Publication Guide
University of Toronto Press (UTP) is Canada's oldest and largest university press. Founded in 1901 (its first books appeared in 1911), it is owned by the University of Toronto and today ranks among the largest university presses in North America. The Publishing Division produces 80 scholarly journals and roughly 250 new book titles a year, alongside a backlist of more than 10,000 books and 75,000 journal articles.
For researchers, UTP matters most in the humanities and social sciences: history, literature, law, criminology, gender studies, education, political science and policy, health sciences, and - distinctively - Canadian studies in all its forms. Many of its journals are the journal of record for their field in Canada, including the Canadian Historical Review (est. 1920) and the University of Toronto Law Journal (est. 1935). This guide covers how to pick the right UTP journal, what open access looks like at a non-profit university press, the peer-review workflow, and how to submit.
Which University of Toronto Press journal fits your paper?
UTP's list is broad for a university press, so start by matching your manuscript's field and audience to the right cluster of titles.
| You're most likely to... | Choose this route |
|---|---|
| Work on Canadian history, politics, or society | Canadian Historical Review or Journal of Canadian Studies - the flagship venues for Canadian-focused scholarship. |
| Write legal scholarship with a theoretical or comparative bent | University of Toronto Law Journal - one of the oldest university-based law journals in the Commonwealth - or Canadian Journal of Women and the Law for feminist legal studies. |
| Study literature, theatre, or the arts | University of Toronto Quarterly (interdisciplinary humanities) or Modern Drama (theatre and dramatic literature since the 19th century). |
| Research scholarly communication itself | Journal of Scholarly Publishing - a leading venue for academic publishing studies. |
| Publish clinical or rehabilitation-science work | Physiotherapy Canada and UTP's other health-sciences titles. |
What University of Toronto Press actually publishes
80 peer-reviewed journals plus ~250 new books a year. The journals list clusters into:
- Canadian studies - history, politics, public policy, and society, anchored by the Canadian Historical Review and the Journal of Canadian Studies.
- Law and criminology - the University of Toronto Law Journal, the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, and the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
- Humanities - literature, theatre, classics, languages, and religion, including the University of Toronto Quarterly and Modern Drama.
- Health and social sciences - titles such as Physiotherapy Canada, plus journals in education, gerontology, and sexuality studies.
- Scholarly communication - the Journal of Scholarly Publishing.
Many UTP journals are published on behalf of Canadian scholarly societies and associations, so editorial control sits with the field's own community.
Open access and fees
UTP is a non-profit press and most of its journals remain subscription-based, which means most authors pay nothing to publish. The OA picture:
| Route | What it means at UTP |
|---|---|
| Gold OA | A small number of fully open-access titles; articles published under CC BY or similar licenses. |
| Hybrid OA | Many subscription journals offer a per-article OA option for a fee that varies by title - there is no single press-wide APC list, so check the journal's own OA page. |
| Green OA | Self-archiving of the accepted manuscript is generally permitted, with per-journal embargo terms - confirm in the journal's author agreement. |
| Read & Publish | UTP does not run a large publicized transformative-agreement portfolio; ask your library whether any local agreement covers UTP titles. |
Because fees vary title by title, always verify the current charge (and any waiver options) with the journal's editorial office before submitting.
Peer review process
- Default model: double-anonymized peer review on most UTP journals - prepare an anonymized manuscript and a separate title page.
- Society oversight: many titles are run with scholarly societies, so reviews come from within the field's Canadian and international community.
- Turnaround: varies widely by journal; humanities and law reviews commonly take 3-6 months to first decision. Check recent author experiences for your target title.
How to submit
- Pick the journal. Browse the UTP journals list at utorontopress.com and read recent issues to confirm scope fit.
- Read the author guidelines. Each journal posts its own submission guidelines, word limits, and style requirements.
- Format your manuscript. Most UTP journals use Chicago style; some use APA - SciSpace templates for UTP titles handle the formatting for you.
- Anonymize for review. Remove identifying information from the manuscript file for double-anonymized review.
- Submit via ScholarOne. Most UTP journals use ScholarOne Manuscripts; a few accept submissions by email - the journal's page tells you which.
Ethics and integrity
UTP is a member of COPE and follows its guidelines on authorship, plagiarism, corrections, and retractions. As a university-owned non-profit, its mandate is scholarly rather than commercial, and its journals carry the editorial standards of the societies and editorial boards that run them. Report concerns about a published article directly to the journal's editor.
