Submissions
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Author Guidelines

Welcome to the submission page for Performance & Production: Contemporary Studies across Stage and Screen. We are an international, diamond open access journal dedicated to the materiality of making in film, theatre, and creative digital media. We welcome research and practitioner writing that makes methods, workflows, decision-making, constraints, and collaboration visible.

1. Journal Sections and Word Limits

Please ensure your manuscript aligns with one of our specific sections:

  • Original Research: 6,000 to 9,000 words including references.

  • The Studio: 800 to 2,500 words.

  • The Workshop: Flexible length accompanied by a 300-word Author Statement.

  • In Conversation: 3,000 to 6,000 words.

  • Stage & Screen: 800 to 1,200 words.

  • Editorial: Up to 5,000 words, strictly reserved for editors and guest editors.

2. Manuscript Formatting and Anonymity

  • File Format: Submit your manuscript as a single Microsoft Word document.

  • Anonymity: Authors must remove self-identifying information from the text and file metadata to facilitate double-blind peer review.

  • Visuals: We encourage image-led scholarship. Submissions should include at least one visual item per 3,000 words unless an exception applies. All visuals must include captions, source information, and descriptive alt text.

3. Citation and Referencing Style

All submissions must adhere strictly to the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition guidelines.

In-Text Citations:

  • One author: (Smith, 2023)

  • Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023)

  • Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023)

  • Direct quotes: Must include page numbers, e.g., (Smith, 2023, p. 45)

Reference List Formatting Examples:

  • Journal Article: Smith, J., & Jones, A. (2023). The materiality of lighting design. Journal of Production Studies, 12(4), 45-60.

  • Authored Book: Doe, J. (2022). The craft of cinema. VoyGull Press.

  • Chapter in an Edited Book: Lee, C. (2021). Workflows in digital media. In E. Davis (Ed.), Contemporary screen studies (pp. 112-130). VoyGull Press.

4. Submission Agreements and Rights Clearance

During the submission process, the corresponding author must agree to several declarations. You must confirm the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere. Authors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or review process.

Additionally, you must confirm you have obtained written permission for any third-party copyrighted material. The journal operates on a Diamond Open Access model. P&P applies the CC-BY 4.0 licence to Original Research and Studio articles to maximise citation.

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • This submission meets the formatting and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

  • This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.

  • For Original Research submissions, all author identification has been removed from the manuscript text and document properties to ensure blind peer review.

  • All visual materials have been numbered, labeled, and provided with descriptive alt text.

  • Written permission has been obtained to publish all third-party photos, datasets, and other materials provided with this submission.

  • Consent has been formally documented for any identifiable individuals featured in the visual assets.

  • All authors are prepared to declare any professional or financial relationships that could influence the review process.

Original Research

Focus: Theoretical, historical, or sociological analysis of creative production.

Content: Scholarly articles that contribute new knowledge to film, theatre, and performance-related production studies.

Word limit: 6,000 to 9,000 words (including references).

Peer review: Double-blind, minimum two academic reviewers and one practitioner reviewer.

Key traits: A clear research question, an appropriate methodology, and sustained engagement with relevant literature. Practice-as-Research (PaR) submissions are welcome but must include critical contextualisation, documentation of process, and a clear articulation of contribution.

Note on anonymity: Authors should remove self-identifying information from text and file metadata. Where visuals make anonymity impracticable, the journal may apply a modified review process while retaining independent academic review.

The Studio

Focus: Professional practice, craft knowledge, and production problem-solving.

Content: First-person, evidence-informed accounts of making and producing.

Word limit: 800 to 2,500 words.

Peer review: Single-blind or open review; minimum two reviewers, at least one practitioner reviewer.

Key traits: Specific, transferable insight. Authors should describe context, constraints, decisions taken, what worked, what failed, and what others can learn. References are optional but encouraged where they strengthen claims.

The Workshop

Focus: Annotated artefacts and production documentation that reveal development and design thinking.

Content: Scripts, scenes, storyboards, shot lists, lighting plots, costume sketches, prompt-book excerpts, technical diagrams, or similar production materials, published in an annotated “overlay” format with critical commentary.

Submission tracks:

The Archive: Professionals sharing completed or discontinued work, technical plots, or production documentation of educational value.

The Incubator: Students and emerging creators sharing work-in-progress for developmental feedback and mentorship.

Length: Flexible, visual-led submission plus a 300-word Author Statement.

Review model:

(a) The Archive: Editorial review plus practitioner dialogue, with a minimum of one external practitioner reviewer and one editorial reviewer.

(b) The Incubator: Mentorship review coordinated by the section editor, with a clear statement of what feedback was provided and what was revised before publication.

Key traits: The Author Statement must explain creative intent, production context, and the technical, organisational, or artistic challenge the artefact illustrates. Submissions must specify what is original, what is third-party, and what is confidential or redacted.

Permissions and redaction: Authors may submit redacted materials where required by contract or confidentiality, provided the redaction does not undermine the educational value. All third-party material must be cleared before publication.

In Coversation

Focus: Production knowledge through structured interviews.

Content: Edited Q&A with directors, writers, cinematographers, designers, producers, and other practitioners.

Recommended length: 3,000 to 6,000 words (flexible).

Review: Editorial review.

Key traits: Transcripts should be edited for clarity and accuracy without changing meaning. The interviewer must provide a 500-word analytical introduction that contextualises the interviewee’s work, identifies the production themes explored, and discloses any relevant professional relationship with the interviewee.

Stage & Screen

Focus: Reviews that foreground production choices and making.

Content: Reviews of plays, films, books, exhibitions, tools, or technical showcases, written for a specialist but mixed academic and practitioner readership.

Word limit: 800 to 1,200 words.

Review: Editorial review.

Key traits: Reviewers must analyse production elements such as design, lighting, sound, cinematography, editing, staging, logistics, infrastructure, budgeting, or labour organisation. Narrative summary should be minimal and used only to support production analysis.

Privacy Statement

1. Data Controller Identity

VoyGull Publishing Centre Ltd operates the journal Performance & Production: Contemporary Studies across Stage and Screen. We act as the data controller under the UK General Data Protection Regulation. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under registration number ZC087311.

2. Scope of Data Collection

We collect personal data when you register an account, submit a manuscript, or participate in the peer review process. This data includes your name, email address, institutional affiliation, and ORCID iD. We also require and collect specific disclosures regarding financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or review process.

3. Purpose and Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your data to facilitate the editorial workflow, publish accepted manuscripts, and maintain the integrity of the academic record. Our lawful basis for processing this information relies on legitimate interests in scholarly publishing and the fulfillment of our contractual obligations to authors and reviewers. We do not sell your personal data to commercial third parties.

4. Peer Review and Identity Disclosure

Our journal employs varied review models depending on the submission section. By engaging with these sections, users consent to the respective anonymity protocols.

  • Original Research: Submissions undergo double-blind peer review. Author identities are concealed from reviewers and vice versa.

  • The Studio: Submissions may undergo single-blind or open review. During open review, reviewer and author identities are visible to each other to foster transparent industry dialogue.

  • The Workshop: Submissions involve direct practitioner dialogue or mentorship review. Author identities are known to facilitate direct feedback.

5. Third-Party Data in Visual Submissions

Our visual policy encourages image-led scholarship. Authors must supply visual artefacts documenting production processes. If individuals are identifiable in these visual materials, the author holds sole legal responsibility for obtaining documented consent or demonstrating a lawful basis for publication. The journal publishes these images relying strictly on the author's warranty that all third-party privacy rights are fully cleared.

6. Data Sharing and Retention

We share essential metadata with scholarly infrastructure providers to ensure global discoverability. Upon publication, author names and affiliations are shared with Crossref to register Digital Object Identifiers. Our journal is hosted on the Open Journal Systems platform. Data is stored securely and accessed only by authorized editorial staff. Data associated with published articles is retained permanently to preserve the historical scholarly record. Accounts of inactive users may be deleted upon request.

7. User Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you possess specific rights regarding your personal data. You have the right to request access to your data, request the correction of inaccurate data, and request the deletion of your account. You may also opt out of non-essential communications at any time. Please note that data embedded within the published scholarly record cannot be erased.

8. Contact Information

For any inquiries regarding data protection, please contact the editorial team. Publisher: VoyGull Publishing Centre Ltd Registered Office: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom Email: info@voygull.com