About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Small Axe is our peer-reviewed print journal. It is the oldest of our four platforms. A journal of criticism conceived in the tradition of a long line of independent Caribbean journal projects, Small Axe is committed to rethinking the dominant narratives through which the regional and diasporic Caribbean have been imagined and conceptualized. Taking into account anglophone, francophone, and hispanophone intellectual and cultural traditions, the journal aims to offer a platform for the expansion of critical Caribbean dialogues. Small Axe is published by Duke University Press three times per year, in March, July, and November.

Peer Review Process

Editor Review
The first stage in our process is an internal review of an abstract to determine whether we wish to send the manuscript out for peer-review. For this reason, your abstract of no more than 500 words should be both cogent and succinct. At this stage the abstract is evaluated primarily in terms of its fit with the journal, and the overall quality and critical practice suggested therein. Authors should familiarize themselves with the Small Axe journal statement available above, on our website landing page and in the front matter of the journal. Based on this internal review, the Editor decides whether to reject the manuscript or send it on for external review. This stage takes approximately one month.

Peer-Review Process 
A manuscript that has passed the review by the Editor is sent to two external readers for a double-blind review. The readers are given four weeks to submit a report in which they evaluate the manuscript and provide recommendations to “accept,” “reject,” or “revise and resubmit.” The readers are asked to provide constructive feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript and suggestions for further improvement. Once the two external reviews are submitted, the Editor weighs the readers' reports and decides whether to “accept,” “reject,” or ask the author to “revise and resubmit” the manuscript. Note that it will be unusual for an essay to be accepted at this stage without requiring additional revisions. This stage of the review process takes approximately 4-6 months. For authors asked to “revise and resubmit,” the Editor provides comments on how to strengthen the manuscript taking into account the two readers' reports. Once the essay has been revised and resubmitted, it will be sent out to one external reader for a final review.

 

 

Journal History

Small Axe is our peer-reviewed print journal. It is the oldest of our four platforms. A journal of criticism conceived in the tradition of a long line of independent Caribbean journal projects, Small Axe is committed to rethinking the dominant narratives through which the regional and diasporic Caribbean have been imagined and conceptualized. Taking into account anglophone, francophone, and hispanophone intellectual and cultural traditions, the journal aims to offer a platform for the expansion of critical Caribbean dialogues. Small Axe is published by Duke University Press three times per year, in March, July, and November.