Before you submit an article to Acta Musicologica, be sure to comply with our publication ethics! Upon manuscript submission, you affirm that your article and its contents have not been published before and have not been accepted for publication in another journal. You also unconditionally guarantee that you have all appropriate and necessary rights and authorities to publish the texts, photos, images, sheet music, etc. provided. Furthermore, you agree with the distribution of your content through online platforms such as the journal’s website, JSTOR, Project MUSE, and the like.
Peer Review Procedure
Acta Musicologica adheres to a double-blind peer-reviewing policy. The identities (and affiliations) of the authors and reviewers are concealed from each other. We send each submission in an anonymous form to two reviewers and contact the authors again as soon as we receive their reports.
Initial Review
Before being sent out for formal review, all submitted manuscripts are initially checked by the editorial team to determine whether they meet the Acta editorial criteria. Manuscripts are rejected promptly if they are judged inappropriate with regard to our formal criteria.
Selecting Referees
The editors select at least two referees on the basis of their expertise in the article's topic, the author-selected keywords, and, if possible, the suggestions and exclusions provided by the author. Reviewers are asked to abide strictly by the “COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.” Acta is committed to timely editorial decisions and reviews and expects the review procedure to be finished within six to eight weeks from submission.
Review Criteria
To be considered for publication in Acta, a manuscript must meet a high standard of criteria. Referees are asked to evaluate a paper according to the following major aspects:
- Relevance and originality: Is the paper’s topic of current relevance? Is the paper also understandable and of interest to readers who are not specialists in the article’s topic? Does the paper make a major scientific contribution that breaks new ground?
- Formal correctness: Does the author follow Acta’s policies and guidelines?
- Sources and references: Are references provided appropriately? Are the online sources reliable?
- Language and style: Is the writing style correct and clear?
On the basis of these criteria, reviewers are asked to forward a final reasoned recommendation that will be the basis for the editors’s decision to publish a paper:
- Acceptable in present form and recommended for publication
- Acceptable with minor corrections; no further review necessary
- Requires moderate or major revision and a second review
- Not acceptable
Anonymity
The editors do not pass on any reviewer’s identity either to the author or to other reviewers. Neither do they reveal the author’s name to a reviewer. Although authors and reviewers are asked to not reveal their names to each other, both parties nevertheless may independently decide to identify themselves to the other.
Author Guidelines
Submitted papers must be original works, which have not previously been published in any form elsewhere. The recommended word limit for submissions is 8,000 words (including notes and bibliography). Shorter articles are also welcome. The text must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx). Authors are asked not to enable reviewers to draw any conclusions about their name/authorship in the text. If you would like to submit a manuscript, please send it to the editors with the words “Manuscript for Acta Musicologica” included in the subject line and also include the Acta publishing agreement.
Languages
In compliance with the IMS Statutes revision on July 9, 2019, we endeavor to increase the amount of permitted languages for publication in Acta Musicologica. The criteria for the languages allowed are the linguistic competence of the current editorial board and the relevance of the language to the topic of the article. Please contact the editors with any questions.
Style
For all questions of style, please consult recent copies of Acta (vol. 90 or newer) and refer to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (notes and bibliography): Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide. To view a sample bibliography, click here. The editors reserve the right to return submissions that do not conform to these guidelines.
Figures
Figures must be placed within the document manuscript at the appropriate place (including captions) and attached as separate files (JPG, TIFF, PNG, PDF, EPS, or SVG; 300 dpi at 15 cm/6 inches in portrait format). A vector image format (PDF, EPS, or SVG) is preferred for typeset music examples and tables. Note that it is the authors’ responsibility to secure the permission for reproducing any material in copyright.
Abstract and Biography
All research articles have to be supplied with a structured abstract, keywords, and a short biography (all in US English). The abstract describes the purpose, value, approach, and results of the article. It should not exceed 200 words. Please also provide an English article title and three to five keywords (not mentioned in the title) with your abstract. The English biography must not exceed 100 words.
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