About the Journal

AIMS AND SCOPE

Neo-Victorian Studies (NVS) is a peer-reviewed, inter-disciplinary eJournal dedicated to the exploration of the contemporary fascination with re-imagining the Long Nineteenth Century and its varied literary, artistic, sociopolitical and historical contexts in both British and international frameworks. Perhaps most evident in the proliferation of so-called neo-Victorian novels, the trend is also discernible in the abundance of biographies of nineteenth-century figures, the continuing allure of art movements such as the pre-Raphaelites, popular cinema productions and TV adaptations, and historical re-evaluations in such fields as medicine, psychology, sexology, and studies in cultural memory. Neo-Victorian Studies provides a strategic forum to analyse the complicated investments of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in historical remembrance, revision, and reconstruction, to engage creatively with the period, and to stimulate international debate and exchange of ideas in this flourishing field of critical and artistic endeavour.

The journal publishes both scholarly and creative work in the English language, as well as critical responses to topics raised in previous issues. In general, work submitted should be unpublished, though the editors will consider republication of creative work not previously considered in a neo-Victorian critical context or significant but difficult to access theoretical work on the subject, e.g. if otherwise unavailable in English translation. The NVS editorial team invites submissions from researchers and creative artists in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, as well as practitioners of other disciplines, whose work specifically engages with the contemporary legacies of the nineteenth century. The use of the term ‘neo-Victorian’, it should be noted, is employed in the widest possible sense, so as not to be restricted to geographical British contexts or those of the British Empire and its one-time colonies. Hence essays and creative pieces dealing with nineteenth-century Asian, African, North and South American contexts, among others, are equally welcome.

Neo-Victorian Studies is based at and supported by Swansea University, Wales, UK.

 

ETHICS STATEMENT

NVS is committed to scholastic and artistic excellence. The editorial board brings together creative practitioners and researchers from Literature, History, Creative Writing, Art History, Cultural Studies, Sociology, Health Science, and Women and Gender Studies from eleven nations and over two dozen institutions world-wide, reflecting our commitment to diversity and inclusivity. 

We welcome contributions from all neo-Victorian scholars, including early career researchers and postgraduates, regardless of geographical location, background, or ethnicity, as part of our effort to promote an inclusive global research community and encourage the next generation of academic researchers in the field of neo-Victorian Studies .

The e-journal format is intended to ensure the widest possible international access, participation, and dissemination and make best possible use of the internet as a global publishing medium, while minimising the journal’s digital carbon footprint in line with the hosting university’s sustainability strategy and policy.

 

PUBLICATION FREQUENCY & GENERAL/SPECIAL ISSUES

NVS aims to publish 1-2 issues each year, at least one of which will usually be a general issue.

Special issues on a designated neo-Victorian topic may be proposed by any scholars of neo-Victorianism, members of the NVS editorial team, or one or more NVS Editorial Board members. Guest editors’ scholarly credentials are checked and approved by the NVS editorial team, and all CfPs for special issues are reviewed by the full NVS Editorial Board prior to proceeding with the advertisement of the special issue topic and the invitation of proposals. While the guest-editorial team for special issues may include postgraduate editors, these should be supported by at least one established researcher/academic. The NVS General Editor and editorial team oversee the guest editors and their work on special issues.

 

EDITORIAL POLICY

The NVS editors will do their best to advise potential contributors of the editorial team’s preliminary assessment as to a submission's suitability for full peer review within ten weeks of receipt. Full peer review may take up to another three months, occasionally longer. Submissions should conform with the journal’s submission guidelines and be submitted through the NVS online portal, with a covering message to the NVS General Editor, Marie-Luise Kohlke and the editorial team.

All submissions to NVS undergo initial screening by the journal editors. On the basis of the initial screening, submissions may 1) be rejected outright (if deemed not to demonstrate sufficient academic rigour), 2) be held over for full peer review until requested revisions have been actioned, or 3) be sent on to full peer review.

All articles and creative pieces undergo rigorous double-blind peer review prior to acceptance for publication in NVS. The journal editors select two appropriate peer reviewers from the members of the NVS Editorial Board and/or from external reviewers working in the field of neo-Victorian Studies, with reviewers, wherever possible, chosen for their specific expertise on the relevant topic. Both the Editorial Board members and external peer reviewers are drawn from a range of countries, continents, and ethnicities to mitigate against undue bias and ensure an inclusive approach to the journal’s peer review process.

Should the peer reviewers’ recommendations differ regarding acceptance (with or without revisions) or else rejection, the NVS editors have the final say as to whether or not to accept or reject the submission. Potential contributors are granted sight of the peer reviewers’ anonymised reports and recommendations. If deemed necessary, the NVS editors may also decide to ask the original peer reviewers for a second opinion on a submission once essential revisions have been completed, before accepting a piece for publication. The NVS editors’ decision is final. (However, should a contributor query the outcome of the peer review process on the basis of reasonable concerns, such as a reviewer’s apparent conscious or unconscious bias, the editors would, as a matter of course, solicit a third assessment on the submission and reader reports from another member of the Editorial Board to inform their final decision by way of an informal appeals procedure.)

Both solicited and unsolicited reviews/review essays also undergo double peer review (but not blind) by at least two NVS editors. The rest of the peer review process proceeds along parallel lines to that for critical articles and creative pieces (see above.) 

(Note that in very exceptional circumstances , e.g. should an agreed peer reviewer drop out at a late stage and/or another suitable reviewer cannot immediately be found, a member of the NVS editorial team – bar the General Editor or other Editor who oversaw the initial screening process for the submission – may step in to act as the second peer reviewer, so as to avoid undue delay in reaching a decision on the submission.)

In the case of guest-edited special issues, the guest-editors are asked to draw up a list of potential external reviewers to be agreed with the NVS editors. Guest-editors then oversee the screening and peer review process along the same lines as the editorial policy outlined above, except that the guest editors will make the preliminary final decision on acceptance or otherwise. (Note, however, that, should serious issues with academic rigour emerge during the final copyediting process, the NVS editors reserve the right to require further substantial revisions prior to publication or, e.g. in the case of unfair practice or the unethical use of generative Artificial Intelligence, reverse the guest editors’ decision.) The guest editors’ introduction is subject to a double (non-blind) peer review by 2 members of the NVS editorial team. Any individual contributions to the special issue by the guest editors are subject to an independent review process overseen by the NVS editors in line with the journal’s standard peer review procedure outlined above.

 

NVS OPEN ACCESS POLICY

The priority of Neo-Victorian Studies (NVS) is to facilitate, disseminate, and promote scholarship on neo-Victorian literature, arts, and related cultural discourses to the widest possible global audience, so as to maximise impact. Hence we have opted for an open-access model of on-line publication, to pre-empt financial and institutional barriers to general access, as well as minimise the environmental impact associated with traditional paper-based publication.

NVS does not levy an Article Processing Charge (APC) or Article Submission Charges.

Our open access policy is restricted to educational and non-commercial use in accordance with the Creative Commons: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license. NVS website users are permitted to view/read, download, print, copy and distribute NVS articles, creative pieces, reviews, and announcements free of charge for personal, educational, and academic fair use (e.g. critical citation in scholarly articles, classroom reading and discussion, etc.), as long as they give proper credit to Neo-Victorian Studies and individual contributors as the original publishers/creators. However, any activity involving commercial use and profit (such as the subsequent sale of NVS material or its reproduction via subscription/fee charging websites and printed/on-line publications) is strictly prohibited without prior permission from the NVS editors.

Since ​2019 (issue 11:2), NVS articles and reviews/reviews essays have been digitally archived on Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/) in the same cloud infrastructure as CERN’s own Large Hadron Collider (LHC) research data. (In due course, DOIs may also be added gradually and retrospectively to articles in earlier past issues.)

 

COPYRIGHT

Copyright for all material published in Neo-Victorian Studies resides with the journal.
By publishing in NVS, authors agree to only re-use/reprint/republish their work elsewhere after a minimum period of twelve months from the date of first publication, to include full acknowledgement of their works' prior publication in Neo-Victorian Studies, and to advise the journal's General Editor prior to any such republication. Additionally, the author may deposit a version of their formatted work (as it will appear in the journal) in an institutional or subject repository. Authors are individually responsible for obtaining any necessary copyright permissions for images, photos, or other materials reproduced in their articles and for including any required credits e.g. for quotations exceeding the journal's Fair dealing rules (see 'Submission Guidelines').

Readers of Neo-Victorian Studies may download and/or print any files from the journal for their personal and/or educational use, as long as no alterations are made to the material and any subsequent citation is properly acknowledged. For any other use/reproduction/dissemination of material, express prior permission must be obtained from the journal's General Editor.

 

OTHER REVENUE & ADVERTISING

NVS currently does not receive external revenue and does not accept any advertising to generate income for the journal.