Editorial Policies

Focus and Scope

FORUM is a peer-reviewed journal for postgraduate students working in culture and the arts. The journal's interdisciplinary approach encourages contributions from across the spectrum of the humanities. Published biannually, each edition focuses on a selected theme, provoking discussion and debate whilst maintaining an overall thematic coherency. FORUM provides a platform for the exchange of intellectual ideas, encouraging postgraduate participation in contemporary critical debates. Our objective is to create and foster a network for the exchange and circulation of ideas within the wider postgraduate community. We seek submissions that take innovative approaches and challenge the boundaries of conventional disciplines.

 

Section Policies

Guest Articles

Each issue the Forum editors invite an established scholar to contribute a guest article related to the issue theme. This brings work by postgraduates into conversation with more established scholars and creates a framework for reflecting further on or introducing the issue theme. Guest contributors are generally invited by the editors of each issue, but if you are interested in contributing a guest article for a particular issue please do email the editors to discuss this.

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Articles

Our objective is to create and foster a network for the exchange and circulation of ideas within the wider postgraduate community. For each themed issue we seek submissions that take innovative approaches and challenge the boundaries of conventional disciplines.

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Reviews

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Addendum

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Afterword

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Peer Review Process

Each eligible article submitted will be double-blind peer reviewed prior to publication by between two and three postgraduate reviewers carefully selected from those based at the University of Edinburgh. The final decision lies with the co-editors. Authors submitting to the journal can expect to receive the results of the review process within two months of the submission deadline for the relevant issue (please see the relevant cfps for dates). All eligible submissions will receive feedback from reviewers. Reviewers are asked to comment on submissions with particular regard to the following criteria:

  • Thematic suitability
  • Engaging, interesting topic
  • Consistent, logical argument
  • Coherent structure
  • Interaction with the field
  • Theoretical framework
  • Style and language
  • Presentation
  • Accordance with MLA style

Peer reviewers must attend peer review workshops before being assigned articles within their field to review. The aim is thus to provide professional development and a forum for learning new academic skills for postgraduates involved in all levels of the process.

The advantages of this system for both reviewers and authors were recently highlighted in an article by William Christopher Brown, a contributor to Issue 1 of FORUM. Brown writes:

"Of all of the CFPs for journals that I found, I kept coming back to a then-new peer-reviewed online journal called Forum: The University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Journal of Culture and the Arts.  Their CFP on Origins and Originality closely matched the last essay I wrote for the last class of my coursework.  Recognizing a connection between my own research interests at the time and the interests of my peers at another institution allowed me to push beyond the psychological blockages.  Instead of focusing on myself and my own apprehensiveness at the idea of publishing, I began to think in terms of communicating with peers I had never met.  I no longer viewed my writing as a part of the classroom or as a potential line on a curriculum vitae.  Instead, I viewed my writing as an opportunity to connect with others."

William Christopher Brown. "Developing Professionally through Graduate Student Publications." In Progress 2 (2012). <http://inprogressjournal.net/current-issue/developing-professionally-through-graduate-student-publications/> 

 

 

Publication Frequency

FORUM is published biannually and each edition focuses on a selected theme. Special issues are occaisionally published in addition; these are linked to FORUM conferences. To keep up to date with current CFPs and announcements of new issue publications register as a reader on this website, like us on facebook or follow us on twitter.

 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

 

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

 

Take Down Policy

Journals using the hosting platform http://journals.ed.ac.uk are encouraged to make every effort to ensure that published content does not infringe any person's rights, or applicable UK laws.

However, if you believe that content, in any of the journals hosted on this platform, may be illegal, please contact the Head of Research & Learning who will review the complaint and take appropriate action.

Research & Learning (Library & University Collections)
Main Library, George Square
Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ
Email:

Please note the Library is staffed 9-5pm Monday-Friday.

Making a complaint

In the body of the email please provide the following information:

  • Describe the infringement in as much detail as possible so that the specific content may be readily identified. The URL in the address bar will allow us to lookup the specific section.
  • Describe your relationship to the content, e.g. I am the author/creator of the material.
  • Describe the grounds for complaint, some examples are:
    • Unauthorised use by reason of reproduction and/or making available the material.
    • Breach of the moral right of [paternity/integrity/right not to have my work subjected to derogatory treatment].
    • Other complaints, e.g. defamation, breach of confidence, data protection.

On receipt of your complaint, Research & Learning Services will:
  1. Make an initial assessment of its validity
  2. For all but spurious complaints, temporarily remove access to the item that is subject to complaint
  3. Acknowledge receipt of the complaint by email
  4. Contact the journal responsible for the publication of the content in question to invite a response
  5. Seek to verify your identity and authority as complainant
  6. Refer the complaint to the University's Legal Advisor for comment and advice

Potential outcomes:

When the Head of Research & Learning has verified the authenticity of your complaint and has been advised that it is ostensibly legitimate, the file will be permanently removed from public access.
OR
If the Legal Advisor confirms that it does not breach any law then the item will be reinstated.

July 2014

 

Links to Other Postgraduate Journals

image: http://superfurrylibrarian.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/lib2lego.jpg

POSTGRADUATE JOURNALS:

Dandelion Journal:  http://dandelionjournal.org/index.php/dandelion

Dandelion is an interdisciplinary journal supporting a range of postgraduate research from across the arts and humanities. The Dandelion journal offers a good opportunity for PGRs to publish ongoing research, as emergent ideas in shorter pieces, collaborative material and the portions of research which reflect excellent work yet sit adjacent to the larger structure of a thesis.

Ecloga: http://www.strath.ac.uk/ecloga/

Since 2001, Ecloga has published outstanding research from all over the world by postgraduates and early career academics working in the broad field of English Studies. Ecloga is a peer-reviewed journal published in print and open-access online by postgraduate researchers at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

eSharp: http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/esharp/

eSharp is an international online journal for postgraduate research in the arts, humanities, social sciences and education. Based at the University of Glasgow and run entirely by graduate students, it aims to provide a critical but supportive entry into the realm of academic publishing for emerging academics, including postgraduates and recent postdoctoral students.

eTransfers: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/cagcr/etransfers/index.html

eTransfers is a bi-national, double-blind refereed academic online-journal for postgraduates in the field of comparative literary and cultural studies. eTransfers has been published since 2011 and aims at providing a forum for postgraduates to present their academic work on cutting-edge key issues in literary and cultural studies. Postgraduates also engage in running the journal — including refereeing, writing calls for papers, copy-editing and publishing.

HARTS & Minds: http://www.harts-minds.co.uk/

It is our aim to give more postgraduate students a chance to have their work published. We know how difficult it can be to get noticed in an increasingly challenging and competitive academic world and we hope that our journal will help aspiring academics to improve the visibility of their research. We want to produce a high quality, inter-disciplinary, academic journal that suits the needs of the postgraduate research community in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Hortulus: http://hortulus-journal.com/

Hortulus: The Online Graduate Journal of Medieval Studies is a multidisciplinary refereed postgraduate journal devoted to the literatures, cultures, and ideas of the medieval world. Published electronically twice a year, its mission is to present a forum in which graduate students from around the globe may share their work. They publish a themed issue each spring, and a general issue each autumn. There are also various position openings in Hortulus throughout the year so watch our social media outlets for information.

In Progress: http://inprogressjournal.net/

In Progress is a peer reviewed, online journal that aims to address issues of graduate life affecting graduate students across the academic disciplines.

image source.

Inquire: http://inquire.streetmag.org/

Inquire is a peer-reviewed, open-access online journal of Comparative Literature by graduate students in the Comparative Literature Program at the University of Alberta that serves the intellectual and professional interests of an international community of students, teachers and scholars.

In/Visible Culture: http://ivc.lib.rochester.edu/

In/Visible Culture is an electronic journal of visual culture based at the University of Rochester, USA. This journal publishes themed issues of peer-reviewed articles on visual culture as well as creative work and reviews of books, exhibitions and films.

The Luminary: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/luminary/index.htm

The Luminary is an online post-graduate journal, based at Lancaster University's Department of English and Creative Writing. It welcomes submissions from language studies, linguistics, cultural studies, film studies, sociology, humanities subjects, the arts, and inter-disciplinary research students among others. Each semester it looks for submissions based on a new theme, and aim to publish a wide variety of papers on a diverse range of topics, texts and theoretical perspectives.

MHRA Working Papers: http://www.mhra.org.uk/ojs/index.php/wph

The MHRA Working Papers in the Humanities is an electronic-only publication forum for postgraduate and established researchers in the modern humanities.  The "modern humanities" includes the modern and medieval languages, literatures, and cultures of Europe (including English and the Slavonic languages, and the cultures of the European diaspora). The MHRA Working Papers in the Humanities are published annually, in October of each year. Special editions are launched every two years to encourage research in particular subject areas. 

Platform: http://www.rhul.ac.uk/dramaandtheatre/platform/home.aspx

Platform is a refereed electronic journal devoted to postgraduates, postdoctoral researchers, and entry-level academics in the fields of theatre and performing arts. Platform, as the name suggests, works to provide a space for postgraduate researchers and entry-level academics to have their work disseminated through online publication. Platform is run by postgraduates for postgraduates, and operates a peer and academic review system which ensures that contributors not only have the opportunity to publicise their research, but also receive valuable feedback.

Postgraduate English: http://www.dur.ac.uk/postgraduate.english/

Postgraduate English is a professionally reviewed journal for postgraduate students of English. It is based at the University of Durham. In addition to scholarly articles, they also invite book reviews, reflections on postgraduate teaching, and free-wheeling polemics on all things academic, from intramural malfeasance to the education cuts. 

Stet: http://www.stetjournal.org/

Stet is the online journal and website run by the postgraduate community of the English Department at King’s College London. Founded in 2010 by Hannah August and Camilla Mount, Stet is supported by the Roberts Fund, and aims to produce high quality postgraduate work in the form of an annual journal, as well as hosting a selection of blogs which interact with the work and interests of the students at KCL.

Track Changes: http://trackchanges.group.shef.ac.uk/

TrackChanges is a biannual, inter-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that celebrates the talent and diversity to be found within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Sheffield. The central tenet of the journal is to promote publication by postgraduates of all levels and early-career academics within a year of finishing their doctorate. Its target audience is both internal and external, and engagement with a non-academic audience is one of our priorities. 

OTHER USEFUL LINKS

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CFP SITES

Dandelion Network: http://dandelionnetwork.org/

The Dandelion Network works as a dynamic online 'hub' where anyone can post events, run groups, meet other members and contribute to the forums. FORUM frequently posts CFPs here and it is a good source of information, especially for UK and London based postraduates.

UPenn: http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/

A call for papers site provided by the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. FORUM often posts CFPs here and its a great resource with CFPs ordered into subject-specific categories. 

H-Net: http://www.h-net.org/

Sign up for mailing lists in your field and the general H-Net CFP list to keep up to date with CFPs from around the world.

POSTGRADUATE WRITING AND COMMUNITY


Resources from Edinburgh Journal Article Writing Week: http://edjowriwe.weebly.com/resources.html

Just seen the FORUM CfP? Need to get that article in to us in a hurry? Here are some the resources to help structure that writing time from Edinburgh Postgraduates Journal Article Writing Week and its sister project LLC Writes!.

Thesis Whisperer: http://thesiswhisperer.com/

Advice on writing, postgraduate life and so much more!

Developing Professionally through Graduate Student Publications: http://inprogressjournal.net/current-issue/developing-professionally-through-graduate-student-publications/

An encouraging article on the whys and wherefores of getting published as a postgraduate researcher. Written by a previous contributor to FORUM, this article also provides an insight into publishing with FORUM. Article by William Christopher Brown. "Developing Professionally through Graduate Student Publications." In Progress 2 (2012).

Interdisciplinarity Isn't Just A Word: http://sheffieldslcblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/interdisciplinarity-isnt-just-a-word-by-ellie-roberts/

Observations on interdisciplinarity and hints for writing for a postgraduate journal and an interdisciplinary audience. This post was written by one of the editors of Sheffield's Track Changes, Ellie Roberts.

PhDstress: http://phdstress.com/

Gifs for your academic soul.

Why does feedback hurt sometimes?: http://thesiswhisperer.com/2014/05/28/why-does-feedback-hurt-sometimes/

A useful and insightful blogpost on both the pain and the productivity of receiving and processing feedback on your academic work. Contains excellent tips on navigating the good, the bad, and the ugly in feedback so it works for you.

N.B. If you are a postgraduate journal we have missed and would like to be added to our links page, please email the editors directly. Journal descriptions here are copied and adapted from the 'About' pages of the respective journals.

 

Getting Involved with FORUM

FORUM is proud to be run by postgraduate students from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh.

If you are not already involved and would like to be then here is how to become a member of the FORUM Journal team!

Sign up now by emailing us at  - once you've confirmed your email address, you'll be added to our reviewers mailing list and receive information about future meetings, socials and editorial opportunities. You can also keep up to date with meetings, socials, training sessions and other Edinburgh-based FORUM events on our facebook page.

We'll be delighted to answer your questions and are happy to hear from anyone interested in working on FORUM

Peer Review Workshop 2012 with Dr Frauke Matthes

Why join FORUM?

FORUM is a well respected peer-reviewed on-line journal. We take a multi-disciplinary approach to the realm of arts and culture and consider contributions from across the spectrum of the humanities. Published biannually, each edition focuses on a selected theme, provoking discussion and debate whilst maintaining an overall coherency. FORUM provides a platform for the exchange of intellectual ideas, encouraging postgraduate participation in contemporary critical debates.

What's involved?

Initially, you can become a Reviewer and provide feedback on submitted articles; this is the crucial peer-review element of the journal. You can also go further than this and serve as an Article Editor. This involves liaising with the author in order to advise on changes that may be needed to make their paper publishable.

If you are particularly keen, you may wish to act as an Issue Co-Editor. Co-Editors write the call for papers, publicise FORUM, contact senior scholars specialising in the issue theme for guest articles, and organise the process of reviewing and creating the journal. 

FORUM has also recently set up the new roles of Social Media Manager and Treasurer.

If you are interested in any of these roles please do get in touch with the co-editors for further information. 

All these roles impart quality experience of academic publishing and look good on your CV. But more than that, FORUM makes you part of a team, bringing a social side to research life. 

 

Processing Charges

This journal does not charge for application processing or submissions.



ISSN 1749-9771

  
 
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