Manuscript Submission Info & Guidelines

Submission Guidelines

The Editorial Board of the Ӱ Native Language Center (ANLC) is happy to consider a wide range of submissions. There is no word count requirement for a submitted manuscript; we expect it to vary considerably depending on the kind of book you submit. Likewise, there is no restriction on the number of images, figures, or tables (although these factors will affect the cost of publication). The book need only be in or about an Ӱ Native language; acceptable genres within this category include dictionaries, grammars, memoirs, anthologies, pedagogical materials, traditional story retellings, and children’s books. 

If you would like to have your manuscript considered for publication, please submit a detailed prospectus to the Editor at lmaassen@alaska.edu. The Editorial Board will review your prospectus and communicate our decision to you within 90 days (please note that submissions received in the summer months may have a longer wait time). Should we opt to proceed with publishing your manuscript, we will negotiate an Author Agreement with you and any other relevant parties before beginning the editing process. You and the Editor will then work together over the course of 6-12 months to get the book print-ready.

If you do not have a manuscript ready for publishing but expect to within the next few years, you are welcome to reach out to us now to see whether your book might be a good fit for ANLC in the future.

  • A clear and concise description of your book and its notable features.
  • A table of contents, including a brief précis for each chapter.
  • The full completed manuscript as a Microsoft Word document (see Style Guide for formatting).
  • An estimated word count of the project.
  • An estimate of the number of illustrations, tables, appendices, etc.
  • A statement of the expected target audience for the book.
  • A statement of funding, indicating whether you will provide your own funding or will be seeking it from ANLC or a third party. 
  • A statement of any external timeline for publication, such as a grant deadline.
  • A statement as to what percentage of the manuscript has already been published, where, and under what copyright. 
  • A current resume or short personal bio. 

Note: We will only accept completed submissions. If we accept the project prospectus but deem the manuscript underworked, we will ask you to continue editing on your own until it is closer to completion.

  • Upon receipt of your submission, the Editorial Board will screen it to make sure it meets our basic criteria.
  • If your submission meets the criteria, the Editor will then send it off for blind peer review. Typically this will take one-two months and will be performed by two reviewers. You may suggest peer reviewers for your prospectus (or notify us of anyone who would not be an appropriate reviewer for any reason), but keep in mind your work must be anonymized for a true blind review. 
  • You will have a chance to make changes based on the reviewers’ comments once they are sent to you; this period can be agreed upon between you and the Editor based on the volume of comments.
  • You and the Editor will negotiate an Author Agreement between you and ANLC. 
  • You and the Editor will begin your 6-12 month process of readying the manuscript for publication.
  • The manuscript should be in Microsoft Word for initial edits (the Editor will usually transfer it to InDesign before publication).
  • MLA or Chicago citation style preferred; formatting should be minimal to allow for Editor’s changes. 
  • Supported fonts include Times New Roman, Calibri, Ariel, Garamond, and Gill Sans MT. Line spacing should be set above 1.0. 
  • Text may be left-aligned or justified, with or without indentation at the start of paragraphs. Margins should be set at 1 inch, and indentations should be set at 1p6, or one-quarter inch.
  • There should be only a single space between sentences. 
  • Oxford commas should be used. 
  • Numerals one through nine should be spelled out; numerals 10 and higher should be written with numeric symbols. (Exceptions to this include conventional linguistic abbreviations such as 1SG for “first person singular”.)
  • The use of italics in differentiating English from the relevant Ӱ Native language will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 
  • Images should have a minimum DPI of 300.
  • Factors such as the length of the manuscript, the number of images, and whether it is printed in color or in black and white will affect the cost of printing and will be taken into account for any ANLC-funded publication.
  • We have only one Editor and our capacity is therefore limited to 3-4 works-in-progress at any given time. If our roster is full at the time of your submission, we will provide you with an estimated timeline for when we expect an opening.
  • Since ANLC is a department of the University of Ӱ Fairbanks, we have an obligation to prioritize the work of current faculty. Publication of non-faculty work may be delayed accordingly. 
  • The Editorial Board is composed mostly of faculty members, who are off contract mid-May through mid-August. This means the Editorial Board does not meet in the summer months and any submissions received during this time period will be reviewed in the fall.
  • Depending on the size and complexity of your manuscript, the editing process can take up to a year. If your work requires peer review, please budget at least three months to allow reviewers adequate time.
  • We expect all collaborators on a manuscript to conduct themselves honestly, responsibly, and with respect for the rights of others. We reserve the right to terminate a project due to misconduct at any time.