About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Canadian Journal of Disability Studies publishes peer-reviewed original articles that advance research in the multidisciplinary, international field of disability studies. The journal embraces a wide range of methodologies and perspectives, values collaborative and cross-disciplinary work, community partnership, and creative approaches to scholarship. Research in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies will be of interest to scholars and students from across all academic disciplines, as well as anyone involved in disability arts, advocacy, community organization or policy. The journal foregrounds a critical disability studies perspective, committed to disability rights.

Peer Review Process

Access:

The Canadian Journal of Disability Studies strives to disseminate knowledge as broadly and freely as possible. The journal is intended to be readily accessible to all potential audiences, and thus provides an accessible format. All figures in the journal are accompanied by written descriptions; the journal is published in a screen-readable format; the language and content of the journal is intended for a broad audience; the journal editor will make the journal available in alternative formats upon request.

The Canadian Journal of Disability Studies adheres to the philosophy of Open Access as detailed in the Bethesda Statement on Open Access, meaning that anyone can access this research on the public internet, for free. This removes the financial barriers to access to research, scholarship, and knowledge. This also effectively removes many geographical barriers to access to knowledge.Further, the CJDS advances these goals by modelling "Open Accessibility," showing that Open Access publications must also be disseminated in forms that remove barriers based on ability. Accessibility is here defined as "the ability to use, enjoy, perform, work on, avail of, and participate in a resource, technology, activity, opportunity, or product at an equal or comparable level with others. Separate is not equal and before or after the fact is also not equal. In the context of technology and systems, accessibility at the interface level, not as a retrofit or add-on, is true accessibility" (Oswal 2013).

Peer Review Process:

The Canadian Journal of Disability Studies invites the open submission of original articles and then utilizes a standardized, independent peer-review process to select scholarship for publication. Articles published in the journal are expected to meet the highest and most rigorous standards from within their connected or over-arching academic disciplines. Final publication decisions are made by the editor based on information gathered from the peer reviews.

All original contributions are first reviewed by the editor within two weeks of submission. If the work is deemed relevant to the journal objectives and meets the standards expected of academic research, authors will be quickly notified and manuscripts sent to two or more external reviewers as part of a fully anonymous peer review process (authors and reviewers are anonymous). These external reviewers are experts in the discipline and field relevant to the content of the manuscript. External reviewers will subject the manuscript to a rigorous review and suggest improvements if required.

The Canadian Journal of Disability Studies strives to communicate openly and quickly with authors to ensure that the review process is expedient, and that research can quickly make its way into publication. The Journal strives for a time-line of less than six months from initial submission to publication of an article where feasible – the process will often be completed much more quickly, though the process can take longer if revisions or permissions are required. If we make an offer of publication subject to revision, we will ask authors to return their articles to us within thirty days. Authors are responsible for ensuring that necessary revisions are carried out in response to referee recommendations.

General Author Guidelines:

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically, in Microsoft Word format.

All tables, figures – including graphs, charts, diagrams – and other images must be accompanied by a brief narrative description to ensure accessibility.

We will not accept submissions under consideration at other journals. Manuscripts will be considered for publication with the understanding that the work has not already been published or described in a paper submitted or accepted for publication elsewhere in print or in electronic media. Circumstances in which there has been any other form of public disclosure of unpublished data or work must be declared to the editor upon submission and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

All manuscript submissions must be accompanied by a cover page with the article’s title, the full names of all authors and their affiliation and contact information. Author’s names must not appear on any other pages of the manuscript. All pages must be numbered.

If figures, images, or tables are used in the article, the author(s) must submit these as separate files, in addition to their inclusion within the body text. Authors are responsible for securing permissions for all copyrighted material (i.e., images) and for all costs associated with obtaining full permissions prior to publication. If your text includes copyrighted material, please submit a separate note with your manuscript detailing the relevant copyright information, and outlining the process you will use to obtain permission to publish the copyright material in the Journal. Authors are encouraged to seek permission for copyright material prior to submitting articles for consideration of publication.

Authors should provide an abstract of 250 words or less, which will appear under the listing of the published version.

Authors are invited to make submissions in any language, though consideration is subject to the editorial board's ability to locate an appropriate peer-reviewer in the subject language. If submissions are made in a language other than English, the title and abstract must be submitted in English. Authors may provide an English translation of their submission, in which case, if the manuscript is accepted, both versions will be published (if the author wishes).

Style and Formatting:

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submission conforms to the acknowledged formatting and citation style appropriate to the “home” discipline, audience, and/or subject matter of their article. For instance, a literary analysis essay would utilize the MLA style, and a clinical psychological study would use the APA style. For interdisciplinary work, authors are expected to choose one relevant and acknowledged format and citation style and to use it rigorously. Authors are responsible for the consistency and uniformity of their formatting, and for ensuring that all citations are accurate.

While the editor does NOT check the accuracy of citations, s/he reserves the right to make amendments considered necessary to achieve stylistic and formatting standards, and may make changes with a view to improving the mode of expression and style of writing. Changes will be sent to the author for approval.

The journal uses Canadian, not American spelling: i.e., honour instead of honor. The Canadian Oxford English Dictionary is available online.

Copyright:

There are no article processing or submission charges for CJDS authors.

Author(s) are not required to assign their copyright in and to their article to the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies. Instead, The CJDS asks for one-time rights to print this original work.

All articles in the journal are assigned a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Authors are asked to contact the journal Editor if they wish to post the article on any website; translate or authorize a translation of the article; copy or otherwise reproduce the article, in any format, beyond what is permitted under Canadian copyright law, or authorize others to do so; copy or otherwise reproduce portions of the article, including tables and figures, beyond what is permitted under Canadian copyright law, or authorize others to do so.

Contacting the Editor will simply allow us to track the use and distribution of your article. We encourage use for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Authors must provide proof of permission clearance prior to the publication of their work if they are including images or other materials that are not their own. Keep in mind that such clearance can at times be costly, and often takes time. The journal editor can often work with you to seek permissions if you need information, advice or assistance.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Open access also means that the journal is dedicated to accessibility.

About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Peer Review Process

Open Access Policy

Open Access and Open Accessibility

Sponsors

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