About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The main focus of Postgraduate English is to provide a space for postgraduates and early-career researchers to publish their work and receive feedback from established academics. We seek to give early-stage researchers a supportive and transparent environment in which to gain experience in working with publications.

Postgraduate English is hosted by Durham University Department of English Studies, United Kingdom and aims to provide a platform for a diverse range of scholars and scholarship. We have an international outlook, encouraging submissions from all over the world, and are open to research that falls within the broader definition of ‘English studies’, as well as interdisciplinary work.

We invite submissions of academic articles and reviews which show strength of argument and fresh insight. While submissions should be clear and readable, the journal has no set academic style and is open to different approaches to writing. Further information on our editorial practices and submission guidelines can be found below.

Peer Review Process

An Editorial Board of around thirty established academics is in place to advise across a wide range of topics under the broader term of 'English Studies'.

Academic articles will first be considered by the journal editors. If the submission meets the basic criteria of the journal, as outlined in the first two points of the author submission checklist, it will be matched with a suitable reviewer who will provide brief feedback; articles will be double-blind peer reviewed, meaning that neither authors nor reviewers will know one another's identity. If the submission does not meet journal criteria, the editors will offer explanatory feedback as a basis for future submission.

The review process takes a variable amount of time, depending on availability of reviewers; while we cannot promise an exact turnaround time, we aim to maintain regular communication with those who submit to the journal.

Peer review feedback will fall under four categories:

  1. Reject (no feedback or further comment required).
  2. Requires substantial revision: the article may not be published in the current cycle, but may be published in future if substantially improved as per reviewer comments. Articles requiring substantial revision may be returned to the original peer reviewer to confirm appropriate changes have been made.
  3. Acceptable with minor revisions: the article will be sent back to the author with the attached comments and a request to make revisions for the current cycle. The author will then return the revised article to the editors, who will judge it against the reviewer comments and decide whether it is suitable to then accept for publication. The editors may ask for further revisions if they are necessary.
  4. Accept: the article will usually be published in this cycle. The editors will pass on any reviewer comments and request any necessary revisions be made prior to publication.

It is important to note that feedback at any stage without explicit communication of acceptance to the journal is not a guarantee of future publication. The editors have a two-fold role of collating the journal and offering guidance to authors who may not have a significant amount of experience in publishing their work. It is our hope that even those whose work is not accepted will find the process helpful.

Book reviews will be judged by the journal editors; the editors will then communicate feedback and, if the review is accepted, suggest revisions to be made prior to its publication.

Final decisions about publication will be made by the editors.

Publication Frequency

Postgraduate English is usually published twice a year, please see our most recent call for papers for the current submission deadline.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Journal History

The journal was first conceived and designed by Professor Timothy Clark in 1999 and launched in 2000. Professor Clark served as advisory editor until the September 2013 issue. During this period the journal underwent various improvements and upgrades. The latest upgrade and redesign from 2013 moved the journal to be hosted using Open Journal Systems software; the transition was led by Dr Alistair Brown (Durham).

Past Editors

  • 2000 (September), Issue 1: Brian Burton
  • 2000 (March), Issue 2: Brian Burton
  • 2001 (September), Issue 3: Brian Burton
  • 2001 (March), Issue 4: Brian Burton
  • 2002 (September), Issue 5: Richard Brewster
  • 2002 (March), Issue 6: Richard Brewster
  • 2003 (September), Issue 7, Richard Brewster
  • 2004 (March), Issue 9, Anita O'Connell and Michael Huxtable
  • 2004 (September), Issue 10, Anita O'Connell and Michael Huxtable
  • 2005 (March), Issue 11, Anita O'Connell and Michael Huxtable
  • 2005 (September), Issue 12, Anita O'Connell and Michael Huxtable
  • 2006 (March), Issue 13, Ollie Taylor and Kostas Boyiopoulos
  • 2006 (September), Issue 14, Ollie Taylor and Kostas Boyiopoulos
  • 2007 (March), Issue 15, Ollie Taylor and Kostas Boyiopoulos
  • 2007 (September), Issue 16, Ollie Taylor and Kostas Boyiopoulos
  • 2008 (March), Issue 17, Maddy Callagham and Shane Collins
  • 2008 (September), Issue 18, Maddy Callagham and Shane Collins
  • 2009 (March), Issue 19, Amy Jordan and Eleanor Chatburn
  • 2009 (September), Issue 20, Amy Jordan and Eleanor Chatburn
  • 2010 (March), Issue 21, Amy Jordan and Eleanor Chatburn
  • 2010 (September), Issue 22, Amy Jordan and Eleanor Chatburn
  • 2011 (March), Issue 23, Naomi Marklew and Jack Baker
  • 2011 (September), Issue 24, Kaja Marczewska and Avishek Parui
  • 2012 (March), Issue 25, Kaja Marczewska & Avishek Parui
  • 2012 (September), Issue 26, Michael Shallcross & Avishek Parui
  • 2013 (September), Issue 27, Michael Shallcross & Avishek Parui
  • 2014 (March), Issue 28, Yuexi Liu & Hazel Monforton
  • 2014 (September), Issue 29, Yuexi Liu & Hazel Monforton
  • 2015 (March), Issue 30, Sarah Lohmann & Sreemoyee Roy Chowdhury
  • 2015 (September), Issue 31, Sarah Lohmann & Sreemoyee Roy Chowdhury
  • 2016 (Spring), Issue 32, Arya Aryan & Douglass Virdee
  • 2016 (Autumn), Issue 33, Arya Aryan & Douglass Virdee
  • 2017 (Spring), Issue 34, Megumi Chou and Yimon Lo
  • 2017 (Autumn), Issue 35, Megumi Chou and Yimon Lo
  • 2018 (Spring), Issue 36, Gareth Reeves and Olly Teregulova
  • 2018 (Autumn), Issue 37, Gareth Reeves and Olly Teregulova
  • 2019 (Spring), Issue 38, Aalia Ahmed and Lucia Scigliano
  • 2019 (Autumn), Issue 39, Aalia Ahmed and Lucia Scigliano
  • 2020 (Spring), Issue 40, Anna-Rose Shack and Kashish Madan
  • 2021, Issue 41 (Spring), Kashish Madan
  • 2021, Issue 42 (Autumn), Vicky Penn and Hannah Voss
  • 2022, Issue 42, Hannah Voss and Vicky Penn
  • 2023, Issue 42, Francesca Adams and Laura Day
  • 2024, Issue 43, Francesca Adams and Keerthi Vasishta