Scope and Mission

The American Journal of Classical Reception (AJCR) publishes original, peer-reviewed scholarship on the reception and afterlife of Classical antiquity in all its forms. We welcome articles that explore how ancient texts, ideas, and artifacts are reimagined, reinterpreted, and redeployed across diverse media, genres, temporal and cultural contexts – from traditional literary, artistic, and cinematic forms to contemporary digital media, performance, and popular culture.

AJCR seeks to expand the conversation on Classical Reception by encouraging work that is innovative, interdisciplinary, and attentive to the complex dialogues between antiquity and the modern world.

1. Types of Submissions

AJCR publishes:

• Research Articles (6,000 to 10,000 words, including notes and references)
  Substantive, original, academic contributions to the study of Classical Reception.
• Special Contributions, Features, or Notes
  Reviews, retrospectives, creative pieces, and dialogues with makers and critics.

2. Submission Procedure

All submissions should be sent electronically to info@ajcr.online.

• All submissions must be in English and include an abstract (150–250 words) and 4–6 keywords.
• The manuscript should be prepared for anonymous review: please remove all identifying information from the file and document metadata.
• Submissions will be acknowledged upon receipt.

3. Peer Review Process

• All research articles undergo double-anonymous peer review by at least two qualified referees.
• Special contributions may receive single-anonymous review at the editors’ discretion.
• The review process aims to provide timely, constructive feedback while maintaining the highest scholarly standards.

4. Style and Formatting

• Manuscripts should follow an internally consistent style.
• Please use footnotes rather than endnotes and use in-text notes where appropriate.
• Citation style: AJCR does not mandate a single citation system. Authors may use the citation style most appropriate to their subfield (e.g., Chicago Author-Date, Chicago Notes-Bibliography, MLA, APA), provided it is applied consistently throughout the manuscript — including punctuation (e.g., comma vs. colon before page numbers), author name spelling, and citation-year accuracy against the reference list.
• Authors must state which citation style they are using in a brief cover note accompanying submission. This declaration will be used to check the manuscript for internal consistency prior to peer review. Manuscripts mixing citation conventions, containing sources cited in-text but absent from the reference list (or vice versa), or departing from the declared style will be returned for correction before peer review.
• Within this flexibility, all submissions must observe the following:
  • Ancient sources (literary texts, inscriptions, papyri) should be cited using standard scholarly abbreviations and locators (e.g., Hdt. 8.87; Met. 6.103–114), regardless of the citation system used for modern scholarship.
  • Non-print primary sources — films, television, video games, paintings, sculptures, museum objects, and similar — should be gathered in a separate list at the end of the manuscript (e.g., Filmography, Ludography, List of Artworks) distinct from the scholarly bibliography, whenever more than a handful are cited. Individual sources should include, where applicable, artist/director/studio, year, and (for physical works) current location or accession number.
  • Reference list heading may follow the author’s preferred convention (Bibliography, References, Works Cited) but must appear as a single, alphabetized list per citation type (i.e., one for scholarship, a separate one for primary media as above).
  • Translations of non-English material (ancient or modern) should note the translator and edition used, either in-text or in a footnote, regardless of citation system.
  • Online sources: please use the shortest url that will take the reader to the source. These will be hyperlinked in publication. 
• Translation and transliteration of languages other than English, including Greek and Latin, should follow recognized scholarly conventions. Please avoid long quotes of text in any language.
• Please use 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins unjustified.
• Images should be submitted in separate high-resolution files, with captions included with the main text.
• The journal editors reserve the right to revise/adjust citation style and formatting as necessary/appropriate.

5. Permissions and Copyright

• Authors are responsible for obtaining permission/s to reproduce any copyrighted material, including images.
• Accepted authors will be asked to sign a standard publication agreement with The Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Authors retain the right to deposit their accepted manuscript in institutional repositories after an embargo period, in accordance with JHUP’s policies.

6. Ethical Standards

• AJCR adheres to the Statement of Ethics and Malpractice of the Hopkins Press Journals Division whose policies are closely aligned with the Committee on Publication Ethics Core Practices document, accessible here:  COPE Core Practices.
• Submissions must represent original work not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
• Plagiarism, duplicate publication, or fabricated data will result in immediate rejection.
• Please note The Johns Hopkins University Press’ statements to Authors on the use of Generative AI (see full statement here):
  • “The Press will not accept any work that is substantially written by an AI or LLM tool”
  • “Authors must disclose their use of AI or LLMs in the work they are submitting for possible publication”
  • “The author accepts full responsibility and is solely accountable for any liability that may ensue from the use of AI or LLMs.”

7. Digital Presence

• AJCR is published digitally by The Johns Hopkins University Press under the auspices of CAMWS.
• Each issue will appear with volume, issue, and page numbers for stable citation.
• Supplementary online materials – such as interviews, video explainers, or digital exhibits – may accompany selected articles via hyperlink.

8. Correspondence

General inquiries may be directed to:

The Editors, American Journal of Classical Reception

• info@ajcr.online

9. Initial Publication Schedule

AJCR will appear twice yearly, in Spring and Fall. For the first volume, submissions may be by invitation as the journal establishes its editorial scope; open submissions will follow thereafter.