Author Guidelines

African Anthropologist, the journal of the Pan African Anthropologist Association, is one voice for the humanistic and social sciences. This open-source journal accepts articles from anthropologists and Africanist social scientists that aim to explore the meaning of what it is to be human. The journal welcomes contributions from all major fields of anthropology and scholars in other social science disciplines and the humanities.

Among the types of submissions AA, especially values, are (1) those that explore the relationship between anthropology and its application in daily life, (2) those that bring to the fore trends in anthropology that may further the discipline, and (3) those that bring out the paradoxes of life in cultural contexts —including those of the anthropologist.

African Anthropologist editorial is committed to sharing published work so that these can be cited and downloaded.

Language

Manuscripts should be written in English, French, and Spanish. 

Title Page

The title page should include the article’s title, the author's name (with degree), and the author's affiliation. The academic affiliations of all authors should be included. The title page should contain the complete mailing address and e-mail address of the one author designated to review proofs. A brief autobiographical paragraph no longer than 100 words should include the highest degree, academic affiliation, expertise, interests, and projects.

Manuscript Style

AA particularly solicits essays, articles, monographs, articles, reviews, and creative pieces. The length of manuscripts should not exceed 8,000 words, inclusive of references. Manuscripts must be double-spaced, including quotations, excerpts, notes, contacts, tables, and figure captions. Position the letters at the end and the list of references after the notes. Margins throughout the manuscript (top, bottom, and both sides) must be one inch, and the right margin should not be justified. All pages of the manuscript should be numbered consecutively.

Abstract

Manuscripts should have a summary or abstract of up to 200 words.

Keywords

A list of 3–5 keywords will be provided directly below the abstract. Keywords should express the precise content of the manuscript, as they are used for indexing purposes.

Illustrations

Illustrations (photographs, drawings, diagrams, tables, and charts) are to be numbered in one consecutive series of numerals and cited in numerical order in the text. Photographs should be high-contrast, and drawings should be dark, sharp, and straightforward. The artwork for each figure should be provided on a separate page. Each figure should have an accompanying caption. The captions for illustrations should be listed on a separate page.

Tables

Tables should be numbered and referred to by number in the text. Each table should be typed on a separate page. Center the title above the table and type explanatory footnotes (indicated by superscript lowercase letters) below the table.

References

List references alphabetically at the paper’s end and refers to them in the text by name and year in parentheses. References should include (in this order): the last names and initials of all authors, the year published, the title of the article, name of publication, volume number, and inclusive pages. The style and punctuation of the references should conform to the strict APA style.

Footnotes

When their use is necessary, footnotes should be numbered consecutively using numerals and typed at the bottom of the page to which they refer. Place a line above the footnote, so it is off the text. Use the appropriate superscript numeral for citation in the text.

Copyright

Copyright submission is a representation that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Reviews

African Anthropologists publish book reviews that discuss topics of central interest to humanistic anthropology. The reviews may cover recent or classical works in anthropology or a combination of the two. Review articles on materials not reviewed in other anthropological journals are welcome.

Before submission, manuscripts should be checked for content and style (correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar; accuracy and consistency in the citation of figures, tables, and references; stylistic uniformity of entries in the references section).

Submit manuscripts electronically to the editors. Inquiries regarding author guidelines, manuscript preparation, reviews, journal policy, and other such general topics should be sent in one email to Editor Carolina Nvé Díaz San Francisco, UNED, Madrid, Spain (cmdiazsf@bu.edu) and Associate Editors Paul NCHOJI NKWI, Université de Yaoundé I, Cameroon (nkwi70@yahoo.com) and Isaac Nyamongo, Institute of African Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya (inyamongo@uonbi.ac.ke).