Apply for Collaboration
The Criterion: An International Journal in English — formal proposal submission for the Conference Collaboration Programme.
| Overview | Before You Begin | Submit Proposal | Programme Documents | After Submission | Contact | All Programme Pages |
Conference organisers who have read the Programme Documentation and consider their conference a suitable candidate for collaboration with The Criterion are invited to submit a formal proposal through the RCELL online application portal. The portal is the only accepted submission channel; proposals submitted by email or through any other route will not be processed.
The online form is the complete submission instrument — there is no separate document to complete and return. Before opening the form, organisers are strongly encouraged to download the Conference Proposal Template from the Programme Documents section and read through it carefully. The template mirrors the form’s structure exactly and allows organisers to draft and review responses before entering them into the portal.
- Submission of a proposal does not constitute an agreement to collaborate.
- Approval of a proposal does not constitute a commitment to publish a special issue.
- Both remain contingent on editorial assessment and, where approved, on the scholarly quality of manuscripts submitted for peer review.
The application form collects all required proposal information in a single structured submission. Organisers who arrive prepared will find the process straightforward. Have the following ready before you begin:
- Full title and theme
- Conference dates and format
- Venue or online platform
- Lead organising institution name, type, country, and website
- Estimated participation and submission figures
- Description of abstract or paper review process
- Primary Convenor — full name, institutional email, ORCID (if available)
- All organising committee members — names, affiliations, roles
- Nominated Guest Editor(s) — full details
- Scholarly rationale and relevance to The Criterion’s scope
- Formal call for papers or conference programme (PDF)
- Academic CV for Primary Convenor (PDF)
- Academic CV for all nominated Guest Editors (PDF)
- Official letter of authorisation from lead institution on letterhead (PDF)
- Any supplementary evidence (optional)
Before submitting, confirm that the conference theme is substantively aligned with the published scope of The Criterion: English literature (all periods and genres), literary theory and criticism, world and comparative literature, Indian writing in English, postcolonial studies, cultural studies, linguistics, English language teaching, digital humanities, and interdisciplinary humanities research with a clear connection to English studies. Proposals whose thematic alignment cannot be clearly articulated are unlikely to meet the evaluation criteria.
The RCELL Conference Collaboration Programme application portal is accessible via the button below. The form collects all required proposal information in a single structured submission and includes upload fields for supporting documents. Before opening the form, download the Conference Proposal Template from the Programme Documents section — it mirrors the form’s structure exactly and is the most effective preparation tool available.
Submit a Collaboration Proposal
Use the RCELL online portal to submit your formal collaboration proposal. Read the Programme Documents and prepare all required information before opening the form.
Opens in Google Forms · Portal is the only accepted submission channel
Queries that cannot be resolved by consulting the Programme Documentation may be directed to the Editor-in-Chief through rcell.co.in. The editorial office is not able to provide informal pre-assessment of proposals before submission.
All parties are expected to read the documents relevant to their role before the collaboration commences.
- Acknowledgement of receipt issued within 10 working days of a complete proposal submission
- Decision communicated within 60 days of receipt
- Proposals evaluated on a rolling basis — no fixed rounds or annual deadlines
- Proposals may be submitted at any time provided adequate time remains for the full collaboration and publication process
There are four possible outcomes of the evaluation process:
Where a collaboration is approved, the next steps — confirming the Guest Editor appointment, executing the Collaboration Agreement, establishing the submission portal, and agreeing communication arrangements with conference participants — are managed by the editorial office in sequence. The full collaboration process from approval through to publication is described in the Special Issue Workflow and Policies page.
All queries relating to the Conference Collaboration Programme should be directed to the editorial office of The Criterion through rcell.co.in. Organisers are asked to consult the Programme Documentation before contacting the editorial office, as the majority of questions that arise at the application stage are addressed in the Proposal and Application Guidelines or other Programme Documents.
- Advise on whether a specific conference is likely to be approved before a formal proposal is submitted
- Provide developmental feedback on draft proposals
- Expedite the evaluation process — the 60-day window reflects the time required for proper editorial assessment and cannot be shortened on request
Published by: Research Centre for English Language and Literature (RCELL) · rcell.co.in
The Criterion: An International Journal in English · Conference Collaboration Programme