About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Persona Studies is an academic open access journal that explores the construction of the public self. The concept of persona is explored in its production and performance in a variety of contexts that includes

• online culture
• professional practices
• political culture
• celebrity culture
• film, television and popular music
• game and leisure culture
• everyday life

The editorial vision for the journal is one that facilitates inclusive scholarship and diverse perspectives. We encourage article and creative practice submissions from around the world and from scholars both inside and outside the academy. Where necessary, we will work with authors to develop papers prior to peer review, suggesting ways of bringing them up to the high standard published in Persona Studies.

Interested in submitting to this journal?
The journal welcomes abstract, full manuscript and creative practice submissions on a rolling basis submitted to personastudies@gmail.com, and in response to calls for papers around a central theme.

We recommend that you review the Author Guidelines and Peer Review policy. In addition please review the Ethics and Malpractice statement as it outlines the publication ethics standards that this Journal endorses.

Submissions will be vetted by an editor, and if accepted you will receive log-in details for the website via email to allow you to submit to the journal website for peer review. Those submissions accepted for publication after peer-review that do not fit into a themed section will be published in an open section of a forthcoming issue.

Please Note: This journal does not charge APCs or submission charges.

Peer Review Process

As part of its commitment to publication ethics and to ensure a confidential, timely and quality process of peer review is undertaken, Persona Studies sets out the following expectations of Reviewers.

Reviewers agree to:

• Undertake review(s) in an impartial and unbiased way and to agreed timelines and produce review reports as per review guidelines
• Disclose any potential conflicting or competing interests (Managing Editors will decide if this may preclude a reviewer from undertaking a particular review)
• Screen submissions for any plagiarism or any other concerns with the review process and ensure these are communicated to the Managing Editors

Review Guidelines

After an initial editorial review to determine fit, all articles are sent out to two peer reviewers. The peer review follows a double blind process. Editorials are also peer reviewed, with a non-authoring member of the editorial board co-ordinating the blind review process.

For submissions of creative pieces, peer review is optional at the artist's request. Where peer review has occurred, this is noted at the conclusion of any written components of the submission.

• Provide detailed and constructive feedback to the author in a positive tone.
• Provide feedback in a timely manner (within two weeks) to allow sufficient time for revision, if necessary.

• Is the article’s argument sound and coherent?
• Is the article’s research and theorisation adequate?
• What is the extent of the article’s contribution to scholarship in persona studies?
• Is the style of writing accessible to both scholarly and general audiences, and does it correctly use Harvard style (particularly for referencing)?

Reviewers of creative practice submissions are directed to addess the following: 

Publication Frequency

Biannually, usually April/May and October/November each year.

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.

To this end it allows Authors to retain copyright and permits them to post and share their work online as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access and The Open Access citation advantage).

Persona Studies does not charge APCs or submission charges.

Ethics and Malpractice statement

Persona Studies is committed to upholding ethical editorial and publishing practices. These practices are guided by the standards as they relate to the conduct expected of Authors, Reviewers and Editors outlined in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. 

The Persona Studies journal makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content contained in our publications. However, Persona Studies, our agents and our licensors make no representations or guarantees whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the content. Any opinions or views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Persona Studies.

Where appropriate, the submitted manuscript or creative work should indicate whether the research has undergone an ethics approval process within the author's institution. All research must adhere to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 (the 2018 Code). Any instances of research malpractice will be considered in relation to these guidelines.

As a commitment to publication ethics is a priority for this Journal, there is an expectation of similar understanding and commitment by those who wish to submit to, contribute to, and participate in, the publication process, i.e. as Authors, Reviewers and Editors.

Authors: By making a submisson to this journal, authors assert that it is original, accurate, their own and has not been previously published elsewhere or submitted simultaneously to other journals. The corresponding author assumes the responsibility of obtaining approvals of all contributing authors with respect to all submissions (e.g. responding to reviewers’ reports and submission of final version) and obtains relevant permissions to include any 3^rd party material. There is an expectation that any competing or conflicting interests will be disclosed (see NHMRC-Disclosure of interests and management of conflicts of interest - A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research for examples). Authors are required to follow appropriate citation and referencing practices (as outlined in Manuscript requirements) understanding that plagiarism is a serious ethical concern and undermines the authors’ and journal’s scholarly integrity and as such is not accepted.

Reviewers: Reviewers have the responsibility to conduct reviews as per Peer Review process to ensure rigorous publication standards are maintained and ensure confidentiality of papers and ideas contained within. Reviewers cannot use any content within submitted manuscripts unless they have sought and received written permission from the author(s). Reviewers must be able to indicate capacity to undertake and complete reviews in a timely manner. Any competing or conflicting interests that may compromise the integrity of the review process must be directed to the Managing Editors who will have the final say.

Editors: The Managing Editors assume responsibility for initial evaluation of submissions to ensure they meet selection criteria and fit the journal’s focus and scope. They have the final say with regards to which papers will be published. They ensure that communications with authors, reviewers and other editors are undertaken in a way that ensures confidentiality throughout the editorial and publication process and is conducted professionaly and without bias. Editors understand that they cannot use any content within submitted manuscripts and createive works unless they have sought and received written permission from the author(s). Editors have a key responsibility to ensure publication standards are maintained by assisting Managing Editors to fully investigate any ethical concerns raised in relation to articles published, and provide written documentation to all parties concerned regarding outcomes.

Plagiarism and misconduct

In no circumstances will the Editorial team (comprising the Managing Editors and Editorial Board) encourage misconduct or plagiarism or knowingly publish papers where this has occurred.  Should the Editorial team be made aware of allegations of misconduct or plagiarism, they will take appropriate steps to remove the publication and undertake investigations.

The Managing Editors will undertake the work of evaluating each case of suspected misconduct and plagiarism in a confidential manner and without bias, and communicate with affected parties. This evaluation process may entail:

• Seeking clarification from author(s) and investigating further if warranted
• Depending on outcome, authors may be requested to resubmit paper or creative work
• If deemed necessary to proceed further, there may be notification of relevant Institutional authorities regarding any ethical concerns and a retraction published in the journal.

Please contact the Journal if you have any concerns: personastudies@gmail.com.

Sponsors

Fame and Persona Research Consortium

Persona Celebrity Publics Research Group

School of Communication and Creative Arts

• Deakin University

Journal History

The Persona Studies journal, founded by Prof. P. David Marshall and Dr Kim Barbour, was launched in 2015 to support scholarship and research into the construction of the public self.  The concept of persona is explored in its production and performance in a variety of contexts. The journal supports both traditional articles and creative practice submissions, and is committed to publishing the work of emerging and established scholars, as well as industry practitioners.