We suggest authors read this page thoroughly for information relating to the submission and publication of their articles. Authors are expected to write an article comprising a literature review and an annotated bibliography of a key theme in the study of nationalism. The articles are published in two venues: on the website of the State of Nationalism, where they will be linked to the other articles; and as a stand-alone article in the scholarly journal Studies on National Movements. All submissions undergo a rigorous, double-blind review process prior to publication. If you are interested in publishing with us, please contact Mr Stefan Poland at editor@stateofnationalism.eu

How to submit articles and annotated bibliographies?

Completed articles can be sent to Mr Stefan Poland at editor@stateofnationalism.eu,

How to write the review articles and annotated bibliographies?

The purpose of the review articles and annotated bibliographies is to provide a fair account of the literature. As such, the authors should strive for a balanced assessment over trying to steer the reader towards his or her favoured approach or methodology.

The review essays should be approximately 3,000 words. They should critically describe the development of the literature and indicate whether there are key points of contention and/or differing perspectives, approaches and methods.  (See here for specific author’s guidelines.)

All publications included in the bibliography should be annotated. Annotations should include a brief summary of the publication and may also indicate strengths and/or weaknesses and/or why it may be of special academic interest. In cases where an author has published more than one version of a work, the annotation will merely briefly direct the reader to the original annotation. Maximum length of the annotations will be 300 words, with most annotations expected to be much shorter than the maximum.

What should be included?

The articles will review and annotate peer-reviewed English-language scholarly publications, including journal articles, books, book chapters and, in some instances, PhD theses when they are judged to be of particular importance to the literature.

The bibliographies will be assembled by tracking references in print publications and electronic databases, including: Google Scholar, Jstor, Social Science Abstracts and International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS). Contributors will also be encouraged to verify their findings by contacting key authors that emerge from their research.

The focus of this project is on publications written in English. However, this focus on English-language publications is not meant to constrain the remit of the articles; key publications in other languages can and should be included if possible.

The reviews and bibliographies must present a comprehensive portrait of existing research. However, this is not to say that they must include allexisting research. Publications that are seminal to a particular theme should be included.  Seminal studies are publications that are of central importance to a research tradition because they report a major breakthrough, insight, or a new synthesis of ideas.

How should key concepts be defined?

The State of Nationalism is focused on nationalism. However, the meaning of nationalism is contested and continuously changing. As a result, it is not possible to operationalise a pre-determined definition of nationalism across the various articles included in the State of Nationalism. To account for this, the contributors are urged to include in their articles an explanation of how nationalism tends to be defined in that area of research, and also to note instances where it is especially contested. In other words, the task for the contributors is to identify and synthesise the definition that arises from the research, rather than impose a pre-determined definition. Contributors should take a similar approach when defining other related concepts, such as empire, ethnicity, nation, national identity, race, religion, state etc.

How will the articles be published?

The articles are published via two open-access sites. In the first instance, the review essays and accompanying bibliographies are published on the main State of Nationalism website. The website will provide a comprehensive database of the articles. Each of the articles are linked to one another, so that the reader can track associations between related themes. It is therefore through the website that readers will be able to view the project in its entirety.

The articles will also be published as stand-alone essays in the scholarly journal Studies on National Movements (SNM). Upon publication in SNM, the articles can be cited as a normal scholarly article. They will also be indexed in various databases in the same way as other articles published in SNM.

Why publish the articles in two venues? In addition to helping ensure maximum visibility, there is also a more prosaic reason. In an environment where researchers are under increasing pressure to publish their findings in well-indexed quality journals, the publication of the articles in SNMwill lend academic gravitas to their work.

Which reference style should be used?

For in-text citations within the review essays, authors are asked to use the following ‘in-house’ version of Harvard Style:

  • Reference to one author/publication: (Author’s surname year, page)
  • Reference to two authors/publications: (Author’s surname & Author’s surname year, page)
  • Reference to three authors/publications: (Author’s surname, Author’s surname & Author’s surname year, page)
  • Reference to more than three authors/publications: (Author’s surname, Author’s surname, Author’s surname e.a. year, page)

Please note that there is no need to include a reference list. The annotated bibliography will double as a reference list.

After entering the bibliographical information in the database, the data are automatically put in the in-house Harvard Style of reference. (See here for a guide to that style.)

How do we ensure the articles are kept up-to-date?

The State of Nationalism is meant to be a ‘living’, ongoing project, and it is expected that the reviews and bibliographies will be updated regularly in order to account for changes in the literature. Every five years, the authors will be invited to revise their submissions. If for any reason the authors are unable to provide revisions, they will be invited to suggest potential colleagues who could make the revisions. If a new colleague provides the revisions, he or she will be added as an author.

What topics are available to review?

The State of Nationalism is organised conceptually in order to encourage comparative and theoretically-oriented research. The topics included in the State of Nationalism are decided by the Partners in consultation with the members of the Advisory Committee and the Advisory Council. In addition, the choice of topics is also be open to suggestions from the wider research community.

The following list is not meant to be exhaustive. It is suggestive of the types of themes that will be included in the scope of the State of Nationalism. 

Nationalism & Territory
Definitions of Nationalism Nationalism & Empire Nationalism & Cosmopolitanism
Nation & Nationalism Nationalism & the State Nationalism & War
The Origins of Nationalism Nationalism & Capitalism Nationalism & Fascism
The Future of Nationalism Nationalism & Religion Nationalism & Social Class
Political Nationalism Nationalism & Ethnicity The Performance of Nationalism
Nationalism and Racism Nationalism & Democracy Nationalism & Mass Media
Nationalism and Territory Nationalism & Language Nationalism & Globalisation
The Ethics of Nationalism Nationalism & Race Nationalism & Communism
Economic Nationalism Nationalism & Migration Nationalism & International Relations
Nationalism and Militarism Nationalism & Film Nationalism & Gender

SoN Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with State of Nationalism: an International Review (SoN) agree to the following terms:

  • Authors grant the right of first publication to both State of Nationalism: an International Review (SoN) and the journal Studies on National Movements (SNM).
  • Authors retain copyright with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in SoN.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).