About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Heidelberg Ethnology is a peer-reviewed Occasional Paper Series devoted to the publication of new and innovative research in socio-cultural anthropology. Its guiding purpose is to stimulate critical dialogue that brings to bear the findings of nuanced empirical study on issues of wider theoretical import. Papers in the Series address themes both traditional and contemporary, from ritual, economy and kinship to media, gender and politics. In addition to conventional monographs the Series also welcomes submissions in other formats, including multimedia presentations, conference proceedings, research data and related materials of wider ethnological significance. In line with the interests of its institutional home, the regional emphasis of the Series is on Southern Asia and Oceania. However, the Editorial Board actively seeks outstanding contributions from those working in other parts of Asia and the Pacific region, Africa, Europe, Australia and the Americas. With the aim of reaching as wide an audience as possible, the Series publishes papers on a rolling basis in an open-access electronic format in collaboration with the Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg. Papers may be submitted for publication in either English or German.

 

 

Peer Review Process

All papers published in the Series will be subjected to double-blind peer review with two external Peer Reviewers. The purpose of the peer review is to ensure that all papers published in the Series meet international standards of scholarly excellence. Based on reports from the two external Peer Reviewers, the Editor will decide in consultation with the Editorial Board whether (i) to proceed with publication as is, (ii) to request emendations or (iii) to decline the paper outright. The decision regarding whether to publish a given submission is determined by consensus within the Editorial Board.

 

 

By-Laws for the Series

 

NB: The format of the By-Laws was modified by the OJS software, replacing letters with numbers. So, the in-text cross-reference "see §3.c" should here be taken to mean "see §3.3". 

 

§1. Editor

  1. The Editor is a Member of the Editorial Board (see §3).
  2. Her or his primary responsibilities are: (i) to oversee and facilitate the peer review process; and (ii) to conduct all formal correspondence with the submitting Authors, and Peer Reviewers, once the latter have confirmed their willingness to participate in the review process (see §6.a-e).
  3. S/he is also responsible for cultivating the public visibility of the Series both online and through more traditional channels.
  4. The Editor serves at the pleasure of the Editorial Board, and can be replaced at the semesterly Meeting (see §3.c) by another Member of the Editorial Board by a two-thirds majority vote, in which the incumbent Editor does not participate. In the event of multiple candidates, a simple majority will carry the vote.

 

§2. Deputy Editor

  1. The Deputy Editor is a Member of the Editorial Board (see §3).
  2. Her or his primary responsibilities are: (i) to assist the Editor; and (ii) to carry out the Editor’s responsibilities (see §1.b) in the event of absence or incapacity, until a replacement can be appointed by the Editorial Board.
  3. The Deputy Editor serves at the pleasure of the Editorial Board, and can be replaced at the semesterly Meeting (see §3.c) by another Member of the Editorial Board by a two-thirds majority vote, in which the incumbent Deputy Editor does not participate. In the event of multiple candidates, a simple majority will carry the vote.

 

§3. Editorial Board

  1. The Editorial Board consists of no fewer than six and no more than nine Members, exclusive of the Editor and Deputy Editor.
  2. The primary responsibilities of the Editorial Board are (i) to facilitate a responsible and efficient peer-review process, and (ii) to ensure the Working Papers published in the Series meet international standards of scholarly excellence.
  3. Members of the Editorial Board are expected to reply to email in a timely fashion, and to attend a once-semesterly Meeting that is to last no more than 60 minutes.
  4. Email is the primary medium for conducting the business of the Working Paper Series.
  5. Each Member of the Editorial Board will be responsible for selecting Peer Reviewers (see §6.c) for  submissions pertaining to one or more regions (e.g., Indonesia and the Malay region) and themes (e.g., religion, mass media, critical theory) in line with her or his experience and areas of expertise.
  6. Any Member of the Editorial Board may nominate a new candidate for Membership on the Editorial Board. New Members are elected by a two-thirds majority vote during the semesterly Meeting.
  7. All members of the Editorial Board must cast a vote – in person or by proxy – for any changes to the constitution of the Editorial Board, its By-Laws or Guidelines for Submission. No single member of the Editorial Board may carry more than one proxy vote per meeting.
  8. A member may be voted off the Editorial Board by a three-quarter majority vote in which the member in question does not participate.

 

§4. Editorial Advisory Board

  1. An Editorial Advisory Board may be appointed as deemed necessary by the Editorial Board to consult periodically on issues pertaining to the review process, particularly in the case of papers addressing topics or regions on which the Editorial Board itself lacks expertise.
  2. The make-up of the Editorial Advisory Board should reflect the international profile of the Series.
  3. Members of the Editorial Advisory Board are selected to ensure that, in reviewing submissions, the Editorial Board has access to a wide range of reliable expert and up-to-date knowledge of both regional and thematic issues.

 

§5. Peer Review Principle

  1. All papers published in the Series will be subjected to double-blind peer review with two external Peer Reviewers.
  2. The purpose of the peer review is to ensure that all papers published in the Series meet international standards of scholarly excellence.
  3. Based on reports from the two external Peer Reviewers, the Editor will decide in consultation with the Editorial Board whether (i) to proceed with publication as is, (ii) to request emendations or (iii) to decline the paper outright.
  4. The decision regarding whether to publish a given submission should be reached by consensus within the Editorial Board.
  5. In the interest of ensuring an efficient review process, intractable disagreements regarding publication can be decided by a two-thirds majority.

 

§6. Peer Review Procedure

  1. When a paper is initially submitted for consideration, the Editor will remove from the manuscript any remaining details identifying the author (see §7) and send it directly to the appropriate Member of the Editorial Board for an initial vetting.
  2. If the paper does not meet basic standards of quality, or pertinence to the Series’ remit, the Editor will be informed and s/he will contact the Author immediately; if possible, alternative venues for publication will be recommended by the Editor in consultation with an appropriate Member of the Editorial Board.
  3. If the paper does meet basic standards of quality and pertinence, the appropriate Editorial Board Member will recommend two (2) external Peer Reviewers to the Editor, who will in turn contact the prospective Peer Reviewers on the Editorial Board’s behalf.
  4. The Editorial Advisory Board (see §4) may be consulted should there be any difficulty in locating suitable external Peer Reviewers.
  5. When two Peer Reviewers have confirmed their willingness to participate, the Editor will send them each an electronic copy of the manuscript with all identifying details of the Author having been removed. This process may in due course be automated.
  6. External Peer Reviewers will be asked to submit their evaluations within no more than one month.
  7. In the interest of impartiality, a general template will be used for guiding initial correspondence with both Authors and prospective Peer Reviewers. 
  8. For the same reason, the Editor will take responsibility for maintaining all formal correspondence (i) with the Author; and  (ii) with the Peer Reviewers after their initial willingness to participate has been confirmed by the appropriate Member of the Editorial Board.
  9. To minimize the time between submission and publication, every effort will be made to ensure the review process is completed swiftly and efficiently.

§6.1 Guest Editors

  1. Guest editors may organize the peer review process having received a prior majority approval from the Editorial Board. 
  2. Although the selection of readers and management of the review will be handled by the Guest Editor(s), the standing Editorial Board will always have the final say on acceptance/revisions/rejection.
  3. In the event that one or more current members of the Editorial Board act as Guest Editor(s), they will recuse themselves from any vote pertaining to the publication in question.

§7. Submission Procedure

  1. All papers must be submitted in electronic format, either by email to the Editor or – if available – by using an online form at the Homepage for the Series (see §9)
  2. To facilitate both review and formatting for publication, all submissions must be made in the form of a standard MS Word file (.doc, .docx or .rtf).
  3. All information identifying the Author should be removed from the manuscript prior to its submission.
  4. Submissions should be between 7,000 and 12,000 words; in special circumstances, both shorter and longer submissions will be considered.
  5. Initial submissions may be made following any standard set of scholarly conventions (e.g., APA, Harvard, Chicago). 
  6. If accepted for publication, the Author will be responsible for bringing the manuscript into line with the citational and other conventions employed in the Series (see Guidelines for Submission).

 

§8. Institutional Associations

  1. Heidelberg Ethnology is associated with Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, and its Institut für Ethnologie, Karl Jaspers Center and South Asia Institute. 
  2. The Working Papers Series is published in collaboration with Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg.

 

§9. Homepage

  1. A simple Homepage will be maintained for the Series using the Open Journal System software provided by the University Library. 
  2. The Homepage will provide a résumé of published and forthcoming Papers, complete with keywords, abstracts and easy online access to PDF versions of the Papers.
  3. It is the Editor’s responsibility to maintain the Homepage, or, alternatively, to make appropriate arrangements for its maintenance.

 

§10. Bylaws and Guidelines for Submission

  1. The Bylaws are the founding document for the Series and govern the activities associated with it. 
  2. The primary purposes of the Bylaws are (i) to ensure an international standard of scholarly excellence for the Working Papers, and (ii) to help minimize the work required of the Editorial Board in meeting this standard.
  3. The Guidelines for Submission lay out the format of the Papers at the time of submission and publication.
  4. An up-to-date record of (i) the Bylaws and (ii) the Guidelines for Submission are to be available online at the Series’ Homepage  (see §9).
  5. Changes to (i) the Bylaws and (ii) the Guidelines for Submission may be proposed at any time, in any format (orally, by email, in writing etc.); but they must be ratified at the semesterly Meeting by a two-thirds majority vote of the Editorial Board.
  6. All members of the Editorial Board must cast a vote – in person or by proxy – in order for any changes to the By-Laws or Guidelines for Submission to be ratified.

 

§11. Copyright

  1. Copyright for all Papers published in the Series belongs exclusively to their author(s).
  2. We ask that the author(s) kindly acknowledge prior publication in the Series should they decide to republish their Paper elsewhere—whether as is, or in revised form.