Submissions

This page explains the submission process for the Journal of Black Military Studies (JBMS). It is intended to help authors prepare manuscripts that are well-suited for publication in this journal. Please read it in its entirety and contact us with any questions prior to starting your submission.

Before You Begin

  1. If you have not done so already, register with Janeway and ORCID. You will be asked to log in to Janeway and provide your unique ORCID identifier as part of the submission process. All registrations are free. When registering for an account on this site, University of Vermont affiliates must choose a username and password combination that does not duplicate any elements of a UVM NetID or password.
  2. To ensure you receive important communications about your submission, add the addresses jbms-uvm@janewaysharedhosting.com and jbms@uvm.edu to your email client’s approved sender list.
  3. Gather all required files and information, including names, emails, and ORCID iDs for all authors; your cover letter (Word file), manuscript (Word file), and any supplementary material; and your signed Author Agreement Form (fillable PDF).
  4. If you need accommodations in order to make a submission, please contact Aimee Diehl, JBMS Managing and Production Editor, to discuss how we can make this process work best for you.

To Start Your Submission

After reading all the information on this page, click on the “Start Submission” button below. A checklist will guide you through the submission process.

If you are unable to complete your submission in one sitting, you may save your work and finish later.

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About

The Journal of Black Military Studies (JBMS), the diamond open access journal of the Society for Black Military Studies, publishes on a rolling basis in partnership with the University of Vermont Press.

JBMS is entirely free for authors and readers.

In keeping with the Society’s mission, JBMS aims to promote worldwide understanding and appreciation of, and greater dialogue about, the Black military experience, distinguishing this new discipline as distinct from the field of military history.

The editors of JBMS invite submissions of scholarly articles, essays, interviews, and creative work (such as poetry, short stories, and visual art) that:

  • Are original and innovative in content, scope, and interpretation
  • Make distinctive contributions to historical knowledge
  • Use and/or reflect Africana methods
  • Approach their subject matter in an open, accessible, jargon-free way that resonates with scholars as well as a broader readership.

We cover a wide-ranging field of global Black military studies from its earliest phases to the more recent past. Topics include war, armed conflict, resistance, and military participation.

Aims and Scope

The diamond open access Journal of Black Military Studies, the international, multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Black Military Studies, encapsulates the military experience (broadly defined) within and throughout the Black Diaspora. In keeping with the Society’s mission, JBMS aims to promote worldwide understanding, appreciation, and greater dialogue about the Black military experience, distinguishing this new discipline as distinct from the field of military history.

JBMS seeks high-quality manuscripts and other contributions that explore and expand the military narratives of people of African descent: for example, veterans, military families, paramilitary organizations, militias, and self-defense practitioners. We welcome innovative, dynamic approaches to analyzing, preserving, and disseminating histories, literary and visual arts, politics, and dialogs (interviews and oral histories) within the Black Diaspora. Scholars (from all disciplines) and the wider community, especially military service members and veterans, are encouraged to submit scholarly articles, essays, and interviews for consideration.

Qualified peer reviewers evaluate all submissions to determine suitability for publishing, and accepted contributions are published on a rolling basis.

JBMS publishes digitally under a diamond open access model that makes scholarship more equitable and accessible. This model enables authors to publish accepted work without publication fees, and readers to access all journal content without paywalls.

·   Submission is free.

·   Publication of accepted work is free.

·   Access to all published content is free to any reader, anywhere.

JBMS is published in partnership with the University of Vermont Press, a division of the University of Vermont Libraries.

Sections

Section or article type Public Submissions Peer Reviewed Indexed
Article Yes Yes Yes

Point of View

Establishing a Point of View: Using/Reflecting Africana Methods

The editors of JBMS seek to amplify points of view from those in the diaspora, and we encourage submissions that adhere to that epistemology. All authors should consider using innovative interpretations that will help readers appreciate:

  • The relationships among military service, war, and conflict generally, within the lives of people of African descent, and
  • How the relationships between and agency of soldiers and others shaped history and influenced events.

Publication Cycle

JBMS accepts, reviews, and publishes submissions on a rolling basis. The journal publishes digitally under a diamond open access model that makes scholarship more equitable and accessible. This model enables authors to publish accepted work without publication fees, and allows readers to access all journal content without paywalls.

Once an article is accepted, the corresponding author will work with the Managing and Production Editor to prepare the work for publication, including requesting any final corrections and high-resolution graphics.

Publication Fees

There are no fees or membership requirements to submit to or publish in JBMS.

  • Submission is free.
  • Publication of accepted work is free.
  • Access to all published content is free to any reader, anywhere.

JBMS is under no obligation to peer review or publish any submitted manuscript.

JBMS is published in partnership with the University of Vermont Press, a division of the University of Vermont Libraries.

License

JBMS content is published under a CC BY-NC-ND license, which allows sharing and access, in unadapted form, with attribution, but does not allow republication or distribution for any commercial use. Authors of published work retain their copyright.

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.

If the journal accepts an article for publication:

  • The authors grant a Creative Commons copyright license in the article to the general public, in particular a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
  • The authors agree to require that a citation to the original publication of the article in JBMS be included in any attribution statement satisfying the attribution requirement of the Creative Commons license.
  • The authors retain ownership of all rights under copyright in all versions of the article, and all rights not expressly granted in the author agreement form.
  • To the extent that any edits made by the publisher to make the article suitable for publication in the journal amount to copyrightable works of authorship, the publisher hereby assigns all right, title, and interest in such edits to the authors.

A signed author agreement form must accompany each manuscript submission. Please refer to the author agreement form for a full explanation of the publication agreement.

Peer Review

This journal uses double anonymized peer review, as defined by the National Information Standards Organization: 

Identity transparency: double anonymized. Reviewer identity is not made visible to author, author identity is not made visible to reviewer, reviewer and author identity is visible to decision-making editor.

Reviewer interacts with: editor. Communication between editor and reviewer (traditional model). Also known as ‘independent review’.

Review information published: None. No information about the review process or editorial decision process is published.

Post-publication commenting: None.

Each submitted manuscript is screened by the Managing and Production Editor for adherence to submission guidelines and undergoes a SimilarityCheck through Crossref. It is then forwarded to the Editor in Chief for initial consideration. If the Editor in Chief deems it suitable for peer review, the manuscript is assigned to an Associate Editor, who invites expert reviewers and oversees the review process. At least two independent experts review each manuscript. The Associate Editor summarizes reviews received and makes a recommendation to the Editor in Chief, who makes the final decision on the manuscript and communicates the decision to the author.

Submission Checklist

Authors of written submissions must ensure their work complies with all the items listed here. Written submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may be returned to authors for correction prior to review. Creative work submitted in response to special calls must adhere to the modified submission criteria specified for each call.

  • The manuscript meets the journal’s aims and scope.
  • The manuscript has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal or book publisher for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in the cover letter). The author agrees not to submit the material to another journal while it is under consideration by JBMS.
  • The manuscript has been prepared according to the journal's standards and is in Microsoft Word (.docx) file format.
  • The manuscript file contains no identifying information, has been digitally anonymized, and has any comments/tracked changes turned off.
  • The manuscript does not exceed the word count for the submission category. Suggested word counts are for the introduction through the conclusion excluding figures, tables, charts, notes, and bibliographies.
  • The manuscript cites sources according to the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition, and includes a complete bibliography. The author is responsible for ensuring that both in-text citations and the bibliography are complete and accurate. (Reference lists generated by citation managers are prone to error and must always be checked by the author prior to submission.)
  • If manuscript reference software (such as Zotero or EndNote) has been used, end references have been unlinked from in-text citations. This prevents problems with file corruption.
  • Functioning DOIs or URLs are provided, as hyperlinks, for all online references. Links do not lead to password-protected resources.
  • Tables, figures, and charts appear in the text after first mention and are designed for web accessibility. All tables, figures, and charts are properly attributed to their source.
  • Prior written approval has been obtained for reuse of any copyrighted or previously published tables, figures, charts, or other material. Upload written approval where indicated.
  • The abstract is included within the manuscript file.
  • The abstract does not exceed 300 words.
  • The cover letter is in Microsoft Word (.docx) file format. It describes how the submitted work meets the journal’s aims and scope; discloses any additional information related to conflicts of interest not covered in the manuscript’s Conflict of Interest Statement; discloses any restrictions on the ability to share study raw data, materials, or information as required; and includes suggestions for a minimum of three possible peer reviewers.
  • The Author Agreement Form has been prepared using the provided template and is in PDF (.pdf) file format. All form fields are complete, including signature and date. (A digital signature is acceptable.)
  • All documents have been proofread.
  • Any file access restrictions have been turned off prior to submission.
  • Authors who are U.S. Government employees and/or active duty U.S. servicemembers have provided documentation of in-progress or completed security and/or Public Affairs Office (PAO) reviews, and have included required information in the manuscript.