Changes: Film Journals

Revision as of 02:56, 16 November 2016

Please share your experiences working with these journals! Feel free to add other journals to the list. Try to stick with this format: each journal should be separated by dashes, and responses under each journal should each have their own bullet.

Adaptation: The Journal of Literature On Screen Studies

Submitted paper on Oct 1, and had feedback by mid-November with a three-week turnaround for resubmitting minor revisions. The revised version was accepted for publication in late December, maybe two weeks after submitting the revisions. Journal issue appeared online the following spring. Amazingly fast, with concise but pointed and helpful criticism from reviewers.
Top-notch reviewers, fast turnaround. A little more than 2.5 months between original submission and final acceptance. The submission process is a bit wonky, but the turnaround speed and quality of reviews more than makes up for whatever fleeting annoyances I felt when uploading materials.

Animation

Great initial response--was assigned a sub-editor right away, but I've currently been waiting a year without receiving reviews.

Black Camera

Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies

Received an immediate confirmation of submission, with a timeframe for review indicated of three to five months. I received a rejection after four months, which, though disappointing, came with very helpful and specific readers' reports.
Submitted via email, confirmation received four days later. R&R approx. 4 months later. Very, very, very limited comments for revision. They do not sent reader reports; rather, they send a generalized letter from the editor that coallates the reader comments. There's no sense of how likely an acceptance is on future revisions or even how to interpret specific revision suggestions. Pretty frustrating, all in all.

Cinema Journal

Have to be a member of Society for Cinema and Media Studies to submit. Fast rejection but one with a recommendation for another journal, which did accept my article.
Received a supportive rejection from editor a month after submission. Felt scope was too narrow, but recommended alternative venue.
Submitted here over a year ago. Article was rejected. It was politically and theoretically oriented, and I don't think they had the right reader for it (they gave me some truly bizarre comments for revision). Article was accepted at a better journal a couple of month later with minor revisions.
I fully agree with the above comments. My readers seemed particularly ill-suited for my theoretically-oriented essay, gave some bizarre comments for revision, but my article was also accepted at an equivalent or better venue soon after.
Good experience. Timely turn-around and great (incl. critical) feedback.

Discourse

could anyone comment on turn around time? thanks in advance
Wonderful experience with this journal. The initial review took 6 months. I received detailed and helpful comments. My revised article was accepted within a month after I submitted it, but took 3 months or so to finally appear in print.

Film Criticism

Anyone have experience submitting to this journal?
Great experience. Response right after submission. Indication of reasonable timeline. Helpful reader reports within just a few months of submission with a request to revise and resubmit in a reasonable amount of time (one month or so). So all in all: highly recommended. And they recently sent out a call for submissions. So I think they are looking for good potential essays.

Film & History

Bloody awful. Was told I'd receive a response in six months. Had to query after ten months passed in order to receive a delay notice. Had to query AGAIN after an entire year only to be told I had been rejected. I guess they never planned on telling me.
The most arrogant and unprofessional editor. A month after submitting an article, I was told my article will be sent to reviewers and I would hear back within six months. After ten months, I decided to ask for an update. I received a short and poorly worded email saying the article had been rejected. When I asked for comments, the editor decided not to reply. I knew the article was never sent anywhere. I contacted the editor once more, pointing out that as per their website I was entitled to get a report. A week passed, during which the editor apparently read the article and wrote a two-sentence report. Not only was the "report" riddled with punctuation mistakes, it was also mean-spirited--perhaps because I ensured he actually read the article. Unless you have a year to waste, send your work elsewhere.
Sadly, I disregarded the two postings above. And I submitted an article to this journal. After six months, I inquired into the status (b/c above poster sd. w/in six months). I asked for an update. Was told the article had been sent out for review. After three more months, I inquired again. Was told the response was negative. No reader reports. How are we to benefit from insight and learn? So I asked for them. And then, I received a condensed version of about 10 sentences (one report) of unhelpful and not constructive comments. (At another journal, I received 4, 5 or 6 reviewers' comments this summer - on one article. And while they were not all positive, they were all very helpful, offering constructive criticism.) It is an art. So sadly, I agree with the above poster, unless you have a year to waste without even receiving helpful readers' reports, I would suggest send your work elsewhere.

Film History: An International Journal

Three month turnaround; extremely detailed and supportive comments on a rejection.
Excellent turn-around time and good feedback. Very professional.
Film History has always had terrific scholarship, but since Greg Waller has taken over, it has become a joy to work with them. The managing editors are very on top of their game, and the reviews are helpful and clear. Highly recommend.

Film Quarterly

Excellent (five week) turnaround from submission to response. Good feedback: detailed and helpful comments. Very professional. Highly recommend.
At present, FQ is working with Ford Foundation and Just Films, and recently received funding to pursue work to increase diversity in film criticism and to address issues of social justice in more contemporary fiction, documentary, and experimental media.
Slacker reviewers (one of whom never turned in a report, another who promised to read revised version but then didn't) derailed the process. Most frustrating experience of my career (and I've published a lot!)

Framework

The editor will give you a good idea beforehand whether the article is a fit for the journal. On the other hand, one of my articles was returned with little or no feedback.

Game Studies

Review process took about 12 months. Review comments were helpful for revision, but editorial timeline was very poorly communicated, which made the publication process needlessly stressful. Editorial processes may have improved more recently.

Grey Room

Does anyone have any experience with this journal? I sent an article in over a week ago and have yet to receive an acknowledgement. I'm wondering if Grey Room has long response times. Thanks

I waited a week or possibly a bit more for an acknowledgement that the article was sent out for review, and then 6 months for a revise & resubmit. Currently waiting to hear on revisions. I wouldn't worry too much based on my experience, and would recommend patience (I know it's hard). Good luck!
Awful experience with this journal. Took almost a year, and couldn't get anyone to respond to multiple inquiries. Withdrew article at 9 month mark.
- Had the EXACT same experience. Withdrew article after 9-10 months of utter incompetence. Happy to have published it elsewhere.
(second poster here) I agree. Turns out that my R&R resulted in a rejection -- but only once I inquired after the third or fourth month -- with a note that, given the amount of submissions, they couldn't provide any comments. Frustrating to say the least.
Ditto to all of the above. This was the most unprofessional experience I've had yet in academic publishing. They held my piece for 10 months. I sent them monthly e-mails during the last four months and never got any response (except to my first e-mail, when they said they'd have more information for me within the month). Then, one day, I got a simple "no" without any comments or reader reports. Grey Room was recommended to me as an exciting and polished journal, but my sources now tell me they must have been wrong: the new editors have changed all that. So long to the reputation this journal once had ...
Submitted an article and didn't receive even a confirmation that it had been received. When I inquired a month later, I got an email back saying it had already been rejected. Even worse that the poor communication was the fact that although it was "carefully reviewed by several readers" no feedback could be provided because of a lack of resources and support. I'm assuming the readers gave feedback to someone. How much more effort does it take to cut and paste their comments into a document to send to the author? Completely unprofessional and a waste of time.
Members of the editorial board don't communicate with each other or seem to agree on an editorial policy. Much of what is listed above also happened to me.

Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television

Very good experience. Article accepted a month after I sent it (with good readers' reports and some minor changes), then published about 5 months later.

Journal of Film and Video

Tremendous backlog. My piece has been ready to go -- copyedits and all -- for over two years. Unresponsive editor.

Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds

Good experience. Submitted 11/14. Was told I'd hear 4/15, but didn't, so sent an inquiry in late 5/15. Got a response a few days later saying one reviewer never responded, and they'd find an alternative. Heard two days later that I was accepted with minor revisions for publication 9/15.
Very quick turnaround. Article went from submitted to published in about 6 months. Peer review comments were helpful as was editorial guidance, although I have reason to believe this varies a bit depending on which editor your piece is assigned to. Overall, very straightforward process.

Literature/Film Quarterly

Very positive experience here. Quick turnaround (2 months) for initial response with requested revisions. Readers' comments were insightful and specific. Clear and timely communication from editorial staff.

New Review of Film and Television Studies

October

This journal is posted at Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies and Theory Journals

Quarterly Review of Film and Video

I'd agree with the assessment just written below. The new editor tries to keep new submitters informed.
I didn't have any of the below problems with long waiting, but there is now a new editor, so that may be why. I submitted 8/14. Inquired about the status 2/15. Editor is really nice, apologized a week later for the wait. Heard two days later I was accepted for publication 7/15.
Received the same notification re: 3 year waiting period less than 2 hours after submission.
Received notification that there is currently a 3 year waiting period for new material, and that they are completely "full up at the moment" within 36 hours of submitting a manuscript.
Two years ago, received a rejection within 20 minutes of submitting an article. A friend received an acceptance within a similar timeframe. I believe "peer review" is used very loosely here, and that it is the editor deciding on inclusion based on article topic (not argument).
Desk rejections are not uncommon.
Submitted article 7/15 or so. 9/15 told to submit on-line. Inquired into status 12/15. Was told about backlog, which I had already seen mentioned above. Then, to my delight: accepted for publication not too long after.

Screen

Great experience! Whether they accept your article or not, their feedback is detailed and helpful.
Agreed-- efficient and smooth, a model for the peer review process. About 3.5 months to a revise & resubmit, then an acceptance about 3 weeks after resubmission. Reviews were smart, even-keeled, and very helpful. Clearly a terrific editorial board and administration.
Very professional. Good feedback and quick turn-around.
Echoing the above comments: efficient and smooth. Indeed, a model for the peer review process. Comments were smart and helpful. Response w/in 24 hours of submission to confirm submission (automatically generated through web-site upload). Readers' reports (3!) 5 weeks after submission.
Great experience, although the article was not accepted for publication. Readers' reports within 9 weeks.

Screen Bodies

A journal at the intersection of Screen Studies and Body Studies.

Senses of Cinema

Does not accept unsolicited article submissions. Predominantly commission-based. Thus, must propose idea (200 words) for an article first.
Not a fully refereed journal. Thus, articles are not necessarily peer-reviewed. If peer review is requested, indicate with initial idea proposal.
A model of professionalism: this is how academic journals can/ought to be run. It took less than one year from initial proposal to published double peer-reviewed essay.

Studies in French Cinema

Also posted at French and Francophone Studies Journals

Studies in Hispanic Cinema

Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema

Excellent experience! Article accepted within a month of submission, with good readers' report. Working with the editor was a pleasure.

The Moving Image

Third Text

See comments on this journal at Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies and Theory Journals

Wide Screen

Does anyone have experience with this journal?

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 *Submitted paper on Oct 1, and had feedback by mid-November with a three-week turnaround for resubmitting minor revisions. The revised version was accepted for publication in late December, maybe two weeks after submitting the revisions. Journal issue appeared online the following spring. Amazingly fast, with concise but pointed and helpful criticism from reviewers.
+*Top-notch reviewers, fast turnaround.  A little more than 2.5 months between original submission and final acceptance.  The submission process is a bit wonky, but the turnaround speed and quality of reviews more than makes up for whatever fleeting annoyances I felt when uploading materials.
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