New journal to highlight journalism research
For the past year, the directors of J-Schools Canada/Écoles-J Canada have dug into how to best serve Canada’s journalism researchers. One item that quickly emerged at the top of the wish list was a publishing platform for faculty and graduate student research.
We are now pleased to announce the birth of Facts & Frictions: Emerging Debates, Pedagogies and Practices in Contemporary Journalism/Faits et frictions: Débats, pédagogies et pratiques émergentes en journalisme contemporain to be published by J-Source.
The journal, a project of J-Schools Canada/Écoles-J Canada, was named through an open contest won by recent Carleton grad Chelsey Devito. We think the title signifies a lively approach to journalism research, full of debate and discussion.
Facts & Frictions will showcase peer-reviewed scholarly articles, research notes, reviews and substantive works of journalism on journalism-related topics.
The research is not destined for dusty shelves; readers can access Facts & Friction’s content for free, published on J-Source. With a ready-made readership and free open access online platform, Facts & Frictions will enjoy a level of public outreach rare in academic publishing.
As journalists, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The focus is blind peer-reviewed scholarship with a unique multi-media twist. Shorter reviews and research notes in the form of podcasts and presentation videos will sit alongside more traditional scholarly articles, pioneering a new type of academic journal. As well, substantive works of journalism in any format are welcome to be submitted for peer review.
The idea already has some legs, evidenced by a robust uptake to our call for volunteer review committee members issued early in September. In addition to volunteers, we received many comments that a Canadian journal about journalism is long overdue.
Articles will be accepted in both English and French. The deadline for the first issue is June 30. We are also on the lookout for volunteer reviewers of new books, films and other resources.
To submit, please visit J-Schools Canada/Écoles-J Canada’s website. Requirements can be found in the Call for Submissions.
We want to keep the journal free and know you do, too. To contribute a tax-deductible donation toward our accessible scholarship goal, please support J-Source on the Carleton FutureFunder.
Patricia W. Elliott is an associate professor of journalism at First Nations University of Canada and the University of Regina, and co-ordinator of Facts & Frictions/Faits et frictions