Contact the Editors
Matthew Davis, University of Massachusetts Boston
Kara Taczak, University of Central Florida
ccceditorialteam@gmail.com
Submission Guidelines
Scope
The editorial staff of College Composition and Communication (CCC) invites submission of research and scholarship in composition studies that supports scholars and instructors in reflecting on and improving their practices in the teaching of writing. The field of composition studies draws on research and theories from a broad range of humanistic disciplines:
- English studies
- Linguistics
- Literacy studies
- Rhetoric
- Cultural studies
- LGBTQIA+ studies
- Gender studies
- Critical theory
- Education
- Technology studies
- Race studies
- Communication
- Philosophy of language
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- And others
Articles submitted to CCC may draw from discussions in various fields, but the research and scholarship published in CCC is primarily focused on the practice and teaching of writing in higher education. Successful submissions will have clear arguments, be relevant to the work of writing scholars and teachers, and engage with recent scholarship in composition studies.
We welcome research on writing and the teaching of writing that will interest the broad CCC readership and recommend directing work focused on specific subfields (e.g., technical communication, writing program administration, writing center scholarship) to journals dedicated to those areas.
Readership
When writing for CCC, consider a diverse readership that includes not only teachers of college-level writing at various institutions but also scholars, administrators, undergraduate and graduate students, and legislators. You need not avoid difficult theories or complex discussions of research and pedagogy; rather, you should engage with the interests and perspectives of the various readers who are affected by these theories, pedagogies, and policies.
Genres
CCC’s primary genre is the peer-reviewed research article, but we publish several shorter genres, as outlined below. Please ensure that your submission fits the genre criteria before submitting.
Research Article
Research articles should generally follow the field’s conventions for the genre. However, we welcome variations of these conventions that serve the purpose of the article’s argument. Article submissions should be no more than 8,000 words long and should follow the current edition of the MLA Handbook. Further, articles should follow NCTE’s Statement on Gender and Language and equitable citation practices.
To submit an article, please register as an author at our online submission system, Editorial Manager (https://www.editorialmanager.com/cccj). After logging in, follow the instructions to upload your submission. You will receive an automatic email confirming receipt. Since articles are reviewed anonymously, please ensure your submission is anonymized—do not include your name on the title page, in the text, or in the works cited. For questions, contact the editors at ccceditorialteam@gmail.com.
If your article reports the results of empirical or observational research, you need to be attentive to the ethics and the validity of your research methods. Before submitting your work for consideration, please be aware that, if you use, quote, or otherwise reproduce unpublished writing by students or teachers or others, you should have any required clearance from your local IRB as well as required permission in writing from the writers to do so, even if you use their writing anonymously (if you have further questions about this, please email). Click here to read/download a copy of the CCC consent form needed to include previously unpublished work of others in your submission (especially student work). For material (e.g., figure, table, poem) that has been previously published, permission to reprint may be necessary.
The Profile
The CCC Profile offers a snapshot of a specific term, person, genre, object, practice, or event related to rhetoric and composition. It provides a concise and critical overview of its historical and contemporary significance in the discipline. The Profile should define the topic, trace its history, and explain its impact on composition today. While the structure is flexible, it should present an engaging narrative that piques readers’ curiosity. Ultimately, the Profile should be relevant for instructors in their teaching, administrators in their program work, and scholars in their research.
For instance, a Profile might take as its subject a genre—such as the podcast—and trace how it emerged as a genre, increased in popularity, and impacted the discipline (e.g., Pedagogue, Rhetoricity, or The Big Rhetorical Podcast). Or it might focus on an event—such as the Dartmouth Conference—highlighting not only the historical importance of it but also its significance in the contemporary moment. Or a Profile might focus on a term—such as remix—tracing how that concept has impacted the cultural and social practices of writing in the discipline and, thereby, its publications, conferences, classrooms, and the like. Whatever its topic, the Profile should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words long. We welcome images that can accompany Profiles, though they are not required.
If you’re interested in writing a Profile, please query the editors at ccceditorialteam@gmail.com. Include a brief 150-word proposal and a current, shortened CV with your email.
Research Brief
The CCC Research Brief makes disciplinary research accessible and useful for both researchers and practitioners in rhetoric and composition. Its goal is to create a concise resource—either written or visual—that synthesizes current ideas on a specific subtopic in a forward-looking, evidence-based manner. Unlike a traditional literature review, the Research Brief outlines what we know about the subtopic and explains the methods and methodologies that have shaped this knowledge, such as theoretical, empirical, narrative, ethnographic, pedagogical, historical, discourse analysis, or mixed methods approaches.
Additionally, it should suggest implications for future research, teaching, administration, and public engagement. A Research Brief should help readers feel more grounded in an unfamiliar area of the discipline while directing them to further resources and potential actions. In summary, it presents evidence-based ideas that encourage new actions and/or raise pressing questions. Research Briefs should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long and may include graphics or visualizations. Each brief should (1) provide a synthesized overview of current research and key scholarly conversations, (2) address methods and methodologies in the subfield, and (3) pose questions and speculate on future research directions.
If you’re interested in writing a Research Brief, please query the editors at ccceditorialteam@gmail.com. Include a brief 150-word proposal and a current, shortened CV with your email.
Book Review Essay
A book review essay is a critical analysis that reads across three or more books looking for connections or overlaps between them. It orients the audience to key arguments, theories, people, and ideas as a way to gain insights and understandings about the books’ topics.
If you’re interested in writing a book review essay, please query the editors at ccceditorialteam@gmail.com. Include a brief 150-word proposal, a list of three to five books you intend to review, and a current, shortened CV with your email.
Interchanges
Responses to articles that raise important issues or different perspectives will be considered for publication in the Interchanges section, which is published intermittently. Responses usually run between 500 and 2,000 words (approximately two to eight double-spaced pages) and should be written in a tone respectful of the original writer and the profession. Responses to sets of related articles may also be submitted to or solicited by the editors for the Interchanges section.
Helpful Tips and Information
- Our average time from submission to first decision is seventy-five to ninety days. This timeframe relies on peer reviewers in the field agreeing to review and completing their reviews on time, after which we draft and send authors a decision letter via email.
- The most common reasons for desk rejections are (1) the submission is not anonymized, (2) the submission’s word count is too high, and (3) the manuscript is not situated within the current conversation in the field (often identified by a lack of recent citations from CCC or from composition studies more broadly). Attending to these three matters with care can avoid delay in the peer-review process.
- The overall acceptance rate for the journal is 10 to 15 percent. Manuscripts submitted for initial review have close to a 75 percent rejection rate (either by peer reviewers or as desk rejections), and around 25 percent receive a Revise and Resubmit decision from reviewers.
- We are not currently operating with a backlog; at present, accepted submissions are typically published within the next two issues.
