Submissions

Open Calls and Special Sections

Media Industries accepts submissions on a rolling basis. Submissions can address the full spectrum of media industries, including film, television, internet, radio, music, publishing, gaming, advertising, and mobile communications, and may query a wide range of industry-related concerns and processes, such as production, distribution, infrastructure, policy, exhibition, and retailing. Contemporary or historical studies may explore industries individually or examine relationships between industrial sectors, employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methodologies.

We expect contributions to adopt a critical, rather than instrumental, perspective and to engage substantively with relevant media industries literature. We are especially interested in work that foregrounds global and international perspectives and that uses innovative methodologies, imaginative theoretical approaches, and new research directions. Authors are encouraged to employ the online format creatively by incorporating audiovisual materials and hyperlinks within their articles where appropriate.

If you are interested in developing a proposal for a special section, please contact the journal’s editor for detailed instructions at the following email address: mediaindjournal [AT] gmail.com. Special section proposals should clearly articulate the intellectual rationale, situate the proposed theme within existing scholarship, and outline the individual contributions and their coherence as a collective intervention.

Media Industries also recognises that critical scholarship takes forms beyond the conventional research article. Under our Outtakes format, we welcome non-traditional research outputs that deepen understanding of media industries, policies, and practices. Eligible formats include research interviews, contextual essays, methodological reflections, curated archives, and other adjacent contributions that open up new questions, approaches, or archives for media industries research.

Outtakes submissions must include a clear scholarly framing that situates the material within relevant debates and explains its significance for researchers, educators, and other readers. This framing should outline the contribution to knowledge, reflect on the methodological or conceptual interventions being made, and provide sufficient context for the materials presented.

All submissions – including those intended for special sections and Outtakes – must adhere to the aims, scope, and style guidelines of the journal. Open call and special section articles undergo double-blind peer review by members of our editorial board. Special section proposals and book reviews are evaluated through open peer review by the journal’s editorial collective. Outtakes submissions are also subject to open peer review, under criteria appropriate to their form, with emphasis on originality, contribution, and critical insight rather than adherence to conventional article structures. Where appropriate, Outtakes may be published in multimedia formats with transcripts, captions, or related features.

We currently do not accept English translations of research previously published in a different language.

Please note the following guidelines before submission:

  • The submission does not contain any identifying material (e.g., the author’s name) within the manuscript document, in the visible metadata, or in the file name.
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it currently under consideration by another journal.
  • The submission follows the Chicago Manual of Style endnote and bibliography system (16th ed.). The bibliography contains only academic sources cited in the endnotes.
  • Open call and special section articles are between 5,000 and 7,000 words(inclusive of image captions and endnotes but exclusive of the bibliography). For the Outtakes format, we encourage shorter submissions between 3,000 and 5,000 words. 
  • The submission is double-spaced and uses a consistent 12-point font.
  • The submission includes production years (in parentheses) following any productions (e.g., films, television programs, radio shows, etc.) referenced in the text.
  • The submission uses American English.
  • Where hyperlinks are included, they are active and ready to click. The full URL appears in braces {URL} following the text to be hyperlinked, and the author has checked for dead links prior to submission.
  • Where figures, tables, or charts are included, the submission both attaches these as individual files and places them within the text at the appropriate points with labels (e.g., Table 1, Fig. 2, etc.).
  • Where figures, tables, or charts are included, the submission provides alt text (i.e., a short, written description) to support accessibility for screen readers.
  • Where media materials are used, they are used with permission and/or fall under the definition of fair use.
  • The submission has been carefully proofread.

All accepted outputs, including Outtakes, receive a DOI, are indexed alongside research articles, and should be cited as scholarly publications. 

Media Industries does not charge authors for the publication of their articles. 

Reviews

Published reviews highlight new or unfamiliar academic resources of particular utility for industry scholars. These reviews identify the strengths and weaknesses of each resource as well as potential research applications for scholars specifically interested in studying the media industries.

Our review editor considers a variety of scholarly materials for review, such as books, journals, videos, websites, and research databases (both subscription-based and open access). Some reviews cover a single resource, while others may compare several related resources. Review material must adhere to the following guidelines for consideration:

  • Materials can fall within the typical Library of Congress classifications for broadcasting and motion pictures (PN1990-PN1999) or from other areas, such as history or the social sciences, provided they are related to the study of media industries.
  • Publications written for a general audience will be considered, but preference is given to academic materials.
  • All formats are accepted: books, ebooks, journals, databases, videos, etc.
  • Books, ebooks, and videos sent for review should be less than two years old.
  • We currently do not accept anthologies or edited collections for review.

If you would like to join our roster of reviewers, or if you would like to submit a written review for publication consideration, please contact Book Review Editor Nedda Ahmed (nedda [AT] gsu.edu).

If you are an author or publisher interested in submitting a resource for review consideration, you may email queries to the Book Review Editor or mail materials to her attention at the following address:

Nedda Ahmed, MIJ Book Reviews Editor
Georgia State University Library
100 Decatur St. SE
Atlanta, GA 30303

Contact

Please direct all general inquires to the journal’s home office at the following email address: mediaindjournal [AT] gmail.com