Information for Authors | Leonardo

Getting Published with Leonardo

Publishing an article or book can be a challenging process that demands a substantial amount of time and hard work. We want to support your efforts by providing all the information you need to get published in a Leonardo publication. The path to publication, whether in one of our journals, book series or websites, follows nine distinct steps that are listed below. We recommend that you get acquainted with the publishing process at Leonardo first and then explore the publication-specific pages to find out how to prepare and submit your work. Check back often during your journey through the process for information that will guide you through each step of the way.

When you're ready to submit your work, click "Journals" or "Books" up above to begin.

Step 1  Choose a Leonardo Publication

Search the Leonardo publications, browse their tables of contents and abstracts/summaries, check the Opportunities Hub for open calls and read each publication's aims and scope by clicking the titles below to create a picture of who you’re writing for and your chosen publication’s style and content.

Leonardo

Leonardo is interested in work that crosses the artificial boundaries separating contemporary arts and sciences. Featuring illustrated articles written by artists about their own work as well as articles by historians, theoreticians, philosophers and other researchers, the journal is particularly concerned with issues related to the interaction of the arts, sciences and technology. Leonardo focuses on the visual arts and also addresses music and sound art, video, performance, language, environmental and conceptual arts—especially as they relate to the visual arts or make use of the tools, materials and ideas of contemporary science and technology. New concepts, materials and techniques and other subjects of general artistic interest are covered, as are legal, economic and political aspects of art. Beginning in 2021 Leonardo journal will include a regular section on music and sound art, folding content from the former standalone Leonardo Music Journal into its editorial focus. Visit the Leonardo page to find out more.

Leonardo Book Series

Book proposals addressing theory, research and practice, education, historical scholarship, discipline summaries, collections, and experimental texts are encouraged. Vist the Leonardo Book Series page to find out more.

 

Leonardo Electronic Almanac (LEA)

Leonardo Electronic Almanac is interested in recent work and critical discussion on topics of current relevance. It encourages contributions from scholars, artists, scientists, educators and developers of new technological resources in the fine arts and media arts. Desired content includes profiles of media arts facilities and projects, insights of artists using new media and feature articles comprising theoretical and technical perspectives as well as exhibitions that focus on contemporary fine art practice and its complex entanglements with social, technological and scientific thought. Visit the LEA page to find out more.

 

Leonardo Abstracts Service (LABS)

Persons who have received advanced degrees in arts (visual, sound, performing, text), computer sciences, the sciences and/or technology that in some way investigate philosophical, historical, critical or applications of science or technology to the arts are invited to submit an abstract of their thesis for publication consideration in the LABS database. Visit the LABS page to find out more.

 

Leonardo Gallery

The Leonardo Gallery publishes new, curated galleries that showcase a number of artists working within a common theme or milieu falling under the broad rubric of art + science and/or technology. Visit the Leonardo Gallery page to find out more.

 

Leonardo/Olats

For information about getting published with Olats, visit the Olats website.

Step 2  Write a Proposal or Draft

Write a proposal or a draft of your article or book chapters and ask others to read it and give you feedback. Then refine your proposal or draft and write your abstract. Read the manuscript guidelines, which specify formats and styles you need to use as well as word count and art specifications to follow. Manuscripts should present original research findings, original analysis or original artwork.

Step 3  Submit Your Materials

Review the instructions for authors and check that you have followed them. Don't forget to include any supplemental materials or check that you have permission to use artwork included in your manuscript. Use our checklist before you submit and follow publication-specific instructions to submit your materials. You will be asked to confirm that you have not submitted your manuscript to any other publication, including other Leonardo publications.

Step 4  Await Feedback

Your submission undergoes an initial assessment by the publication's editors to check that it matches the publication's aims and scope. If it is appropriate for the publication, the editor then selects reviewers and sends your materials out for peer review by experts in your field—usually two to three of your peers. The review time varies from three to four months, depending on the publication.

Step 5  Receive Notification

The editor collates reviews and the editorial team makes a decision whether to reject your submission, ask for revisions or accept it. If your proposal is accepted, the editor sets up a manuscript submission schedule with you. If your manuscript is accepted without revisions, it moves to the editing stage. If you are asked to resolicit a new version that addresses the points raised by the reviewers, you choose whether to revise and resubmit. Note that most manuscripts require revision by the author before final acceptance.

Step 6  Address Feedback

Requests for revisions may include suggestions by reviewers to consider other current work or research for incorporation into the text or references. How you address the feedback is your decision. The editor may also request revisions to bring your manuscript in line with the requirements explained in the manuscript guidelines. These are not negotiable and must be addressed in your revised submission. Your resubmitted manuscript may undergo a further round of review either by an external peer reviewer or the editor. You are told whether your article is accepted or rejected after the review.

Step 7  Achieve Acceptance and Initial Publication

Your manuscript is accepted! If you submitted an article for Leonardo or LMJ, it will be posted on the Leonardo Just Accepted (JA) page of The MIT Press website within 4–6 months after acceptance and receipt of all required permissions. JA is the first form of publication in which a watermark indicating the journal title, the copyright holder and the article's digital object identifier (DOI) is added. Your manuscript will now enter the queue for publication in an archival printed journal. Due to the continued dynamism of the art-science-technology field, the current turnaround for submissions of over two pages to print is over three years.

 

Step 8  Review Edited Material

Once your manuscript is scheduled for publication, it moves into the next stage—editing. The editor sends the edited manuscript for you to review. This is your last opportunity to review your manuscript before it moves into production and its final published form.
NOTE: An article's final, archival publication in print may be three years from its acceptance date, depending on the publication and article type. For Leonardo papers in our Statement format of two pages or less, print publication can currently be expected in under 18 months from receipt of a submission.

Step 9  Celebrate and Promote Your Work

Congratulations, you're published! Your article or book is now a Leonardo publication and may appear in print and/or online, depending on the publication you chose. Work with us to share your published work so that it reaches as wide and diverse an audience as possible.