About the Journal

Language Policy in Africa (LPIA) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that will be published twice a year, starting with an inaugural issue at the end of 2024 or early 2025. It is published under the auspices of the Edinburgh Circle on the Promotion of African Languages (ECPAL) by the University of Bern, Switzerland. It aims to follow high ethical and publication standards (see the Author Guidelines for more information).

The journal supports the idea that African languages are key to Africa's development, also in the context of decolonisation. Currently, the majority of African languages are typically not used in formal settings although they are widely used in informal ones. It seems evident that more use of African languages in formal domains is not merely desirable; it is unavoidable to ensure inclusivity. Linguists and other social scientists have an important role to play in researching, discussing, and thus helping to shape practical, efficient, rational, and inclusive African language-based policies on the whole continent.

LPIA is committed to publishing original and sound articles by scholars who study the challenges and opportunities for African language policies from the above perspectives. What is the state of language policies in individual African countries and, generally, on the Continent? What is the sociolinguistic and development perspective for the future? How is Africa’s historically grown multilingualism to be reflected in meaningful national as well as supra-national language policies?

The journal also welcomes studies of pilot projects and new approaches to using African languages in various domains. This means that the journal is open both to field-based research and conceptual and theoretical works. Though focused on Africa, the journal also encourages comparisons with situations in other parts of the world. We also welcome suggestions for special issues and book reviews.

The journal accepts submissions in English and French, but encourages authors to add an extended abstract in an indigenous language of their choice. The editors are open to further suggestions in this area.

Open Access Policy

LPIA provides immediate open access to its content in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access, on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
LPIA does not charge any article processing charges (APCs) or article submission charges (ASCs) and allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions.

Conflict of Interests

Reviewers, authors and editors must disclose any and all possible financial or non-financial conflicts of interest regarding the manuscript. Please contact the journal editors with any questions.

Publication Ethics

LPIA endeavours to ensure it is a high-quality publication. It adheres to high standards of ethical behaviour and expects them to be adhered by all parties involved in the publication. This includes the author, journal editor, peer reviewers and publisher. The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for the preservation of scientific integrity.

Archiving

To ensure the long-term availability of scientific information, the contents of the journal are archived with LOCKSS.

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