DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of scholarship does DHQ publish?

DHQ welcomes submissions on:

  • critical applications of existing methods and tools in digital humanities
  • research on innovative and experimental tools and methods in digital humanities
  • new perspectives, theoretical orientations, pedagogical approaches in digital humanities

DHQ accepts submissions for the following categories:

  • articles
  • reviews
  • case studies
  • field reports

You can read more about these at our submissions page.

DHQ does not generally publish the following without substantial revision:

  • routine applications of well-established DH tools: these would be worth submitting to your own disciplinary journals
  • conference papers; these typically need to be substantially revised to provide more critical context and argumentative substance
  • dissertation chapters: these typically need to be substantially revised to enable them to stand alone as a scholarly article
  • blog posts: these typically need to be significantly expanded
  • standalone data sets: we welcome data sets that accompany a publication
  • annotated bibliographies: we welcome annotated bibliographies when they accompany a publication

We are working to develop a mentoring program to support potential authors in framing their work for submission to DHQ. In the meantime, we are happy to provide feedback on an abstract or draft, to help determine whether the piece seems suitable for DHQ.

Who is the target audience?

DHQ’s main audience is the digital humanities community: practitioners, teachers, scholars, newcomers interested in and adjacent to the international and interdisciplinary fields of inquiry that encompass digital humanities theories, scholarship, practices and collaborations. The journal assumes some familiarity with the digital humanities, but not specialist knowledge of any particular domains.

What support does DHQ offer to potential authors new to the field?

DHQ’s staff can help the author improve the writing and argumentation, please contact us. We are also working to develop a mentoring program to support potential authors to turn their drafts, dissertation and conference papers into articles.

Do you accept blog posts, conference papers, dissertation chapters?

The short answer is no, not without significant revision. However, we are happy to read an abstract or draft and provide initial thoughts on whether the piece seems suitable for DHQ. Please contact us to learn more.

How does the peer review process work?

Please check our submissions page for detailed information on the peer review process. The peer review process relies on the generosity of colleagues who volunteer their time and expertise to support high quality research. Please consider becoming a peer reviewer! You can learn more about our peer reviewing or register as a DHQ reviewer.

How long does it take to have an article reviewed?

The external peer review process usually takes between two and four months but can take longer if there are difficulties in recruiting reviewers.

How can I find out where my article is in the review and production process?

The best source of information is the article record in Open Journal Systems, which you can access through your OJS account. You can track the progress of the article through the review process.

What languages does DHQ publish in?

We can publish articles in any language, but we can only consider submissions for which we can identify appropriate reviewers and for which we have copyediting capacity. We currently have capacity to review submissions in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. However, if an article is submitted and reviewed in English, we can publish translations of that article in other languages.

What if English is not my first language?

DHQ accommodates a wide range of “international English” and we don’t require authors to produce idiomatic American or British English. We can also offer mentoring and copyediting assistance; please contact us for more information. We would also love to hear from you if you are interested in assisting as a mentor.

Can I publish a translation of a DHQ article? Can I publish my own article in translation in another journal?

All rights to DHQ articles remain with the author, so the author is free to publish a translation anywhere they choose. If you want to publish a translation of a DHQ article, please contact the author for permission. DHQ’s permission is not needed, but we are happy to publish a link to the translation, or publish the translation itself in parallel with the original article.

How does DHQ handle special issues?

We consider proposals for special issues twice a year, in January and July. More detailed information is available at our Special Issues page.

What is DHQ’s Impact factor? What metrics can DHQ provide?

Please check DHQ’s Public Indexes web page for full details. If you have an account with Clarivate, you can also look up DHQ’s impact factor at the Clarivate site.

Can I publish my article on my Institution’s repository?

Yes! DHQ’s terms of publication give all rights to the author, and we encourage authors to put a copy of their article (pre-publication or post-publication) in a personal or institutional repository.