Accepted article types
African Humanities Inquiry publishes original, peer‑reviewed work on the languages, cultures, histories, arts, philosophies, and social thought of Africa and its diasporas.
All submissions must be sent online here.
- Research articles: 7,000–10,000 words including notes but excluding references.
- Critical opinion essays: 3,000–5,000 words.
- Industry innovation papersː 3,000–5,000 words
- Book reviews: 800–1,200 words.
Author submission guidelines
Before you submit
Authors should ensure:
- The manuscript fits the scope of African Humanities Inquiry and adheres to the journal stylesheet.
- The submission has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
- All co‑authors have approved the final version and the submission to this journal.
- Ethics approvals and permissions (including image and archival permissions) have been acquired and acknowledged in the manuscript.
What to submit
Submit the following separate files:
- Anonymised manuscript (main text with abstract, keywords, tables, figures, and references, but no author identifiers).
- Title page with full author information, acknowledgements, and funding details (see below).
- Supplementary files, if applicable (e.g. datasets, extended tables, audio or video material).
Peer review process
- African Humanities Inquiry uses double‑blind peer review: both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
- Each eligible submission is assessed by at least three independent experts.
- Possible editorial decisions: accept with minor revision, resubmit for review (major revisions), or reject.
- Authors are expected to respond to reviewers’ comments point‑by‑point and to resubmit within the timeframe specified in the decision letter.
Once accepted:
- The manuscript will undergo copy‑editing and typesetting in the journal’s house style.
- Authors will receive proofs for correction; only typographical and factual corrections are normally allowed at this stage.
- A final version will be published online.
Open access, copyright, and archiving
Authors retain copyright and grant African Humanities Inquiry a license to publish and distribute the article they publish. Submission, review, copyediting publishing, and access are without any fees.
General layout and formatting
- File type: Microsoft Word (doc/docx) or compatible RTF; all submissions must include a PDFs copy.
- Page: A4, margins 2.5 cm on all sides, single column, left‑aligned.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt for main text; 10 pt for notes and long quotations.
- Line spacing: 1.5 throughout, including notes and references.
- Paragraphs: First line indented 0.5 cm, except after headings and block quotes.
- Do not use hyphenation, underlining, or full justification; use italics for emphasis and titles.
Title page
Provide a separate title page which should include:
- Article title
- Full names of all authors; institutional affiliation(s); ORCID (if available).
- Corresponding author: email
- Acknowledgements and funding information.
- Conflict of interest statement (e.g. “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”).
Anonymised main document
The manuscript file for review must:
- Omit all author names and affiliations.
- Avoid self‑identifying references (use “XXXX” plus year in the text and reference list where anonymisation is required).
- Place acknowledgements and funding only on the title page.
Structure and headings
Standard structure for research articles:
- Title.
- Abstract (max. 200 words) and 4–6 keywords.
- Main text, divided into clear sections and, where useful, subsections (up to three subsections)
- List of abbreviations
- Acknowledgements (post‑acceptance).
- References.
Heading levels (max three):
- Title: bold, center‑aligned, 14pt, Times New Roman.
- Section: bold, left‑aligned, 12pt, Times New Roman.
- Subsection: italics, left‑aligned, 12pt, Times New Roman.
Language and regional conventions
- We accept papers written in English. Each paper accepted for publication may provide an additional abstract in French, Portuguese, Arabic, or any African language.
- African names, terms, and place names should be written in their standard orthographies where available; provide glosses for less widely known terms on first use.
Quotations
- Short quotations (under 40 words): run in text in double quotation marks; single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.
- Long quotations (40+ words): set as indented block, 10pt, without quotation marks.
- Any additions, omissions, or translation notes should be indicated with square brackets.
Footnotes
- Use footnotes rather than endnotes; keep them concise and for explanation or contextualisation; footnotes should not be used for routine referencing.
Tables and figures
- Number tables and figures separately (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2). Provide clear titles and, where relevant, descriptive captions.
- Captions for tables should be cited above table, and captions for figures should be below the figure.
Referencing style
In‑text citations:
- (Achebe 1975, 43) after a direct quotation.
- (Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o 1986) for a general reference.
- (Mamdani 1996, 2018) for multiple works by same author.
- (Mbembe 2001; Nuttall 2009) for multiple authors.
Reference list:
- Arrange alphabetically by author surname, then chronologically.
- Use hanging indent; single‑spaced within entries, blank line between entries.
Model entries:
- Book: Surname, Firstname. Year. Title of Book. Place: Publisher.
- Edited volume: Surname, Firstname, ed. Year. Title of Volume. Place: Publisher.
- Chapter in edited volume: Surname, Firstname. Year. “Chapter Title.” In Book Title, edited by Firstname Surname, pages. Place: Publisher.
- Journal article: Surname, Firstname. Year. “Article Title.” Journal Title volume (issue): pages. DOI (if available).
- Web resource: Surname, Firstname. Year. “Page Title.” Site Name. Accessed Day Month Year. URL.
Ethics, consent, and data
- Human subjects research must follow recognised ethical guidelines, such as the Declaration of Helsinki or local institutional codes, with ethics approval noted in the methods or acknowledgements.
- Where research involves communities, languages, or cultural heritage, authors are expected to indicate how consent, confidentiality, and community interests were addressed.
- Any data sharing should respect cultural, legal, and privacy constraints. Where possible, provide details of accessible data repositories or explain restrictions.
Authorship and contributions
- All listed authors should have made substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation; drafting or critical revision; and final approval.
- One corresponding author should be designated for communication with the journal.
- Any use of generative AI in drafting or analysis must be transparently acknowledged in the text.
Plagiarism and originality
- Submissions must be original, not under consideration elsewhere, and free from plagiarism, including self‑plagiarism.
- The journal follows best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for handling suspected misconduct.