Journal of Criminology
Criminal Justice | Criminology & Criminal Justice (General) | Criminology (General)
The Journal of Criminology publishes four issues a year and welcomes submissions that focus on crime and society. It is particularly interested in submissions falling within the following categories:
- Conceptually-oriented articles, especially on new and emerging themes, that deal with, or relate to, the areas of criminology and criminal justice;
- Policy-focused articles proposing fresh thinking and new ideas in response to new and emerging, as well as established, policy challenges in these areas;
- Empirical articles that break new ground on criminological topics and which use new or innovative methodologies.
The Journal of Criminology is open to Special Issues that focus on pressing topics in criminology, with guest editors who are experts in the field. We are particularly interested in special issues dedicated to First Nations’ and minoritised communities’ scholarship, managed by a guest editor with a First Nations’ and/or minoritised community background. The Journal will put out a call for special issue proposals, with specific guidelines each year. Please see the Special Issues guidelines for more information. NOTE: The 2023 call for EOIs has now closed. Stay tuned for new guidelines and a new call in 2024.
| Asher Flynn | Monash University, Australia |
| Rebecca Wickes | Griffith University, Australia |
| Rebecca Powell | Monash University, Australia |
| Kyllie Cripps | Monash University, Australia |
| Thomas Holt | Michigan State University, USA |
| Simon Mackenzie | Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand |
| Jason Payne | Griffith University, Australia |
| Lorana Bartels | The Australian National University, Australia |
| Wim Bernasco | Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Netherlands |
| Jarrett Blaustein | Australian National University, Australia |
| David Bright | Deakin University, Australia |
| Rod K. Brunson | University of Maryland, USA |
| Sandra Bucerius | University of Alberta, Canada |
| Adrian Cherney | University of Queensland, Australia |
| Rachel Condry | University of Oxford, UK |
| Jonathan Corcoran | University of Queensland, Australia |
| Antje Deckert | Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand |
| Susan Dennison | Griffth University, Australia |
| Heather Douglas | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Benoit Dupont | University of Montreal, Canada |
| Angela Dwyer | University of Tasmania, Australia |
| Moses Faleolo | Victoria University of Wellington , New Zealand |
| Michael Flood | Queensland University of Technology, Australia |
| Benjamin Goold | University of British Columbia, Canada |
| Kevin Haggerty | University of Alberta, Canada |
| Julie Ham | Brock University, Canada |
| Jon Jackson | London School of Economics and Political Science, UK |
| Charis Kubrin | University of California, Irvine, USA |
| Elena Marchetti | Griffith University, Australia |
| Monique Marks | Durban University of Technology, South Africa |
| Alex Piquero | University of Miami, USA |
| Danielle Reynald | Griffith University, Australia |
| Rick Sarre | University of South Australia, Australia |
| Adrian Scott | Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| Elizabeth Stanley | Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand |
| Tamasailau Suaalii | University of Auckland, New Zealand |
| Michael Townsley | Griffith University, Australia |
| Hilde Tubex | University of Western Australia, Australia |
Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Journal of Criminology
This journal is a member of the Committee on the Publication Ethics
Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal's submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/anzjc to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.
Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Journal of Criminology will be reviewed.
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.4 below.
As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.
- What do we publish?
1.1 Aims & Scope
1.2 Article Types
1.3 Writing your paper - Editorial policies
2.1 Peer review policy
2.2 Authorship
2.3 Acknowledgments
2.4 Funding
2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
2.6 Data - Publishing policies
3.1 Indigenous Research Statement
3.2 Publication ethics
3.3 Contributor's publishing agreement
3.4 Open access and author archiving - Preparing your manuscript
4.1 Formatting
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
4.3 Supplemental material
4.4 Reference style
4.5 English language editing services - Submitting your manuscript
5.1 ORCID
5.2 Information required for completing your submission
5.3 Permissions - On acceptance and publication
6.1 Sage Production
6.2 Online First publication
6.3 Access to your published article
6.4 Promoting your article - Further information
The Journal of Criminology is one of the world's longest-running criminology journals, having been established in Melbourne in 1968. It is an international peer-reviewed journal in the field of criminology. Originally published under the title of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, it expressly seeks to publish innovative theoretical, empirical and policy-oriented research from around the world, as well as maintaining a strong commitment to high quality research in the Australasian region.
Before submitting your manuscript to Journal of Criminology, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.
The Journal of Criminology publishes research on criminology, criminal justice and interdisciplinary research on crime and society. It is particularly interested in submissions falling within the following categories:
- Conceptually-oriented articles, especially on new and emerging themes, that deal with, or relate to, the areas of criminology and criminal justice;
- Policy-focused articles proposing fresh thinking and new ideas in response to new and emerging, as well as established, policy challenges in these areas;
- Empirical articles that break new ground on criminological topics and which use new or innovative methodologies.
We are currently only accepting article submissions between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length, including all elements (title page, abstract, notes, references, tables, biographical statement). Longer manuscripts (up to 10,000 words all-inclusive) may be allowed at the discretion of the Editors, subject to a clearly articulated justification for the word length. We are not accepting alternative submissions at this time.
Book review submissions must first be discussed with the Editorial Team via the journal email (joc@monash.edu). These will be considered at the Editors' discretion. If approval to submit a book review is received from the Editors, the submission must adhere to the APA and journal style guidelines, and not exceed 1,500 words. Please include the title, author/s and published of the book that is being reviewed, and the heading Book Review, as per the example below for any review submissions:
- Book Review: John Braithwaite (2023) Macrocriminology and Freedom. Australian National University Press.
The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.
1.3.1 Make your article discoverable
When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.
The Journal of Criminology operates a strictly anonymous peer review process in which the reviewer's name is withheld from the author and, the author's name from the reviewer. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two referees. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, and an editorial decision is generally reached within 8-10 weeks of submission.
All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student's dissertation or thesis.
Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgments section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.
Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of your article prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable), any notes and your References.
2.3.1 Third party submissions
Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:
- Disclose this type of editorial assistance - including the individual's name, company and level of input.
- Identify any entities that paid for this assistance.
- Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.
Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.
The Journal of Criminology requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading. Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
The Journal of Criminology encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
The Journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.
Subject to appropriate ethical and legal considerations, authors are encouraged to:
- Share your research data in a relevant public data repository
- Include a data availability statement linking to your data. If it is not possible to share your data, use the statement to confirm why it cannot be shared.
- Cite this data in your research
The Journal of Criminology expects submissions to comply where applicable with the principles outlined in the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research.
3.1 Indigenous Research Statement
The Journal of Criminology expects contributors to meet internationally accepted guidelines on carrying out ethical and culturally competent research involving Indigenous peoples and conform to the standards for authors set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In the Australian context, for example, research would need to comply with the principles outlined in the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (AIATSIS).
The journal is supportive of publications that involve research with or about Indigenous and First Nations Peoples and welcome pre-submission conversations. It is expected that authors will follow a process of meaningful engagement and reciprocity between the researcher and the individuals and/or communities involved in the research. For those manuscripts that involve research with Indigenous and First Nations Peoples, there will be follow up questions in the submission process regarding the research design and ethical practice.
Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics' International Standard for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.
3.2.1 Plagiarism
The Journal of Criminology and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgment, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author’s institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.
3.2.2 Prior publication
If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the Sage Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.
3.3 Contributor's publishing agreement
Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive license agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and license to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Author Gateway.
3.4 Open access and author archiving
The Journal of Criminology offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.
4. Preparing your manuscript for submission
The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway. Please refer to the SAGE UK Style Guide for guidance on how to format your manuscript.
4.2 Artwork, Figures and Other Graphics
For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage's Manuscript Submission Guidelines.
Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.
Journal of Criminology does not currently accept supplemental files.
Journal of Criminology adheres to the APA reference style. View the APA guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.
4.5 English language editing services
The Journal of Criminology accepts papers using UK English spelling.
Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.
The Journal of Criminology is hosted on Sage Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscript central.com/anzjc to log in and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.
As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.
The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.
If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.
5.2 Information required for completing your submission
You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).
Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.
6. On acceptance and publication
Your SAGE Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal SAGE Edit or by email, and corrections should be made directly or notified to us promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.
OnlineFirst allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.
6.3 Access to your published article
Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.
Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.
Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Journal of Criminology editorial office as follows:
email: joc@monash.edu