Submissions

Author Guidelines

Creating an Author Account

You will need an Author account to submit an article. Please email technical support to set up an account.

Presentation

• Articles which are normally 5,000-8,000 words, including Endnotes, References and Appendices, must be typed, in a clear typeface, e.g. Arial or Times New Roman, in 12 point size
• Lines must be double spaced throughout the text (including end notes and references)
• A margin of 3 cm should be left at the margins and at the top and bottom of each page
• Articles must be paginated at the top right of each page
• All text should be justified at left and right margins
• The title and sub headings should be clear and concise and the latter aligned to the left hand margin
• Paragraphs should be indented except for the first paragraph in the article, the first paragraph after a sub heading and a paragraph following a quotation
• Use single quotation marks except for quotations within quotes when double marks are to be used
• Quotes over 40 words in length should be set out from the body of the text by being indented 1 cm from the left margin; quotation marks should not be used for indented quotes
• Use a single (not a double) space after a full stop, and after all other punctuation marks. Do not put a space in front of a question mark, or in front of any other closing punctuation mark
• Avoid stops when using abbreviations: for example, UNESCO, UK, Mrs and Dr are preferred.
• Where the letter 'z' has come to replace 's' in the spelling of words, the former is preferred: thus organization instead of organisation
• Use italic for titles of books, plays, films, long poems, newspapers, journals (but not for articles in journals), ships
• Avoid the use of ‘he’ when he or she is meant, wherever possible, either through the use of ‘they’ or by repeating the noun
• Numbers of 10 and under should spelt out; insert a comma for thousands and tens of thousands (e.g. 10,000 and 100,000). Numerals should be used for measurements and percentages (but spell out ‘per cent’); the percentage sign (%) should only be used in tables and figures
• Use notes sparingly in the form of endnotes and not as footnotes. Within the article endnote numbers should be placed after any punctuation mark. Any references within the notes should be in the Harvard (author-date) system (see below)
• Dates should be presented in the English style as follows: 1 January 2003; centuries should be spelt out, e.g. eighteenth century, not 18th century.

References

In referring to other works, avoid location references such as ibid and op cit.

References that are cited in the text should be in conformity with the Harvard system so that the author's surname, the year of publication and the page reference appear immediately after the material that has been cited or quoted. Thus, (Smith 2001: 32-3); two authors should be give as, (Dodd and Sandell 1999); for more than two, (Neal et al. 1995); multiple references should be given as, (Peers and Brown 2003; Smith 2006; Dicks 2010).

Website references other than to web journals (see below) should be entered as endnotes, with access date given, e.g. Ross Parry, Nick Poole and Jon Pratty, ‘Semantic Dissonance: Do We Need (And Do We Understand) The Semantic Web?’, Museums and the Web 2008. http://www.archimuse.com/mw2008/papers/parry/parry.html, accessed 24 February 2012.

Material derived from interviews should be referenced in endnotes. Include the interviewee’s and interviewer’s names, the recording medium, the place and date of the interview, and details of where the recording is deposited (if appropriate):

   Helen Wang, interview by author, digital recording, 8 January 2007, London.

   Karnial Singh, interview by Manjeet Tara, tape recording, 13 April 1999, Leicester, East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA).

References to the same interview later in the text can be abbreviated to (for example):

   Helen Wang, interview, 9 January 2007.

Personal communications (letters, emails, face-to-face conversations) should be referenced in endnotes, thus: 
   Jane Weel, personal communication, 12 May 2011. 

NB, if appropriate, you should also include the individual’s job title and place of work: 
   John Benfield, Creative Head of Interactive Media, Natural History Museum, personal communication, 21 December 2005.

References to the same communication later in the text may be abbreviated to:
   John Benfield, pers. comm., 10 January 2006.

A lower case lettering system should be used to distinguish between different works by the same author or authors which have been published in the same year: e.g. Smith, A (1967a, 1967b).

Pagination should be given as concisely as possible (3-8, 9-14, 33-6, 174-9, 183-96).

Punctuate references with commas and not with full stops. In the case of journals give the volume number first, followed by the issue number in brackets, e.g. 4 (3).

The list of references should appear in alphabetical order after any endnotes.

The following style of referencing should be used:

Articles in journals: Negrin, L. (1993) 'On the Museum's Ruins', Theory, Culture and Society, 10 (1) 97-125.
Chapters in edited books: Wright, P. (1989) 'The Quality of Visitors' Experiences in Art Museums', in Peter Vergo (ed) The New Museology, 119-48, London: Reaktion Books.
Books: Horne, D. (1984) The Great Museum, London: Pluto Press.
Edited books: Knell, S.J., MacLeod, S. and Watson, S. (eds) (2007) Museum Revolutions. How Museums Change and are Changed, London: Routledge.
Web-site journal articles: Owen, J. (1999) 'The Collections of Sir John Lubbock, the First Lord Avebury (1834-1913): 'An Open Book?' Journal of Material Culture, 10 (3) 283-302 http://www.sagepub.co.uk/frame.html?http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journals/details/j0101.html.

Titles of works in languages that do not use Roman characters should appear as follows: transliteration of author’s name, title of work in original characters, English translation of title [square brackets], English translation of place of publication and publisher [square brackets].

LI, Chuankui (2009) 周明镇院士传略 [A Story of the Fellow of Chinese Academy of Sciences – Zhou Mingzhen] in GAO Xing and ZHANG Yi eds, 探幽考古的岁月:中科院古脊椎所80周年所庆纪念文集 [Collected Papers for the Eighty Years Anniversary of the IVPP, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing: China Ocean Press].

Illustrations

Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions from copyright holders for the reproduction of pictures, tables, quotations etc. Illustrations should be submitted as separate .jpg files, resolution 72 dpi. Sizes may vary, but should preferably not be smaller than 125 pixels. For further advice, contact the Editors.

Ethics Statement

Libel

While we welcome works that engage critically with debates and issues in our field, we will not publish articles that contain defamatory or libellous statements about individuals, regardless of the stage in the process at which we become aware of defamation or libel.

Intellectual property, plagiarism and conflicts of interest

Our open access policies recognize the rights of authors to their original work. To protect all authors, however, we also hold to strict guidelines regarding plagiarism and work that has been published elsewhere in any form. Specifically, we shall not publish such work, and we will not publish future work by violators. Following COPE guidelines, we may also contact authors’ supervisors or institutions (see https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts-new/what-do-if-you-suspect-plagiarism).

The area of conflicts of interest is becoming increasingly complex as museums, universities, and commercial entities create technologies that become available in the public marketplace. For example, there is a thin line between an article describing research on a new database and one that essentially advertises that database. In such cases, we ask that authors accept these guidelines:

1. Maintain critical distance when discussing commercial entities and products. Example: If a museum consultant is writing about a toolkit they developed and marketed, the article should be open about failures as well as successes, so that it does not appear to be a complete endorsement of the product.

2. Acknowledge known commercial connections and sponsorships. Examples: When a private tour guide writes about the effectiveness of their techniques; when a product manager writes about their successful use of a new software program for museums.

3. Acknowledge when there might be commercial connections; transparency allows readers to understand context. This pertains to situations where there is some doubt. Example: When the project manager in (2) and a curator co-author an article on the software program and its applicability to other museums.

4. Book and exhibition reviewers should not in any way have a connection with the work under review.

In every case, editors’ decisions about whether to publish articles that present issues related to a conflict of interest are final, as the editors bear the responsibility for maintaining the credibility of the journal.

Oversight and Scrutiny

Museum & Society secures and maintains high academic standards in the following ways.

The journal adheres to the principles and guidelines set out by COPE in relation to authorship. When plagiarism is found in the peer review process, the journal is guided by the flowchart at https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.2.1, and when plagiarism is detected by a reader, is it guided by the chart at https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.2.2.

In brief, readers and reviewers should contact the journal if they find evidence of malpractice or serious error in the research reported by authors. They should also do so if they suspect plagiarism, libel, or any other impropriety. Any such reports are passed to the Chair of the Editorial Board, who, in consultation with the Managing Editors, determines how best to proceed. In all such cases authors will be informed about, and be asked to respond to, the charge. In cases where plagiarism is proven or there is no response to the charges from the author(s) within sixty days, the editors may refuse to review or publish additional articles by the author(s) for a minimum of one year.

In egregious cases the journal may find it necessary to publish an apology. Where an apology is deemed necessary it will published online and communicated to readers who have registered their email addresses with the journal.

Issues concerning these matters are reported to the editors at the annual board meeting with a view to reviewing policy and ensuring best practice

New editors are mentored and advised by an established member of the board.

Diversity

As a journal, we are committed to diversity in every facet of our work: in selecting editors and reviewers; in publishing articles by a wide variety of authors on a range of appropriate topics; and in seeking a broad readership. We take active measures to achieve these goals. For instance, we conduct research and reach out across our international networks to find reviewers, contributors, and editors. We may offer mentorship to authors from populations and regions that are under-represented in the journal, though ultimately, all articles must go through our rigorous review process. We do not offer translation services, but whenever possible, we assist non-native English speakers to bring promising work to publication.

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

Museum & Society does not charge article submission or processing fees. Submitting and publishing an article is free for authors.

Peer Review Policy

Museum & Society follows a double-anonymised review policy for article submissions. The names of the authors are not known by the reviewers, and the names of the reviewers are not known by the authors. If you are submitting an article, please ensure that the instructions in Ensuring an  Anonymised Review have been followed. All author information (names, links, biographical notes, etc, MUST be added to the Metadata section, NOT uploaded as a supplementary file.

Self-archiving policy

Articles submitted and under review: A paper submitted by the author may be archived by the author. No mention should be made of Museum & Society until and if the paper is accepted for publication. Papers may be placed on:

(a)  the author’s own website

(b)  the author’s institutional archive

(c)   a not-for-profit pre-print repository/server.

Articles accepted for publication: Where the paper is accepted, and if the author maintains the archived version, an acknowledgement should be included on the first page of the archived pre-peer reviewed version. This should include the following statement:

"This is the pre-peer reviewed version of an article published by Museum and Society. The final form of this article [cite in full] is published at: [insert link to the article at M&S with the DOI] ."