Important Information to our Authors: From Vol. 8(1) The Journal Section of Voices will be a Peer Reviewed Journal
Since the inception of The Journal section of Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy in 2001, submitted articles have been reviewed by the editors. The evaluation process has at times been quite flexible and informal, but it has ensured that the texts published have contributed with stimulating insights about how music therapy and related practices are developed in various contexts around the world.
This autumn we have changed our Guidelines for authors considerably, and we have specified that all articles in the standard genres (see below) are reviewed internally by the Editors-in-Chief and externally by two members of our Editorial Board. The Guidelines specify the steps of the review process and also the procedures we use. In the following we will clarify why we have chosen to formalize the process in this way and the goals we have for further development of the journal.
In formalizing the evaluation process we think it will be possible to enhance the quality of published texts even more and simultaneously to encourage international dialogue. One of the procedures we have established is that submitted articles will be reviewed by one reviewer from the same continent and one from another continent than that of the author. We clarify in our guidelines that we aim to make the review process a constructive and professional peer critique, and that authors’ comments and feedback on the process will be appreciated. In order to make such a communicative process possible we have established a set of criteria for evaluation, and the use of these criteria will be communicated to the author.
The criteria are formulated as a set of writing advice (see the Guidelines for descriptions of criteria):
- Strive for clarity of voice
- Strive for substantive content
- Choose an appropriate style and genre
- Encourage dialogue
- Situate the text.
Exactly how these criteria could and should be used needs to be defined in relation to the author’s choice of genre (see the Guidelines for descriptions of genres). Currently, there are five "standard genres" used in The Journal section of Voices, and we will list them alphabetically here:
- Essays
- Perspectives on practice
- Reports
- Stories
- Theoretical Papers.
Each genre represents a frame with certain possibilities and limitations. For instance, Clinical Papers and Reports provide the author with possibilities of describing processes and effects of music therapy processes and projects, while Essays and Theoretical Papers give more space for theoretical reflection and discussion. Stories provide structure in a narrative form that can frame a problem, or create metaphorical descriptions with a beginning, middle, and end. We encourage our authors to use one the genres described in the Guidelines (and also to communicate to us the possibilities and limitations they see in the use of these genres). In addition, there are two “special genres” available, namely Interviews and International Archives (the latter involves republication of relevant texts previously published in books or journals).
We hope that the new guidelines, the formalized review process, and the criteria and genre descriptions that we have developed will operate as tools for the realization of the goal that we have defined for ourselves:
The Journal section of Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy offers an international avenue for publication of texts on contemporary music therapy, with a specific focus upon multidisciplinary and multicultural dialogue and understanding.
The fact that we are now talking about a peer reviewed journal does not suggest that we are turning it into a traditional research journal of the health sciences. It is of course a positive thing if articles are informed by and based upon research studies, but Voices will not be a major channel for the publication of papers on de-contextualized effects of music, and we do not restrict ourselves to knowledge produced by scientists. In other words: The Journal section of Voices will still be inclusive and dialogic, and we encourage submissions from music therapists and others who work with music and health as scholars and/or practitioners. And, we want to underscore the following paragraph of the Guidelines:
Authors from all over the world are welcome to write in the journal. Therefore, we offer advice regarding language to those for whom English is the second, third or fourth language, and Non-English authors are also welcome to submit an additional version of their article written in their native language. This version must be edited for language by the author her-/himself.
In the production of the present issue, Vol. 7(3), we have for practical reasons used a mix of our new and our previous procedures. From now on the new procedures as described in the guidelines will be used. This includes changes as to when and to whom manuscripts should be submitted, and the implication is that there will be more communication between the editors-in-chief and each author. We hope this will work to the benefit of both authors and the journal and are looking forward to future dialogues with you.
It is extremely important that we gather texts earlier than we have before the new procedures took effect. So we encourage you to be in touch with the regional editors when you have an emerging idea for a text submission to Voices. Now that we have a review process, much more time is involved. As a rule of thumb we will need manuscripts three to four months before publication, that is; if you submit a text around the time we publish an issue we will be able to consider it for the next issue.
Our goal is to create an inclusive venue for all genres without a hierarchy. In other words, we value Stories just as much as we value Theoretical papers. We need both. Stories emphasize our humanity. And Theoretical papers accomplish the important task of abstract thinking about our practice. We value Essays as much as we value Reports and Perspectives on practice. Essays are often the best genre to accomplish the important criteria of “encouraging dialogue” because they are reflective and bring up critical questions. Reports give us concrete details of happenings and events in music therapy around the world. And Perspectives on practice give us the possibility of reflecting upon the specifics of music therapy processes, whether they are linked to a clinical context or a community context. We invite you to explore the possibilities of each genre and we believe that this is the best way to create access for many readers of Voices, from music therapy academics to traditional healers to music therapy students and to many others who are interested in our work.
Voices is an ambitious enterprise and also a vision for now and the future. This vision is inclusive and emphasizes the possibility of a world in which diverse forms of knowledge are honored and encouraged in a way that encourages the sharing of resources and dialog across cultures, approaches, languages, even ways of being. It is only through this type of vision that we can find a way to exist with respect and what academics call “respectful discourse” or good conversations full of deep telling and listening that we can continue to grow and change in a good way and leave an honorable legacy for future generations.
