The James Madison Journal publishes original scholarship in policy, law, economics, philosophy, the social sciences, and the humanities. We read every manuscript under a single question: is the argument true, is it new, and is it well made? The following guidelines apply to all submissions; adherence expedites review.
I.Who May Submit
The Journal welcomes scholarship at every level of the academy and beyond:
- Undergraduates — including revised thesis chapters and seminar papers of publishable quality.
- Graduate & professional students — master's, doctoral, J.D., and M.D. candidates.
- Postdoctoral researchers, fellows, and practitioners in relevant fields.
- Faculty of all ranks, from lecturers to full and emeritus professors.
- Independent scholars whose work meets the Journal's standards.
Co-authored work is welcome. At least one author should hold a current or recent affiliation with a recognized institution of higher learning; exceptions are made for exceptional independent scholarship. There is no requirement of affiliation with Princeton University.
II.Categories of Submission
| Category | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Article | 5,000–12,000 words | A full-length, peer-reviewed contribution advancing an original argument. |
| Note / Comment | 2,500–5,000 words | A focused treatment of a single question, case, or text. |
| Essay | 3,000–7,000 words | An interpretive or argumentative essay of scholarly seriousness. |
| Book Review | 1,500–2,500 words | Critical review of a recent scholarly work. |
Word counts are inclusive of footnotes but exclusive of the abstract and bibliography. Works outside these ranges are considered by prior arrangement with the editors.
III.Manuscript Preparation
- Abstract: 150–250 words, with 4–6 keywords.
- File format: Microsoft Word (.docx) preferred; PDF accepted.
- Typography: 12-point serif typeface, double-spaced, one-inch margins, pages numbered consecutively.
- Footnotes, not endnotes, for all disciplines except where author-date style is used.
- Headings in a clear hierarchy; no more than three levels.
- Tables & figures numbered, captioned, and cited in text; supply source data on request.
IV.Citation & Style
Use the citation system standard to your discipline, applied consistently throughout:
- Law & jurisprudence: footnotes in the current edition of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation.
- Humanities, history & philosophy: The Chicago Manual of Style, notes-and-bibliography system.
- Policy & empirical social science: Chicago author-date or APA.
American English spelling and punctuation. Provide English translations for quotations in other languages, with the original in a footnote where relevant.
V.Ethics & Originality
- Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.
- All sources must be fully and accurately attributed. Plagiarism results in immediate rejection and notification of the author's institution where warranted.
- Generative AI may not be used to author scholarly content. Limited use for language editing must be disclosed in the submission letter.
- Empirical work must disclose data sources and methods; datasets and code should be available to reviewers on request.
- Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest or funding sources.
VI.The Review Process
- Editorial screen — within four weeks, for fit and baseline quality.
- Double-blind peer review — two or more independent referees; typically 11–12 weeks.
- Decision — accept · accept with minor revisions · revise & resubmit · decline, with referee comments provided.
- Editing & proofs — accepted authors work with an editor through copyediting and page proofs before publication.
VII.Rights & Licensing
Authors retain copyright in their work. The Journal receives the exclusive right of first publication. Following an embargo period, authors may deposit the accepted manuscript in their institution's repository with acknowledgment of first publication in The James Madison Journal.
VIII.How to Submit
Send your anonymized manuscript, separate title page, and a brief cover letter to the editorial office. The cover letter should state the submission category, confirm originality and exclusivity, and disclose any conflicts.