Submissions

Author Guidelines

The Frames Cinema Journal team welcomes submissions from new, emerging, and established scholars across the disciplines. While we expect those working in the fields of film, media and screen studies to actively contribute submissions, we are also welcoming of anyone conducting research that engages with the concept of the issue’s theme that is specified in the CFP.

Work that meets the following prerequisites is suitable for publication in FCJ:

  • Should be original and previously unpublished.
  • Should not be under consideration elsewhere.
  • Should have a unique, insightful and compelling point of view.
  • Its central argument, theme and methodology engages with the CFP.
  • Its theoretical framework and research angle is up to date with current debates in the field.
  • It appeals to a wide audience, but especially one which is film, media and screen savvy.

Types of Submissions

Feature Articles
Feature Articles are research essays that engage in theoretical, practical, pedagogical, and/or historical analysis of the visual narrative in film or related digital media. Feature Articles are typically between 5,000-7,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.

Point-of-View (POV) Featurettes
Point-of-View (POV) Featurettes are shorter research essays which seek to examine or express a specific critique in a more succinct fashion. Point-of-View (POV) Featurettes are typically between 1,000-3,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.

Film Featurettes
Film Featurettes are shorter research essays, which discuss and review one film in detail. Film Featurettes are typically between 1,000-3,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.

Scene Reviews
Scene Reviews are our shorter research essays, which investigate and review one scene in detail. Scene Reviews are typically between 1,000-2,000 words in length, inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.

Book Reviews
Book Reviews are essays that provide a scholarly critique of the latest texts in the field. The text choice may range from the theoretical and the practical to the pedagogical and the historical. Book Reviews are typically 1,000 words in length (1,500 words max.), inclusive of endnotes, but exclusive of the bibliography.

Video Essays
Video essays can be of varying length and should be discussed with the editors on a case-by-case basis. Video essay submissions must be sent to the editors in the form of a link using an online platform (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.).

Responding to a CFP

If you are submitting an abstract to the journal’s Call For Papers, please ensure that:

  • You have supplied a thematically suitable 250-word abstract.
  • You have stated in your abstract what format of article you are aiming to produce.
  • A 150-word (max) biography, written in the third person.
  • Your submission’s tentative title has been supplied at the beginning of the document; left-aligned; bold; 12-point font.
  • Your name has been supplied below title; left-aligned; bold; 12-point font.
  • All of your text is Double-spaced; 12-point font; Times New Roman Font.
  • Your document is in Word Document format (we do not accept submissions in another format).
  • Your document has been saved under the title “Frames Issue # Author First name Author Surname”.
  • Your submission is sent to framesjournal@gmail.com.
  • You have submitted your abstract on time. Submissions will not be accepted after the deadline or if they are unsolicited.

Peer-Review Process

Manuscript Submissions & Reader Feedback Process

Submissions to Frames Cinema Journal undergo a rigorous peer review process in which teams of two readers are assigned 1-2 reviews which they evaluate over a three-week period to determine their suitability for publication. While the focus of this review process is to ensure the work’s suitability for publication, a large aspect of it is also copy-editing the work.

The co-editors-in-chief of each issue are responsible for assigning a manuscript to each reader as well as providing them with a ‘Reader Feedback Form.’ The readers are meant to complete and return the form along with the reviewed and edited document to the co-editors-in-chief at the end of the peer review.

At the end of the peer review, authors are notified by the co-editors-in-chief about the status of their manuscripts. One of the following outcomes is assigned to each submission:

  • Accept. The work is of publishable quality.
  • Accept, with minor adjustments. The work is of a publishable standard but is in need of minor adjustments.
  • Accept, with substantial adjustments. The work can be of a publishable standard if substantial adjustments are made. This status is conditional, and the editorial team reserves the option of rejecting the work if the adjustments have not been made or they have and they are not suitable for publication.
  • Reject. The work is not yet at a publishable standard.

Criteria for Peer Review
Frames Cinema Journal reviewers are film, screen, and media studies scholars with backgrounds in teaching, research, production/performance, and/or publishing. Their expertise determines which manuscripts meet the journal’s standards. They evaluate each submission based on the following criteria:

  • The originality of the thesis. The manuscript offers a fresh and pioneering approach to its critical inquiry.
  • The theoretical framework. The critical theory employed in the manuscript is used clearly and consistently throughout the work to guide its central arguments.
  • Subject knowledge. The work demonstrates a thorough and detailed command of the material. Terminology is used correctly and authoritatively.
  • Structure and organisation. The work is offers a focused, clearly presented and well-structured argument. Excellent attention to flow of argument and ideas.
  • Analysis and argument. Strong evidence of originality and insight in thorough analysis.
  • The fluency of the writing. The writing demonstrates excellent attention to the flow of the argument from paragraph to paragraph. Paragraphs are both specific and internally coherent, with clear topic sentences and transitions that explicitly convey the progression of the argument.
  • Academic practice. There are a full range of sources which indicate to an engagement with the material. References clearly and appropriately utilised, and follow The Chicago Manual of Style.
  • Level of visual evidence. The author has made correct use of visual images in support of their written work. The visual images have been appropriately captioned and cited.

Article Submission Preparation Checklist

  • Please refer to your article format’s specific style guide on our Style Guide page to ensure that all of the article’s features, formatting and presentation are correct.
  • The submission has not been previously published nor is it under consideration elsewhere.
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word format.
  • The text follows the 17th Edition of the Chicago Manual of Style stylistic and bibliographic requirements.
  • Employs endnotes and not footnotes that follow the 17th Edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.
  • The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs Times New Roman font; document contains page numbers.
  • The title appears at the beginning of the document; left-aligned; bold; 12-point font.
  • The identity of the author does not appear anywhere on the document.