Editorial Policy – Publication Criteria
Warped and Weft publishes papers, and articles that meet the needs and intellectual interests of college and university professors and students, as well as the general viewing public. Prospective authors should familiarize themselves with recent articles on transpersonal anthropology and culture to determine the appropriateness of a possible contribution. However, such an examination does not provide an infallible guide because editorial policy is always under review. Technical correctness is necessary, but it is not the only condition for acceptance. Clarity of exposition and potential interest of the readers are important considerations; it is the reader, not the author, who must receive the benefit of the doubt.
To be publishable on Warped and Weft, a submission should be evidently written for, useful, interesting, and accessible to readers from outside the specific sub-discipline that is the subject of the manuscript.
Other expectations include clarity of presentation and a significant level of general interest to Warped and Weft’s diverse audience. We politely recommend that authors whose native language is not English may wish to have someone with an excellent command of written English read their manuscript and help them with revisions to improve usage.
Criteria that will be used in evaluating the appropriateness of submitted manuscripts include the following:
- Would it aid significantly in the process of learning transpersonal anthropology and culture?
- Does it provide enough background information to be accessible to readers from other sub-disciplines of transpersonal anthropology and culture?
- Does it describe new ways of understanding, demonstrating, describing or teaching transpersonal anthropology and culture?
- Does it take proper cognizance of previous work on the same subject, regardless of where it may have appeared?
- Is it well organized and written in a clear and interesting manner?
- Would it be of value to undergraduate or graduate teachers or students of transpersonal anthropology? (This criterion does not mean that the content needs to be immediately applicable in the classroom — the benefit may be, and often is indirect. Nevertheless, the educational motivation of the manuscript should be evident and unstrained.)
Contributions
Contributions are encouraged and welcomed. Contributions should treat subjects of value and interest to transpersonal anthropology and culture. The following broad categories are provided for your guidance:
Cultural Practice
(Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, India, Central/South America, North America)
Philosophy
(Transpersonal, Phenomenology, Metaphysics, Mysticism. Ontology, Epistemology)
Science
(Quantum/Temporal, Cosmology, Neuroscience, Cognitive, Field Study, Paranormal)
Religion
(Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Kabala, Sufism, Gnostic, Theosophy)
Rituals
(Animism, Shaman/Priests, Transitions, Healing)
Altered States
(Entheogens, Meditation, Deprivation)
Arts
(Music, Visual, Dance)
Media
(Books, Photos, Film clips)
Contributions should significantly aid the learning of transpersonal anthropology and culture and not be primarily a display of cleverness and erudition. Highly specialized contributions are encouraged. Topics from all fields of the above Topic List, and neighboring disciplines are appropriate.. Manuscripts on topics that largely parallel those already available in textbooks and monographs and that differ from them primarily in the domain of taste rather than coverage are suitable contributions.
Warped and Weft is particularly interested in articles that can be used to bring contemporary research in transpersonal anthropology and related fields into the knowledgebase at large. Such articles can also be review articles, as well as self-contained articles that describe a particular piece of research in such a way that it is accessible to as many readers as possible. Pedagogical value can be added to all articles by including suggested problems or projects for the chosen subject. Examples include problems with analytical solutions, analysis of experimental data, or other activities. Making connections between research and standard topics in transpersonal anthropology is encouraged.
Articles of historical, philosophical, and cultural value are also encouraged. Articles describing novel approaches to research and classroom instruction are appropriate. Articles announcing new theoretical or experimental results, or manuscripts questioning well-established and successful theories, are also acceptable. If a manuscript is otherwise acceptable as a contribution, the inclusion of new results is not a barrier to publication. Manuscripts describing original research that clarifies past misunderstandings or allows a broader view of a subject are acceptable. Manuscripts that demonstrate new relations between apparently unrelated areas of transpersonal anthropology and culture are also appropriate. Articles that show new ways of understanding, demonstrating, or deriving familiar results are also acceptable.
Article Length
There are no stipulations to article length. For articles of a length greater than that of the average article. authors planning such articles are asked to consult with the editors at an early stage.
Article Specialization
Most readers of a particular article will not be specialists in the subject matter presented; the context within which the paper is presented should be established in the introductory paragraphs and not relegated to the references. Manuscripts must be technically correct and must take proper cognizance of previous work on the same subject regardless of where it may have appeared. It is the responsibility of the author to provide adequate references; editors and referees will not do the literature search that should have been done by the authors.
Comments and Feedback
Disciplined significant controversy has a proper place in Warped and Weft; extended, diffuse argumentation does not. To encourage the former and discourage the latter, the editors will forward to authors any communications received that are critical of their published work. Comments may also be posted to Warped and Weft. Inappropriate comments will be removed by the editors upon notification. Authors and critics are then asked to correspond directly with one another if necessary. If after this correspondence, a significant conclusion has been reached, they are encouraged to prepare a brief joint note. If such an agreement should prove impossible, two separate notes might be published. The comments section is a forum for counterpoints, but it is not a forum for arguments, unnecessary protractions; off-topic replies; and comments on the author as opposed to the topic.
Care in following these guidelines will permit editors and commenters to devote more time to thoughtful evaluation of contributions and will ultimately lead to a better, more interesting Site.
Editorial Procedures
Articles for submissions may be submitted via the online form http://www.warpednweft.com//submit-article/ . New users will be required to register with the site first. Registered users will be required to log in, to submit their article.
Upon receipt of a new submission, an acknowledgment will be sent to the submitting author.
The Editor will perform a cursory review to determine whether or not
- the topic, level, and intended audience of the manuscript are reasonably aligned with the Editorial Policy,
- the writing is sufficiently clear so that a fair review may be obtained,
- the introduction and references therein suggest that a thorough literature search has been performed, and
- the format of the manuscript reasonably observes the instructions in this document.
If the manuscript is found not to meet these most fundamental requirements it may be returned for modification. Final responsibility for correcting errors lies with the author.
Once published the author will be notified as appropriate.