Legibility Yes Yes Yes
Staging Disability Yes Yes Yes
Expanding the Visual Archive Yes Yes Yes
Expanding our Field of Vision Yes Yes Yes
Re-vision-ing Yes Yes Yes
Historically Speaking... Yes Yes Yes
Paradoxically Speaking... Yes Yes Yes
Speaking Back... Yes Yes Yes
Being Yes Yes Yes
Doing Yes Yes Yes
Feeling Yes Yes Yes
Selected Syllabi and Class Assignments Yes Yes Yes
Special Section: Zola Award Winners Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Museum Experience and Blindness, Part 2: Curatorial Perspectives Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Museum Experience and Blindness, Part 3: Personal Accounts Yes Yes Yes
Special Section: Irving K. Zola Award Winner for Emerging Scholar in Disability Studies, 2012 Yes Yes Yes
Humanities, Arts, and Media Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Growing Disability Studies Yes Yes Yes
I. Shifts Yes Yes Yes
II. Energies Yes Yes Yes
III. Locations Yes Yes Yes
Special Section: Irving K. Zola Award Winner for Emerging Scholar in Disability Studies, 2014 Yes Yes Yes
Disability and Rhetoric Yes Yes Yes
Forum: On the 50th Anniversary of Goffman's Stigma Yes Yes Yes
Report from the Field Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Museum Experience and Blindness, Introduction Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Museum Experience and Blindness, Part 1: Best Practices Yes Yes Yes
Social Sciences, Policy, and Applied Research Yes Yes Yes
Creative Works/Cultural Commentary Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Self-Reflection as Scholarly Praxis Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability and Madness Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: New Conversations in Disability Studies Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Movement Politics Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Work and Disability: Toward Re-conceptualizing the 'Burden' of Disability Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: International Articles Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Mediated Communication Yes Yes Yes
SDS Senior Scholar Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability and/in Time Yes Yes Yes
2009 SDS Zola & Senior Scholar Award Winners Yes Yes Yes
Interviews Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Learning Disabilities Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Prefatory Matter Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Peer-Reviewed Articles Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Cultural Commentary Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Interviews Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Creative Works Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Book and Film Reviews Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Autism and the Concept of Neurodiversity: Roundtables Yes Yes Yes
Disabled Shakespeares Yes Yes Yes
Disability in Kenya: The Nairobi Workshop Yes Yes Yes
Disability in Kenya: The Nairobi Workshop: Personal Narratives and Reactions to the Workshop Yes Yes Yes
Disability in Kenya: The Nairobi Workshop: Disability and Culture: Folklore, Religion, and Identity Yes Yes Yes
Disability in Kenya: The Nairobi Workshop: Disability, Communities, and the State Yes Yes Yes
A Multinational Review of English-language Disability Studies Degrees and Courses Yes Yes Yes
Selected Papers from UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: a Call for Action Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 1: Introduction Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 2: Disability Studies as Agent of Change Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 3: Reflections on Disability Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 4: Researching & Writing a Disability Perspective Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 5: Writing Autism in the College Curriculum Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 6: Intersections with Gender and Sexuality Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 7: Disability Autobiography and Representation Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in the Undergraduate Classroom, Pt. 8: Accessing Spaces and Histories Yes Yes Yes
Special Section: Disability and History Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability in Japan Yes Yes Yes
Special Section: Poetry Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Food Studies and Disability Studies Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability in Canada Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: The State of Disability in Israel/Palestine Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Blogging Yes Yes Yes
Tributes Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Religion and Spirituality, Part 2 Yes Yes Yes
Religion and Spirituality, Part 2: Commentary Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Freakery, Part 2 Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Religion and Spirituality: Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Education Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Disability Studies in German Speaking Countries Yes Yes Yes
Cultural Commentary Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Emerging Issues in the Study of Disability Policy and Law, Part 2 Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Freakery, Part 2: Commentary Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Freakery, Part 2: General Papers Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Freakery, Part 2: Book and Film Reviews Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Emerging Issues in the Study of Disability Policy and Law, Part 1 Yes Yes Yes
Policy and Law, Part 1: Welfare Models Yes Yes Yes
Policy and Law, Part 1: Empirical Studies of Employment and Economic Advancement Yes Yes Yes
Policy and Law, Part 1: International Disability Law Yes Yes Yes
Special Topic: Pedagogy in Disability Studies Yes Yes Yes
Eulogy Yes Yes Yes
Theme Section: Freakery, Part 1 Yes Yes Yes
Articles Yes Yes Yes
Creative Works Yes Yes Yes
Section I: Kinship Yes Yes Yes
Section II: Place Yes Yes Yes
Section III: Knowledge Making Yes Yes Yes
Section I: Reorientations Yes Yes Yes
Section II: Revisitations, Revisions Yes Yes Yes
Section III: Survivance & New Directions Yes Yes Yes
Neurodiversity, Past and Present Yes Yes Yes