Editor's Message: How to Learn More about Hispania

One of the distinct privileges that I have as Editor-in-Chief of Hispania is to present sessions and workshops about our scholarly journal on a regular basis. It is always an honor to represent Hispania because it is widely recognized as the most comprehensive publication in literary, linguistic, and pedagogical matters related to Spanish and Portuguese. I am writing this column on the heels of the successful 93rd Annual Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) that recently took place in Washington, DC (July 2011). It is gratifying to meet with educators and researchers intent on learning more about our journal. Delivering a presentation about Hispania at the conference of the professional organization to which it belongs is especially meaningful due to the supportive presence of the membership, the AATSP Executive Council, and the Hispania Editorial Board. Also, after much correspondence online, it is exciting to finally meet face-to-face for the first time some of the Hispania authors who have recently published in the journal. Often authors and peer reviewers attend our session, which is a regular feature on the program of AATSP conferences. The session focuses exclusively on Hispania. In Washington, DC, I presented along with our Book/Media Review Editor, Domnita Dumitrescu, and Managing Editor, David P. Wiseman.

The purpose of these presentations is to provide detailed information to teachers, professors, researchers, and scholars about the scope of Hispania's content; its processes and procedures; and, of course, to encourage submissions to Hispania. The editorial staff wants to be accessible for questions and feedback. Typically, these information sessions are tailored to those unfamiliar with the editorial process. However, they are also useful for individuals who may be familiar with the publication process, but want to know more about our specific guidelines, web-based peer review and tracking system, upcoming special focus issues, or the most recent data regarding submission and acceptance rates. Besides tips on preparing the initial submission, information is shared about the peer review process, and how to respond to reviewers when submitting a revised manuscript. Hopefully, these sessions help to demystify editorial practices, so that those seeking to publish in Hispania (and other journals) have an idea of what to expect from submission to acceptance and later from production to publication.

At these talks, current data are also shared about submission and acceptance rates to help frame realistic expectations for those who seek to publish in Hispania. For example, in 2010, approximately 300 manuscripts were submitted to the journal. For the same period, the editorial staff reports an estimated 15% acceptance rate for full-length articles. Submission and acceptance rates do fluctuate from year to year, so they are revisited and reported on annually. Such statistics are useful for individuals who need to provide evidence to their institutions of competitive publication in a journal that is widely circulated within the field of Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian educational circles.

The next session on my calendar about Hispania will take place at the Annual Convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Denver in November 2011. I cordially invite you to all future Hispania presentations and look forward to your questions and comments about the journal. I am particularly pleased to encourage you to attend our 94th Annual Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese in San Juan, Puerto Rico in July 2012.