Appel à candidatures : The Sustainability Review

THE SUSTAINABILITY REVIEW: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR VIDEO ARTICLES (SCIVOS)

The Sustainability Review (TSR) is seeking submissions for its Spring 2014 issue. TSR is an online, open-access journal edited and published by graduate students at Arizona State University and hosted by the School of Sustainability. TSR features original research, opinion, and art pieces on the topic of sustainability.

The Spring 2014 issue will feature publications in the journal’s new video format: the “SciVO,” a short (7-10 minute) video that is transparent and educational while adhering to standards of scientific rigor and academic excellence. Submissions should be in the format of a script for a SciVO, NOT a finished video. If your script is accepted for publication, the TSR editing staff will work with you to produce your SciVO.

Submissions for this issue will be accepted until December 31, 2013 and will be published starting March 2014.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

General

The Sustainability Review is an online, open-access, English-language journal featuring original sustainability research, opinions, art, and features. The format of TSR publications is the “SciVO,” a short (7-10 minutes) video that is transparent and educational while adhering to standards of scientific rigor and academic excellence. We believe that anyone with an interest should be able to access, understand, and apply scientific knowledge. TSR is open to featuring the vast diversity of sustainability-related research: theories, challenges, concepts, processes, innovations, and evidence-based strategies. Submissions should be in script format; see below for precise submission instructions. We give preference to submissions that are interdisciplinary, creative, scientifically rigorous, concise, and easily understood by a broad audience. After a preliminary review by TSR editors, submissions will go through a rigorous, extended peer-review.

If the reviewers recommend the submission for publication, the TSR creative team will collaborate with the author(s) to produce the SciVO. TSR provides filming and editing services for all submissions. The author(s) is(are) also welcome to produce their SciVO if they can create a video that adheres to the standards set forth in these author instructions. For those videos produced by the authors, TSR editors must approve final version of the SciVO and may require up to two rounds of edits.

If you have questions regarding a potential submission, please contact our editor at: editorinchief@thesustainabilityreview.org

Audience
We believe that sustainability science research should contribute to usable outcomes for those affected by sustainability problems. This principle is the basis of our video format, through which researchers may reach a broad audience, including, but not limited to, high school and university students, the public, other scientists, and stakeholders. Our platform offers a unique and vital opportunity for interaction among scientists and a diverse public.

What is a SciVO:

• A SciVO is a 7-10 minute video that is structured and communicated in a way that is accessible, engaging, and educational. The content is high quality, rigorous, original research.
• A SciVO may follow this kind of storyboard. These are just examples; authors are encouraged to develop creative ways to communicate their research.
• The final SciVO script will be available for download adjacent to the completed SciVO. This allows interested viewers to easily reference the secondary sources and original ideas in the SciVO.

Interview: TSR editors may conduct an interview with the author(s) to generate footage (or audio) for the SciVO. The interview(s) may be conducted via phone, internet, or in person, depending on the authors’ location and availability.

Please see our first SciVOs, coming in Spring 2013, for examples of a final product.

Impact factor
As a young journal, the impact factor of TSR is not established. However, we believe that TSR’s hallmark video-format and accessible style will engage a broad viewership. In addition, publishing SciVOs introduces the possibility of knowledge transfer “going viral” through social media platforms, making the potential for impact significant.

Guide for Authors
The submission process occurs entirely online. All correspondence with the editors, including the editors’ decision and requests for revision, occur via email. It may be necessary to meet with members of the TSR team (in person, via phone, or internet) for the interview that will become part of your SciVO content.

What a SciVO submission looks like:
Submissions should be Microsoft Word files, containing the proposed SciVO script, not a finished video product. The submission document should follow these TSR format guidelines:

• Script format: The text should be in a single column, single-spaced, 1 inch margins, left justified, font size 12, times new roman. There is not a set word count for submissions because of the media component of SciVOs. However, the length of the final SciVO will be 7-10 minutes, and no more. If your submission will clearly exceed this timeframe, you will be asked to revise.

The submission should follow the following order:

• Cover letter: All submissions should include a cover letter summarizing your submission, including the relevance and topicality. Please include all authors’ names and affiliations. Indicate the corresponding author, and include his/her email address, mailing address, and telephone and fax numbers. Indicate which author(s) is(are) willing and able to be audio/video recorded for the SciVO, and include his/her/their email address(es).
• Abstract and Keywords: Submissions have an abstract of no more than 250 words describing the purpose, methods, and conclusions of the SciVO as well as 3 to 5 key words.
• Script content: Authors have freedom to be creative with the content of the script and storyboard, as long as the research is supported and clearly communicated to a broad audience. Jargon should be avoided unless necessary, in which case it should be clearly defined within the script for the purposes of audience comprehension.
• References: All information in the SciVO should be supported with references and/or original data. References should follow APA 6th format. Information that will not be included in the SciVO but is nonetheless critical for supporting the argument should be included in footnotes. These footnotes will be used by the editors, reviewers, and SciVO viewers to ensure that the script content builds on an existing body of knowledge.
• Acknowledgements: Authors should acknowledge the people who supported the research and any funding sources for their work. These acknowledgements will be included at the end of the SciVO.
• Tables: If tables are part of your results, provide them after the acknowledgements. These should be numbered consecutively (e.g. Table 1, Table 2) according to the order in which they are referenced in the script text. All tables must be referenced in the script text, and must have a title and/or description.
• Figures: If figures are part of your script, provide them after the tables (if you have no tables, then provide them after the acknowledgements). These should be numbered consecutively (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2) according to the order in which they are referenced in the script text. All figures must be referenced in the script text and must have a title and/or description.
• Media: If you have media (photos, video footage, audio recordings) that may be used in your SciVO, please provide a brief description of each item or collection (e.g. of photos) after the figures. These should be numbered consecutively (e.g. Media 1, Media 2) according to the order in which they appear in the script text. Media items do not have to be referenced in text, but it is helpful for the editors to have a sense of where the author(s) think they belong in the SciVO. We will obtain the actual media items from you after your submission has been approved for publication.The author(s) should obtain permission to use copyrighted images, audio recordings, and/or video footage.

Copyright
The Sustainability Review is an open-access online journal. Material published by The Sustainability Review is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

Optional Material

• Authors may include suggested interview questions as part of their script.
• If you have ideas about how to convey aspects of your script with sound and/or visuals, please reference them in text, for example: “(visual 1)” or “(audio 1).” Provide a brief explanation of each idea.

Author support

TSR will be providing examples of storyboards for SciVOs. These sample instructional videos may be helpful as you develop your script.

Extended Peer Review

If the TSR editors find your submission appropriate for publication in TSR, we will send your script to appropriate reviewers for rigorous, extended peer review. Authors are required to identify four qualified reviewers, including at least one researcher, stakeholder, and practitioner. It is preferable that the author does not have a personal relationship with the recommended reviewers. For stakeholders and practitioners, authors can recommend a type of stakeholder and practitioner (e.g. “community organizer” or “farmer”) rather than specific individuals. Reviewers will be asked to comment on content, clarity, validity, and so forth.

Submission

Email your script submission to editorinchief(at)thesustainabilityreview.org

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