Submitting a Paper to the BJUP
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Most papers we publish will be 2,000 - 2,500 words in length. However we will consider papers of any length. We would suggest that you limit your submission to a maximum of 5,000 words, though, since papers longer than this are often better dealt with as a series of shorter, tighter, more focused essays.
What we're looking for in papers that we publish is actually quite simple. We like work that is:
As a general tip, don't write with 'This is for a journal, I must be technical, formal and use lots of jargon to show I know my subject...' running through your mind. Explanation to others who may not have read the same authors as you, clear laying out of thoughts and a good, well-worked-out and -offered argument that says something a bit different and interesting: these are the key characteristics of the best papers we've received. Don't be afraid to tackle difficult or technical subjects - we're all keen philosophers here - but do so as carefully and clearly as possible and you have a much better chance of being published.
Most of our papers are analytic, but we are delighted to accept and publish good papers in both the analytic and continental traditions.
We accept papers electronically as Microsoft Word .DOC or Adobe Acrobat .PDF files. If you have problems sending in these formats, please contact us and we will try to find another mutually acceptable file format.
Papers should be submitted via email to bjup@bups.org and should be prepared for blind review with a separate cover sheet giving name, affiliation, contact details and paper title.
Don't worry about following the journal's house style before submission. The only requirement we have in advance is that you follow English spelling conventions. Any other requirements will be made clear if your paper is accepted for publication.
Please do not submit papers for a conference and the journal at the same time. We'll make suggestions for rewriting or restructuring papers we think could be publishable with a bit of work. Please do not re-submit a particular paper if it has been rejected for a conference or the BJUP.
Reviewing papers fairly is a difficult and time-consuming job - please give us a month and do not submit your paper elsewhere in the meantime. We try our hardest to get back as soon as possible but do appreciate that most journals have a minimum of three months review time so this is, regrettably, the best we can do!
We run the journal on the minimum copyright requirements possible. By submitting work you license BUPS and the BJUP to publish your work in the print and electronic versions of our journal, and agree to credit the journal as the original point of publication if the paper is later published as part of a collection or book. That's all - you are not giving us copyright over your work, or granting a licence to reprint your work in the future. We're philosophers not lawyers, so we hope that's pretty clear and fair...
Please Send Submissions to matt.green@bups.org.
