Submission Guidelines
Make sure all articles adhere to our Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines before submission.
Contents
News and Featured Articles
News Briefs
Got a piece of news to share that's too short for a full article? Submit a news brief! News briefs are perfect for announcing that you've won an award, received a grant, changed jobs, or retired. Limit news briefs to 100 words--for any news that needs more space, submit a news article through the GLQ submission system. News briefswill be compiled into a single article per issue and contributors will not receive individual author attribution in the GLQ system. Please only submit news briefs about yourself or about your own library with authorization from your library's leadership. Submit news briefs using this Google Form.
News Articles
Did your library successfully host an event or launch a new program? Did someone at your library win an award? What is your GLA division, interest group, or committee up to this year? Submit a news article to GLQ to share what's happening at your library or organization with other GLA members. News articles should have a word count of 500 to 1,000 words and include at least one picture. Authors of news items should have authorization from their library, organization, or the subjects of their news before submitting.
Example: On the Air: How a Rock 'n' Roll Radio Show Made Me a Better Librarian
Featured Articles
Do you want to share a new lesson plan, technique, or workflow that has transformed your work? Do you have a unique point of view on an issue impacting libraries? We love to hear stories from library workers in Georgia. Feature articles are less formal than a peer-reviewed article and are often related to the experience of the author. Examples include informal case studies, personal narratives, summaries of best practices, or lists of resources that would benefit other library workers . Feature articles should have a word count of 1,000 to 3,000 words and be original articles not submitted for publication elsewhere. Pictures are optional--but strongly encouraged!
Example: On the Air: How a Rock 'n' Roll Radio Show Made Me a Better Librarian
Columns and Book Reviews
Georgia Library Spotlight
Essays should be no more than 500 words and should highlight Georgia library buildings, programming, services, and/or achievements. The spotlight will be posted on the GLA blog and published in the Georgia Library Quarterly.
Image files should be high-quality JPGs with dimensions no smaller than 640 pixels by 480 pixels, approximately. (JPG format is preferred. TIF or EPS format is acceptable.) If the spotlight photograph includes individual people, the submitting library must secure permission for publication from the individual(s) in the photo.
Essays should avoid appeals for fundraising and any speech that is politically partisan, evangelical or otherwise controversial. Essays can and should direct readers to URLs for more information about the library and its services.
The Georgia Library Association and Georgia Library Quarterly reserve the right to edit spotlight essays for length and to ensure that content is germane to the intent of the spotlight program. Photographs may be slightly cropped or adjusted as needed for space and display requirements.
Address questions to spotlight@georgialibraryassociation.org.
My Own Private Library
The Georgia Library Quarterly (GLQ) features the regular column “My Own Private Library” (MOPL) to showcase the personal book collections of librarians or library employees. This column is casual, personal, and often features photos of the author’s library or selected books. You can find previous MOPL columns in back issues of GLQ.
Write a personal essay in APA style of approximately 1,000 words about your private library. (Use of the first person is not only encouraged -- it’s required!). Do not include in-text citations or a references page; APA style in this case means writing style and not formatting. Please keep the essay’s focus on the books in your library (themes, organization, display, interesting anecdotes related to how you acquired them or when you first read them, etc.).
Publishable essays will:
- Be written in clear, grammatical prose with correct punctuation
- Feature a strong narrative voice and interesting anecdotes
- Avoid offensive or polarizing speech
- Uphold professional courtesy and respect for others and institutions
Please include 1-3 photos directly in your Word document related to the content of your essay. Image files should be high-quality JPGs with dimensions no smaller than 640 pixels by 480 pixels, approximately.
Book Reviews
Book reviews cover aspects of life in Georgia and the South, including history, literature, politics, education, and genealogy. It also considers materials by Southern authors, published by regional publishers, and on the topic of libraries and librarianship.
If you are interested in reviewing for GLQ , please contact the book review editor or GLQ editor; books are assigned based on areas of expertise and interests. We generally do not accept unsolicited reviews.
Book reviews should be between 400 and 500 words in length and contain a brief summary and an evaluation of highlights, particularly those relating to Georgia.
Address questions to Book Review Coordinator Emily Rogers at ecrogers@valdosta.edu.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
The Georgia Library Quarterly (GLQ) is actively soliciting new submissions of scholarly articles for consideration for publication. We highly encourage submissions from diverse authors, first-time authors, nonprofessional library staff, and MLIS students. We will consider revised MLIS assignments if they fall into one of the article categories below and have been edited to exclude assignment-specific features.
Examples of submissions we hope to receive include:
- Empirical articles that describe original research or data collection conducted by the author, such as an assessment project, survey, interviews, or ethnographic observations. Empirical articles follow a standard structure and situate their research in the context of relevant scholarly literature. IRB approval is required for human research.
Example: Changing the habitat at academic conferences: Using a learning ecosystem with active learning during a panel presentation - Literature reviews that explore a current LIS topic through its most recent and impactful scholarship. Rather than merely listing article summaries, literature reviews organize information thematically and critically.
Example: The rise of patron-driven acquisitions: A literature review - Case studies that describe the application of a current LIS concept, process, or idea in a real-world setting. Case studies offer a critical evaluation of the method implemented and situate their case in the context of relevant scholarly literature.
Example: Effective collaborations in multi-campus and online environments using LibGuides
Formatting Requirements
- Articles should be in English and be approximately 3,000 to 6,000 words. We will consider shorter or longer articles on a case-by-case basis.
- Format your article using APA style. We require a reference section at the end rather than footnotes. Please do not include any footnotes.
- Compile your manuscript, including appendices, into a single Word (.doc or .docx) file.
- De-identify your manuscript prior to submission. To ensure a blind peer review process, redact all mentions of your name or institution name in your manuscript.
To submit your completed manuscript for consideration, navigate to the GLQ Submission Portal and follow these steps:
- Read and accept the Article Submission Agreement
- Provide the complete name, institutional affiliation, and email address for each author
- Provide the article title and relevant subject keywords
- Upload your combined manuscript file (.doc or .docx format)
- Include an approximately 100-word abstract
- Select “Yes” from the drop down menu under the question “Is your submission to be peer-reviewed?”
Disqualified Submissions
The peer review coordinator performs an initial evaluation of articles for scope and quality and may reject submissions that do not meet GLQ standards, such as those that have one of the following disqualifying characteristics:
- plagiarism or improper attribution
- fraudulent results
- absence of IRB approval for human research
As a regional publication focused on highlighting the work of Georgia library workers, at this time we do not accept any submissions from authors outside of Georgia or the Southeastern United States unless the submitted article focuses on a topic specific to the state of librarianship in Georgia.
Address questions to Associate Editor and Peer Review Coordinator Wilhelmina Randtke at glq@georgialibraryassociation.org.