Call for Papers: Early Career Researchers Issue XII, Vol. 25 No. 2 (2026)

gender forum is calling for submissions for its upcoming Early Career Researchers Issue XII, Vol 25 No. 2 (2026)

The interdisciplinary and peer-reviewed open access journal gender forum launched its first annual Early Career Researchers Issue in October 2013 with the aim of encouraging the next generation of scholars to publish their work in a guided publication process specifically designed to support the first publications of emerging scholars. Ever since then, gender forum has dedicated one special issue a year to presenting the work of early career researchers (ECR) who do not hold a PhD yet and do research in literary studies, cultural studies, media studies, and/or cultural history.

Contributions to the upcoming ECR Issue must be previously unpublished. They may be carefully revised term papers or final theses, or they can be pieces composed specifically for the issue. Please note that given the journal’s focus, all submissions must engage with topics and theories relevant to gender studies, feminist criticism, masculinity studies, trans studies, sexuality studies, and/or queer studies. All contributions must be written in English; we specifically welcome papers that consider the intersections of issues of gender and sexuality with other social categories of difference.

The deadline for the full papers (4,000-6,000 words) is October 31, 2025. Submissions must include a short abstract (around 300-400 words), a short bio note (around 150-200 words) and be formatted according to MLA style (current edition). While we expect the papers to be carefully composed and formatted upon first submission, ECR scholars whose papers have been accepted must be prepared and willing to do two rounds of revisions based on double blind reader reports and the editors’ comments. The estimated publication date is September 30, 2026.

AI Policy: Large Language Models (LLMs) and other forms of generative artificial intelligence do not meet our human authorship criteria. We will thus not consider submissions produced with the help of generative AI. This includes the use of AI to write text, survey preexisting criticism, or generate ideas. AI-generated translations may be included with clear attribution as long as the author assumes all responsibility for the accuracy of these inclusions. Authors may use AI for copy-editing purposes, such as formatting, grammar, spelling, or punctuation checks. Any change to the wording that shifts the meaning of the text must be made transparent and human proofreading must be ensured for the final version of the text.