Mobilization is the leading journal for research on social movements, protests, and contentious politics. It advances the study of these phenomena by providing a forum to refine and innovate methodologies, theories, and concepts across the social science disciplines. We invite manuscripts on social and political movements from all social science and related disciplines.

Mobilization is committed to publishing cutting-edge scholarship on social movements and contentious politics. Authors are expected to engage with recent, relevant literature, particularly from the past five years, when situating their research within the field. This engagement should encompass the study’s theoretical, methodological, and topical aspects.

Our review process begins with an initial editorial assessment. If deemed appropriate, manuscripts are then sent to referees who have contributed recent research in the relevant areas. Based on editorial review of the manuscript and referee feedback, some authors may be invited to revise and resubmit their work. Mobilization typically offers only one opportunity for revision.

If you have any questions, please contact the editorial office at corrigall.brown@ubc.ca.

Submission of New Manuscripts

Please prepare manuscripts for submission according the following guidelines:

1. Use 12-point font and double-spacing for all text.
2. The manuscript should not exceed 40 pages, excluding figures and tables but including references.
3. Number all pages, starting with the title page that contains the title and a 150-word abstract. This page should not include any identifying information.
4. Accepted manuscripts must be in Word format, but first submissions may be PDFs.
5. Avoid first-person references to prior work (e.g. “I previously found”) and “AUTHOR 2015” self-citations. Use your name in citations (e.g Caren (2015) found"). The full manuscript should be blinded for review.
6. Include a maximum of six figures and eight tables, either in text (preferred) or at the end of the manuscript file.
7. A non-refundable processing fee of US $25.00 by credit card is due at the time of submission.

You can submit your manuscript by clicking on the red Submit Manuscript button in the upper right corner of the screen.

By submitting to Mobilization, authors commit to publishing their work with us if accepted. We do not consider manuscripts that have been previously published in a substantially similar form or are under consideration by another journal.

We request that authors submit names of potential reviewers who have recently published work on theories, topics, or methods similar to those in the manuscript. This practice helps ensure that submissions are evaluated by experts at the forefront of the field. Ideally, suggested reviewers should have published relevant work within the past three to five years.

Accepted Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

To ensure consistency and facilitate the peer review and publication process, we ask all authors to carefully follow these manuscript preparation guidelines. Adherence to these guidelines will help streamline the submission process and reduce the time between submission and potential publication.

Submission Format

Mobilization only accepts accepted manuscripts in Microsoft Word (.docx) format. Please ensure your document is compatible with recent versions of Microsoft Word before submitting.

Title Page

Please include the following elements.

• Manuscript Title
• Authors are listed with complete names in order
• Article abstract. No more than 150 words.
• Current position for each author (e.g., “Suzanne Staggenborg is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh.”). Please use full sentences.
• Contact information for the corresponding author, including at least one email address and one physical address.
• Running Header. A shorter title version that appears at the top of pages. No more than 50 characters.
• Acknowledgments. Any acknowledgments or thanks, including funding.

General Formatting

• Use 12-point font for the main text.
• Double-space the entire manuscript, including abstract, references, and endnotes.
• Use 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.
• Please indent each paragraph or otherwise clearly distinguish separate paragraphs
• Include page numbers on each page.
• The manuscript should be blinded and not include author names.

Style and Spelling

• Use American English spelling and conventions throughout your manuscript (e.g., “mobilize” instead of “mobilise”, “color” instead of “colour”).
• Employ active voice whenever possible to enhance clarity and
  directness. For example:

Avoid: “Analysis was performed”
Preferred: “We analyzed the data”
Avoid: “The movement was repressed”
Preferred: “State agents repressed the movements”

• Avoid using “this” as the subject of a sentence; instead, replace it with a specific noun or rephrase the sentence for clarity.

Avoid: “This led to widespread protests.”
Preferred: “The government’s decision to cut social services led to widespread protests.”
Avoid: “This became a rallying point for activists.”
Preferred: “The environmental disaster became a rallying point for activists.”

• Keep paragraphs concise, ideally no longer than 200 words or half a page.
• Use italics sparingly and only for emphasis or non-English words. Do not italicize concepts or definitions.
• Avoid contractions except in direct quotes.
• Use double quotation marks (“”) for quotations and terms. Reserve single quotation marks (‘’) for quotes within quotes.
• Minimize the use of multiple consecutive subheadings (“stacked headers”) to maintain a clear document structure.
• Follow these guidelines for numbers and percentages:
  • Write out numbers fifty and below in words (e.g., “forty-two participants”).
  • Use numerals for numbers 51 and above (e.g., “128 respondents”).
  • In the main text, write out “percent” (e.g., “Twenty percent of people protest”).
  • When reporting data from tables, use numerals and the % symbol (e.g., “Table 1 shows that 20% of people protest”).

Tables and Figures

Capitalize “Table” and “Figure” when referring to specific, numbered instances (e.g., “As shown in Table 1” or “Figure 2 illustrates”). Use lowercase “table” and “figure” within the text when referring to them generally (e.g., “The use of tables can enhance data presentation”), unless at the beginning of a sentence.

Place all tables and figures at the end of your manuscript after the references section. This placement helps streamline the review process and allows for easier typesetting. Follow these guidelines:

• In the main text, indicate the approximate placement of each table or figure using a callout on a separate line, e.g., “[Insert Table 1 about here]” or “[Insert Figure 2 about here]”.
• Ensure that you reference all tables and figures in the text (e.g., “As shown in Table 1…” or “Figure 2 illustrates…”).
• Number tables and figures consecutively in the order they are first mentioned in the text.

Tables

• Format:
  • Limit tables to a maximum of seven columns to ensure proper display on various screen sizes.
  • Use portrait orientation for all tables; landscape layouts are not preferred due to digital viewing considerations.
  • Keep tables concise, ideally not exceeding 3/4 of a page in length.
• Content:
  • Provide a clear, descriptive title for each table that summarizes its content.
  • Include informative column headings that specify the type of data presented.
• Footnotes:
  • Use footnotes when necessary to provide additional information or clarification.
  • Begin footnotes with “Note:” for a single note or “Notes:” for multiple notes.
  • Denote specific notes using lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.) in superscript.
  • Indicate statistical significance levels using asterisks:
    p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001

Figures

• Terminology:
  • Refer to all illustrations, diagrams, and charts as “Figures” in the text.
• Format:
  • Submit figures in high-resolution formats (minimum 300 dpi) to ensure clarity.
  • Use vector formats (e.g., SVG, EPS) for line drawings when possible.
• Content:
  • Provide a concise, descriptive caption for each figure.
  • Ensure all text within figures is legible when the figure is sized to fit the journal’s column width.
• Color
  • All figures should be in grayscale. There is an additional $200 production charge for each image in color. Please consult with the editorial office about this process.
• Preferred file formats:
  • For photographs and complex images: TIFF or PNG
  • For line art and graphs: EPS or SVG
• Resolution requirements:
  • Photographs and halftone images: minimum 300 dpi
  • Line art and graphs: minimum 1000 dpi
  • For vector-based figures (e.g., graphs created in Excel or R), submit the original vector file (e.g., EPS, AI, or SVG) to ensure the highest quality reproduction.
• Ensure that all figures are legible when sized to fit the journal’s page width.
• Keep file sizes below 10 MB per figure. If a figure exceeds this size, consider ways to optimize the file without compromising quality.
• Use standard fonts (e.g., Times New Roman) for any text within figures to ensure proper rendering.

Online Supplements

Mobilization’s online host cannot currently store supplementary materials, such as online appendices, data, or code. We encourage authors who wish to share this information to place it online in a stable location, such as OSF, Dataverse, GitHub, or an institutional repository, and include a link to the repository in an appropriately placed endnote.

References and Citations

Mobilization follows the Chicago Manual of Style author-date system with a few modifications, as outlined below:

• First in-text reference to scholars: Include both first and last names (e.g., “Pamela Oliver (2017) found”).
• Subsequent references: Use only the last name (e.g., “according to Oliver (2017)”).
• Parenthetical references: Use only last names (e.g., “political opportunities (McAdam 1982)”).
• Include page numbers with direct quotations: Place after the year of publication, separated by a colon and space.
• Place citations just before a period or other punctuation mark when possible.
• For dual authors: Use both last names with “and” (not “&”). Example: (Netter and Wasserman 1974: 332).
• Multiple references in parentheses: Enclose within a single pair of parentheses, separated by semicolons. For multiple works by the same author, separate by commas. Example: (Johnston 2003, 2004, 2005; Koopmans 2004; Diani 2005).
• Limit to four citations in the same parenthesis.
• Use endnotes, not footnotes. Number endnotes sequentially in the text with superscript Arabic numerals. Try not to have more than a dozen endnotes.
• Place source citations in the text, not in the endnotes.

Article Publishing Charges (APC)

This journal offers two publishing options: open access publication for an Article Publishing Charge (APC) of $2,100, or traditional subscription-based publication at no charge. You may choose either option during the submission process prior to final publication.

Book Reviews

If you are interested in having your book considered for review or are interested in joining our pool of reviewers, please contact our Book Review Editor. We do not accept unsolicited reviews.

Special Issues

Each year, Mobilization proudly publishes one guest-edited special issue (SI) and welcomes proposals from potential guest editors. Proposals should include the following elements:

1. A working title for the special issue
2. Names and affiliations of guest editors
3. A narrative (300-500 words) outlining the aims of the proposed SI, its appeal, and relevance to Mobilization’s community of social movement scholars

While SI proposals may be linked to a conference, all special issues require an open call for papers to ensure broad participation. Editors of accepted proposals will collaborate with the journal’s editorial team to develop and circulate this call for papers.

Before submitting a proposal, potential guest editors should review previous SI calls and published special issues to understand the journal’s expectations and standards. This step will help in crafting a proposal that aligns with Mobilization’s goals and readership interests.

To submit a proposal or for further inquiries, please email the editor, Catherine Corrigall-Brown, at corrigall.brown@ubc.ca. We look forward to receiving your innovative and impactful special issue ideas.