Frequently Asked Questions About the Journal
Q: What is the tenure of Anne Allison and Charles Piot as editors of Cultural Anthropology?
A: An editorial field office was established at Duke University in January of 2010, and Anne Allison and Charles Piot began reviewing manuscripts at that time. The first issue they will publish as editors will be Winter 2011, and they will continue as editors through the Fall 2014 issue.
Q: What is the tenure of Mike and Kim Fortun as editors of Cultural Anthropology?
A: An editorial field office was established at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in January of 2006, and the Fortuns began reviewing manuscripts at that time. The first issue they published as editors was the Winter 2007 issue, and they will continue as editors through the Fall 2010 issue. All submissions received on or after January 1, 2010, will be under the editorial tenure of Anne Allison and Charles Piot.
Q: How can I subscribe to Cultural Anthropology?
A: All correspondence regarding membership, including dues payments and change of address, should be sent to:
AAA Member Services
2200 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22201-3357
Phone: (703) 528-1902 ext.3031
Fax: (703) 528-3546
Website: www.aaanet.org
Q: How long does the review process usually take?
A: The initial review of new manuscripts typically takes two to four weeks, depending on the journal production schedule and number of current submissions. If a manuscript succesfully passes through our internal review process, it is sent out for external reviews. Reviewers are asked to return their reviews in four weeks, but often take longer. Once reviews are completed, a decision is typically rendered within two to four weeks, again depending on the production schedule and other factors. We consider a manuscript overdue for decision five months after initial submission.
Q: How are reviewers chosen?
A: For each manuscript, CA uses a spectrum of 3-5 reviewers. This typically includes some area specialists, as well as one or more scholars who work on related theoretical problems in some other part(s) of the world. Our goal is to identify and publish essays that both make a contribution to particular subfields and are of interest to a broad audience of scholars in cultural anthropology and allied fields.
Q: How long does the review of a revised manuscript usually take, and what is involved?
A: Generally speaking, 4-6 weeks, depending on whether the essay is sent out for a second round of external review. When revised essays come back in, they are given special attention but go through the same process as original submissions. First they go through an internal review process, and if they successfully pass through this, they are sent out for external review. We try to get a mix of new reviewers, and reviewers who read the manuscript previously. Very occasionally (when we have appropriate in-house expertise), we decide to accept an essay without sending it out for another round of external review.
Our process is very competitive given the pool we have to work with so revised essays must not only be responsive to reviews but also stand out among all the essays we have to work with.
Q: Does CA accept manuscripts conditionally upon revisions?
A: No. CA editorial letters may suggest approaches or even guidelines for revisions, but any decision on a revised manuscript is based upon the actual revisions made.
Q: How many manuscripts are received by CA per year? And how many of these are accepted for publication?
A: In 2009, CA received over 190 manuscripts. We generally publish about 20-25 essays per year, so roughly speaking we accept about 1 of 9 manuscripts we receive.
