The WAC Clearinghouse uses the following review processes for all of its book series except the #writing series, which uses an open-review process detailed on its series main page. In carrying out this process, editors and reviewers at the Clearinghouse follow the guidelines on Anti-Racist Scholarly Reviewing Practices, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/reviewheuristic.
Step 1. Proposal Inquiries
Authors or editors who seek to publish with the Clearinghouse may inquire about the suitability of a potential proposal by contacting the editor(s) of a book series. The editor(s) will provide advice that might be of use in the preparation of a formal proposal. In some cases, the editor of the Clearinghouse might be consulted.
Step 2. Initial Proposal Reviews
Proposals are reviewed for suitability and quality by the editor(s) of Clearinghouse book series and by the editor of the Clearinghouse. In cases where a book series is published in partnership with another organization or publisher, the proposal may be forwarded for review by the publishing partner. Three outcomes are possible at this stage of the review process: (1) conditional acceptance, (2) a request to revise and resubmit the proposal, or (3) rejection.
Step 3. Formal Proposal Reviews
Proposals that have been judged as potentially suitable for publication in a series are reviewed by at least two members of the Clearinghouse Publications Review Board. Reviews are solicted by the series editor(s) from reviewers who are judged to have expertise relevant to the series and the proposed project. Three outcomes are possible at this stage of the review process: (1) acceptance, (2) a request to revise and resubmit the proposal, or (3) rejection.
Step 4. Manuscript Reviews
Completed manuscripts are reviewed by the series editor(s) and at least two reviewers. In many cases, the initial reviewers will provide a review of the completed manuscript, but it may also be the case that additional reviewers are chosen at this stage from the Publications Review Board. If questions remain following the review, the editor of the Clearinghouse may be asked to review the manuscript. Three outcomes are possible at this stage of the review process: (1) acceptance, (2) a request to revise and resubmit the manuscript, or (3) rejection.
A Note on Our Publishing Process
Once a book has been accepted for publication, it is copyedited, designed, and produced for Web-based (and in some cases print-based) publication. The authors and editors of our books are asked to follow our guidelines for editors and authors. The copyediting process involves standard copyediting processes and the authors or editors of each book are asked to accept or reject the edits made by the copyeditor, to respond to any queries, and to provide a clean copy of the manuscript that is ready for production. Each book is produced as a PDF document and as an ePub document, and each author or editor is asked to proof the documents carefully. Prior to announcement of the book, a webpage is developed on the Clearinghouse and each author or editor is asked to proof that page. If the book will be distributed in print through one of our publishing partners, the final edited document is provided to our partner for preparation for printing.
A Note on Open-Access Publishing
The WAC Clearinghouse offers books in free digital editions and low-cost print editions. Most book available through the Clearinghouse are offered through a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 United States License (or previous equivalent versions of that license). Copyright is held by the author(s) or editor(s) of the books. The publisher covers the costs of reviewing, designing, producing, and distributing the books. Any proceeds from sales of print books in book series are used to support the publication of subsequent books. Our goal as a publisher is to make work available to the widest possible audience while maintaining the highest standards in scholarly publishing. We welcome contributions to our books series and to the larger goal of supporting open-access scholarly publishing. If you have questions about the goals of the WAC Clearinghouse project, please contact Mike Palmquist at Mike.Palmquist@ColoState.edu.