A Brief History

The origins of the Conference of Editors of Learned Journals are in the informal gatherings of editors at the MLA starting in 1957, when they first gathered and discussed the same issues that are still of concern: funding, peer reviewing, plagiarism, property rights, copy editing, and so on. In the early 1970’s, Arthur Kinney, Mark Spilka, R. G. Collins, Marilyn Gaull, Caroline Eckhardt, Anne Paolucci, Ralph Cohen, William Schreick, and William Schaeffer, formalized as an allied organization at the MLA with popular annual meetings, workshops, displays, and informal gatherings at regional meetings as well. Concerned with the responsibilities, skills, and values required for editing scholarly journals, CELJ provided mentoring for new editors, assisted authors in writing for publication, and established a strong public presence for journals in the humanities including a quarterly newletter, Editors' Notes, founded by Gaull. Addressing the challenges of the new technology in copying and disseminating scholarship, officers took part in the National Enquiry into Scholarly Publication as well as congressional testimony on copyright.

In 1980, CELJ drafted a new constitution under the leadership of Cohen and Kinney, and Edna Steeves (University of Rhode Island) accepted the editorship of Editors' Notes. The constitution provides for the usual offices of President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer; it also gives the past President an active role in the ongoing business of the organization, and it establishes Regional Directors in areas corresponding with regional MLA organizations. In 1989 the organization changed its name to the Council of Editors of Learned Journals, which more accurately reflects the association of member editors. In 1991 CELJ achieved not-for-profit status. (For more detail on the council's early history, read Arthur Kinney's 1999 MLA keynote address, "Historicizing CELJ," available for download in our online "Newsletter Archive" [see the "Fall 1999/Spring 2000" newsletter]).

The succession of Presidents from the early 1970s to the present illustrates, among other things, the wide range of disciplines from which CELJ has been able to draw: Arthur Kinney of English Literary Renaissance (1971–74), Mark Spilka of Novel (1974–76), R. G. Collins of Thalia (1976–78), Marilyn Gaull of the Wordsworth Circle (1978–80), Ralph Cohen of New Literary History (1980–82), Arthur Kinney (1982–84), George Simson of Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly (1984–86), John Stasny of Victorian Poetry (1986–88), Evelyn Hinz of Mosaic (1988–90), Michael Marcuse of Literary Research (1990–92), John Coldewey of Modern Language Quarterly: A Journal of Literary History (1992–94), R. A. Shoaf of Exemplaria: A Journal of Theory in Medieval and Renaissance Studies (1994–95), Holly Laird of Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature (1996–97), Craig Howes of Biography (1998–99), Roy Flannagan of Milton Quarterly (2000–2001), Michael Cornett of the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (2002–2003), David Hanson of Nineteenth-Century Studies (2004-2005), Jana Argersinger of ESQ: A Journal of the American Renaissance and Poe Studies/Dark Romanticism (2006-2007), Bonnie Wheeler of Arthuriana (2008-2009), and Joycelyn Moody, African American Quarterly (2010-11).

Every year CELJ sponsors two sessions at the MLA Convention. The first is devoted to the presentation of CELJ's annual journal awards and to a keynote address that speaks to a topic of particular relevance to journal editors. The awards ceremony recognizes distinguished achievement in two divisions: one for scholarly journals and the other for creative-writing journals. In the "Scholarly Achievement" division, a winner and runner-up receive plaques or certificates for each of five, usually hotly contested, competitions: Best New Journal, Best Journal Design, Best Special Issue, the Phoenix Award for Significant Editorial Achievement, and Distinguished Editor. In the creative "Literary Achievement" division, three categories rotate on a three-year cycle: the Parnassus Award for Significant Editorial Achievement, Best New Literary Journal, and Distinguished Literary Editor. Over the last decade, keynote addresses have featured Robert Spoo and Harold Orlans on current copyright issues, Ian Lancashire on the computer's influence on scholarship and publishing, Peter Vandenberg on editorial transition, Beth Luey on the professionalization of journal editing, and James J. O’Donnell and Ann Okerson on digitized humanites. CELJ's second session takes up a topic of special interest to journal authors and editors alike, often in the form of a roundtable discussion. Past topics have included, for example, the advent of electronic journals and their implications for writers, readers, and sponsoring agencies; and journal refereeing and/as gatekeeping. Recent lively panels have focused on forms of support for academic journals; issues of electronic publication, storage, and retrieval; the vetting process; matters of interdisciplinarity; the nuts-and-bolts of journal editing, and the impact of ERIH ratings on scholarly editing. A separate meeting covers the council's business, including reports from the officers. In 2009, President Bonnie Wheeler spoke to the Conference of Historical Journals, AHA about matters of common interest in hopes of sparking more participation in CELJ by editors whose journals are outside literature.

In some years CELJ has sponsored sessions at regional MLA meetings (as in 1985 at the PAPC meeting in Santa Barbara), and sometimes it has jointly sponsored extra sessions with another allied organization (as in 1990, when it joined with the Council of National Literatures to arrange a symposium titled "The Future of Scholarly Journals in the Humanities: International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives"). This is an initiative that requires serious commitment from member editors.

Another regular service CELJ provides for its members is an annual booth in the MLA convention exhibition. Editors can send several copies of their journal for display at the booth, and it has proven to be a very popular means of promotion. Members attending the MLA convention volunteer to help a local graduate student oversee the exhibit, and many use it to meet with past and present contributors. At the 2000 convention, CELJ drew a great deal of attention by turning the booth into a space for journal editors and authors to meet and discuss authors' individual concerns about journal publishing. The "Chat with an Editor" program served over a hundred authors in succession throughout the conference. The event was written up by the Chronicle of Higher Education (see the 12 Jan. 2001 issue, in the "Hot Type" column, available online to subscribers). In 2007, CELJ added a successful version of "Chat" for creative writers. In 2009, the MLA accepted Bonnie Wheeler’s appeal to provide dedicated space for the "Chat with an Editor" program in a room set aside for various ‘chats’—along with such groups as ACLS and NEH.

In 1985 CELJ reached an agreement with the Times Literary Supplement: members are invited to advertise, at special rates, in a section of TLS devoted entirely to journals each November. TLS sends hundreds of copies of that issue to distribute free to MLA members at the annual exhibit.

In 1992 CELJ struck up an arrangement with the Society for Scholarly Publishing at the University of Toronto so that CELJ membership included a free subscription to the Journal of Scholarly Publishing, perhaps the best-known and most widely distributed journal of its kind in the world. Rising costs have prohibited that relationship from enduring past 2009, but from 2002, JSP has published the council's MLA keynote addresses and roundtables as a regular yearly feature and it plans to continue that tradition.

Between 1991 and 1997, during the presidencies of Coldewey, Shoaf, and Laird, CELJ began converting as many of its operations as possible to digital format. In fact, Coldewey had recruited Shoaf because he knew that Shoaf was already involved in preparing his journal, Exemplaria, for an Internet appearance. Under Shoaf, e-mail communications became much more standard amongst the membership as well as the officers; and the journal Editors' Notes was converted to a newsletter which first appeared online in 1995. Shoaf, in turn, recruited Holly Laird, knowing that she was also interested in the fate of academic journals in the digital revolution as well as the impact this revolution was bound to have more generally on women's studies in academia. Under her leadership, a number of initiatives were conceived, which brought the Council to the attention of others who were interested in similar issues and problems. All subsequent Presidents of CELJ have been not only computer-literate but also dedicated to understanding and examining the many questions and issues with which the digital has confronted academic publishing.

One service CELJ offers extends beyond its member editors: an adjudication process to help mediate disputes between journals and authors, no matter which party is aggrieved. The adjudication process has been used only a few times in any given year, but it clearly has met a strong need within the profession. Future plans for the organization include new advocacy initiatives for the recognition of editors, workshops for aspiring editors, the development of guidelines for evaluating publication in online journals, the updating and enhancement of this web site, and outreach programs to editors from all humanities disciplines.

Constitution

Constitution of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals

I. NAME. The name of this organization shall be The Council of Editors of Learned Journals.

II. PURPOSE. The aims of the Council shall be to provide an organization of editors of learned journals devoted primarily but not exclusively to the study of language and literature and related humanistic disciplines for the purpose of:

1. discussing common editorial concerns, sharing editorial expertise (especially with new journal editors), and offering counseling service and advice to editors of troubled journals;

2. providing a mechanism for the achievement of a consensus of editors on public issues related to journal publication and for the dissemination (as the official representative body of editors) of that consensus;

3. serving to publicize and advertise journals of members through display booths at the annual meeting of the MLA and at the various regional meetings of the MLA;

4. providing guidelines for editorial procedures and for contributors to scholarly journals through newsletters and a proposed Handbook for Journal Editors and Contributors;

5. offering recognition for outstanding achievement through awards of certificates of merit for distinguished issues, superior scholarly content, service to the profession, format, design, innovation, etc.;

6. establishing liaison (through the initiative of the Executive Board) with editors of journals in other disciplines.

III. MEMBERSHIP. Membership is open to all editors and others involved in scholarly publication upon payment of annual dues, the amount to be determined by majority vote of members responding by email (five percent of members in good standing will constitute a quorum).

IV. ADMINISTRATION. The administration of the Council shall be in the hands of elected officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Past President, and eight elected Regional Directors. The President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer shall constitute the Executive Committee. The President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Past President, and Regional Directors shall constitute the Executive Board.

V. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS--ELECTION

1. The President shall serve a two-year term following his or her election, by email ballot, in December of odd-numbered years.

2. The Vice President shall serve a two-year term following his or her election, by email ballot, in December of odd-numbered years. The Vice President will normally be elected to succeed the outgoing President.

3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected by email ballot to serve a three-year term.

4. Six of the eight Directors shall be elected by and from members in each of the six regions of MLA meetings. The seventh and eighth Directors shall be elected by and from members in Canada and from abroad, respectively. Nominations shall be open in April of even-numbered years and elections shall be conducted by email in September of even-numbered years. Members eligible to run and vote must be paid up as of 31 December before nominations. Directors shall serve two-year terms beginning with the annual meeting during the year of their election.

5. The Executive Board may appoint non-voting ex-officio members to the Board for renewable two-year terms.

VI. DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

1. The President shall be chief executive officer, chair the annual meeting and board meetings, and be ex-officio member of all committees.

2. The Vice President shall assist the President, chair the membership committee, and fill out the remainder of a presidential term if the President resigns or dies.

3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep all financial and membership records, record the minutes of annual and board meetings, and keep all records in readily useful form.

4. The Executive Board shall meet at least once a year, receive grants, advise the President on appointments, serve as the nominating committee for the election of officers and directors, and assist the President in preparing the agenda for the annual meeting.

5. Each Director shall be responsible for planning and organizing appropriate activities of the Council for his or her represented group.

6. The Executive Board shall be the Editorial Board for all publications of the Council, and shall appoint the Editor of Editors' Notes for a renewable three-year term.

7. The Past President shall serve as Chair of the Mediation Committee. In case of a mediation conflict, the Executive Committee shall appoint a Chair to serve pro tem from among the Regional Directors.

8. The Executive Committee shall have sole authority to make contracts over $500.00.

VII. MEETINGS OF THE CONFERENCE. Meetings of the Council shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the MLA. In addition to the business meeting, the Council will usually sponsor two additional sessions devoted to issues and problems of interest to the membership. Similar sessions for editors at regional meetings will be provided as the opportunity or occasion presents itself.

VIII. AMENDMENTS TO THIS CONSTITUTION. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed to the Secretary no later than two months prior to a vote by email ballot. Any amendments so proposed shall be presented by the Executive Board to the active membership with recommendations for action. Amendments to this Constitution shall be adopted only after receiving two-thirds of the vote of responding members in good standing (five percent of members in good standing will constitute a quorum).

IX. DISSOLUTION

If the CELJ dissolves or terminates, the Executive Committee, upon the advice of the Executive Board, shall, after paying or making provision for payment of all liabilities of the CELJ, dispose of all the remaining assets of the CELJ to such institutions of higher learning, operated exclusively for educational purposes, as shall at the time qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.

X. RATIFICATION. This Constitution shall be in effect when it is presented to the 1980 annual meeting of the Council and ratified by two-thirds vote of members in good standing attending.

Adopted at Houston, Texas, 28 December 1980

Amended at Washington, DC, 28 December 1984

Amended at Washington, DC, 27 December 1989

Amended at Chicago, Illinois, 28 December 1990

Amended at Washington, DC, 27 December 2005

Contact Us

Joycelyn Moody, President, CELJ
Department of English
University of Texas at San Antonio
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio TX 78240-0643
Fax: 210 458-5366
Email: joycelyn.moody@utsa.edu

Cheryl E. Ball, Secretary-Treasurer, CELJ
Editor, Kairos
Campus Mail 4240
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-4240
Phone: 309-438-3152
Email: cball@ilstu.edu

Richard Kopley, CELJ Chat Coordinator
Editor, Resources for American Literary Study
176 Smeal Building
College Place
Penn State DuBois
DuBois, PA 15801
Phone: 814-375-4743
Email: rxk3@psu.edu

Michael Widner, Director of Technical Initiatives
Email: webmaster@celj.org

Bonnie Wheeler, Immediate Past President, CELJ
Executive Editor, Arthuriana
English and Medieval Studies
Southern Methodist University
239 Dallas Hall (PO Box 750432)
3225 University Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75275-0432
Phone: 214-768-2949
Fax: 214-768-1234
Email: bwheeler@smu.edu

Images

CELJ at MLA 2009

CELJ at MLA 2007 and 2008

CELJ at MLA 2004, in Philadelphia

2004 Award Winners

Willis Regier, Speaker

James English, Speaker

Chat with an Editor

MLA Booth

CELJ at MLA 2003, on the Shores of Southern California

David Hanson (far left), vice president and incoming president of CELJ, celebrates with some of the winners of the 2003 Awards Competition. The assembly of editorial prowess includes:
Bruce Boehrer, Editor, Journal of Early Modern Cultural Studies, Runner-up, Best New Journal; Cassandra Laity, Coeditor, Modernism/Modernity, Winner, Phoenix Award for Outstanding Editorial Achievement; Mindy Wilson, Managing Editor, Gettysburg Review, Winner, Best New Design; Robert McRuer, Guest Editor for Desiring Disability: Queer Theory Meets Disability Studies, published by GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, Winner, Best Special Issue; Kelly Carroll, Executive Managing Editor, American Journal of Bioethics, Winner, Best New Journal.

James Knapp of JNT: Journal of Narrative Theory at CELJ's "Chat with an Editor" table in the exhibit hall, which served more than fifty aspiring authors this year.

At a CELJ-sponsored panel called "What Editors Want: Belletristic Journals, Literary Criticism, and Other Matters," President Michael Cornett (at the podium) joins in lively conversation with editors representing the council's membership among journals of creative writing (from left to right): Richard Mathews, Tampa Review; Margaret Bauer, North Carolina Literary Review; Lori Cameron, Penwood Review; David Clark, World Literature Today; and Brian McHale, Poetics Today.

Brian McHale, of Poetics Today, speaks to issues that concern both journal editors and writers at the "What Editors Want" session.

David Hanson (vice president), Michael Cornett (president), and Linda Troost (secretary/treasurer) enjoy a breakfast meeting, complete with the San Diego pleasures of fresh-squeezed orange juice and lush subtropical flora.

Some photos from the MLA 2002 panel in New York: "What Editors Want: Interdisciplinary Work and Other Matters."

Michael Cornett, CELJ president presiding at the "What Editors Want" panel.

Panelists (left to right): Dina Ripsman Eylon, Women in Judaism: A Multidisciplinary Journal; Catherine Gallagher, Representations; Maura Spiegel, Literature and Medicine; Jeffrey Di Leo, symplokc: A Journal for the Intermingling of Literary Scholarship; Bruce Boehrer, Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies.

An engaged panel.

Here are a few snapshots from lthe MLA 2001 awards ceremony in New Orleans:

Jana Argersinger, CELJ's Secretary/Treasurer, congratulating John Bryant, editor of Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies, on his runner-up award for Best New Journal.

Joseph T. Skerrett Jr., of Melus: The Journal of the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, receiving honors as Distinguished Retiring Editor.

Roy Flannagan, CELJ's President, explaining that he would have been in a three-piece suit if his plane had arrived on time, while Heidi McGregor (JSTOR) and Jana Argersinger wait their turn to speak.

Heidi McGregor speaking about the valuable service rendered by the non-profit full-text database of journals, JSTOR.

Michael Cornett, CELJ's Vice President, counseling a young scholar at a "Chat with the Editor" session at the CELJ booth.