Submissions

Submit Your Work

We welcome submissions on an ongoing, rolling basis—there are no particular deadlines and we are always accepting proposals and drafts. Whether you have a complete draft or just an idea you are developing, we are here to support you through the process.

What We Publish

Murmurations publishes a wide range of work on trans and gender diverse issues in library and information science. For detailed information about the types of content we accept, article formats, and our scope, please see our Scope section.

In brief, we’re interested in:

Research articles and empirical studies
Reflective practice pieces and case studies
Book and media reviews
Interviews and dialogues
Regular columns and community spotlights
Creative works and other experimental formats

How to Submit

You can submit your proposal or draft using our secure Cryptpad submission form. This form asks for information about your proposal as well as answers to Author Background questions (see the bottom of this page for a list of these).

You can submit either a:

Proposal
- Brief description of topic and approach
- Response to prompts (see below) about relevant knowledge, experience, and positionality
  - Note: These questions are meant to guide you in helping us understand your proposal or submission. Please share as much or as little as you feel called to, and responses to each question are not required.
- Indication of community connection and commitment to trans and gender diverse-inclusive library practice
- Note: acceptance of a proposal does not guarantee acceptance of the eventual draft
Draft
- Complete or substantial draft ready for collaborative development
- Brief cover letter addressing the same prompts proposals (see below)

Not sure if you’re ready to submit? Please reach out to us! editors@murmurations.space

We know that traditional academic publishing can be intimidating and exclusionary, which is exactly what we’re working to change. If you’re wondering whether your idea fits our scope, uncertain about format or length requirements, new to academic writing (or publishing in general) and need guidance, working through how to frame your experiences, or just have questions for us, please drop us a message and we’ll get back to you.

We are very happy to talk through ideas, answer questions, and support you in developing your work.

Previously Published Work

Murmurations welcomes authors submit previously published works to the journal. To be eligible, a piece must meet the following requirements:

The piece must fit the journal’s scope.
The submitting author must own the copyright or otherwise have the rights to legally republish the piece (this is typically the case if you published under a Creative Commons license and did not transfer copyright). If you are not sure, contact the Murmurations editors.

The editors will decide whether to republish these pieces; peer review and revisions to the original are not expected. Authors should write something new to introduce the piece, which will be published along with brief commentary from the Murmurations editors on how the republished work fits the journal’s purpose. The author’s introduction can draw from any or all of the questions below; it may take the form of a short essay (1-3 paragraphs), Q&A directly responding to the questions, an oral recording, or other formats upon discussion with the editors.

What were your goals for this piece when you first planned it? Did those goals change as the piece came together?
Did the piece end up being what you envisioned? If not, what changed and how do you feel about the differences?
What has changed about the topic and/or the LIS profession’s relationship with it since you published the piece?
What are the most important takeaways that you wanted folks to get from your piece? Do you think that is what readers ended up doing?
How have you seen folks engaging with the piece and/or the topic it covers? What do you hope folks will do or think about after reading the piece?
If you were to start this piece again now, what (if anything) would to do differently?
Are there any new goals you have with republishing the piece in Murmurations now?

If you would like to submit a piece for us to consider republishing, please complete the prior publication form.

Next Steps

After you submit, please give us 2-3 weeks to get back to you with a confirmation and potential next steps. Our Editorial Board reviews all submissions and provides supportive feedback on how to move forward, and this thoughtful and intentional process does take time.

To learn more about our full publication and review process, please take a look at our Collaborative Community Review (CCR) page.

Author Background Questions

Below you will find a list of questions we ask potential contributors to consider and respond to (however briefly or extensively you’d like) when submitting a proposal or draft.

We ask these questions because we believe that knowing who you are and where you’re coming from helps us:

Connect you with Review Team members who can offer the most relevant support and feedback
Understand your goals and vision so we can help you achieve them
Provide appropriate resources and accommodate your needs throughout the process
Build authentic relationships that extend beyond this single publication
Support community accountability in trans-inclusive library work

Please note that there are no right answers—we value diverse forms of knowledge and experience—and we don’t expect long responses. The bullet points below each question are to help guide your response; there is no expectation to respond to all of them.

Responses may vary from a sentence to a paragraph or two, whatever is needed to get your point across.

About You and Your Work

What is your connection to this topic?

Help us understand what draws you to this subject:

What personal, professional, or community experiences inform your interest in this topic?
How did you come to focus on this particular area or question?
What aspects of this work feel most important or urgent to you?

What is your relevant knowledge and experience?

We recognize expertise comes in many forms. Please share whatever feels relevant:

What lived experiences inform your perspective on this topic?
What professional roles, volunteer work, or community involvement relate to this subject?
What formal education, training, or credentials do you bring (if any)?
What informal learning, self-education, or community knowledge shapes your approach?
Have you written, presented, or worked on related topics before?
What is your understanding of trans and gender diverse inclusive practices as they relate to this topic?

Your Approach and Perspective

What is your positionality to the topic?

Understanding your social location helps us provide appropriate support:

What aspects of your identity and social location are relevant to this work?
How do you identify in terms of gender identity and expression? (sharing is optional, but helps us understand your connection to trans and gender diverse issues)
What other aspects of your identity (race, class, disability, sexuality, age, etc.) inform your perspective on this topic?
How do your identities and experiences shape how you approach this subject?

What are your community connections?

We value community-rooted work and accountability:

What communities are you part of or accountable to in this work?
How does your work connect to broader movements or community organizing?
Who are the people or communities you hope this work will serve or benefit?
How do you stay connected to and learn from the communities most affected by the issues you’re addressing?

Your Vision for This Piece

What do you hope to contribute?

Help us understand your goals and vision:

What gap in knowledge, practice, or conversation are you hoping to address?
What do you hope readers will take away from your work?
How do you envision this piece being used by library workers or community members?
What change do you hope this work might help create?

Who is your intended audience?

Understanding your audience helps us provide targeted feedback:

Who is your primary audience for this piece?
What level of background knowledge are you assuming readers have?
Are you writing primarily for library professionals, community members, academics, or multiple audiences?

Additional Context

Anything Else We Should Know

Open space for whatever feels important:

Is there anything about your background, approach, or vision that the above questions didn’t capture?
Are there particular concerns, hopes, or questions you have about working with Murmurations?
What drew you specifically to our journal and collaborative community review process?
Is there anything else that would help us understand how to best support your work?