College Music Symposium is a refereed journal that welcomes submissions from all members of The College Music Society.

Six of Symposium’s components seek articles that share ideas concerning all aspects of the music field:

• CMS Forums – opinions, editorials, commentary, and essays
• CMS Reports – in-depth reports concerning important topics, events, or issues
• Instructional Technologies and Methodologies – review and discussion of technologies and methods useful for teaching in the classroom and studio
• Music Business-Industry – presentation of reports and discussion of topics relevant to music business-industry education
• Reviews – reviews of books, textbooks, periodicals, and instructional materials
• Scholarship and Research – in-depth scholarly articles of any length

The Audio Performance Archive welcomes recordings from all composers and performers.

Video Lectures, Performances & Lecture-Recitals solicits video work from all.

Details concerning the current interests of the Editors of Symposium’s components will be found on the contributor's website.

General Information

• Symposium will not consider manuscripts that have been submitted to and are simultaneously under review by another publication.
• Inquiries are welcome and encouraged. If you have an idea for an article, please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of the Editors of Symposium to determine the topic’s interest.
• Articles may be of any length. We suggest that you review articles appearing in Symposium for an idea of the length of the articles contained within each of its components.
• As an author of an accepted manuscript, you will retain copyright in your work.

Author Information

• Your email address and a brief biographical sketch must accompany your Symposium submission.
• As available, please provide a photo and website address.

Manuscript Preparation and Required Materials

• All manuscripts must be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
• Articles must conform to the latest version of either of the two most widely used American style manuals: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or The Chicago Manual of Style. Be sure that you do not mix styles within a manuscript.
• An abstract of your manuscript is required as part of the subscription, except in the case of reviews.
• To ensure anonymity in the reviewing process, the paper and the abstract should not contain clues to your identity or affiliation.
• A list of keywords is required.

Photos and Illustrations

At the time of article submission, you must include all music examples, photos, and other graphics files that will appear within your article.

• Digital photos must be in high resolution; 300 dpi is acceptable, 600 dpi is preferred.
• Color photos are preferred, but black and white photos are acceptable.
• Graphics files must be submitted in jpg format and transmitted to Symposium in a compressed .zip file.
• If graphics files do not fall under the doctrine of Fair Use, you are responsible for obtaining written permission to reprint the material; any required fees are your responsibility, as well. All required copyright information must accompany any copyrighted material submitted.

Audio Files

Short audio excerpts that illustrate points in your article are welcome. To this end:

• At the time of article submission, you must include audio files that will appear within your article.
• Audio files must be in mp3 format and transmitted to Symposium in a compressed .zip file. Maximum size for audio files is 10MB.
• If audio files do not fall under the doctrine of Fair Use, you are responsible for obtaining written permission to use the material; any required fees are your responsibility, as well.
• All required copyright information must accompany copyrighted audio files submitted.

Video Files

Short video excerpts that illustrate points in your article are welcome. To this end:

• At the time of article submission, you must include video files that will appear within your article.
• Video files within Symposium’s articles are hosted on YouTube and presented via Symposium’s private YouTube channel. Accordingly, video files must be in mp4 format.
• Video files must be transmitted to Symposium in a compressed .zip file. Maximum file size for video files is 20MB.
• If video files do not fall under the doctrine of Fair Use, you are responsible for obtaining written permission to use the material; any required fees are your responsibility, as well. All required copyright information must accompany copyrighted video files submitted.

Article Submission

• Your must submit your articles and supporting materials via the members’ website of The College Music Society. Full details and guidelines will be found online by visiting Symposium/Call for Contributions.
• You will be notified when your article is received by Symposium.

Peer Review

• Manuscripts are reviewed by members of the appropriate Editorial Board. Recommendations will be made for one of three actions: accept for publication, accept for further consideration, or decline with gratitude. Based on the recommendations, the Editor will make the final determination.
• You will be notified of the decision concerning the article. Commentary will not be provided concerning articles not accepted for publication.
• Every effort will be made inform you of the Editor’s determination within one month of submission. The length of time required for the review process can vary, however, depending on the season of year.
• Articles are usually published and appear online within one month of acceptance. However, article text may be subject to review and refinement by the Editor in consultation with you as the author. Completion of the final article text may delay the publication of the article, depending on your and the Editor’s schedules, as well as the season of the year. In all cases, every effort will be made to bring articles to online publication as quickly as possible.

Complete Instructions

Complete instructions for preparation of manuscripts, obtaining appropriate permissions, and submitting articles have been prepared by College Music Symposium. You will find appropriate guidelines, as well as a submission form, on the CMS website in the right column of the home page of each of Symposium’s components.

Symposium always welcomes your submissions for consideration.