Author Guidelines
Due to the large number of planned special issues, Democratic Theory can, until further notice, no longer accept unsolicited single paper submissions. Instead we invite proposals for special issues, on topics that speak to current and significant themes, debates, or developments in democratic scholarship.
From 2025, all proposed contributors for special issues must include close to half (50%) female authorship and close to one third (33%) authorship from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, global south, or other communities systemically underrepresented in academic publication. We welcome a pre-submission discussion with you about this, to assist in meeting these requirements.
View Guest Editor Guidelines here.
Books for review are welcome and should be sent to both editors and the book reviews editor (three copies total; digital format preferred) as they may be included in future special issues as symposia or critical review essays.
To submit a manuscript for consideration for a special issue:
Please review the submission and style guidelines carefully before submitting.
After registering a user account or logging into the system, authors should submit articles and reviews to the Democratic Theory submission system at https://ojs3.berghahnjournals.com/index.php/dt/index.
Democratic Theory welcomes submissions under any of the five categories of contributions:
- Research articles of between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length, inclusive of references
- Excerpts of interviews of no more than 5,000 words in length, conducted with leading democratic theorists
- Critical commentaries and debates of no more than 3,000 words in length, relating to pressing contemporary issues or themes raised in previous issues
- Review essays of between 4,000 and 5,000 words in length, engaging the latest scholarly and popular works in democratic theory
- Research notes of no more than 5,000 words in length, presenting a vital theory, conception, model, or practice of democracy (can be historical)
Each submission must be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 150 words, 6 keywords ordered alphabetically, and a biographical sketch indicating each author's institutional affiliation, research interests, and important activities and publications. Clearly note contact details (including e-mail and mailing address) up to the planned date of publication.
Have other questions? Please refer to the Berghahn Info for Authors page for general information and guidelines, including topics such as article usage and permissions for Berghahn journal article authors.
