The Council of Editors of Learned Journals is pleased to host its inaugural conference to expand the knowledge sharing CELJ provides through its listserv, mentoring workshops, and Modern Language Association convention sessions. The online format offers a space where more of our members, and potential new members, can be included. The conference will be virtual and recorded for CELJ members who are not able to attend. 

Call For Papers 

The conference theme is Open Dialogues, and the organizers encourage submissions of roundtable-based discussions specific to editorial and publishing topics of conversation including, but not limited to: 

• Editorial Workflows: Submissions, Peer Review, Copyediting, Layout…(including for Special Issues and Journal Sections, such as Reviews, etc.) 

• Editing in an Age of Anti-DEI

• Transitions in Peer Review Practices

• Journal Policies and Documentation

• Publishing Platform Technologies for Journal Usage

• Labor Issues in Journal Publishing (including specific attention to particular identity groups such as editors who are graduate students, precariously employed, BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ+, veterans, retired, and others)

• Editorial Transitions at New or Established Journals

• Journal and Publisher or Vendor Relations

• Journals and Library Publishers

• Journal Business Models (including Open Access)

• Post-Publication Journal Work (indexing, discovery, archiving, etc.)

• Other topics related to scholarly journal editing and publishing

Proposals for 60-minute sessions are welcome for the following types:

• Panels on a shared topic (2–3 presenters)

• Roundtables on a shared topic with lightning talks + discussion (3–4 presenters)

• Individuals (1–2 co-presenters on a single talk of 10–15 min each)

• Lightning Talks (individual talks of 5 minutes)

• Birds of a Feather (breakout room discussions and informal conversations around a certain topic, lead by a moderator, 60 min each)

Individuals and Lightning Talks will be combined with others to form a cohesive panel by the conference organizers. We expect most submissions will be based in editorial praxis and expertise, not necessarily on research-based work, thus citations are not required as part of your proposal. Citations may be helpful, though, if your topic is informed by research in editing or publishing. 

All proposals must be made by current CELJ members. If you are submitting a roundtable or panel, at least half of the session speakers must be current CELJ members. (Non-members can serve on panels and will need to pay a nominal registration fee to cover the cost of administering them in the registration system). 

Proposals can be submitted using our conference submission form, here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oqvQOeKUR6w_cf-zRg0CrjksLKfeTL99Tdwr_jc...

The deadline for submitting a proposal is February 28, 2025. If you have questions about the submission process, please email celj.editors@gmail.com.