Submissions

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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The author(s) have received all necessary approvals by the author's institutional Review Board. Click the box if this doesn't apply.
  • The author(s) have reviewed this journal for articles that address the issue(s) considered in the submitted manuscript. As authors draft their literature review, they are encouraged to include work published in this journal. If you have searched this journal and not found related work, please mention this in your submission note to the editor.
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
  • Where available, URLs and/or DOIs for the references have been provided.
  • The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. If selected for publication the editors retain the right to move figures, illustrations and tables to enhance readability.
  • The text adheres to the requirements of the current APA Publication Manual for style and citation formatting: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples
  • The manuscript should be anonymized. Metadata about the author will be entered into the submission form. Since this is a double blind review process, it is important that the manuscript itself not have any identifying information about the author(s).

Author Guidelines

Authors and reviewers must first register for Crossroads. The registration link is in the top, right corner of the website. On the registration page, we recommend opting in to the new Crossroads is published on a rolling basis.

Before submitting a manuscript, please keep in mind the journal's focus and scope. Crossroads accepts a variety of submission types from current, former, and future librarians, information professionals, and LIS graduate students from all sectors of librarianship (academic, public, K-12, specialty). The scope of suitable topics is intentionally broad so as to encompass most topics that touch upon the study, practices, and policies of librarianship that impact Indiana libraries, Indiana librarians and information professionals, and Indiana library patrons. The journal publishes research articles, case studies, editorials, essays, research notes, and letters.

The inaugural Crossroads editorial board wishes to thank the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) for permission to adapt their Author Guidelines.

Editorials

Editorials are essays written by or on behalf of an editorial board that gives an opinion on an issue.

Research Articles

Research Articles consist of formal investigative projects that utilize experimentation, quantitative or qualitative data, literature, and analysis to contribute to the study and practices of library and information science. These articles are peer reviewed and held to the highest standards of quality and rigor. Research Articles are typically between 3,000 and 8,000 words, but limits are not exact.

Case Studies

Case studies analyze a topic or practice in detail, while also thoroughly situating the topic or practice, conclusions, and relevance within the LIS literature. These articles are peer reviewed and held to the highest standards of quality and rigor. Case studies are typically between 3,000 and 8,000 words, but limits are not exact.

Essays

Essays are non-peer reviewed articles that seek to create or contribute to discussion by highlighting relevant topics or practices impacting Indiana libraries. Essays are reviewed by the editorial board, and decisions are made based on quality, thoroughness, interest, and professionalism. While not peer reviewed, essays are expected to be well-constructed arguments and are held to the same standards of quality as Tier I articles. Essays are typically between 1,500 and 3,000 words, but limits are not exact.

Practice Notes

Practice Notes are a short, easily deployable tips related to any area of librarianship.  Practice Notes are typically one or two short paragraphs in length.

Letter

A Letter is a written communication of topical interest sent to or from the editorial board.

Privacy Statement

1. Commitment to Privacy

Crossroads: The Journal of Indiana Libraries is committed to protecting the privacy of its users, including authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. We follow the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics and Indiana University policies, which affirm the right to privacy and confidentiality in library-related activities.

2. Information We Collect

When you interact with our journal site, we may collect the following information:

  • Registration Data: Names, email addresses, institutional affiliations, and other details provided during account creation.

  • Submission & Review Data: Manuscript files, metadata, reviewer feedback, and correspondence necessary for the editorial process.

  • Usage Data: Limited, non-identifiable information about site visits, such as page views or downloads, collected for statistical reporting.

3. How We Use This Information

  • Information collected is used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal, such as editorial communication, peer review management, and publication.

  • Names and email addresses entered in this journal site will not be used for any other purpose or made available to any other party, except as required by law.

  • Aggregated, anonymized usage statistics may be used internally to improve the journal platform and reporting.

4. Cookies & Analytics

  • The site uses cookies to manage user sessions (e.g., logins).

  • Usage statistics may be collected in aggregate for reporting and site improvement. No personally identifiable browsing information is tracked or shared.

5. Third-Party Services

  • This journal operates on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP).

  • Anonymized and aggregated data about journal usage may be shared with PKP to support ongoing software development and improvements.

  • We do not sell or transfer personal data to advertisers or unrelated third parties.

6. Data Retention

  • Personal information is retained only as long as needed to support the publishing and archiving functions of the journal.

  • When no longer required, data may be anonymized or securely deleted in accordance with Indiana University policies.

7. Legal Obligations

We do not disclose personal information except when legally required by state or federal law.

8. User Rights & Control

Users may request:

  • Access to the personal information they provided.

  • Corrections to their account details.

  • Removal from the journal’s database if no longer participating.

Requests should be directed to the editorial office (see contact information below).

9. Policy Updates

This privacy policy may be revised as needed. Updates will be posted on the journal site, with the date of the last revision clearly indicated.

10. Contact Information

For questions or concerns about this policy, please contact:
Crossroads: The Journal of Indiana Libraries
Email: crossroads@ilfonline.org