About the Journal
Research in Contemporary World Literature (RCWL) is a quarterly, double-blind, peer-reviewed, and open access journal published by the University of Tehran that focuses on developing high-quality scholarly discourse on modern and contemporary literature. The journal began in 1994 as the Journal of Foreign Languages and subsequently adopted the new title and expanded remit in response to the emerging field of World Literature. RCWL is now an internationally respected forum for scholarly debate and dialogue on literary production in varied linguistic and cultural circumstances. The journal used to appear two times a year, but after 2026, it has been published as a quarterly.
The journal publishes only original articles and critical reviews dealing with literature and literary movements that postdate 1945. Literature from before the latter date cannot be considered for publication.
Particular attention is paid to articles that combine comparative and/or interdisciplinary methods and that address significant critical theories and debates (e.g., postcolonialism, posthumanism, African literature, feminism, disability studies, ecocriticism, migration studies, and studies of marginalized or underrepresented voices) and engage thoroughly with contemporary theoretical currents and controversies in critical theory and literature studies. Especially welcome is work that seeks to move beyond established frameworks and engage in methodological or theoretical innovation.
Reflecting a firm commitment to international scholarly standards, RCWL ensures an editorial and ethical review process in line with high-impact journals and the discipline’s own enduring and vital status as a humanistic field.
RCWL encourages submission by scholars from around the world and hopes to promote dialogue across cultural lines via literature and critical theory.
Copyright and Licensing (CC BY-NC 4.0)
CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons Non-Commercial License)
Copyright is retained by the author(s) of all articles published in the Journal of Research in Contemporary World Literature (RCWL).
Authors grant RCWL a non-exclusive license to:
Publish the article, and
Identify itself as the original publisher.
Authors also grant third parties the right to use the article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Under this license, users may:
Copy, share, distribute, and display the article.
Adapt or build upon the work.
Use the content for non-commercial purposes only (e.g., research, education, personal study).
Credit the original author(s), provide citation details, and acknowledge RCWL as the publisher.
Indicate if any changes were made.
Commercial use is not permitted under this license.
Any reuse of the article for commercial purposes requires prior written permission from the copyright holder.
Article Processing Charge (APC)
The Article Processing Charge (APC) is a fee required for publishing an article under the Open Access model, ensuring that the content is freely accessible to all readers immediately upon publication. This fee is typically covered by the author, the author's affiliated institution, or a supporting funding agency. The APC supports essential publishing services, including editorial review, peer review management, production, and long-term digital archiving and access.
APC Rates for Research in Contemporary World Literature
For Iranian Nationals: 600.0000 Iranian tomans (IRR)
For International Authors: 100 USD
The differentiated APC structure reflects regional economic contexts and currency systems. Iranian authors are billed in the local currency (toman), while international authors are charged in USD, aligning with standard international publishing practices. This fee is charged only after an article has been formally accepted for publication following a rigorous peer review process. The model is designed to promote equitable participation while ensuring the financial sustainability of the journal’s open access operations.