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Prepare your manuscript for Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue canadienne des études africaines.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-01
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Article types

Review
Book Review
Editorial
Protocol
Lectio
Letter
Review Article

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 150 words.
  • The manuscript should range in length from 6,000 to 10,000 words (approximately 25-40 double spaced typed pages), including text, quotations, endnotes, bibliography, tables, and appendices and should include an abstract of 125-150 words.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Vancouver style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • Review: Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
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  • Citation of a new edition of an older work should include the original date (in square brackets) as well as the date of the edition used: (Riddell [1970] 2001, 205).
  • When the reference is to both volume and page of the author's work, a colon should distinguish between the two: for example, (Riddell 2001, 2: 75-93) or (Riddell 2001, volume 2) if referring to the volume number only.
  • The first reference to acronyms should be in parentheses, preceded by the full identification of the acronym: for example, Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS).
  • First references to people's names should be based on the assumption that the reader is not familiar with the name; therefore, the full name should be used.
  • If possible, a reference should be placed just before a mark of punctuation (usually before the final period).
  • If this placement is impractical, the reference should be at a logical place in the sentence.
  • You may also include parenthetical references, substantive endnotes, and a bibliography, all of which should conform to the CJAS Style Guide (above).
  • Other relevant source information, notably archival sources and substantive comments, should be included in a section titled Notes which should appear immediately after the text but before the Bibliography.
  • In the Bibliography, all works cited in the text should be listed alphabetically (in most cases according to the last name of the author), starting at the left margin (with no lines indented).
  • Review: Reviews: A review of a book or film should be limited to 3-4 double-spaced pages (1,000 words) in length and should begin with the complete citation of the work, including the title and subtitle of the work, author’s name, the publisher along with the place and date of publication and the number of pages, as illustrated in the following example: Empire in Africa: Angola and its Neighbours, by David Birmingham, Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2006.
  • Keep such references to a minimum.
  • Review: x + 190pp.
  • There is no need to supply the ISBN number or price.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
  • All illustrative material, including tables, graphs, charts, and maps, should appear on a separate page and be appropriately titled in Arabic numerical sequence: for example, Table 1 or Figure 1 or Map 1.
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  • Any number that can be expressed in one or two words (for example, five, twenty-five, five hundred) should be spelled out, while figures should be used for all other numbers (for example, 49.5, 101).
  • But if the text contains many numbers, then figures should be used for all numbers.
  • The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: A table of contents, including the author and title of each paper.
  • Le document de proposition doit compter au maximum six pages et inclure les éléments suivants: une table des matières, mentionnant l'auteur et le titre de chaque article; - une justification de la manière dont chaque contribution aborde le thème ou la thèse du numéro spécial, et des liens entre les différents articles.

Cover letter

  • Include or confirm the cover letter required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Supplementary files

  • Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.

Title page and author information

  • The name should be exactly as it appears on the title page of a book or author by-line of an article: Dennis D.
  • Review: The review should end with an indication of your name, institutional affiliation, and location.
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  • Review / Review Article: The review article should have an interesting title followed by your name and your institutional affiliation.
  • The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: The academic qualifications or professional experience of the contributing authors, including institutional/organisational affiliations where relevant.
  • Le document de proposition doit compter au maximum six pages et inclure les éléments suivants: les qualifications universitaires ou l'expérience professionnelle des auteurs collaborateurs, y compris leurs affiliations institutionnelles ou organisationnelles, le cas échéant.
  • Place of publication and publisher of book or government document (if different from the issuing body) as it appears on the title page.

Article structure and word limits

  • Editorial: Proposals for special issues must be submitted by May 15 each year for consideration by the Editorial team.
  • Individual papers must then be submitted by their authors directly to CJAS via ScholarOne Manuscripts within 12 months of the proposal being accepted.
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  • The division of the text should not exceed three levels of subheadings: the first level should be identified by Roman numerals (I, II, II.); the second level by upper case letters (A, B, C.); and the third level by Arabic numerals (1,2,3.).
  • Review: Review Articles: An article which offers a more in-depth critique of an important work or of two or more works on a common theme should be limited to 10-12 double-spaced pages (3,000 words) in length.
  • Review: The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: Names of 10-12 external reviewers who would have the expertise to assist with the peer review process.
  • Le document de proposition doit compter au maximum six pages et inclure les éléments suivants: les noms de 10 à 12 évaluateurs externes qui auraient l'expertise nécessaire pour contribuer au processus d'évaluation par des pairs.
  • Review: These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
  • Editorial: Manuscripts must conform to the style guide before they can proceed through the editorial process leading to publication.
  • Contributors to the Canadian Journal of African Studies (CJAS) should submit their manuscripts via the ScholarOne Manuscripts site (see 'submit online' side tab).
  • Authors should also make sure to include all forwarding addresses and to notify the Editors of any changes in information.
  • A manuscript sent to CJAS must not be submitted to another publication at the same time.
  • Manuscripts should be word-processed in either in Microsoft Word, or in Rich Text format.
  • Letter: The title of the manuscript should appear at the top of the first page of text in first letter capitals at the left margin.
  • All paragraphs should be indented five spaces from the left margin (using the Tab key or function), with no blank line between paragraphs.
  • Indented quotations should be formed using the Indent function rather than the Tab function.
  • The title should also include a clear identification of the illustrative material.
  • Any omissions of words or sentences should be indicated by three ellipsis points. preceded and followed by a blank space.
  • Commonly recognized acronyms such as USA and UN do not require full identification.
  • Sources of information should be acknowledged using the author-date system recommended by CMS.
  • All works attributed to one author, whether original, edited, or translated, should be listed together and arranged chronologically by date of publication.
  • For successive works by the same author, four hyphens followed by a period (----.) should be used in place of the author's name after the first appearance.
  • For articles, the title of the periodical should follow the title of the article.
  • Review / Book Review / Review Article: Please submit your book review or review article to the appropriate Book Review Editor.
  • Limitez les références de ce type au minimum. Évitez d’utiliser des guillemets simples pour faire ressortir du texte.
  • Your research funder or your institution may require you to publish your article open access.
  • Use our APC finder to view the APC for this journal.
  • Authors are required sign an Article Publishing Agreement to facilitate this.
  • In respect of co-authored papers, all named authors to a maximum of three can receive the above.
  • Pour les articles à auteurs multiples, tous les auteurs jusqu'à un maximum de trois peuvent recevoir chacun les avantages décrits ci-dessus.
  • Authors should provide complete contact information with their manuscript - full name, academic or professional status, and the address of the institution with which they are affiliated.
  • Graphs, maps, and diagrams should be prepared either in paper form ready for photo-reproduction (camera-ready) or in an electronic form using a graphics programme that is compatible with Microsoft Windows.
  • Indicate the source of the data at the bottom of the page introduced by the word Source: The intended location of this illustrative material should be clearly indicated within the text.
  • Longer quotations, that is, more than four lines or more than one sentence, should be presented in extracted or block form indented only from the left margin (not the right margin).
  • Periods are not required within acronyms.
  • Two works by the same author which are published in the same year should be distinguished by lower case letters following the date: (Riddell 2001ab) or (Riddell 2001a, 205; Riddell 2001b, 320).
  • Cordell should not be indicated as D.D.
  • Government documents should include the national or local government issuing the document, followed by the government body (such as department or commission) responsible for its writing.
  • Editorial: Proposals should be sent as an email attachment to the Coordinating Editor, Belinda Dodson (bdodson@uwo.ca), as well as to editorial board members Hang Zhou (hang.zhou@pol.ulaval.ca) and Benoît Henriet (benoit.henriet@vub.be).
  • The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: A statement outlining the theme of the special issue and the ways in which it offers original scholarly insight.
  • The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: Explanation of how individual contributions each address the theme/thesis of the special issue, and how the papers relate to each other.
  • The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: Details on the origin of the proposal, e.g. a workshop, conference session, research project, or research network.
  • Review: The proposal document should be no more than six pages long and must include: A timeline for preparation and submission of the manuscripts, including a plan for preliminary review by the guest editor(s) prior to submission of articles to CJAS.
  • Le document de proposition doit compter au maximum six pages et inclure les éléments suivants: une déclaration décrivant le thème du numéro spécial et ce en quoi il apporte un éclairage scientifique original.
  • Le document de proposition doit compter au maximum six pages et inclure les éléments suivants: des détails sur l'origine de la proposition (par exemple un atelier, une session de conférence, un projet de recherche ou un réseau de recherche).
  • Le document de proposition doit compter au maximum six pages et inclure les éléments suivants: un calendrier de préparation et de soumission des manuscrit, incluant un plan d'évaluation préliminaire des articles par le ou les rédacteurs invités avant leur soumission à la RCÉA.
  • A bibliographic entry should include the following information: a.
  • As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The Editors reserve the right to reduce excessively long submissions or to reject submissions that do not conform to the foregoing guidelines.
  • CJAS will not accept more than one article at a time for consideration for publication from the same author in any volume year and cannot publish an author more than once a year other than in reviews.
  • No emphasis needs to be given to the title.
  • Nous communiquerons les décisions relatives à chaque proposition dans un délai de deux mois à compter de la date limite de soumission, en indiquant les raisons du rejet, le cas échéant.

Preprints and prior publication

  • Include or confirm the preprints and prior publication required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Article type and manuscript length

  • Preferably, the Notes and Bibliography sections should be presented in a file separate from the main text.
  • The main text of the manuscript should consist of a specifically designated Introduction, well-defined divisions with heading and subheadings to delineate the body of the text, and a specifically designated Conclusion.

Manuscript structure

  • In the Notes section, endnotes should be numbered consecutively in superscript form starting at the left margin.
  • Within the text, endnotes should be numbered consecutively in superscript form usually at the end of the sentence following the punctuation.
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  • Within the text, any punctuation should always precede rather than follow a superscripted endnote number.
  • Letter: Headings and subheadings should appear at the left margin and be typed in first letter capitals only (except for prepositions, articles, and co-ordinate conjunctions), with no emphasis.

Language and text style

  • With the exception of those that have become standard English usage, foreign words and phrases should be italicized.
  • All quotations should be enclosed in double quotation marks, with the exception of quotations within quotations which should be enclosed in single quotation marks.
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  • Periods and commas should always be placed inside the quotation marks; colons and semi-colons should always be placed outside the quotation marks.
  • Question marks and exclamation marks should be placed inside the quotation marks if they are part of the quotation and outside if not.
  • When an extracted or block quotation begins within a sentence, the omission of the words at the beginning of the sentence should be indicated by three ellipsis points.
  • All relevant punctuation should be placed inside rather than outside the italics.
  • Do not use single-quotation marks for emphasis.
  • Use double quotation marks for selections from the book being reviewed, and be sure to specify the page number(s) on which the quotation appears.
  • Review / Review Article: Please submit your English language review article to Blair Rutherford.

Authorship and originality

  • The hyphens should not be used when a co-author is added.
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What your package checks

Abstract: 150 words
Paper: 10,000 words
References: Vancouver
Format: double spacing

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source