Submission

Ethical publication guidelines

Fusion Journal is a fully blind peer-reviewed online journal publishing refereed articles, creative works and other practice-led forms of output. We invite submissions from writers and creators across the broad range of professions, disciplines and interests; however, submissions need to be relevant to the theme of the individual issue. Fusion Journal does not charge submission or processing fees.

Fusion Journal is committed to publishing accurate research of a high standard. The journal will take reasonable steps, outlined in these guidelines, to identify and prevent the publication of articles/creative works where research misconduct has occurred. In the event that editors are made aware of any allegation of research misconduct it will be promptly and fairly investigated by the journal, where necessary resulting in correction, clarification, retraction or apology.

Peer review

Articles submitted will be double-blind peer reviewed by independent referees who have no conflict of interest. Referees will provide objective comment on the manuscript and the issue editor/s will review comments. Reviewed articles will be treated confidentially. The criteria for evaluating submissions are:

importance of the topic discussed in the article;
contribution to the field of inquiry or the debate in the literature;
quality of ideas presented;
quality of writing; and
appropriateness of methodology and theoretical framework.

A recommendation will be made to the author(s) as to whether or not the original or a revised article based on the peer review process will be accepted for publication. Once the article has been amended in line with the suggestions for improvement, it will be scheduled to appear in the next issue of the journal.

Authors acknowledge that by submitting to the review process the issue editor/s reserves the right to make editorial changes to the text without referring the material back to the author. This will be done to improve such aspects as syntax, diction, grammar or referencing.

Author/creator responsibilities

Authors/creators must:

not submit their article/creative work to another publication at the same time;
have significantly contributed to the research;
use correct referencing if other scholars’ works are cited;
provide corrections or retractions if errors are detected once published; and
acknowledge relevant financial support received.

Privacy

The names and email addresses provided to the journal 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.

Licensing

All articles and creative works published in Fusion Journal are published under a Creative Commons Attribution – Noncommercial – No Derivatives 3.0 Licence. By submitting to Fusion Journal, you permit your work to come under this licence.

Where Fusion Journal is added to online journal databases, you also grant a non-exclusive licence for your work to be archived and made available to users of such databases.

Copyright

Authors/creators who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors/creators retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Noncommercial – No Derivatives 3.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors/creators are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors/creators are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
Authors/creators must obtain permission to use any copyright material contained within their submission from the copyright owner. Appropriate attribution must also be included as required.

Submission process and author/creator guidelines

1. Notes for authors and creators

1.1 Topic

Each issue has a central theme combining two or more topics and which we invite contributors to explore in terms of fusion and hybridising processes. If you wish to submit an article or creative work to Fusion Journal, please ensure it addresses the central topic of the issue it is intended for.

1.2 Submission deadlines

For topics and deadlines of upcoming issues, please see Call for Content.

1.3 Abstract, keywords and biography

Before submitting your article, report, review or creative work, please email an abstract and brief biography to the issue editor/s through the Managing Editor. The abstract should be no more than 200 words and include up to six keywords. Your biography should be no more than 100 words and should include your institutional affiliation and research interests. Please indicate if your piece is a full-length article, interview, report, review or creative work.

2. Article/creative work

2.1 Word limit and scope

Submissions – which may be visual, aural, still, moving or written – are invited for any one of the following sections of Fusion Journal.

Double blind refereed section for articles of between 4,000-6,000 words, or creative works and other projects of equivalent scope.
Single blind refereed section for reports, edited interviews, feature reviews of up to 4,000 words, or creative works and other projects of equivalent scope.
Edited, non-refereed section of reviews, responses, reprints of seminal reports and papers, and debate items of up to 2,000 words, or creative works and other projects of equivalent scope.

(Double blind is where reviewer and author/creator remain anonymous. Single blind is where only the reviewer remains anonymous.)

Any enquiries about the refereeing process can be made in the first instance to the Fusion Journal Managing Editor.

2.2 General guidelines for writing in an online environment

Accessibility

Fusion Journal aims to encourage research students and early career researchers by working and publishing alongside more established academics and professionals across a wide range of communication, creative industries and media arts disciplines and professions. Your piece should reflect this aim stylistically and be written or presented for those whose own discipline and research interests may not be the same as yours.

Weblinks

Fusion Journal encourages contributors to include links to external sound, image (still and moving) and other relevant websites, for example, YouTube, SoundCloud or Vimeo.

Locating the author(s)

Fusion Journal has no problem with authors/creators who locate themselves in their research and use the first person. We also advocate the active voice over the passive voice.

2.3 Specific style guidelines for fusion

To achieve a consistent style across all written submissions, Fusion Journal follows MLA style (MLA Handbook, 8th edition). Please see instructions below in Section 2.4. [Note that other referencing styles, such as APA, are also accepted as long as the referencing is accurate and consistent.] Do not use footnotes or endnotes for citations or referencing.

Italics and underlining

Please avoid underlining – use italics instead where possible.
Italicise the name or title of newspapers, books, journals, poems, plays, films, TV programs, art works, song titles and music.
Italicise foreign expressions (or try to find an English language term).
Avoid italicising for emphasis as it makes the text look messy and can be hard to read.

Spelling

Either Australian or UK English spelling is acceptable – though authors need to decide on one or the other. Do not, however, change the spelling in any quote.

Quotations

Use double quotation marks for all direct quotations, except where the citation is more than four lines. In this case, format the quotation as an indented quotation without quotation marks.
Use single quotation marks for quotes inside quotes.
Use double quotation marks around directly quoted material, direct speech, for titles of episodes and speeches, for colloquialisms, or if you are using a word in an unusual way.
Place commas and full stops inside closing quotation marks except when a parenthetical citation immediately follows the closing quotation marks. For example:

She called out “Hugo.” (Full stop inside quote marks)

This, he explains, is known as the “Celebrity Rights Act” (80). (Full stop placed after parenthetical citation)

Make any case changes at the start of quotations silently, by which we mean:

As Cunningham writes, “the creative industries…”

Not: As Cunningham writes, “[t]he creative industries…”

Numbers, dates and time

Number format: In general, spell out numbers one to nine and express numbers 10 and over as numerals. But express related numbers in the same style, e.g., only 5 of the 24 interviewees.
Date format: 26 July 1980 or Saturday 16 July 1980.
Decades: Spell out 1960s, not ‘60s.
Time format: 8.54 am.

Footnotes and endnotes

Do not use endnotes. Footnotes can be used, but only when absolutely necessary.

2.4 Referencing and citations

Submissions to Fusion Journal should be referenced, and should include a list of works cited formatted in MLA style (MLA Handbook, 8th edition). Do not include footnotes or endnotes for citations or referencing. The following guidelines explain the basic principles of MLA citation style. For further information on the list of works cited or in-text citation, please consult the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook. [Note that APA referencing style is also accepted by Fusion Journal; however, the referencing style chosen must be used consistently.]

List of works cited

Names: Provide the author’s full name, including given name.
Titles: Capitalise all major words in titles and names.
Place of publication: Give only the first place of publication.
Publisher details: Abbreviate “University” and “Press” (e.g., “U of Queensland P,” “Oxford UP”), but do not include “& Co.,” “Ltd.,” etc. in publisher’s names.
Page span: Give the second number in full if it is below 99 or the last two digits if it is above 99 (e.g., 64–69 or 364–69). Use an en dash, not a hyphen, between the digits.
Hanging indent: Indent by one centimetre the second line of an entry in your list of works cited.

Please use the following examples of MLA style (also see MLA style 8th edition examples):

Article in print journal

Surname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page span.

Article in online journal

Surname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page span, doi or url

Book by single author

Surname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Book by two authors

Surname, Firstname, and Firstname Surname. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Book by three or more authors

Surname, Firstname, et al. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Book edition other than the first

Surname, Firstname, editor. Title of Book. XX ed., Publisher, Year.

Edited book

Surname, Firstname, editor. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Chapter in an edited book

Surname, Firstname. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, edited by Firstname Surname, Publisher, Year, page span.

Translated book

Surname, Firstname. Title of Book. Translated by Firstname Surname, Publisher, Year.

Illustrated book

Surname, Firstname. Title of Book. Illustrated by Firstname Surname, Publisher, Year.

Editorial (or introduction, preface, foreword or afterword)

Surname, Firstname (of editorial/introduction/etc). Editorial/Introduction/etc. Title of Book, by Firstname Surname (of book), Publisher, Year, page range.

Newspaper article

Surname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, day month year, page span.

Film

Director Surname, Firstname, director. Title of Film. Date of release. Lead performers’ names, version information, film studio or distributor’s name.

Review

Reviewer Surname, Firstname. Review of Title, by Firstname Surname. Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page span. doi or url

Review of a film

Reviewer Surname, Firstname. Review of Title, directed by Firstname Surname. Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page span. doi or url

Website

Surname, Firstname. Name of website. Publisher or sponsor of website, date of publication (if available), url

Webpage

Surname, Firstname. “Title of webpage.” Name of website. Publisher or sponsor of website, date of publication (if available), url

In-text citations

Make in-text citations as brief as possible; only include information that is needed to identify the source, i.e., the author’s surname and page number, with no punctuation between. Where multiple works by the same author are cited, a short title (usually one word) should be added, for example: Bourdieu, Distinction (34).
When referencing quotations or citations of the text being reviewed, use page number, for example (236).

3. Submitting your article/creative work

3.1 Formatting your document

Save your file in Document (.docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).
For creative works, please send links to external media (e.g. YouTube, SoundCloud or Vimeo). For graphics/images, attach as separate files with notes in the document indicating placement. Send the highest resolution possible and we will resize for web publication. Save drawn graphics in GIF format. Save images in JPG or PNG formats.
Open the “Properties” window for your file (in Word, go to File → Properties) and delete anything that appears in the “Author” field. This ensures your anonymity in the peer review process.
You’re now ready to submit your work. Please send your submission to the Fusion Journal Managing Editor.

3.2 Anonymity for blind peer reviewers

If you are submitting an article or creative work for blind peer reviewing, please provide your name(s) and bio(s) separate from the article or creative work. Also make sure you remove your name and any other identifying details from the article/creative work itself. We acknowledge that some creative works may make it clear who the creator is.

3.3 Copyright permission

Make sure you have obtained permission to use any copyright material contained within your submission from the copyright owner. Also include appropriate attribution as required.

3.4 Submission checklist

As part of the submission process, authors/creators are required to check off their submission’s compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors/creators that do not adhere to these guidelines.

Theme

Does your submission address the central theme of the intended journal issue?

Abstract, keywords and biography

Have you emailed the issue editor/s a 200 word abstract, a list of up to six keywords for your article or creative work, as well as a brief biography (including institutional affiliation)?

Word limit

Does your article or creative work satisfy the word limit or scope for your type of submission?

Writing and bibliographic style

Have you checked the MLA style (MLA Handbook, 8th edition) guidelines? In particular, have you applied MLA style consistently, and removed all endnotes and footnotes related to citations and referencing?

File formats

- Have you prepared a .docx or .rtf file for submission?
- Have you removed any identifying information from the “Properties” of your file?
- If your submission contains graphics, have you prepared both a 50 pixel square thumbnail and the full size graphic? Save drawn graphics in GIF format. Save photographs in JPG format. Have you indicated within your submission where the graphics are to be placed?

Guidelines for proposing a special issue of Fusion Journal

Fusion Journal is an international, online scholarly journal for the communication, creative industries and media arts disciplines. We publish refereed articles, creative works and other practice-led forms of output. Each special issue is organised around a theme involving the fusion of two or more ideas, disciplines or cultures, and edited by a small team of guest editors whose research interests reflect the particular theme. We welcome proposals for special issues that are within the scope of the journal.

1. Please submit a description of your special issue (approximately 1–2 pages) to the Managing Editor. Your description should include:

Proposed title.
Statement about the theme to be explored and its relevance to the aims of Fusion Journal and current research.
A brief bio for each proposed guest editor. Select a team of 1–3 editors and identify the Lead Guest Editor; where possible include at least one early career researcher or Higher Degree Research student.

2. Proposals will first be assessed for suitability by the Managing Editor of Fusion Journal then by the Editorial Board. If suitable to proceed, the Managing Editor will advise formal approval of the issue and confirm suitability of the guest editors.

3. The Production Editor of Fusion Journal will liaise with the Lead Guest Editor to set the production schedule for the issue. A general guide is to allow six months for production.

4. The Production Editor will liaise with the Lead Guest Editor during all stages of production. Below is a guide to this process, which can be adapted to suit the special issue.

Guest editors will prepare a call for content to be circulated among networks.
Guest editors will identify suitable peer reviewers.
The Lead Guest Editor will receive and approve abstracts or full submissions (as relevant) and confirm their suitability for peer review.
The Production Editor will send out submissions and receive feedback during the peer review process using the journal’s referee report template. Upon completion of peer review, the Production Editor will forward the reviewers’ recommendations and feedback to the Lead Guest Editor to consider.
The Production Editor will contact authors. For works that are accepted with amendments, authors will be given a timeframe to revise and return their final proofed submissions to be rechecked by the guest editorial team.
Guest editors will write an editorial to introduce and situate the special issue and briefly summarise the contributions. (If, in addition to the editorial, any guest editors would like to contribute a submission, it will undergo double-blind peer review along with the other submissions.)
The Production Editor will publish the issue and coordinate promotion with the Lead Guest Editor.

Note: If a special issue is unable to proceed due to a lack of quality submissions, the Managing Editor may cancel the issue. Where possible, any suitable manuscripts may continue through the peer review and production process and be published in another appropriate issue (with the consent of the authors).