Studies on Indigenous Signed and Spoken Languages of Africa (SIASSL) Submissions
This page is designed to help you ensure your submission is ready for and fits the scope of the journal.
Before submitting, you should read over the guidelines below, then register an account (or login if you have an existing account)
Information for Authors
Overview
Your Publishing Journey
- Explore support resources & publishing options
- Choose the most fitting publication model (subscription vs OA)
- Prepare your manuscript according to journal policy
- Submit via our online system
- Navigate peer review & production stages
- Promote your article and build community impact
Publishing Guidance & Support
- Downloadable pre‑submission, publication, and post‑publication guides
- Live and recorded webinars on writing, peer review, and OA
- Blog series and short courses focused on language documentation, ethical research with indigenous communities, and inclusive writing practices
Publishing Options: Subscription, Open Access, Fees & Funding
- Subscription-based publication: No article processing charge (APC); content available to subscribers or institutions
- Gold Open Access: APC required; CC-BY licensing; immediate public access
- APC structure and waivers (e.g. reduced or no fee for African-based authors or indigenous community members)
- Guidance on funding sources, institution support, and funder mandates
Preparing Your Manuscript
- Article types: original research, documentation reports, language policy analyses, community engagement pieces
- Manuscript structure: Abstract; Introduction; Methods; Results/Findings; Discussion; Conclusion; Acknowledgments; Declarations; References
- Inclusive and culturally appropriate language policy, especially regarding indigenous terminology
- Title, keywords, and abstract tips for discoverability
- Guidance for anonymized submissions if required (double-blind review)
- Figures, audio/video media, signed language notation formatting rules
- Templates for Word and LaTeX; guidance on reference styles (e.g. APA, Linguistic Society standards)
Submitting Your Manuscript
- Online submission via our submission portal
- Pre‑submission checklist: journal aims & scope, permissions, formatting, co‑author approvals
- Required files: title page (with affiliations), anonymized main manuscript (if double‑blind), media files, supplementary materials
- Information on preprint posting policy (e.g. encourage archiving on institutional repositories or Open Science Platforms)
- Instructions for cover letter and proposing peer reviewers
During Peer Review & Production
- Initial check
for scope and formatting; desk‑reject process explained - Peer review
model (e.g. double- or single‑blind); typical timelines - How to respond
to reviewers: templates, best practices - Post‑acceptance:
copy‑editing, figure/media checks, author proofs - Licensing, e‑prints, author rights
Promoting Your Article & Building Your Network
- Advice on maximizing visibility: use of keywords, social media, institutional repositories
- Support via author toolkit: plain-language summaries, blog posts, video abstracts
- Encouraging use of identifiers (e.g. ORCID, language database IDs)
- Opportunities for community-outreach: workshops, community presentations, indigenous knowledge sharing
- Networking via journal-affiliated webinar series, conference presence, and editorial board engagement
Preparing Your Manuscript
Article Type
- We welcome the following article types:
- Original research (e.g. field documentation, grammatical analysis)
- Language documentation reports
- Community-engaged case studies
- Policy or language planning articles
- Commentaries or perspectives
- For each type, please refer to the specific word-length guidelines and structure described in our submission portal. This general guidance assumes an original research article
Main Manuscript Document
- Exclude author-identifying information if submitting under double-anonymized peer review. Instead, include such details in a separate title page only.
- Recommended manuscript sections:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methodology (including ethical and community engagement protocols)
- Findings / Results
- Discussion / Interpretation
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- Statements and Declarations (e.g. ethics, data, funding)
- References
- Ensure your title, abstract and keywords are optimized for discoverability; these elements directly impact search engine indexing.
Title Page
- To be submitted as a separate file (not accessible to reviewers in double-blind review).
- Should include:
- Full title of manuscript
- Author names, affiliations, ORCID IDs
- Corresponding author’s contact information
- Word count (main text only, excluding references, appendices)
- Ethics approval, declaration of author contributions and conflicts of interest
- Acknowledgments (if you wish to make them; these must be omitted from anonymized main manuscript)
- Funding sources and data availability statements (anonymized if required)
Article Format
- File format: Microsoft
Word (.doc/.docx) preferred; LaTeX also accepted (template available). - Layout:
- 12‑point font
(e.g. Times New Roman), double-spaced, 1″ (2.5 cm) margins, line‑numbered
throughout. - Include page
numbers. - Headings: Use
descriptive, hierarchically logical headings (e.g. Title case bold >
Italic subheadings).
- 12‑point font
- Abstract: concise (up
to 250 words), self-contained; no references cited; if relevant include
registered protocol identifiers along with registry name and number. - Keywords: Provide 4–8
specific terms, reflecting concepts and terminology used in indigenous
African language research; aid indexing and findability. - Inclusive
terminology: Follow the journal’s own Inclusive Language Guide, particularly
important in discussing indigenous communities and sensitive topics. - Supplemental
material: Acceptable as part of submission (e.g. videos of sign languages,
audio recordings, datasets); authors must supply titles and descriptions;
these are peer-reviewed, but not copy edited or typeset by the publisher;
author assumes responsibility for accuracy and functionality. - Plain-language
summary (optional/strongly encouraged):
~300 words in non-technical language, geared toward community stakeholders and
non-specialists; follow the journal’s template if provided.- File format: Microsoft
Summary Table
Journal Template
Title of the Manuscript: Concise and Informative
Author One*
Author Two
Institutional Affiliations Here
*Corresponding author: authorone@email.com
Abstract
A concise summary of the research (150–250 words). Avoid citations and technical jargon. Summarize the purpose, methods, main findings, and conclusions.
Keywords: Indigenous languages, African linguistics, signed languages, fieldwork, sociolinguistics, documentation
Introduction
Introduce the topic, significance, and context. State the research questions or objectives clearly.
Methodology
Describe research design, data collection (e.g., field methods, corpora, elicitation), ethical considerations, and analysis procedures. Include community collaboration and informed consent protocols.
Findings / Results
Present the main findings with relevant data samples (e.g., glossed examples, figures, tables). Use audiovisual references where appropriate.
Discussion
Interpret results in light of existing literature. Highlight implications for linguistic theory, community use, or language policy.
Conclusion
Summarize key findings, contributions, and future research directions.
Acknowledgments
Recognize community collaborators, funders, and institutional support.
Statements and Declarations
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Funding: List grants and funding agencies.
Ethics approval: Include approval code and institution (if applicable).
Data availability: State how readers can access data (e.g., repository link).
References
Asonye, E. & Edward, M. (2024). Studies in Indigenous Signed and Spoken Languages of Africa. Cambridge Scholar Publishing.
Asonye, E. I., Emma-Asonye, E., & Edward, M. (2018). Deaf in Nigeria: a preliminary survey of isolated deaf communities. Sage Open, 8(2), 2158244018786538.