Submission Guidelines

Double-Blind Peer Review

Open Access — CC BY 4.0

Crossref DOI — Every Article

Language Report on Acceptance

Publication Certificate (PDF)

Quick Facts

3Independent Reviewers	Double-blindPeer Review	6Issues Per Year	17Years Publishing	42.4%Acceptance Rate 2026 (2025: 47.3%)

Publishes peer-reviewed research articles only (from Vol. 17, 2026)
Double-blind peer review with 3 independent reviewers — review begins as soon as a manuscript is received
Crossref DOI assigned to every published research article
Open Access under CC BY 4.0 — permanently free to read
English only — translate all non-English quotations inline

Now Accepting SubmissionsVol. 17, Issue 6 — December 2026 • Deadline: 30 November 2026Submissions received after a deadline are considered for the following issue.

Scope of the Journal

The Criterion: An International Journal in English invites original scholarship across the breadth of English Studies, including English Literature (all periods, genres, and authors), Literary Theory & Criticism, World & Comparative Literature, Indian Writing in English, Postcolonial Studies, Linguistics, English Language Teaching (ELT), Cultural Studies, and Digital Humanities. Interdisciplinary submissions that illuminate questions in English Studies are warmly welcomed.

Effective Vol. 17, Issue 1 (February 2026), The Criterion exclusively publishes peer-reviewed research articles. Creative submissions (poetry, fiction, book reviews, and author interviews) are no longer accepted. Every accepted article receives a Crossref DOI, a language report, and an official PDF publication certificate.

Before You Submit

File: Upload a single anonymized .doc/.docx — no author names or affiliations inside the document. Provide author details in the Form fields only.
Title: Times New Roman 14 pt Bold, no ALL CAPS. Body: Times New Roman 12 pt, justified, single-line spacing.
Length: Minimum 3,000 words (typical 3,000–10,000). Abstract: 100–150 words + 4–6 keywords.
Notes: Endnotes only (placed before “Works Cited”). Citation style: MLA 9th Edition.
Clean file: Remove tracked changes, comments, and personal metadata before uploading.
AI disclosure: If any AI tool assisted in writing or research, disclose this in the Form (tool name, extent of use, limitations).
Filename: PaperTitle_Anonymized.docx

How to Submit

Research articles are submitted exclusively via our Google Form. Email submissions are not accepted.

Step 1 — Prepare Your FilePrepare a single anonymized .doc/.docx named PaperTitle_Anonymized.docx. Remove all author names, affiliations, and personal metadata from the document and its file properties.

Step 2 — Structure the DocumentThe file must contain: Title → Abstract (100–150 words + 4–6 keywords) → Body Text → Endnotes (if any) → Works Cited. All in MLA 9th Edition.

Step 3 — Add Author Details in the FormProvide author name(s), affiliation(s), email(s), ORCID (optional), and AI-use disclosure in the Form fields only — not in the document.

Step 4 — Submit via Google FormOpen the submission form: Open Submission Form
For submission queries: editor@the-criterion.com — Subject: Submission Query: [Your Paper Title]

Submit Your Research

Submit via Google Form. Double-blind review by three independent reviewers.

Open Submission Form

View Current Issue

Manuscript Format

Element	Requirement
Title	Times New Roman, 14 pt, Bold — no ALL CAPS
Body Text	Times New Roman, 12 pt, justified, single-line spacing
Word Count	Minimum 3,000 words; typical range 3,000–10,000
Abstract	100–150 words + 4–6 keywords
Notes	Endnotes only — placed before Works Cited
Citation Style	MLA 9th Edition throughout
Language	English only; translate all non-English quotations inline
Avoid	Footnotes, page borders, coloured or decorative text, tracked changes
Quality	Proofread carefully — formatting or typographical issues may result in rejection without review

Review Process

The Criterion follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process with three independent reviewers per article. Review begins as soon as a manuscript is received; it does not wait for the issue deadline. Final decisions are sent by the 25th of the issue month, and accepted papers are published on the last day of that month. Authors asked to revise must return the revised manuscript within the time stated in the decision letter (usually one to two weeks); late revisions are considered for the next issue.

1. AcknowledgementAn automatic email confirms receipt with your manuscript ID. Add editor@the-criterion.com to your contacts to avoid missed notifications.

2. Initial ScreeningEditors verify scope, MLA 9 formatting, ethical disclosures (including AI-use declarations), and run plagiarism checks. Submissions with issues may be returned for corrections before entering review.

3. Double-Blind Peer ReviewThree expert reviewers evaluate originality, argumentation, methodology, evidence, and clarity — independently and anonymously.

4. DecisionOutcome: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Revision timelines and instructions are clearly communicated.

5. Post-AcceptanceYou receive an acceptance confirmation with APC payment instructions (payable only after acceptance — never before), along with a language report to help you bring the manuscript to publication-ready standard.

6. Proof & DOIA final proof is requested prior to publication. A permanent Crossref DOI is assigned and displayed on the article page.

7. Publication & CertificateOn publication you receive the live article link. An official digitally signed PDF publication certificate is issued alongside the publication announcement.

Crossref DOI Prefix
https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion

Copyright & Licensing

Authors retain full copyright. The Criterion receives non-exclusive rights to publish and reproduce accepted works online.
Authors may republish their work after notifying the Editor-in-Chief and crediting The Criterion with a link to the original published article.
All published research articles are released under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence — free to share and adapt with attribution.

Plagiarism & AI Content Policy

All submissions must be original, properly cited, and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors bear full responsibility for their content.
AI-Generated Text: Use of generative AI tools must be transparently disclosed in the submission form. Fully or substantially AI-written manuscripts will not be accepted.
In cases of confirmed plagiarism or undisclosed AI use, The Criterion may retract the publication, notify the author’s institution, and blacklist offending authors.

Important: All accepted manuscripts are given a language check before final publication. Undisclosed quality issues identified at this stage may delay or void acceptance.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

As an official Crossref member journal, The Criterion assigns a permanent DOI to every published article. The APC is a single transparent charge covering Crossref membership, per-article DOI registration, three-reviewer peer review, editorial processing, and permanent open-access hosting. One flat rate regardless of co-author count.

Indian Authors

₹2,595Research Article — flat rate

International Authors

$125Research Article — flat rate

Every APC includes:

Crossref DOI Registration — permanent, citable identifier
Crossref Membership Infrastructure — automatic metadata propagation across the entire Crossref ecosystem on DOI activation
Three-Reviewer Double-Blind Peer Review
Professional Copyediting & Formatting to journal standards
Language Report — readability and grammar analysis delivered with your acceptance confirmation
Official PDF Publication Certificate — digitally signed, suitable for CVs, promotion files, and academic portfolios
Permanent Open-Access Hosting — no paywalls, ever

Do not pay before acceptance. Official APC payment instructions are sent only after peer review and formal acceptance. Any payment solicited before acceptance is not from The Criterion. Authors from Research4Life-eligible countries may request a waiver: see our APC Waiver Policy.

Publication Schedule

Issue	Submission Deadline	Final Decisions By	Publication
February	31 January	By 25 February	28 February
April	31 March	By 25 April	30 April
June	31 May	By 25 June	30 June
August	31 July	By 25 August	31 August
October	30 September	By 25 October	31 October
December	30 November	By 25 December	31 December

Submissions received after a deadline are automatically considered for the next issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still accept poetry, fiction, or book reviews?

No. From Vol. 17 (February 2026) onwards, The Criterion exclusively publishes peer-reviewed research articles.

When do I pay the APC?

Only after acceptance. Never pay before you receive the official acceptance email with payment instructions.

Is the APC the same for single and multi-author papers?

Yes. One flat rate regardless of the number of co-authors — ₹2,595 for Indian authors, $125 for international authors.

What is the language report?

All accepted articles receive a detailed language and readability report delivered with the acceptance confirmation, to assist in final polishing before publication.

Will I receive a publication certificate?

Yes. Every published author receives an official digitally signed PDF publication certificate issued alongside the publication announcement.

Will my article get a DOI?

Yes. Every published research article receives a permanent Crossref DOI from Vol. 17 onwards.

I missed the deadline. What happens?

Your submission is automatically considered for the next issue.

Can I withdraw my paper?

Yes — email editor@the-criterion.com with your manuscript ID before publication is finalised.

Indexing & Discoverability

The Criterion is indexed in Google Scholar, OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar; listed in the MLA Directory of Periodicals and ROAD (Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources); and catalogued in WorldCat, the Library of Congress, ZDB, EZB and Sudoc. As an official Crossref member (DOI prefix 10.66376), every article from Vol. 17 onwards carries a registered DOI with openly available metadata.

View complete indexing list →

Contact

Editorial Office: editor@the-criterion.com

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Last Updated: October 2026 • Back to top