Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science
For an Article Collection on
Animal Agency and Consent: Emerging Frameworks for Welfare Science and Practice
Manuscript deadline
Article Collection Guest Advisor(s)
Seana Dowling-Guyer,
Tufts University
Seana.Dowling_guyer@tufts.edu
Benefits of Publishing in an Article Collection
An Article Collection is an opportunity for your research to reach the right audience. Bringing together the work of the global research community, Collections provide readers with a central place to find the latest research on emerging and important topics. They have been found to increase the discoverability and visibility of each article, as well as article-level citations.
Animal Agency and Consent: Emerging Frameworks for Welfare Science and Practice
Questions about whether and how animals can express preferences, exercise agency, and signal consent are gaining increasing attention in animal welfare science and animal ethics as well as in practice such as in homes, veterinary settings, training activities, and animal shelters. This special collection invites empirical and theoretical contributions that explore animal agency, consent, and autonomy — and their implications for how humans manage, care for, and interact with animals across a range of contexts.
Animals are routinely subject to human decisions about their housing, handling, training, medical care, reproduction, and social lives. Emerging perspectives in welfare science and animal ethics challenge researchers and practitioners to ask not only whether animals are free from suffering, but whether they have meaningful opportunities to exercise choice, express preferences, and signal agreement or refusal, where applicable and possible, in their interactions with humans. These questions intersect with longstanding debates about sentience, cognitive complexity, and the moral status of animals, while also raising immediate practical questions for those working with and caring for animals in practice.
Contributions may draw on behavioral science, cognitive ethology, veterinary and clinical practice, shelter and sanctuary settings, companion animal training, human–animal interaction research, and animal ethics and philosophy. Both empirical research and well-grounded theoretical or review articles are welcome. The collection aims to be broad enough to accommodate work already in progress while providing a coherent home for scholarship that is advancing this emerging area.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Behavioral indicators of preference, choice, and consent in animals
- Methodological challenges in assessing animal preferences and decision-making
- Theoretical and philosophical frameworks for animal agency and autonomy
- The application of consent-based approaches in homes, training, handling, and veterinary care including benefits and limitations
- Animal agency in shelter, sanctuary, and managed care environments
- Ethical frameworks for integrating animal agency into welfare assessment
- Species-specific considerations in agency and autonomy research
- Implications of animal agency frameworks for policy and practice
Benefits of publishing open access within Taylor & Francis
Sustained readership
Publishing in an Article Collection ensures your research reaches a wide and engaged audience, driving long-term readership and citation impact.
Enhanced visibility
Gain recognition by showcasing your work in a trusted and reputable platform, amplifying your research’s visibility and influence.
Trends and methodologies
Connect with emerging topics and methodologies, positioning your research at the forefront of innovation and shaping the future of your field.
Support
Receive expert guidance at every stage of the publishing process from our experienced journal team, ensuring a seamless experience.
Network
Expand your professional network by collaborating with leading researchers from around the world, fostering interdisciplinary connections.
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo desk assessment and peer-review as part of our standard editorial process. Guest Advisors for this Collection will not be involved in peer-reviewing manuscripts unless they are an existing member of the Editorial Board. Please review the journal Aims and Scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.
Submission Instructions
- Check "yes" for the question, "Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?"
- Select the Article Collection ‘Animal Agency and Consent: Emerging Frameworks for Welfare Science and Practice ’ from the drop-down menu under the question, "Special Issue or Article Collection Name."