Call: Scientific Associations in Linguistics

Cadernos de Linguística invites submissions for the theme issue Scientific Associations in Linguistics: History, Impact, and Current Perspectives, prepared with the endorsement and support of CIPL (Comité International Permanent des Linguistes).

Scientific associations and related organizations have had a major part in the institutional life of Linguistics. They have created spaces for scientific exchange, organized conferences and publications, supported academic training, represented the field before society, and connected researchers across countries and regions. Even so, the histories of these organizations, their scholarly work, the conditions under which they have operated, and their present concerns are still not sufficiently documented in a comparative and internationally accessible form.

This theme issue seeks to bring together original contributions on associations and other collective bodies that have helped sustain and develop Linguistics in different contexts. The purpose is to assemble, in a single venue, articles prepared by current or former presidents, or by other formally designated representatives of such organizations, so that readers from different parts of the world may have access to historically grounded and analytically argued accounts of their work.

The issue is intended to document the history of these organizations, their contribution to research, teaching, conferences, publications, and public engagement, as well as the institutional, financial, political, and social conditions in which they have operated, their present situation, and their future directions.

Although the issue focuses primarily on linguistic associations, contributions are also welcome from other organizations that may not formally hold the legal status of an association, but have had a recognized and lasting part in the development of Linguistics as a scientific field. This may include scholarly societies, academies, committees, foundations, networks, editorial initiatives, recurring conference structures, and other collective bodies.

Submissions may therefore be prepared not only by current or former presidents of formal associations, but also by current or former chairs, directors, coordinators, or other formally designated representatives.

All papers in this issue will be published under the category Critical Perspective.

Submissions should not take the form of a commemorative note, a formal institutional report, or a simple list of activities and officeholders. Authors are asked to present a scholarly argument. Papers should explain why the organization matters for Linguistics, what kinds of intellectual and institutional work it has carried out, what difficulties it has faced, and what its experience tells us about the past, present, and future of the discipline.

The strongest submissions will combine historical reconstruction with analytical reflection.

Authors may wish to address questions such as:

• Why has this organization been important for the development of Linguistics in its context?
• What kinds of scholarship, training, publication practices, disciplinary networks, or public interventions has it made possible?
• How has it connected local scientific life with regional or international discussions?
• What institutional, financial, political, social, or intellectual difficulties has it faced?
• What does its history tell us about the conditions under which Linguistics develops as a discipline?

These questions are offered as guidance. They are not a fixed template.

To facilitate some degree of comparability across contributions, authors may consider organizing their manuscripts along the following lines:

1. Introduction
   Presentation of the organization and of the main claim or perspective of the article.
2. Historical and Institutional Background
   Circumstances of foundation, major milestones, transformations, and institutional developments.
3. Contribution to Linguistic Scholarship
   Conferences, publications, training, support for students and early-career scholars, policy engagement, internationalization, promotion of subfields, or other forms of scholarly action.
4. Local, Regional, and International Circulation
   Discussion of how the organization has connected its own context with wider disciplinary discussions.
5. Difficulties, Constraints, and Tensions
   Institutional, financial, political, social, or intellectual issues faced over time and in the present.
6. Current Situation and Future Directions
   Present structure, ongoing initiatives, future plans, and reflections on the organization’s place today.
7. Concluding Remarks
   A final reflection on what the organization’s experience tells us about the development of Linguistics.

This structure is meant as guidance and may be adapted according to the nature of the organization discussed.

There is no fixed word limit in the journal rules for this category. For contributions of this type, a practical range is usually 5,000 to 8,000 words, excluding references. This is a suggestion rather than a formal limit.

Authors are asked to observe the journal’s general submission requirements, with special attention to the following points:

• The manuscript should begin with the category label:
  Category of Contribution: Critical Perspective
• Full author information must appear in the manuscript, including institutional affiliation, department or unit, city, state/province, email, and ORCID URL.
• A CRediT contribution statement must be included using the journal’s official labels.
• A Competing Interests section must appear before the references.
• A Link to Preprint with DOI must be provided.
• A Data Availability Statement must be included, even when no formal dataset exists.
• An AI Use Statement must be included.
• An Ethical Statement is required when applicable.
• Manuscripts should include 3 to 5 keywords in the main language of the article. If title and abstract are also provided in another language, the same keywords should also appear in that language.

Figures, tables, chronologies, archival images, and supplementary materials may be included when they serve the argument of the paper.

Submission deadline: 30 October 2026

This schedule is intended to allow time for internal consultation within associations and for manuscript preparation.

Submissions must be made through the journal’s online platform:
https://cadernos.abralin.org

A fuller description of the project, including guidance on content and manuscript preparation, is available here:
https://cadernos.abralin.org/index.php/cadernos/associations

Information on the Critical Perspective category is available here:
https://cadernos.abralin.org/index.php/cadernos/perspective

General submission guidelines are available here:
https://cadernos.abralin.org/index.php/cadernos/about/submissions

Information on CRediT roles is available here:
https://cadernos.abralin.org/index.php/cadernos/credit

Information on CIPL’s endorsement and support for the issue is available here:
https://ciplnet.com/cadernos-de-linguistica/

Cadernos de Linguística follows a Diamond Open Access model. There are no submission fees, no article processing charges, and no fees for publication or access. The journal is maintained as a non-commercial scholarly initiative.