Submission Requirements

• You must be the sole author.
• The essay may not have been previously published outside your school.
• The essay may not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• The essay must be written on a topic in philosophy, history, art history, literature, public policy, or sociology. Further information on the relevant disciplines and topics is available in the FAQ.
• We offer two submission options:
• Submit: Accept the copyright transfer agreement, upload the essay, and pay the non-refundable submission fee.
• Subscribe & Submit: All is the same as Submit, except you have the option to email your essay within the next year before your subscription expires. If you opt to submit later, email (titled ‘Submit: your first and last name’) your submission to editorial@theschola.org.
• The submission must be made by you, using your own account, and not by anyone else on your behalf.

Format Requirements

• The essay must include the manuscript and author details using a template provided here.
• The essay must be approximately 5,000 words (excluding the abstract, footnotes, and bibliography). While shorter manuscripts are accepted in some fields, such as analytical philosophy, the majority of accepted manuscripts fall around the 5,500-word mark.
• The essay must be accompanied by an abstract of around 220 words.
• The title must be under 100 characters (including spaces).
• The essay must be text-only: no graphics such as charts, graphs, or tables.
• The essay must NOT have acknowledgments thanking someone who helped with your research.
• The essay file must be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format. To ensure proper footnote functionality with automatic tracking, which is essential for our evaluation process where references may be verified, manuscripts should be created directly in Microsoft Word using the “Insert Footnote” function under the “References” tab. Documents transferred from other word-processing programs, such as Google Docs or Apple Pages, often result in incompatible footnote formatting, such as footnotes appearing as static images with no automatic tracking functionality. They don’t inherently create footnotes in a format that is always seamlessly and reliably transferable to Microsoft Word with the dynamic “tracking” capabilities that Word’s native footnote function provides. Failure to adhere to this footnote formatting requirement may result in manuscript rejection.
• The essay must adopt a referencing system using footnotes (NOT endnotes) and a bibliography, such as the Chicago style or the Oxford style. The general format has two components:
• A superscript number is inserted in the text where the reference source is cited. This number then appears at the bottom of the page where the footnote is recorded using Word’s built-in footnote feature.
• The full details of each citation, the bibliography, are alphabetically listed by author’s surname at the end of the essay.
• The essay must use a ‘standard’ font, preferably 12-point Times New Roman.
• The name of your essay file must be your first and last name. Upon successful upload, the file is renamed with an encrypted code but remains stored on our server as originally submitted.

Submission Portal Instructions

• Submissions must be completed in a single, uninterrupted session. Do not proceed to checkout unless you are prepared to finalize your submission. Actions such as adding items to the cart and returning later, exiting the checkout page and returning, or attempting test file uploads are strictly prohibited. Our system records all submission attempts, including those made through encrypted connections, and immediately registers abandoned checkouts. Any checkout abandonment associated with your submission will result in its rejection.
• We accept a wide range of global payment methods, including major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), debit cards, and offer convenient express checkout options through popular platforms such as Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. We also accommodate bank transfers and local payment options depending on your region, ensuring a seamless and secure transaction. Please note that PayPal is not fully supported in some Asian countries, including China and South Korea.
• After payment, do not revisit the submission page to duplicate file upload and checkout. Access submission status via the person icon in the top right. A confirmation email will follow payment.

The FAQ provides additional guidance on manuscript preparation.