Manuscript Submission Guidelines

Research in Contemporary World Literature (RCWL)

This section provides instructions, requirements, and style guidelines for preparing manuscripts for submission to Research in Contemporary World Literature.

1. Required Forms
2. Submitting a Turnitin similarity-finding software report
3. Authors must submit the Conflict of Interest and Commitment forms along with their manuscript.

Scope of the Journal

Research in Contemporary World Literature (RCWL) is an international, biannual, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing original and theoretically informed research in the following areas in Persian and English:

• Contemporary World Literature

Emphasis is placed on literary texts, movements, and critical developments emerging after 1945, across global languages and cultures.

• Language and Comparative Literature

Including comparative literary studies and interdisciplinary approaches that explore language, theory, and cross-cultural literary relations.

RCWL particularly encourages submissions that engage with innovative theoretical paradigms and contribute to ongoing debates in postcolonialism, transnationalism, feminism, ecocriticism, disability studies, posthumanism, and global south perspectives.

1. General Submission Policies

• Submissions must be made electronically via the journal's website.
• Articles must be original and not under review elsewhere.
• Author approval is required for publication.
• The journal reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit submissions.
• Articles derived from academic theses must list the student, supervisor, and advisors, with the supervisor assuming responsibility for the content.

Article Length and Format

Manuscripts submitted to Research in Contemporary World Literature must conform to the following structural and stylistic requirements. Submissions that fail to meet these standards may be returned for revision prior to peer review.

Word Count

• Articles should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, inclusive of the abstract, footnotes, and references.

 

1) Abstract

• A concise summary of the article’s core argument, methodology, and major findings.
• Length: Between 200 and 250 words.
• Keywords: Include 5 to 7 keywords that accurately reflect the article’s theoretical framework, literary scope, and subject matter.

 

2) Introduction

• Clearly introduce the research topic, its significance, and the scope of inquiry.
• Include a brief but focused literature review, identifying the research gap the article seeks to address.
• Clearly articulate the research questions, hypotheses, or problem statement.
• Situate the article within the field of post-1945 modern and contemporary literature, with a view toward originality and contribution.

 

3) Theoretical Framework

• Provide a clear and coherent account of the theoretical approach(es) guiding your analysis.
• The framework should be integrated with the research question and aligned with the chosen texts.
• Ensure theoretical references are properly cited and explained, especially when engaging with interdisciplinary perspectives.

4) Analysis

• The core section of the article, where detailed critical analysis of primary texts is conducted.
• Organize this section using clear and relevant subheadings to enhance readability, logical flow, and thematic development.
• Engage directly with textual evidence, and avoid summary. Interpretation and argumentation must be foregrounded.

5) Conclusion

1. Summarize the main arguments and contributions of the article in a coherent and focused manner.
2. Highlight the implications of the findings for broader literary or theoretical debates.
3. Do not introduce new literature, evidence, or unresolved questions in this section.
4. Length: Maximum 500 words

6) References

Anonymous Manuscript for Peer Review

To ensure a double‑blind peer‑review process, authors must submit an anonymized version of the manuscript. The submitted article file should not contain any information that could reveal the identity of the author(s).

In the anonymized manuscript, the following information must be removed:

• Author name(s)
• Institutional affiliation(s)
• Email addresses or contact information
• Acknowledgments
• Self‑identifying references in the text or footnotes (e.g., “In my previous study…”)

Author information should instead be provided in a separate title page or author information file during submission.

Manuscripts that contain identifying information may be returned to the author for anonymization before being sent for review.

Citation and Reference (Chicago Manual of Style)

 

All manuscripts submitted to this journal must follow the Chicago Manual of Style (Author–Date system) using parenthetical in‑text citations and a reference list at the end of the article. Authors are responsible for ensuring accuracy and consistency of all citations.

 

 1. In‑Text Citations

 

Sources should be cited in parentheses within the text using the following format:

 

(Author Year, Page)

 

Example:

 

Literary representations of memory often rely on fragmented narrative structures (White 2018, 54).

 

If the author's name appears in the sentence, include only the year and page number in parentheses.

 

Example:

 

White (2018, 54) argues that fragmented narration mirrors the instability of cultural memory.

 

For works with two authors:

 

(Smith and Jones 2020, 112)

 

For works with three or more authors:

 

(Garcia et al. 2019, 77)

 

If citing multiple sources in the same parentheses, separate them with semicolons:

 

(Said 1978, 112; Bhabha 1994, 56)

 

When citing an entire work without a specific page reference:

 

(Todorov 1981)

 

 2. Quotations

 

Short quotations (fewer than 100 words) should appear in the text within quotation marks, followed by the parenthetical citation.

 

Example:

 

As Butler notes, “gender is performative in the sense that it constitutes the identity it is purported to express” (Butler 1990, 25).

 

Quotations longer than 100 words should be presented as a block quotation, indented and without quotation marks. The parenthetical citation should appear after the final punctuation.

 

 3. Reference List

 

All works cited in the text must appear in a Reference List at the end of the manuscript. The list should:

 

- Be titled References 

- Be arranged alphabetically by the author's last name 

- Use hanging indentation 

- Include complete publication information

 

 4. Reference Examples

 

Book

 

Butler, Judith. 1990. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge.

 

Book with Two Authors

 

Smith, John, and Sarah Brown. 2020. Narratives of Modernity. London: Routledge.

 

Journal Article

 

White, Hayden. 2018. “Narrative and Historical Representation.” Journal of Literary Studies 34 (2): 45–62.

 

Chapter in an Edited Book

 

Bhabha, Homi K. 1994. “Of Mimicry and Man.” In The Location of Culture, edited by Jonathan Rutherford, 85–92. London: Routledge.

 

Online Source

 

Todorov, Tzvetan. 1981. “The Typology of Detective Fiction.” Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.example.org/article.

 

 5. Classical and Literary Works

 

For well‑known literary works commonly cited by act, scene, line, or chapter, authors may use standard scholarly citation practices.

 

Example:

 

(Shakespeare, Hamlet 3.1.56–58)

 

If a specific edition is used, it should be included in the reference list.

 

 6. General Requirements

 

- Every in‑text citation must correspond to an entry in the reference list. 

- Authors must ensure that publication details are complete and accurate. 

- DOIs should be included for journal articles whenever available. 

- Titles of books and journals should be italicized, while article and chapter titles should appear in quotation marks.

Acknowledgment Requirement

• Authors must include an acknowledgment of the financial or institutional support received for the research, if applicable.