For Authors
Authors interested in submitting work to the Journal of Virtual Studies should first review the vision and mission, as well as the categories to determine suitability. Authors may submit papers or multimedia, each with different guidelines and submission requirements.
The person entering the submission is assumed to be the lead author and the main point of contact for all communications. Subsequent authors should be listed in order to be published.
Invisible
Author Guidelines for Paper Submissions
Special Category Considerations
Papers may be submitted to any of the three categories: research, praxis, and conceptual. Please review the descriptions of each of the categories [link to categories] before determining which one your paper fits.
While all papers should demonstrate appropriate usage and correct grammar, active voice, smooth organization, and transitional conventions that flow ideas from one section to the next, each category has its own unique qualities that may require specific types of development of ideas.
Research
Papers submitted to the research category should have the following components:
- Literature review
- Methods
- Data collection and analysis
- Instruments and participants (where relevant to the methodology)
- Results or Findings
- Implications and conclusions
Please note that submissions to the research category must include confirmation of an IRB or similar review for the protection of human subjects, where relevant to the research methodology.
Praxis
Papers submitted to the praxis category should have the following components:
- Introduction
- Relevant theory or frameworks that guide the praxis
- Literature review that sets up a context
- Processes undertaken
- Lessons learned
- Implications and conclusions
Conceptual
Papers submitted to the conceptual category should have the following components, even if the organization of it is much more flexible:
- Introduction and Context
- Theory, framework, or concepts
- Supporting literature for all points made to support a stated thesis
- Implications and conclusions
Paper Preparation for Blind Review
Our review process is double blind. In order to ensure fairness, all paper submissions should be prepared with this in mind. Papers that have not been blinded properly will be returned to the author, unreviewed.
Employ the following tactics to properly blind paper submissions:
- If you include a title page and running head, remove author names and affiliation information
- Do not include any acknowledgements in the paper
- Authors may cite themselves, as long as they cite in themselves in the third person
- DO NOT replace reference citation with “author”. Use real citation.
- Remove author information from the file properties. This short video tutorial (enable captions, if needed) shows you how to remove author information from a file: https://youtu.be/RcBvczrqWec.
Author information will be requested during the online submission, and then added to papers that are accepted for publication based on that information. Therefore, please make sure that all authors and their affiliations are included in the form upon submission.
Paper Format
Generally, all paper submissions should use the APA style of formatting, which includes guidance for heading structure, organization, in-text citations, and reference list. You may access an APA Style guide online. Paper submissions should adhere to the following guidelines:
- File type: MS Word (.doc or .docx)
- File size: 7 MB
- Length: 10-30 pages
- Format: double spaced(1)
- Abstract: 100-150 words
- Keywords: 2-4
- Tables, charts, diagrams, images: submitted as separate files (include inline message, “Recommend insert Figure 1 here”)
- Captions for above: separate text submission with list of captions for each
- Image and diagram copyrights: documentation for images or diagrams that were not created by the author should be included to indicate copyright permissions.
(1) Double spacing is required for review purposes. Final papers for publication will be formatted single spaced according to APA guidelines.
Author Guidelines for Multimedia Submissions
Special Category Considerations
Because of the specialized nature of multimedia, as well as the limitations of journal publication, only certain media outside of traditional paper submissions are currently being accepted. As technology evolves and the journal continues to push boundaries, additional formats may be accepted.
At present, we only accept infographics and video/machinima, for the research and praxis categories, respectively. See full category descriptions before determining if multimedia is suitable to your work.
Infographics
Research Infographic
Infographics may be submitted for the research category only and have the following components, represented summatively in graphic and visual form:
- Literature Review Highlights
- Methods
- Data collection and analysis
- Instruments and participants (where relevant to the methodology)
- Results or Findings
- Implications and conclusions
- Full list of references should be submitted in a separate document (.doc or .docx)
Please note that infographics also have unique qualities to qualify for a good infographic. Many poor examples are published online that are called an infographic, but are not one. Please review these additional resources to avoid poor designs.
Infographic Format
- Infographic Dimensions: 600 x 1800 pixels (See: “Even Infographics Have Standards”.)
- Max Infographics file size: 60 MB
- Resolution: 300 DPI
- File Formats: PNG, JPEG/JPG
- Infographics should also include a transcript or an audio recording in order to make the image accessible
Infographics Preparation for Blind Review
Our review process is double blind. In order to ensure fairness, all infographic submissions should be prepared with this in mind. Infographics that have not been blinded properly will be returned to the author, unreviewed.
Employ the following tactics to properly blind infographic submissions:
- No author names and affiliation information should be included in the infographic
- Do not include any names on the infographic itself; instead, reference roles or groups
- Authors may cite themselves, as long as they cite in themselves in the third person
- DO NOT replace reference citation with “author”. Use real citation in the separate list of references.
Author information will be requested during the online submission, and then added to information about the infographic after accepted for publication. Therefore, please make sure that all authors and their affiliations are included in the form upon submission.
Praxis Video/Machinima
Video or machinima may be submitted for the praxis category, but should consider that it is a medium that expresses ideas, events, or people cinematographically. Therefore, the typical components of praxis should express them in video or machinima in the following way:
- Introduction and relevant theory, frameworks, or concepts as a narrative
- Processes undertaken are expressed through creative organization and expressed using music, voice, or video footage
- Lessons learned and implications may not necessarily be a separate section, but woven into the fabric of the story, although clearly expressed as lessons learned and implications, in whatever form they take in the video
- No slide deck, ‘podium-style’, or talking-head type presentations with voice over will be accepted to this category
- Accessible through in-video captions or a separate transcript of the video submitted
- Include credit roll for cinematography contributions
- Submit a separate file with all sources relevant to the project or processes described
Video Format
- File Type: MP4
- File Size: 60MB Max
- Video Length: 5-15 minutes
Please note that video file sizes and length are determined by several factors in the production of the file, with higher resolutions and frame rates rendering larger file sizes. Therefore, you may need to tinker with and adjust various video encoding parameters in order to ensure your file stays below 60 MB. The following parameters are recommended for a video of 10-15 minutes in length:
- Audio Codec: AAC-LC
- Video Codec: H.264
- Frame Rate: 24 or 30 fps
- Resolution: 640×480
- Video Bitrate: 1500 kbps
- Audio Bitrate: 384 kpbs (see: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en)
Video Preparation for Review
Because of the story telling nature of a video format, it is very unlikely that a double blind review process will be possible. Therefore, if the author is also the narrator of the video–or appears prominently throughout–the video will not be blinded, or it will destroy the story and file. While reviewers may be aware of the author’s name, the authors will not know the reviewers. As a result, the following are allowed:
- Acknowledgements
- Author speaking of him/herself in the first person
- Full credits with real names at the start and end of the video
Review Expectations
All multimedia submissions will be reviewed within 3-4 weeks. Please keep in mind that reviewers volunteer their time to complete reviews for the journal, so there may be times when it is difficult to get reviews returned in under 4 weeks. When that happens, authors will be notified that wait time may be longer, based on availability of reviewers.
Ethical Considerations and Copyrights
Submissions to the Journal of Virtual Studies should be the author’s original work, never before published or presented elsewhere. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Infographics and videos that have previously been published online in personal blogs or social media channels will not be published in the journal. However, authors may post them in their online channels after JoVS has published them, with full citation that includes the journal as first publisher.
The Journal of Virtual Studies is an open source journal, circulated free and open online. However, this does not compromise the rigor of the double blind review, nor the quality of papers selected for publication.
Best Paper
All papers which are accepted for the May 2023 issue of the journal will have an opportunity to also be distinguished as the best paper for that issue. Papers who are accepted by initial peer review will undergo a second, rigorous review to be evaluated for best paper qualities. Papers submitted and accepted for any of the three categories qualify.
The following are the additional merit criteria showcasing exemplary critical writing and analysis:
- Superior overall organization leading to a well developed formal paper
- Readability, which includes grammatically clean writing, smooth idea flow, appropriate use of language and terminology, and appropriate academic tone
- Current and timely research cited, which is relevant to virtual spaces and supports your thesis or purpose
- Innovative use of virtual spaces currently available for use in education
- Conforms to ethical practices
- Alignment with the journals vision and mission
In order for a best paper award to be issued, at least five papers must be accepted for publication for the May 2023 issue of JoVS. Deadline to submit papers is April 1, 2023.
Author Rights
Authors submit to the journal based on a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.
Authors retain copyright over their work as long as they site first publication at JoVS.