Special Issues and Non-Research Content Review Policy

Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies publishes a range of scholarly and creative content, including research articles, special issue contributions, reviews, interviews, translations, performance notes, forum responses, archival reflections, poetry-and-music works, and other forms of music-related scholarship.

This policy explains how the journal reviews special issue submissions and non-research content. It is intended to ensure transparency, editorial independence, appropriate peer review, and consistent quality standards across all published sections of the journal.

2. Special Issues

Special issues are thematic collections that address a clearly defined topic, field, debate, repertoire, region, method, archive, practice, or emerging area in global music studies. Special issues may be proposed by guest editors, editorial board members, research networks, conference organizers, or invited scholars.

Special issue proposals should normally include:

• a proposed title and rationale for the special issue;
• the scholarly significance and originality of the topic;
• a description of the expected contribution to musicology, ethnomusicology, sound studies, performance studies, or related fields;
• names, affiliations, and brief biographies of proposed guest editor(s);
• a preliminary list of possible contributors or article topics, where available;
• a proposed timeline for submission, review, revision, and publication;
• any potential conflicts of interest, institutional connections, sponsorship, or prior conference/workshop origins.

Acceptance of a special issue proposal does not guarantee acceptance of individual manuscripts. Each submission must undergo appropriate editorial assessment and review before publication.

3. Review of Special Issue Research Articles

Research articles submitted to a special issue are subject to the same quality expectations as articles submitted to regular issues. They must demonstrate originality, methodological rigor, theoretical relevance, engagement with appropriate scholarship, and a clear contribution to the field.

Special issue research articles will normally undergo:

• initial editorial screening by the Editorial Office or responsible editor;
• assessment of thematic fit, scholarly quality, ethical compliance, and formal completeness;
• double-blind peer review by at least two qualified reviewers, where appropriate;
• revision and re-evaluation based on reviewer and editorial comments;
• a final editorial decision by the journal’s responsible editor, not solely by guest editor(s).

Guest editors may recommend reviewers and provide editorial assessments, but final responsibility for acceptance, rejection, or revision remains with the journal’s Editorial Office.

4. Guest Editor Responsibilities

Guest editors play an important role in shaping special issues, but they must follow the journal’s editorial standards, peer review procedures, confidentiality requirements, and publication ethics policies.

Guest editors are expected to:

• develop a coherent and academically significant special issue theme;
• help identify suitable contributors and reviewers;
• maintain confidentiality throughout the review process;
• avoid conflicts of interest in reviewer selection and editorial recommendations;
• ensure that invited submissions are evaluated according to scholarly merit rather than invitation status;
• cooperate with the Editorial Office regarding deadlines, revisions, ethical concerns, and final decisions;
• disclose any personal, institutional, financial, or professional relationships that may affect editorial neutrality.

5. Conflicts of Interest in Special Issues

Special issues often involve close scholarly networks, conference panels, research groups, or collaborative projects. Such connections do not automatically disqualify a special issue, but they must be managed transparently.

Conflicts of interest may include:

• recent co-authorship, supervision, employment, institutional affiliation, or funded collaboration;
• personal relationships or professional dependency between guest editor(s), author(s), or reviewer(s);
• financial, institutional, political, or organizational interests in the publication outcome;
• cases where a guest editor submits a manuscript to the special issue they are editing.

When guest editors submit their own work to a special issue, the manuscript must be handled independently by the Editorial Office or another editor without a conflict of interest. Guest editors must not participate in the review or decision-making process for their own submissions.

6. Non-Research Content

The journal publishes several forms of non-research content that contribute to scholarly exchange, cultural documentation, critical reflection, and public engagement in global music studies. These submissions may not always follow the same review process as research articles, but they remain subject to editorial standards.

Non-research content may include:

• Timeless Resonance: East–West Music Review;
• Sound Archives: Fieldwork and Memory;
• Voices Now: Contemporary Soundscapes;
• The Score Page;
• Dialogues & Interviews;
• Performance Notes;
• Book & Media Reviews;
• Translations & Source Texts;
• Forum: Author Replies and Scholarly Exchange;
• Resonant Verses: Poetry and Music;
• Everyday Resonances.

7. Review Procedures for Non-Research Content

Non-research content is normally reviewed by the Editorial Office, section editors, or qualified editorial advisers. External peer review may be used when the submission makes substantial scholarly claims, presents original archival or fieldwork materials, involves sensitive ethical issues, or requires specialist evaluation.

Review procedures may include:

• editorial screening for relevance, clarity, originality, and suitability for the target section;
• assessment of factual accuracy, citation practice, permissions, copyright, and ethical compliance;
• language, structure, and style review;
• specialist review where the content involves substantial scholarly interpretation, fieldwork, translation, archival materials, or technical musical analysis;
• revision by the author when requested by the Editorial Office or section editor.

The journal will identify the nature of the content where necessary and will not present editorially reviewed materials as peer-reviewed research articles unless they have undergone the appropriate peer review process.

8. Book and Media Reviews

Book and media reviews are normally evaluated by the Editorial Office or responsible section editor. Reviews should be fair, accurate, critically informed, and relevant to the journal’s scope.

Reviewers should:

• clearly identify the work under review;
• summarize the work accurately without excessive reproduction of content;
• evaluate the work’s contribution, method, argument, materials, or cultural significance;
• avoid personal attacks, promotional language, or unsupported claims;
• disclose any relationship with the author, creator, publisher, performer, institution, or project under review.

9. Dialogues, Interviews, and Forum Contributions

Dialogues, interviews, and forum contributions are normally reviewed editorially for relevance, accuracy, consent, clarity, and scholarly value. Where such content includes substantial academic claims, controversial statements, sensitive personal information, or contested historical material, additional review or verification may be required.

Interview-based submissions must comply with the journal’s policies on informed consent, attribution, editing transparency, translation accuracy, and ethical use of participant materials.

10. Translations and Source Texts

Translations and source texts are reviewed for accuracy, permissions, scholarly relevance, and editorial suitability. Authors or translators must confirm that they have the right to translate, reproduce, annotate, or publish the source material.

Submissions in this category should normally clarify:

• the source, authorship, copyright status, and publication history of the original text;
• the translator’s method and any significant translation choices;
• whether permission has been obtained from the rights holder, where required;
• whether annotations, introductions, or contextual materials are original;
• whether the translation involves culturally sensitive, restricted, or community-specific materials.

11. Creative, Reflective, and Practice-Based Sections

Submissions to sections such as The Score Page, Performance Notes, Resonant Verses: Poetry and Music, and Everyday Resonances may combine artistic, reflective, documentary, or practice-based forms. These works are normally reviewed editorially for originality, relevance, ethical compliance, permissions, and contribution to the journal’s broader intellectual and cultural aims.

Where a creative or practice-based submission includes scholarly claims, research evidence, interviews, archival materials, or audio-visual documentation, the Editorial Office may request further review, documentation, or revision.

12. Invited Contributions

Invited contributions are subject to editorial assessment and revision. Invitation does not guarantee publication. Invited authors must comply with the journal’s ethical, copyright, authorship, conflict of interest, and disclosure policies.

If an invited contribution is intended to be published as a peer-reviewed research article, it must undergo the appropriate peer review process. Otherwise, it will be treated according to the relevant content category.

13. Editorial Decisions

Editorial decisions for special issue and non-research content may include acceptance, acceptance with minor revisions, request for major revisions, rejection, transfer to a more suitable section, or request for additional documentation.

Decisions may be based on:

• fit with the journal’s aims and scope;
• scholarly, cultural, documentary, creative, or pedagogical value;
• clarity, structure, language quality, and accessibility to readers;
• accuracy of claims, citations, translations, permissions, and metadata;
• compliance with ethical, copyright, confidentiality, and conflict of interest requirements;
• the overall coherence and quality of the issue or section in which the work may appear.

14. Transparency and Labelling

The journal aims to ensure that readers can distinguish between research articles, editorially reviewed content, reviews, interviews, translations, creative works, forum contributions, and other content types.

Where appropriate, the journal may label content by section, genre, or review status. Non-research content will not be described as peer-reviewed research unless it has undergone the journal’s peer review process for research articles.

15. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or raise concerns about the handling of special issue or non-research submissions by contacting the Editorial Office with a clear explanation and relevant supporting information.

Appeals will be considered by the Editorial Office and, where appropriate, by an editor or adviser who was not directly involved in the original decision. The journal’s final decision will be based on editorial standards, available evidence, and the need to maintain fairness and publication integrity.

16. Policy Review

This policy may be revised periodically in response to developments in scholarly publishing, peer review standards, research ethics, copyright law, special issue practice, and disciplinary expectations in musicology, ethnomusicology, sound studies, performance studies, and related fields.

Effective date: May 28, 2026

Last updated: May 28, 2026