Submissions and Inquiries

To submit to TRANSIT Journal, find information on our current CfP here

Please send all submissions and inquiries to transitjournal@berkeley.edu, CC the current managing editor.

We never charge for article submission or publication. For more information on formatting your manuscript, please see our stylesheet. For more information on what TRANSIT publishes, please see the archives and the FAQ.

As an attachment to your e-mail, please include 2 documents:

  1. An abstract of 400 words or less; 5-10 keywords for your article;
  2. The article in native document format, preferably Microsoft Word.
  3. Please DO NOT include any identifying information in these documents, as articles are subject to a blind review process.

In the body of your e-mail, please make sure to mention:

  1. Your name and affiliation;
  2. That the article is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere.

If you would like to submit a translation, please make sure to obtain the necessary copyright permissions. We will not review translations before permissions have been given by the editor and/or author. If your translation is accepted, you will be asked to write a Translator’s Introduction of 250-750 words, in which you delineate your positionality as a translator, context of the piece, and stylistic  choices. Please refer to TRANSIT’s past published translations for examples of translator’s introductions. While TRANSIT’s editorial board will offer feedback on your translation, you are expected to submit a translation that has already been polished and workshopped by your colleagues and mentor(s).

Stylesheet

TRANSIT generally adheres to Modern Language Association (MLA) style. However, online publication entails some particular considerations which are addressed below. Please adhere as closely as possible to the formatting guidelines supplied here.

Authors are expected to be their own copyeditors. This means that authors need to pay attention to the editing and formatting of their manuscripts. While we do proofread articles and check for compliance, we strongly encourage authors to submit articles that have been carefully proofread and formatted and are prepared for publication.

Formatting Requirements

  1. Write your article in English or German.
  2. Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file (Word, RTF, or HTML files are accepted).
  3. Page size should be 8.5 x 11 inches
  4. All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1 inch (2.5 cm)
  5. Double-space your text
  6. Use a single column layout with both left and right margins justified
  7. Font size for the body of the text should be 12 point for main body text and 10 points for footnotes. Times New Roman is preferred
  8. Include a bibliography
  9.  MLA format is the default format in TRANSIT
  10. Obtain any necessary copyright permissions for pictures and videos
  11. Copyedit your manuscript
  12. Use the following document structure (remember, there is no title page):
    1. Introduction (titling this section is optional)
    2. Subsequent sections, including all tables, figures, and footnotes referenced in the text
    3. Appendices (if any)
    4. Works Cited

Additional Recommendations

Article Length: We prefer articles between 15-25 pages (4000-6000 words) including footnotes/endnotes. As this journal publishes electronically, we will consider exceptional scholarship that is of greater length, but please remember to adhere to a concise, journal-appropriate style.

Indenting, Line Spacing, and Justification: Indent all paragraphs except those following a section heading. An indent should be at least 2 em-spaces.

Do not insert an extra space between paragraphs of text with the exception of long quotations, theorems, propositions, special remarks, etc. These should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below. All text should be justified.

Colored text: Set the font color to black for the majority of the text. We encourage authors to take advantage of the ability to use color in the production of figures, maps, etc.; however, you need to appreciate that this will cause some of your readers problems when they print the document on a black-and-white printer. For this reason, you are advised to avoid the use of colors in situations where their translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible.

Emphasized text: Whenever possible use italics to indicate text you wish to emphasize rather than underlining it. The use of color to emphasize text is discouraged.

Font faces: Except, possibly, where special symbols are needed, use a single serif font (e.g., Times New Roman). If you desire a second font, for instance for headings, use a sans serif font (e.g., Arial or Computer Modern Sans Serif).

Font size: The main body of text should be set at 12 point. Footnotes should be 10 pt.

Foreign terms: Foreign terms should be set in italics rather than underlined.

Headings: Headings (e.g., start of sections) should be distinguished from the main body text by their fonts or by using small caps. Use the same font face for all headings and indicate the hierarchy by reducing the font size.

Main text: The font for the main body of text must be black and, if at all possible, in a serif font such as Times New Roman.

Works Cited: The default style for referencing resources used either directly or indirectly in work published in TRANSIT is the Modern Language Association style (MLA). English translations (in addition to the original text) are encouraged.

Titles: Whenever possible, titles of books, movies, etc., should be set in italics rather than underlined.

Additional Resources

Please refer to the following resources for more detailed information on the MLA format:

A Research Guide for Students. Lee, I. 10 Dec 2003.

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th Ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2003.

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format. Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) Dec 2003. Purdue University. 17 Dec 2003.