Call for Papers
The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture (CMSMC) is circulating a call for papers relating to the study of material culture. The mission of CMSMC is to provide a platform for master’s scholars, who are often at a crucial point in their academic careers, to publish their work and contribute to the expanding field of material culture. CMSMC defines master’s scholars as those earning or possessing a master’s degree. Those who have just started their PhD program and are still in their coursework portion of the program are eligible for publication as well. PhD candidates and higher are not eligible.

CMSMC seeks to foster interdisciplinary discussions and address a diverse pool of topics. The Coalition desires to amplify emerging voices who can bring fresh and diverse perspectives to the field. Furthermore, CMSMC is dedicated to disseminating information that is publicly accessible while maintaining rigorous academic standards. Papers will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Submission Guidelines
In order to submit a paper to CMSMC, you will need to provide an abstract (up to 350 words), a partial bibliography, and CV. Please email these materials to admin@cmsmc.org with a subject line that reads as follows “last name_submission.” All submissions must be cited in the
Chicago Manual of Style. Submissions will be reviewed and you will be contacted once a decision is made. If your submission is accepted, you will be given a publication date and connected with your editor. Please note, in order to be considered for publication by CMSMC, your paper must be an original work and should not have been previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Article Lengths and Criteria
1.) Short Article (roughly 1500-2000 words)
This piece will typically focus on either a single object, like an object biography, or will be a short review of a book/article/essay/exhibition etc. These pieces should feature no more than three images.

2.) Medium Article (2,000-3,500 words)
These pieces will be similar to conference papers in both length and style. They should feature no more than 6 images. Examples include a theoretical discussion surrounding objects through an interdisciplinary lens, an examination of several objects, or a body of work that centers around a common theme.

3.) Long-Form Article (3,500-5,000 words)
These pieces will be in-depth investigations on a variety of topics. While we encourage these pieces to be collaborative, these are the most flexible and author driven of our three article lengths. These pieces may feature no more than 10 images; if more are necessary, the images and the images rights and citations must be included in the proposal.

4.) Serialized Article (5,000+ words or content requires multiple installations)
For works longer than 5,000 words, there is an option to serialize an article by publishing two or more separate pieces. These works should be similar to long-form articles in style and content and serialization will be considered after acceptance. These pieces may feature no more than 10 images; if more are necessary, the images and the images rights and citations must be included in the proposal.

Please note that all image rights are the responsibility of the author.
CMSMC looks forward to receiving proposals in response to the call, and is happy to respond to inquiries from interested parties. Questions may be sent to admin@cmsmc.org with the subject line “Submission_Question.”

More information at https://cmsmc.org/