For Authors

Authors’ Guidelines


Interested in submitting to this journal?

First make sure you subscribe to the journal (top left).

Then, authors need to have a login user in our publication system (different than being a subscriber). Log in using your user, or obtain a user (register at the right) and follow the 5 step process.

Manuscript Preparation

The JVWR uses the style guides of the American Psychological Association (APA) for the formatting of articles and citations. Detailed stylesheets can be found at https://www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/files/ssc/wss_apa_2014.pdf; sample sheets here: https://library.ucalgary.ca/ld.php?content_id=16539777, as well as get help from APA website here: http://www.apastyle.org/apa-style-help.aspx. Please submit your manuscript in word document (.doc; .docx), open document (.odf), or .rtf formats. None editable documents (.pdf) are not accessible for reviewers.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before uploading your manuscript, please make sure that:

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or provide an explanation in the section “Comments to the Editor”).
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
  • Where applicable, for online reference sources, DOI or URLs have been provided.
  • The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points rather than at the end.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
  • If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in ‘Ensuring a Blind’ Review have been followed.

Our Review Policy – Double Open

 Since the JVWR fifth year, we have eperimented with the “Double-Open” review policy. This policy means that:

  • Authors do not need to anonymize their papers.
  • Reviewers’ identity is known to authors.
  • Issue editors have the full control of the process (and can choose to revert to double-blind or to mask reviewers’ comments.)

There are several reasons for this experiment. The team has researched and tabulated the pros and cons of both blind and open peer review process. The Editor-in Chief has decided that the benefits of the pros of open review – namely speed – justify the experiment. If all works well, this “Double Open” will turn into our established policy.

For a lengthy discussion about open peer review see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_peer_review. Also, see the many journals that use this policy. (We thank Roger Clarke for his input on this.)

For the JVWR, our prime reason is speed. We are looking to speed the process from idea to publication. Anything in the middle that causes extra work should be eliminated. (We are less concerned about the cons of politics of the blind review process.)

Note: Each issue editor has the right to choose if her/his issue will use blind or open review. It is a choice. The editors can also choose to mask reviewer comments from authors if they feel this is needed. If they choose that their issue uses Double-Open policy they must state to authors who are the reviewers even if they mask their comments. We think such masking cases will be rare.

This policy is subject to change. It is new, and we will follow this. This policy will be current and the historical section will document the changes.

Copyright Notice

The JVWR is an academic journal. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of information. For this reason, the JVWR is freely available to individuals and institutions. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. However, commercial use of the JVWR website or the articles contained herein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the editor.

Authors who publish in the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution No Derivative Works 3.0 United States (cc-by-nd) license.

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.

The publisher perpetually authorizes participants in the LOCKSS system to archive and restore our publication through the LOCKSS System for the benefit of all LOCKSS System participants. Specifically participating libraries may:

  • Collect and preserve currently accessible materials;
  • Use material consistent with original license terms;
  • Provide copies to other LOCKSS appliances for purposes of audit and repair.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance rate depends on the specific issue and it is ranged between 10% for issues that connect with large events and 25% to more focused issues.

We consider abstracts a submission, as abstracts go through a full review by the editors of each issue. We strive to give rapid answers to both abstracts and full submissions. We encourage authors to connect with editors to get feedback as soon as possible. Editors are encouraged to initially focus on content and ignore language issues which will be addressed at a later stage. We strive to be global in nature.

However, we mandate crystal clear writing for final versions. We assume that authors, who know their papers have progressed, will find the way to arrive at a high standard of writing.

Types of Submissions

Peer Reviewed Research Papers

  • 20-25 manuscript pages
  • 5000-7500 words total
  • APA Style
  • Complete bibliography
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • Peer review requires the cover page with the name and affiliation of the author(s) and the paper title to be submitted as separate documents.
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

Research Papers

  • 20-25 manuscript pages
  • 5000-7500 words total
  • APA Style
  • Complete bibliography
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced
  • Research papers can be submitted for outside peer-review or for review by the editorial team.

Research-in-brief Papers

  • Research reports or introduction/examinations of research in progress
  • 8-15 manuscript pages
  • 2000-4500 words total
  • APA Style
  • Complete bibliography (optional)
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • Research-in-brief submissions are reviewed by the editors and are not peer-reviewed.
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

Essays

  • 8-20 manuscript pages
  • 2000-6000 words total
  • APA Style (unless it is inappropriate for the type of essay being submitted.)
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3).
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

Monographs

  • 1000-1300 words total
  • Short topical pieces
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • APA Style
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

“Think Pieces”

  • 1000-1300 words total
  • The “think” pieces are intended to spur discussion amongst scholars on message boards provided for each piece.
  • The pieces should aim to ask provocative questions for future research and debate, rather than provide definitive answers.
  • We encourage the use of visual aids such as images, video clips, or links to content in virtual worlds.
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • APA Style (unless it is inappropriate for the type of essay being submitted)
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • single-spaced

Interactive Online Exhibits and Demonstrations

  • Format and content should be proposed to the editor(s).
  • 100-300 word description/abstract.
  • Links to examples, if they are available.
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats for the description.

Other

The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is explicitly transdisciplinary in nature. We welcome proposals and suggestions for alternate and innovative forms of submissions, and strongly encourage the sharing of ideas and discourse across the many different academic and creative communities that intersect virtual worlds research.