Author Guidelines

Welcome to IYARIC, a graduate-student run, interdisciplinary, multilingual journal at the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, York University. IYARIC is a platform for Black, Caribbean and Indigenous voices and research. Our mission is to promote scholarship and intellectual engagement that contribute to a deeper understanding of Latin America and the Caribbean. 

We encourage submissions in several formats: critical essays, book reviews, creative nonfiction essays, fiction, poetry, multimedia and visual art. 

Journal Audience

IYARIC publishes work by graduate students in Caribbean and Latin American Studies across various disciplines, including but not limited to: History; Political Science; Sociology; Anthropology; Language, Literature, and Translation; Cultural Studies; Economics; Geography; Environmental Studies; International Relations; Black Studies; Indigenous Studies; Migration Studies; Development Studies; Women’s, Feminist and Gender Studies.

IYARIC is read widely among researchers and is circulated in Caribbean and Latin American Studies research institutions. Submissions should be accessible to a broad interdisciplinary readership.

Journal Contributors

In IYARIC Journal, we affirm the equality of all contributing authors, recognising that knowledge and insight come from diverse backgrounds, whether authors are institutionally affiliated or independent scholars, researchers, and writers. We are committed to an inclusive platform that contributes to a level playing field for all voices in academia.

Submission Types

We accept the following types of submissions, with specified word counts:

• Critical Essays (1,500–3,000 words): These submissions offer critical reflections, theoretical interventions, or informed commentary on contemporary issues, historical debates, or emerging trends relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Book, Film, Music and Visual Art Reviews (800–1,000 words): Critical reviews and analyses of recently published academic and literary books, films, music productions and visual art works (within the last two years) that make significant contributions to Latin American and Caribbean studies. 
• Archives and Archiving (1,000–2,000 words): Critical and scholarship-informed interviews with academics, practitioners, artists, activists and community workers on issues related to social and political movements in Latin America and the Caribbean. We consider these interviews as a praxis of archival building in and about the region and its diasporas.
• Creative Arts Submissions: Poetry (maximum 3 pages); Fiction (1,500–2,000 words); Creative nonfiction (1,500–2,000); Multimedia (video submissions with maximum 5 minutes); Visual art and photography (5-8 high-resolution images of artworks)
• Field Notes (1,500-3,000 words): Critical discussion that presents observations, reflections, and raw data from the field. The Note may be a practitioner-focused article or based on personal experience in the field. Authors are encouraged to submit multimodal pieces that may include descriptive narrative, photos, or sketches. This is a space for authors to share insights and experiences from the context in which they work and to reflect critically on their own practice. Field Notes need not engage as deeply with the theoretical literature in the field. Notes will be subject to peer review.
• Roundtable (2,000-3,000 words): Co-authored dialogue to advance important conversations and interventions in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. A Roundtable contains a curated dialogue among 3-4 authors on a specific theme. The Roundtable must include a critical introduction contextualising the discussion.

General Submission Guidelines

• Language: Submissions can be made in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Creative art submissions can be made in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, creoles, patois and nation languages. 
• Originality: Submissions must represent original, unpublished work. Manuscripts currently under review by any other journal or publisher will not be considered. Authors must confirm that the work has not been previously published in any form.
• Ethical Considerations: 
• Plagiarism: All sources must be properly attributed. Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and will lead to immediate rejection.
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval: For research involving human subjects, authors with institutional affiliations must confirm that their research was approved by an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee, and this should be noted in the manuscript. For authors who operate independently, their research must be approved by community-based ethic research institutions. 
• Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.
• Anonymity for Peer Review: Critical essays are double peer-reviewed. Authors must prepare their manuscripts to be completely anonymous. This means:
• Removing author names, institutional affiliations, and contact information from the main text, headers, and footers.
• Permissions: Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for the reproduction of copyrighted material, including but not limited to images, maps, tables, and extensive direct quotations (exceeding 250 words from a single source). Written proof of permission may be required upon acceptance.
• Author Information: Authors must submit a document with full name, affiliation, e-mail contact information and a brief biographical statement (100-150 words).

Formatting Guidelines

• Manuscript Format:
• File Type: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) is the only accepted file format.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12-point font for all text, including footnotes, references, and table/figure captions.
• Line Spacing: Double-spaced throughout the entire document.
• Margins: 1-inch (2.54 cm) on all sides (top, bottom, left, right).
• Page Numbering: Continuous page numbering should be placed in the bottom right corner of each page.
• A brief academic biographical statement (100-150 words)
  
  
• Abstract: For Critical Essays, a submission proposal of 200–250 words is required. The abstract should accurately reflect the content of the manuscript, the thesis statement, conceptual framework, methodology, and key findings.
• Keywords: Provide 5–7 keywords
• Citations and References:
• Style: IYARIC Journal adheres to the Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition), Notes and Bibliography system.
• Footnotes/Endnotes: Apply footnotes (preferred) for in-text notations. Footnotes should be numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript.
• Bibliography: A comprehensive bibliography listing all cited sources must be included at the end of the manuscript. Ensure that every source cited in the text and footnotes appear in the bibliography.
• Tables and Figures:
• Placement: Embed tables and figures within the text at the most appropriate point, shortly after their first mention.
• Numbering and Titles: All tables and figures must be clearly numbered consecutively (e.g., Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2) and accompanied by a descriptive title placed above the table or below the figure.
• Sources: Provide clear sources for all data presented in tables and figures, especially if not original to the author.

• For media files, provide a link to the file (eg. google drive, OneDrive, etc.). Do not upload to the system. Email the editor to discuss alternative delivery if link cannot be provided.