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Alabama Libraries

Call for Articles

Alabama Libraries is seeking scholarly articles, practical articles, student research, and guest columns relevant to librarianship in Alabama. The Alabama Library Association’s peer-reviewed journal is published biannually in an open access format. Guidelines for each type of article appear below.

Scholarly Articles (peer reviewed) (15 - 25 pages, inclusive of references, tables, and figures): These articles are written by researchers or practitioners in Library and Information Science or a related field, in order to share the results of their original research or analysis. Articles should make an original contribution to the field of librarianship; the research in question and/or the author should have a connection to Alabama. We welcome submissions from authors who work in all types of libraries (including academic, public, school, tribal, law, health, etc.), as well as those who have an interest in Alabama libraries but may not work specifically in a library setting.  All methodologies are welcome. We ask authors to keep the literature review and methods sections succinct and emphasize findings and the applications of those findings. All scholarly article submissions are double blind peer reviewed.

Practical Articles (peer reviewed) (8-15 pages, inclusive of references, tables, and figures): These articles are practical and focus on best practices and advice for all types of libraries, groups supporting libraries, etc. The subject matter and/or the author should have a connection to Alabama. We welcome submissions from authors who work in all types of libraries (including academic, public, school, tribal, law, health, etc.), as well as those who have an interest in Alabama libraries but may not work in a specifically in a library setting. Topics may include: planning a library marketing activity and/or campaign, market research, community analysis, market segmentation, SWOT analysis, public relations strategies, an outreach activity, a re-branding project, etc. All practical article submissions are double blind peer reviewed.

Student Research (peer reviewed) (8-15 pages, inclusive of references, tables, and figures): These articles are written by current graduate or undergraduate students in Library and Information Science or a related field, in order to share the results of their original research or analysis. Submissions must include a literature review, research question(s), methods, findings, and discussion. The research in question and/or the author should have a connection to Alabama. All student research articles are double blind peer reviewed.

Guest Columns (500 - 1,000 words; will not include any references, tables, and figures); These columns are written in first person. Topics are at the discretion of the author and can pertain to any type of library, library and information science, management, issues, etc. The subject matter and/or the author should have a connection to Alabama.

 Guidelines for the Submission of Scholarly Articles:

  • All manuscripts must be submitted to [email protected] as attachment to an email, preferably in MS Word.
  • All manuscripts will undergo an initial evaluation. If the submission does not meet the requirements outlined in the submission guidelines below, it will be returned to the author for revisions before proceeding to peer review. Manuscripts may also be desk-rejected at this stage if they fall outside the scope of the journal or are deemed unsuitable for further consideration.
  • Either the subject matter of the manuscript OR the author(s) must have some connection to Alabama. For example, articles might address research conducted in Alabama, innovations or best practices in Alabama libraries of any sort, or issues of interest to Alabama libraries. Alternately, authors might reside in Alabama, work in Alabama, or be current students or graduates of LIS programs in Alabama, even if the subject matter of their manuscript is not specifically about Alabama.
  • Manuscripts must be written in APA style and include an abstract and keywords.
  • Although longer or shorter works may be considered, the preferred length is 15 - 25 pages for a scholarly article; 8 – 15 pages for a practical article or a student research article; and 500 – 1000 words for a guest column.
  • The name, position, and professional email address of the author should appear in the bottom left-hand corner of a separate title page. The author's name should not appear anywhere else in the document.
  • Submissions for Scholarly Articles, Practical Articles, and Student Research must contain the following:
    • An abstract of up to 300 words and up to six key words. The abstract should cover the overall purpose or research problem, stated early in the abstract, the methodology used, including the research design, sample, and data collection methods, a concise discussion of a few significant research findings and an overview of the main conclusions of the paper. No references should be listed in the abstract.
    • The following sections: Main text introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results/ Findings, Discussion, References, Appendices (as appropriate), Table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages), Figures; figure captions (as a list).
  • Submissions will undergo a double blind peer review process.
  • Photographs and other images relevant to the submission will be accepted for consideration but cannot be returned. Digital images are preferred.
  • No other publisher should be simultaneously considering a manuscript submitted to Alabama Libraries.
  • If the manuscript includes analyses of survey results, please acknowledge approval by the appropriate Institutional Review Board either through direct reference in the manuscript or acknowledgement as part of the manuscript submission.
  • Upon receipt, manuscripts will be acknowledged by the Editor-in-Chief, who will then assign manuscripts to two reviewers. The reviewers who receive the manuscript will have no direct information on the author or the author's affiliation. Following the review, a decision will be communicated to the writer.
  • Upon acceptance, publication can be expected within six months.