Submitting Articles
1. Submit to GE
Global Ethnographic is a peer-reviewed, open-access, multimedia online journal. We publish ethnographic field research and perspectives about the social world, from a broad range of disciplines and on various topics. Global Ethnographic accepts field notes, narratives, essays, reviews, photographs, films, and other ideas with an ethnographic focus from a range of disciplines including social anthropology, cultural studies, philosophy, humanities, social psychology and area studies. Although GE normally accepts submissions from academics, submissions from postgraduate students, as well as submissions of exceptional papers by undergraduates, are also encouraged. GE employs professional practicing social anthropologists to review and edit submissions–our peer review process is just as rigorous as those employed by print academic journals. In general, we accept submissions on any topic related to human social life. Submissions must, however, be ethnographic in nature and written in accessible language. Submissions that feature verbose language or overly in-depth theoretical discussions are not normally considered, although if the ethnographic findings warrant such investigations then exceptions will be made. Writing clearly, simply and with the aim of gaining the interest of the general reader is a challenge which must be taken up if social research is to have an impact beyond academia. Submissions using photographs, creative writing styles, and any other novel approaches to involving the reader in the experience of the ethnographer are thus particularly welcome. For submission of essays, please follow the guidelines below. For all submissions other than essays please send a 150-300 word summary of your proposed content to globalethnographic@oicd.net
2. Submission guidelines
The essays we publish draw on original first-hand research and engage with socio-cultural phenomena in critical ways. Essays address themes that are of interest to both academics and the general public, using accessible language. We accept essays not longer than 3,000 words, including notes and references.
2. 1. Style Guide
Essays should be submitted as Word or RTF documents, and sent to: submit@globalethnographic.com. All text should be in 12-point font, double spaced, and in a single-column format. We follow the Harvard Citation Style with regard to issues of style and formatting (click here for a comprehensive guide provided by the University of Western Australia). For spelling, we use British English and follow the Merriam Webster Online. With regard the use of tables and endnotes, please see below sections. In your essay, please include an abstract of up to 150 words and list up to eight key words. Pages must be numbered in the bottom right-hand corner. If your essay is accepted for publication, you will be asked to specify your contact details and acknowledgments, and sign a statement with regard to copyrights and conflict of interest.
2. 2. Tables
Please keep the use of tables to a minimum, and number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. When using table footnotes, place footnotes below the table using superscript lowercase letters.
2. 3. Endnotes and Footnotes
The use of endnotes and footnotes in the main text should be avoided and all such information incorporated into the text. If completely necessary, a small number of endnotes can be listed separately at the end of the text. Endnotes should be identified with superscript Arabic numbers.
2. 4. Visual Media/Enriched Content
Global Ethnographic encourages visual representations (including video material) to support and enhance your research. If you include images, please make sure these are not more than 200kb at 72dbi.
3. Peer review policy statement
The practice of peer review is to ensure that good social science is published. It is a process at the heart of good scholarly publishing and is carried out on all reputable journals. Our reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of Global Ethnographic and manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
4. Peer review process
4. 1. Initial manuscript evaluation
The Associate Editor screens all new submissions before deciding if they should be assigned to the Editorial Board for consideration. Those rejected at this stage generally lie outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the criteria for review are passed on to one of our Editors for consideration for peer review. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will normally be informed within 2 weeks of receipt.
4. 2. Editorial Board evaluation
When assigned a new submission, the Editorial Board will decide if it warrants peer review or if it should be rejected without review. Manuscripts rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious conceptual and/or methodological flaws, have poor grammar or English language, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will normally be informed within 3 weeks of receipt.
Feedback is provided by the Editorial Board or Associate Editor for all manuscripts rejected without review and, where possible, suggestions are made regarding other suitable publication outlets. Those manuscripts deemed suitable for peer review are passed to at least 2 expert reviewers for review.
4. 3. Type of peer review
If accepted for peer review, your essay will be assessed by two or three anonymous reviewers. Global Ethnographic employs double-blind review, where both the reviewer and the author remain anonymous throughout the process.
4. 4. How the reviewers are selected
Reviewers are matched to the paper according to their expertise, and our reviewer database is constantly being updated. We welcome suggestions for reviewers from authors, though these recommendations may or may not be used.
4. 5. Reviewer reports
Reviewers are asked to evaluate a manuscript for:
– Interest to the general reader
– Originality and significance of contribution
– International relevance
– Coverage of appropriate existing literature
– Adequacy of methodology, analysis and interpretation
– Clear, concise and jargon-free writing style
– Organisation
Reviewers are asked to provide anonymous comments to the author and are also given the option of providing confidential comments to the editor. The comments to the author are also made available to other reviewers of the manuscript. Reviewers are not expected to correct or copy edit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.
4. 6. How long does the review process take?
Typically the manuscript will be reviewed within 2 to 3 months. Should the reviewers’ reports contradict one another or a report is unduly delayed, a further expert opinion will be sought. If necessary, revised manuscripts may be returned to the initial reviewers, usually within 1 month. Reviewers and the Editorial Board may request more than one revision of a manuscript, and alternative reviewers may also be invited to review the manuscript at any time.
4. 7. Final decision and time to publication
The Editorial Board is responsible for the decision to reject or recommend the manuscript for publication. This decision will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the reviewers. Manuscripts that have been recommended for publication are passed to the Editor-in-Chief who is responsible for making the final decision on whether a manuscript is accepted for publication. If your essay is accepted for publication, you will be asked to sign a ‘Publishing Agreement’ which will be sent to you via email. You will be contacted also with regard to final edits, including formatting and visual content. Global Ethnographic reserves the right to refuse publishing an essay at any time. Please note we may forward accepted papers for legal review if appropriate. After acceptance, it currently takes 3-4 weeks to get the final corrected essay published online.
4. 8. Becoming a reviewer for Global Ethnographic
If you are not currently a reviewer for Global Ethnographic but would like to be added to our reviewer database, please contact us. The benefits of reviewing for Global Ethnographic include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in your research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in an annual statement in the journal. You may also be able to cite your work for Global Ethnographic as part of your professional development requirements for various professional societies and organisations.
Submitting Notes from the Field
The style guide for submissions of Notes from the Field is similar to the one for articles (see above), although an abstract is not necessary. Please submit your Notes to globalethnographic@oicd.net. Notes from the Field are typically reviewed between 4 to 6 weeks.
The Notes from the Field section of GE presents researchers’ notes on their past and present ethnographic fieldwork. It aims to offer a platform for ethnographers to share their reflections from the field, and to engage others in questions and challenges that their fieldwork raises. It also aims to encourage a discussion about fieldwork in academic and non-academic contexts.
Notes from the Field includes updates on ongoing projects, and thoughts on previous works. We encourage the submission of ethnographic materials in various forms, including texts, photos, videos, and audio and/or their combination. Unlike the articles published in the other sections of GE, this section is not peer reviewed. Notes are typically up to 2,000 words long, and shorter Notes of up to 1,000 words are very much encouraged.
Notes are selected by the Editorial Board based on their relevance as starting points for a discussion, and on the extent to which they engage a broad readership and use accessible writing styles. We are particularly interested in Notes that focus on one or more of the following: 1) practical and conceptual challenges encountered in the use of ethnographic methods; 2) ethical dilemmas in relation to fieldwork; 3) discussions on theory and the interpretation of findings. All Notes should refer to authors’ first-hand experiences with ethnography.
When submitting your Notes, please include in the text information about your fieldwork (location, dates of research), and in a separate cover letter please mention the institution you are affiliated with, any acknowledgements (including the source of funding support, if applicable) and ethical approvals in relation to the research.