About this journal
Aims and scope
Life Writing is one of the leading journals in the field of biography and autobiography, and publishes scholarly articles, critically informed creative personal essays, and book reviews.
We have a special interest in interdisciplinary approaches, cross-cultural experience, and non-Anglophone contexts, though our themes have ranged widely, such as: illness and disability, philosophy and autobiography, the 'limits' of life writing, South African life narrative, women and ageing, and more.
We make sure that work entrusted to us receives expert and sensitive reviewing, and prioritise handling it with speed and efficiency.
A list of books that have resulted from Life Writing themed editions can be found at: www.routledge.com/Life-Writing/book-series/LFWR
Academic Articles:
If you would like to submit an academic article or suggest a theme for a special edition, please contact the editor, Dr Maureen Perkins, at [email protected]
Essays:
If you have a submission for our Essay section, please contact Dr Kylie Cardell, at [email protected]
Essays differ from academic articles in that a high level of analysis and referencing is less important, but the reflexive 'I' should filter the subject matter. On the continuum from discursive/analytical to creative, this work will fall somewhere in the middle. In other words, we do not publish purely creative essays, ficto-criticism, or memoir, but we may include essays that fall into the genre of autoethnography. For examples of different ways in which this approach might be expressed, see Sue Eckstein's ' A Private Life Made Public' (LW 10.4, 2013) or Vinh Nguyen's ' M?-search, Hauntings, and Critical Distance' (LW 12.4, 2015). If you are unsure if the particular form of creative writing that you have in mind would suit Life Writing, please contact the Essays Editor, Dr Kylie Cardell, Flinders University ( [email protected]).
Book Reviews:
If you would like to submit a book review or ask for a copy of book to be sent to you for review, please contact either Dr Lis Hanscombe or Dr Muireann Leech, at one of these addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]
"I want to sing the praises of the editors of the journal. Their interventions and communications made the paper and the revising of it a pleasurable process–or at least as pleasurable as revising can be."
"Good editing is a crucial part of our scholarly work. When it is done well, you feel that you are in not just capable but supportive hands. I feel that the editors care about my work–and about me. That’s respectful and rewarding in every possible way. Thank you CH and MP at Life Writing."
Peer Review Policy
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by two independent referees.
Journal metrics
Usage
- 64K annual downloads/views
Citation metrics
- 0.3 (2023) Impact Factor
- 0.3 (2023) 5 year IF
- 0.8 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
- Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile
- 0.863 (2023) SNIP
- 0.206 (2023) SJR
Speed/acceptance
- 2 days avg. from submission to first decision
- 20 days avg. from acceptance to online publication
- 30% acceptance rate
Understanding and using journal metrics
Journal metrics can be a useful tool for readers, as well as for authors who are deciding where to submit their next manuscript for publication. However, any one metric only tells a part of the story of a journal’s quality and impact. Each metric has its limitations which means that it should never be considered in isolation, and metrics should be used to support and not replace qualitative review.
We strongly recommend that you always use a number of metrics, alongside other qualitative factors such as a journal’s aims & scope, its readership, and a review of past content published in the journal. In addition, a single article should always be assessed on its own merits and never based on the metrics of the journal it was published in.
For more details, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
Journal metrics in brief
Usage and acceptance rate data above are for the last full calendar year and are updated annually in February. Speed data is updated every six months, based on the prior six months. Citation metrics are updated annually mid-year. Please note that some journals do not display all of the following metrics (find out why).
- Usage: the total number of times articles in the journal were viewed by users of Taylor & Francis Online in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Citation Metrics
- Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal within a two-year window. Only journals in the Clarivate Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) have an Impact Factor.
- Impact Factor Best Quartile*: the journal’s highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest Impact Factors.
- 5 Year Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal within a five-year window.
- CiteScore (Scopus)†: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal over a four-year period.
- CiteScore Best Quartile†: the journal’s highest CiteScore ranking in a Scopus subject category. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest CiteScores.
- SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper): the number of citations per paper in the journal, divided by citation potential in the field.
- SJR (Scimago Journal Rank): Average number of (weighted) citations in one year, divided by the number of articles published in the journal in the previous three years.
Speed/acceptance
- From submission to first decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision. Based on manuscripts receiving a first decision in the last six months.
- From submission to first post-review decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision if it is sent out for peer review. Based on manuscripts receiving a post-review first decision in the last six months.
- From acceptance to online publication: the average (median) number of days from acceptance of a manuscript to online publication of the Version of Record. Based on articles published in the last six months.
- Acceptance rate: articles accepted for publication by the journal in the previous calendar year as percentage of all papers receiving a final decision.
For more details on the data above, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
*Copyright: Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics
†Copyright: CiteScore™, Scopus
Editorial board
Editor:
Maureen Perkins ( [email protected])
Essays Editor:
Kylie Cardell – Flinders University, Australia
Associate Editor:
Alexis Harley - La Trobe University, Australia
Reviews Editors:
Muireann Leech ( [email protected])
Lis Hanscombe ( [email protected])
Editorial Board:
Mary Besemeres - The Australian National University, Australia
Clare Brant - King's College London, UK
Kate Douglas - Flinders University, Australia
Paul John Eakin - Indiana University, USA
Philip Holden - Independent Scholar
Alfred Hornung - Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany
Liu Jialin - Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Margaretta Jolly - University of Sussex, UK
David McCooey - Deakin University, Australia
Sarah Nuttall - University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
Rachel Robertson - Curtin University, Australia
Max Saunders - University of Birmingham, UK
Gillian Whitlock - University of Queensland, Australia
Updated 18-11-2022
Abstracting and indexing
Abstracted/ Indexed in: British Humanities Index, Clarivate Analytics Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Open access
Life Writing is a hybrid open access journal that is part of our Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research.
Why choose open access?
- Increase the discoverability and readership of your article
- Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
- Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
- Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
- Rigorous peer review for every open access article
Article Publishing Charges (APC)
If you choose to publish open access in this journal you may be asked to pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC). You may be able to publish your article at no cost to yourself or with a reduced APC if your institution or research funder has an open access agreement or membership with Taylor & Francis.
Use our APC finder to calculate your article publishing charge
News, offers and calls for papers
News and offers
4 issues per year
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