Author FAQ

Can I submit a book review?

SEL does not assign reviews of individual books. All books noted by SEL will be considered for our themed review essays, which are written by authors commissioned by the journal. Typically, we reach out to publishers directly to request a book be sent to a reviewer who has already agreed to write about the book in question.

How do I submit to the journal?

The submission process is handled through Manuscript Central's ScholarOne platform. Please see our Submission Guidelines.

What work does SEL consider?

The journal invites scholarly essays of moderate length (ca. 7,000 words not to exceed 8,000 words including endnotes) that contribute significantly to the understanding of English literature, 1500–1900.

SEL also invites proposals for each of three new features of its Living Discourse Initiative, which seeks to capture a sense of conversational presence and to reimagine both the composition and contributions of a scholarly journal. The initiative scales out in three new features: SEL: The Interview, SEL: The Exchange, and SEL: The Roundtable. Queries and proposals for these features are accepted on a rolling basis and may be directed to the editors at sel@rice.edu.

How long should I wait before inquiring about my submission's status?

Our commitment is to render a decision within four months, so please wait at least that long before sending a query. Due to semester and travel schedules of the editorial board and expert readers, our response time can occasionally take longer. Queries can be addressed to sel@rice.edu, or call 713-348-4697.

What are your image and illustration guidelines?

Art in Digital Format

  1. Submit only TIFF (TIF), JPG (JPEG), or EPS files if you submit art digitally. These are high-resolution files suitable for printing. Halftones (art with any shades of grey) should be 266-300 dpi; line art 900-1200 dpi. These are minimums. If the art is to print at more than 100% (in other words, to be enlarged from file size), the resolution must be correspondingly higher.
  2. Do not use Word, PDF, JPG, or GIF files. JHUP can sometimes use these formats in a pinch, but they have more potential for problems.
  3. Please supply legends (captions) and any necessary permissions. Legends should be typed on a separate page from the art.
  4. As with any art, please indicate approximate placement in the manuscript. It can be coded in brackets. Example: <fig. 3 about here>.

If you prefer to submit hard copies rather than the electronic format, the press can work from camera-ready black and white glossy photos or good laser printouts (in a size around 4 x 7 inches or preferred 4 x 6 inches). Please see numbers 3 and 4 above as additional instructions.

Permission

As the author you will need to obtain permission rights to reprint the images. Permission requests should include world rights, all languages for any and all formats, including print, microform, and electronic formats. If the images do not fall under fair use or do not meet due diligence requirements, please return a signed permission agreement for each illustration to sel@rice.edu.

How can I nominate a book for the Dietz or Patten Awards?

All books received or requested by SEL for the journal's themed review essays of a given year are considered for the Dietz Award (Winter and Spring issues) and the Patten Award (Summer and Autumn issues). There is no application or submission process other than to confirm whether or not your book is included in one of our themed review essays. For more information, see the Awards section accessible from the main menu.