ESSAI - The College of DuPage Anthology of Academic Writing Across the Curriculum : Welcome to ESSAI

Created in 2002 by a cross-disciplinary faculty, ESSAI, The College of DuPage Anthology of Academic Writing Across the Curriculum, is an annual academic journal that represents a unique but inclusive discourse community of student writers; it fosters student success through writing across the curriculum and in all levels of learning at College of DuPage.

Why publish in ESSAI?

There are many benefits for publishing your work in ESSAI, including:

• Sharing your work with a world-wide audience - all ESSAI volumes are published online through the DigitalCommons@COD, the College's repository for select student, faculty and staff scholarly output.  
• Accomplishments that can be listed on your resume or CV.
• Proof of scholarship that can be listed on transfer school applications. 

What types of work can be published?

• Research papers that are connected to a class assignment that are completed while a student at COD during the academic year.  
• ESSAI welcomes any field of study for credit classes offered at COD - from Art to Zoology!
• Papers that include citations for sources used to support arguments or assertions, ideas or concepts, theories, or other forms of knowledge.   

Faculty sponsorship is required

To submit a paper for publication in ESSAI, all students must secure a faculty sponsor.  Prior to making your submission, please confirm with your faculty member that they agree to sponsor your work. Note that only the faculty member who assigned the original assignment may sponsor the student's submission.

Submission timeline

Students may submit faculty sponsored work beginning with the fall semester, and then through the summer semester of the current academic year.  

Submission review process  

After the student has secured a faculty sponsor for their paper, the submission is then submitted to the ESSAI Editorial Board for blind review.  Once assessed, selected papers are then published both in print and online.  

Publication timeline

Papers submitted during the current academic year (fall, spring, summer semesters) are published in April of the following academic year. 

Submitting your paper 

Once you have confirmed that a COD faculty member will sponsor your work, the next step is to access the ESSAI Submission Form. 

Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2025. 

You'll need the following information as a part of the submission process:

• Your contact information.
• Faculty sponsor contact information.
• Title of your paper.
• Assignment information.
• The final paper for upload into our system.