JYU Studies

ISSN 2814-8843 I Publisher: Open Science Centre, University of Jyväskylä

Introduction

JYU Studies is an open access peer-reviewed publication series for all units of the University of Jyväskylä. The series implements the Diamond OA publication model, i.e. the publications are immediately and openly available in the university´s JYX publication repository. The publication process is free of charge also for the authors (except for the on-demand printed copies).

Other open publication platforms and formats are also possible, and the authors are encouraged to experiment in different publication formats (e.g. multimedia).

The publications of JYU Studies meet the accessibility requirements (National law on the accessibility of digital services 306/2019). The editorial staff will ensure the accessibility during the publishing process.

The publications receive permanent ISBN, URN and DOI identifiers. Publications are also licensed under Creative Commons licenses. The license selection is agreed upon with the authors during the publishing process.

The Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV) has awarded JYU Studies with the label for peer reviewed scholarly publications. The label indicates that the peer review has been performed in line with the quality and ethical criteria imposed by the academic community.

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The editorial board and staff

The publisher of JYU Studies is the Open Science Centre (OSC) of JYU. The editorial staff works at the OSC.

The proposals and manuscripts are evaluated and selected by the editorial board:

  • Chair of the editorial board: Heikki Hanka, Head of Department, Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies, JYU
  • Peppi Taalas, Director, Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication, JYU
  • Anne Viljanen, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, JYU
  • Pekka Olsbo, Director, OSC, JYU
  • Arto Ikonen, Service Manager, OSC, JYU
  • Secretary for the editorial board: Sini Tuikka, Publishing Coordinator, OSC, JYU

Publication language

JYU Studies publishes in Finnish, Swedish and in English. If necessary, the editor of the JYU Studies will take care of proofreading the texts written in Finnish. If necessary, the editorial staff also will assist in the acquisition of a language review service for texts written in other languages. However, direct translations of previously published publications in another language are not published in JYU Studies. The writers are also reminded to pay attention to language especially when writing about race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, illness, or disability/ability.

Licences and copyrights

Copyright is agreed upon in a written agreement during the publishing process. As far as the content of the publication is concerned, the copyright remains with the authors. In a compilation, the copyrights of each author are retained for their own text. In terms of the layout and publication series design, the copyrights remain with the JYU Open Science Centre.

The authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the full copyright for e.g. the images, tables and other similar material included in their publication, or that such material has acquired the right to be published. The authors are responsible for acquiring these rights. The cost of such rights or their absence can be directly attributed to the authors.

The authors also ensure that they have added appropriate references to the text, tables, patterns, images, and other similar published material, in accordance with good scientific practice, if these are not the authors' original output.

Publications are licensed under Creative Commons licenses. The license selection is agreed upon with the authors during the publishing process.

Template and cover design

To ensure a smooth writing process and accessibility, an MS Word template is available, with ready-made styles that include the essentials of form, guiding, among other things, to proper referencing and attention to accessibility. The template can be modified according to the wishes of the authors or editors.

The layout of the publication will be completed by the editorial staff. The cover is designed in collaboration with the authors.

Publication proposals

JYU Studies accepts publication proposals continuously. The editorial board decides on the order and date of publication of the manuscripts selected for the publishing process but will take into account also the wishes of the authors.

Publication proposals written in the proposed publication language can be sent as an email or an email attachment to publication coordinator Sini Tuikka (sini.tuikka@jyu.fi).

It is not necessary to attach the manuscript to the publication proposal yet, but the decision to proceed to peer review  can only be made on the basis of the manuscript evaluated first by the editorial board of JYU Studies.

We encourage you to include the following in the publication proposal:

  • The working title, the author(s) and their connection to the University of Jyväskylä
  • Description on how is the publication linked to research at the University of Jyväskylä
  • Preliminary content and structure plan
  • Estimated scope of the publication (number of pages)
  • Estimated number of images, tables and images
  • Scientific significance: What new knowledge will the publication bring or what new perspectives does it offer?
  • To which audience(s) will the publication be targeted?
  • A preliminary idea for the publication date
  • Has the publication been previously offered for publication elsewhere?

The authors are also expected to adopt the following guidelines steering the publishing activities in the University of Jyväskylä:

Peer review

The secretary of the editorial board sends the author a confirmation of the publication proposal received. The author will receive information within 14 days of the rejection or acceptance of the publication proposal, or additional information will be requested.

If there has not yet been a manuscript attached to the approved publication proposal, it is agreed to send it to the next review by the editorial board, in which case the editorial board will decide on the possible start of the peer review process.

Open peer review

In JYU Studies, the peer review is mainly carried out in accordance with the principle of open and open identities, i.e. the identities of the authors and reviewers are not concealed in the review process. Any exceptions will be agreed in advance between the authors and the editorial board. As a rule, however, the comments of the peer reviewers are not open unless otherwise agreed.

Requirements for the reviewers


The editorial board requests assessments on the eligibility of the manuscript from at least two reviewers. The reviewers are PhD level researchers or other experts external to the editorial board and independent in relation to the manuscript to be reviewed. Authors may be consulted on the appointment of potential reviewers, but the final selection of reviewers is always made by the editorial board.

The review process


The editorial staff of JYU Studies provides guidelines for the reviewers to compile their comments so that they will be made according to the agreed schedule, they are comparable with each other, directing the authors, and factually and justly written.

The reviewers should assess, among other things, the theoretical framework, the reliability and accuracy of the research implementation, and the originality and novelty value of the results in relation to previous research. Each reviewer proposes either to reject the proposal or to accept it (with modifications, if necessary).

The editorial board of JYU Studies makes the final decision to publish the manuscript on the basis of the reviewers’ comments. Within two months of the start of the review process, authors will receive information on the acceptance or rejection of their manuscript, as well the possible amendments to it that may be considered a prerequisite for publication.

If necessary, the reviewers or the editorial board will read the manuscript again if substantial changes were required to it before publication. There are a maximum of three rounds of review.

Printed copies (on demand)

If necessary, printed copies of the publication can be produced at authors´ own cost. The editorial staff will assist in the printing process. Please note that also the legal deposit copies for the National Library of Finland will be included in the print run. The amount of these legal copies is linked to the amount of the print runt (2 or 6 copies). Despite the possible printed version, the publication always appears also as an open online publication.

Research data

The authors are reminded that all research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä follows good research data management processes and practices. Please see the University of Jyväskylä Research Data Policy for details and support.

Communications, marketing and visibility

The editorial staff assists the authors in planning the communications and marketing of the publication in cooperation with the JYU Marketing and Communications. The permanent web address (URN, DOI) of the publication should always be included in e.g. the press releases, blog and social media posts.

The editorial staff will regularly report the authors e.g. about the visibility and the citation and download statistics of their publication.

Editorial staff contact information