The ECWCA Journal publishes a variety of article types that overlap with and are inspired by other journals in Writing Center Studies, including Praxis, The Peer Review, Southern Discourse in the Center, WLN, and Writing Center Journal.
Feature Articles are 3,000-8,000 word scholarly essays on writing center consulting, research, administration, and training. They may be based in theoretical and critical approaches, applied practices, or empirical research. Feature Article submissions are assigned to a Mentoring Editor and anonymously reviewed by members of our review board.
Center Spotlights are approximately 1,500 words and focus on a specific writing center, speaking center, digital center, or multiliteracy center. The Spotlight shares a center’s successes and hopes for improvement and incorporates visual images. The Spotlight provides an overview that answers questions such as: How many sessions are held in the center per semester? How many consultants are working in the center? How many hours a week is the center open? How does consultant recruitment occur? How long is the training process for consultants before they work in the center? What is working in the center? What are the areas that need improving? What are the goals for the center? For issues linked to a conference theme, the hosting center(s) will be featured in the Center Spotlight.
Consultant Insight pieces are 1,500-2,000 words and provides space for consultants to share insights into their center experiences. They may be research driven or can take a more narrative and personal approach that illuminates consultant experiences. The article may focus specifically on one aspect of consulting or it may provide a broader sense of center work.
Conversation Shapers are projects that work to shape future writing center research. Conversation Shapers include a curated bibliography on a single, focused writing center topic such as but not limited to: Linguistic Justice in the Writing Center, Social Justice in Online Centers, Anti-Racist Consultant Training, Accessibility in the Center, Consultant Labor Conditions, Director Labor Conditions. Conversation Shapers should have an overarching inclusive and equitable theme to them and amplify scholarship authored by marginalized scholars.
A Conversation Shaper submission should include a 500-word framing statement that introduces the topic, its connection to equity and inclusion, and summarizes the bibliography. Following the framing statement, the bibliography should be formatted in APA and include 15-20 sources. While sources can be from related fields of study, at least half of the sources should be writing center scholarship. Following the bibliography should be a “where we’d like the field to go” section. In this field shaping section, authors should offer research questions or scholarship that they’d like to read. If submitting a Conversation Shaper for consideration for a themed issue, please consider writing about a topic that links to the theme.
Partner Perspective articles are 3,000-6,000 word essays written from a perspective outside of but relevant to writing centers. For instance, scholars, educators, and community partners in libraries, student success, academic programs, and community-focused organizations can write about their work partnering with writing centers, shared ideas between writing centers and other fields/sites, and possibilities and potential for connection. Partner Perspective are most likely to be based in applied practices, but we welcome submissions that engage in theoretical and critical approaches as well. Partner Perspective submissions are assigned to a Mentoring Editor and anonymously reviewed by members of our review board.
Do you have a submission idea but don't know what to write or how it aligns with one of the previous categories? Email us at ecwcajournal@gmail.com so we can talk more about it.
Send submissions to us at ecwcajournal@gmail.com. All submissions should be formatted in APA Style (7th edition) and shared as a .docx or .rtf file. Submissions should also include relevant keywords (e.g. accessibility, anti-racism, training) and short biographies (approx. 150 words) for all contributors. Please indicate the type of submission in the subject line of the email (e.g., Feature Article, Center Spotlight, Consultant Insight, Conversation Shaper). If applicable, please provide copyright approval information for any third party work (e.g. images) you would like to include and information about funding associated with the submitted work (e.g. supported by an IWCA Research Grant). Submissions will undergo an anonymous review process.
If your article is supported by a study that incorporated human participants, we ask that your submission include a statement that your research received approval from your institution’s institutional review board (IRB), or your institution’s equivalent human subjects review board. We also ask that you indicate this approval, and that your research was conducted in accordance with your institution’s human research guidelines in your manuscript, as well.