Journal Policies
Editorial Policies
Authorship
All individuals who have made substantial contributions to the work and who are accountable to the work and its presentation in a publication should be named as authors of the work. The order of authors (if more than one) can be determined based on disciplinary norms.
Plagiarism
All previously published work must be properly cited, and original wording taken directly from publications (including authors’ own work) must be enclosed in double quotation marks. Authors who are found to have plagiarized other work or to have included third-party copyrighted work without permission or acknowledgement will have their submissions automatically declined. In cases of discovering plagiarism after publication, the journal may publish a correction or withdraw the publication. The journal may also contact the authors’ affiliated institutions.
Theses and Dissertations
Work originally appearing in an author’s own thesis or dissertation may be submitted to UnderCurrents provided that it is the only form in which the work has appeared and it follows the author’s university’s policies.
Conference Papers
Work originally appearing in conference papers as part of formal proceedings is considered to have been published. Such work cannot be submitted to UnderCurrents unless there is significant expansion of the work leading to original discussion and/or conclusions.
Post-Publication Updates
UnderCurrents recognizes its responsibilities in helping to maintain the academic record and uses formal and permanent mechanisms to make any changes to published work.
A correction is issued when it is necessary to correct errors or omissions in the published work that can impact the understanding, but not the academic integrity, of the work.
A retraction is issued when the academic integrity of the published work is compromised. This includes, but is not limited to: major errors in the methods that invalidate study findings, research malpractice, and publication malpractice. Retractions will be issued in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Conflicts of Interest for Editors and Reviewers
Editors and reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect or that may be perceived to affect their editorial or review assignment. This includes any personal, financial, professional affiliations or relationships.
Peer Review Process
Each submission is first evaluated by the Editorial Collective to determine its suitability for the journal and whether it appears in a form ready for review. Unsuitable submissions will be returned to authors as soon as possible with a brief explanation and possible suggestions for revisions/resubmission or publication elsewhere.
All scholarly and creative submissions are subject to double-anonymous peer review (where the author’s name is withheld from the reviewer and vice versa). Please note that peer reviewers are recruited and assigned based on interest, expertise, and availability. Reviewers should provide substantive comments within 4-6 weeks of accepting the invitation to review a submission. Reviewers needing an extension should contact the UnderCurrents office at currents@yorku.ca. All submissions are reviewed by at least two reviewers. The Editorial Collective will carefully consider all comments from peer reviewers prior to making a final decision on whether to accept for publication, recommend revision and resubmission, or reject for publication. Authors will receive the comments from the reviewers in any case.
Book reviews are reviewed by editors only.
For accepted submissions requiring revisions, authors are requested to respond to reviewer comments one-by-one in a formal “response to reviewers” document. This means each comment is sequentially copied and responded to. Please ensure changes are specified (if any) and paste the changes so it is clear what is changed. If other parts of the submission that were not noted by the reviewers are changed, please indicate that as well. Kindly include a cover letter/paragraph at the beginning of the response document. For more guidance on how to respond to reviewers, please see this PLoS article, this blog post, and/or the American Psychological Association’s website.
Submissions by Members of the Editorial Collective
Members of the Editorial Collective may occasionally advance a submission for possible publication in the journal, but this is generally discouraged due to the collaborative nature of the editorial process. Nevertheless, in such cases, the submitting editor will not be involved in the decision-making process and, if the submission is sent to peer review, the peer review process will be handled by alternative members of the Editorial Collective to ensure double-anonymity and rigour of the process.
Publishing Policies
Prior Publication
UnderCurrents will not consider any work that has already been published or is undergoing peer review at another publication venue.
Simultaneous Submission
By submitting to UnderCurrents, the authors declare that the work is not under consideration by any other publication venue (academic journal or otherwise).
Withdrawal of Submission
In extenuating circumstances, UnderCurrents may permit authors to withdraw submissions in the process of publication. To withdraw, please contact the UnderCurrents office at currents@yorku.ca.
Self-Deposit (Preprints and Postprints)
As copyright holders, authors are free to post pre- and post-print versions of their papers online (e.g., in institutional repositories, on preprint servers like arXiv and OSF, on their website), provided that first publication in UnderCurrents is acknowledged. For the sake of ensuring review anonymity, we ask that authors wait until the peer review process is completed before posting preprint versions online.
Publication Format
UnderCurrents publishes accepted submissions online on our website.
Publication Frequency
UnderCurrents publishes content on a rolling basis. Published pieces are organized in annual and thematic volumes.
Author Fees
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in UnderCurrents.
Copyright and Licensing Policy
Authors retain copyright over their work and license their work for publication in UnderCurrents under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that the work is available for commercial and non-commercial use, reproduction, and adaptation provided that the original authors are credited and the original publication in this journal is cited, following standard academic practice.
After Acceptance
Production
Each accepted submission will first undergo an internal review by the journal to ensure that it is free of copyediting and typographical errors and that it conforms to the journal’s stylistic standards (regarding grammar, spelling, punctuation, and referencing). Authors are requested to respond to copyedited versions within two (2) weeks of receiving them to approve changes made and/or request corrections to be incorporated into the final publication. Authors may request a second copyedited version, but this will substantially delay the production process.
Following copyediting, submissions will be typeset and sent to authors for proofreading. Authors are requested to review and approve typeset submissions (i.e., proofs) within two (2) weeks of receiving them. Authors may also request corrections at this time to be incorporated into the final publication. Please note that authors will NOT receive a second proof, so any requests for corrections must be made when the proofs are first received.
Access to Publications
Final publications will be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal volume. Authors will be able to access their publication immediately after it is made available online.
Promoting Publications
Authors are encouraged to share their publication on social media and with their networks to disseminate their work and to ensure it is read and cited as widely as possible.
