CFP: The OUP Handbook of Smell - Call for chapter proposals

Call for chapter proposals - The OUP Handbook of Smell

We are seeking chapter proposals of The OUP Handbook of Smell. The handbook will be edited by Jessica Freiherr, Andreas Keller, Kathrin Ohla, Laiquan Zou, & Benjamin Young and published by Oxford University Press (under contract). Given the breadth of olfactory research, we think it best that each chapter be written by someone currently researching each topical chapter area. Our aim is that each chapter will be authored by someone specializing in the relevant research who also has the expertise for conveying the fine nuances of that topic in straightforward language for a wide academic readership.

To allow for a wider participation we are soliciting chapter proposals with a preference for authors with a proven track record and on-going research projects. The chapters we are currently looking for are:

Ch. 1 Genetics of Olfaction

Ch. 6 Intracranial Recordings of Olfaction

Ch. 16 Spatial and Temporal Resolution of the Olfactory System

Ch. 30 Cognitive Penetration

Ch. 38 Ethical Aspects of Human Chemical Communication

If you are interested in taking part in this project, we kindly ask that you consult the brief handbook description below, select a chapter you would like to contribute, and provide us with a one page skeletal outline of the sections and topics you propose covering in that chapter, as well as a brief abstract (250-350 words) for the chapter.

Along with the chapter proposal and abstract, please submit a CV for each author. Full proposals can be submitted to the editors via email: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

The deadline for submissions is March 23, 2026.

We will notify contributors of the status of their proposal in April 2026.

Chapters will be due in September 2026.

Brief Handbook Description:

The Oxford Handbook of Smell will be the most up-to-date and comprehensive handbook on human olfaction. Despite a surge in research on smell over the past 30 years, very few books offer a broad overview of recent advances in our sense of smell with the most recent being published 8 years ago. The handbook will not only bring together leading experts contributing review chapters in their area of specialization, it will also draw from a broad range of fields. The focus of the handbook will be on human (orthonasal) olfaction from an interdisciplinary perspective, which has never been done before. We thus aim to provide an in-depth coverage of recent advances across fields of study such as art, anthropology, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, perfumery, psychology, philosophy, the humanities and social sciences (broadly conceived), as well as industrial applications. The range of topics to be covered will start with the basics of human olfactory physiology and perception, higher level cognitive states, and social aspects of smell, and conclude with industrial applications. The Oxford Handbook of Smell will thus be the most up-to-date and comprehensive both in coverage of topics and disciplinary access points to the study of human smell.