Deliberations: Journal of First-Year Writing

Deliberations is published annually, in the fall semester and showcases exemplary pieces of student writing from the Writing 101 courses at Duke. It features student-authored selections chosen from texts submitted by the previous year's first-year writing classes. Just as the Writing 101 courses at Duke range widely across topics and disciplinary perspectives, so do the student writings published in Deliberations.

Submission Guidelines

We invite submissions of student writing, of any type or length, from any Writing 101 course.

The journal is published exclusively online. Non-traditional projects, such as student-authored websites, digital collages, and online essays, will be represented in the journal through an abstract and images, with a QR code linked to the live site.

We invite submissions of student writing, of any type or length, from any Writing 101 course. Please note that potential authors may submit group-authored work. Please list all authors on the submission form, but delegate one author to submit the piece. That author should include his or her address and phone number as instructed below.

*PLEASE NOTE:  Each student is able to submit  just one essay or project, so be sure to select your best work.

Instructions for Submission

  1. Submit your project in Microsoft Word (*.doc or *.docx), Adobe PDF (*.pdf), or PowerPoint (*.ppt or *.pptx), or by providing a url link for a web-based project (i.e. Prezi).
  2. Use the following format for naming your file (your first name, your last name, then your instructor’s last name), if applicable: firstname.lastname.instructor.doc (or docx, pdf, ppt, or pptx)
  3. Be ready to provide information such as your Writing 101 instructor's name, the name of the course, address, summer contact info, etc.
  4. Only images that are public domain or free stock images will be considered for publication. Be sure you can provide information about the photo credits for any images or other media used in your essay. Please contact the Editor, Sheryl Welte Emch, if you have questions.
  5. The deadline for Writing 101 submissions for the 2022 issue of Deliberations is Friday, May 6, 2022 at 5:00 PM.
  6.  Submissions are accepted here.