THE PAGE FEATURES

PEER-REVIEWED

8–10 images and 1500 words for image-centered, design-based projects with brief accompanying text, must include proposed layout

The Page is a dynamic space in VAR where authors are encouraged to submit a range of visual and image-centered work (e.g., photo essays, pictorial works, drawings, mapping, graphic narratives, etc.) that are designed specifically for the journal’s pages. As section initiators and former VAR editors Jenny Chio and Rupert Cox describe it: “By paying close attention to the relational analytics of image and text selection, placement, and layout in the two-dimensional space of the journal page, we hope to insert a more critical perspective on the potential of visual work in ethnographic knowledge production” (2016, 101).

All submissions must be the author’s original work.

Submission Portal
Please submit all materials through ScholarOne. It is important to note that all revisions, re-submissions, and communication with authors about their manuscript are facilitated through ScholarOne. Authors are encouraged to check spam/junk folders for filtered emails from Wiley, ScholarOne, and the editors.

Required Components for Initial Submissions
All The Page feature submissions must include:

• Title Page. This document is not for peer-review and should include the following:

Author Information Include your name, affiliation, and email. In the case of multiple authors, be sure to identify who the corresponding author will be by using an asterisk (*).
Article Title We encourage authors to include important keywords (ideally within the first 65 characters) and to keep titles short to enhance their discoverability. For tips, consult Wiley Author Services.
Short Title (4–5 words) This will be used as the running header.
Abstract (<100 words) Describe essential findings and keywords in the first two sentences. Avoid parenthetical citations in your abstract. 
Keywords (5) Each article should have 5 keywords. These are critical terms that summarize highlights, themes, and content from your article. We encourage authors to repeat important keywords in the title, abstract, and article headings.
Author Bio (<50 words) If including current institutional affiliation, education, positions held, and/or relevant publication, please describe in narrative form rather than parenthetically.

• Manuscript anonymized for review. (1500 words, including notes and bibliography, follow VAR Style Guide) While the image-driven component of your submission should be the main feature, please upload your short accompanying text as the “Main Document” in ScholarOne. Remove all references to yourself (and any co-authors) in your manuscript. You may list self-citations as Author (YEAR) in text and Author, YEAR in the references, but do not include any identifying bibliographic details in your references. Double-check that you have turned off track-changes and removed any other identifying information from your document’s metadata. Unlike original research articles, it is not necessary to reference specific figures in the body of your text. Do not include figures or captions in your manuscript file. Attach these separately and together in your proposed layout.

• Proposed Layout anonymized for review. (8–10 images) Sketch how you would like your submission to appear in print, including both image and caption placement, and if you would prefer to have your accompanying text run before, after, or alongside the images. VAR’s newly redesigned format is 6”x9.” Our regular articles have 3.5” wide text blocks set 2” from the page’s edge, 1.25” from the top and bottom, and with 0.5” gutter. The Page features can break this grid or work within it. We are able to print full-bleed images and to print in color. Please see VAR 36.1 for the new journal format.

• Image Files anonymized for review. Upload each image as separate “Figure” files in ScholarOne. Label each with a figure number. Unlike original research articles, you do not need to reference each figure in your text. All images must be at least 300 dpi and in .jpg or .tiff format. It is not necessary to enter the caption text with the file upload. Please append a caption list instead.

• Caption List & Alt Text anonymized for review. Upload a complete caption list as an “Additional File for Review but NOT Publication” in ScholarOne. Ensure that the captions match each figure exactly. Include image credits in your captions but anonymize any information about yourself. In addition to captions, authors are responsible for providing alt text (alternative text) for all figures. Alt text describes the content of the image in less than 125 characters for individuals unable to view the image. Captions and alt text should follow this format:

  1. FIGURE #. Name of Maker, Title, Location, YEAR. Photo by First NAME Last NAME. [ALT TEXT: 125 character description] Example: Figure 7. Kabusha Radio Remix installation, Paris, 2016. Photo by Kwame Phillips. [person sitting at desk wearing glasses looking at archival letters with stereo and headphones on desk]

  2. FIGURE #. Name of Maker, Title, Location, YEAR (optional if not included in descriptive title). Image courtesy of [Source/Name]. Example: Figure 4. Zanele Muholi, Sebenzile, Parktown, 2016. Image courtesy of Stevenson Gallery. [the artist Zanele Muholi’s upper body and head are draped in tubes from a washing machine and the tubes circle above their head forming a contemporary halo]

  3. FIGURE #. Descriptive Summary of the Image. Photo by First NAME Last NAME, YEAR. Example. Figure 9. Screenshot from Sent Away Boys. Harjant Gill, 2016. [individual sitting on a cot in a courtyard]

  4. FIGURE #. Description of the scene in the screen capture. Screenshot from Name of Film. Image Courtesy of [Source/Name]. Example: Figure 7. Unidentified woman of the Musk-Ox, her facial expression demonstrating recognition of the camera, Malerisiorfik. Frame grab from Med Hundeslæde gennem Alaska, 1927. [unidentified person of the Musk-Ox, their facial expression demonstrating recognition of the camera]

  If you have videos or links to media you can include it in this document. If the links lead to password protected sites, please ensure the password is current and included in this document.

Review Process & Decision Timeline
Each submission will be reviewed first by the journal editors, and if appropriate for the journal’s aims and scope, sent out for at least two peer reviews. Our aim is to complete this process and render an editorial decision (Accept, Minor Revisions, Major Revisions, Reject) within 8–10 weeks of the initial submission. However, due to increased workloads of peer reviewers, this timeline is not always guaranteed.

Revised Submissions
Authors who receive Major Revisions or Minor Revisions decisions are encouraged to resubmit their manuscripts within three months for full consideration. We endeavor to secure the same peer reviewers for revised manuscripts, but this is not always possible. When submitting a revised manuscript, authors should include a detailed Revision Memo in the Cover Letter or Author Response field of ScholarOne and attach a anonymized Track-Changes version of their manuscript to indicate where they made edits as an “Additional File NOT for Review and NOT for Publication.”

Accepted Manuscripts
Once a manuscript is accepted, authors will work with the co-editors on final copyediting via First Look in ScholarOne. Final revisions must conform to VAR Style or they will be returned. The co-editors may enlist an external copyeditor for an additional level of review. Authors will receive e-proofs from the publisher along with queries and corrections approximately six weeks before the issue goes to print. They should take this opportunity to carefully proof their article as this will be their last chance to make any changes. Both copyediting and proofreading must be completed in a timely manner to meet publication deadlines. Prior to publication, the author must complete the Author Agreement Form, which will be sent to the author directly via email from the publisher (Wiley-Blackwell).

Preparing Figures for Publication
Figures that are copyrighted must be accompanied by written permission for the journal to reprint them, granted directly by the copyright holder. VAR recommends that if such permission is required, authors begin the process as early as possible (ideally with the initial submission of the article to the journal). To that end, authors will be asked to complete a Visual Permissions Form. Please note, VAR does not have a standing budget for image licensing. Authors are responsible for any fees and securing any licenses.

Images for publication must be at least 300 dpi and uploaded in either .tiff or .jpg formats. Please do not compress images for publication! A typical image with the required specifications has a size of about 1.2 megabytes. Images that are not sufficient for publication will be returned to the author with a request to resize or replace. Name digital image files “Figure 1.” “Figure 2.” etc. Do not include lengthy descriptions in the figure name as this may cause confusion in the layout stage.

Supplements Once your manuscript is in production, you will be invited to provide additional materials (images, videos, links to relevant news articles, etc.) for an online supplement to your work. This is a space in which we feature dynamic, multimedia, and pedagogical content that extends the impact of your work. Authors will work directly with the VAR editorial assistant on these. See recent examples here.