I. Profile and Focus
- Media Literacy and Academic Research is a scientific journal focused on the academic reflection of media and information literacy issues, media education, critical thinking, digital media and new trends in related areas of media and communication studies. The journal is devoted to addressing contemporary issues and future developments related to the interdisciplinary academic discussion, the results of empirical research and the mutual interaction of expertise in media and information studies, media education as well as their sociological, psychological, political, linguistic and technological aspects.
- Media Literacy and Academic Research is a double-blind peer reviewed academic journal published twice a year. It includes theoretical studies, theoretical and analytical studies, research inquiries and their implementation into media practice. Media Literacy and Academic Research focuses on academic reflection of media and information literacy issues, media education, critical thinking, digital media and new trends in related areas of media and communication studies.
- The basic sections of the Journal are divided as follows: Editorial, Studies (theoretical studies and research articles).
- The Journal is registered in the List of Periodical Press administrated the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, under number EV/25/22/EPP. The online version of the Journal’s E-ISSN is 2585-9188. Since 2023, the Journal’s newly published content is identifiable based on DOIs.
II. Publisher
- Communication Today is published by the Faculty of Mass Media Communication, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, in the Slovak Republic (hereinafter also referred to as “the Publisher”).
- The Publisher’s full address is: University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Námestie Jozefa Herdu 2, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia, Europe, www.ucm.sk.
- Official information on the Journal is also available at the Publisher’s website: https://www.ucm.sk/sk/profily-casopisov/.
III. Editorial Board, Advisory Board and Editorial Team
- The Editorial Board of the Journal consists of Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Managing Editor, and five members of the Editorial Team. It also includes work positions of English Editor, Indexing Process Specialist, Technical Editors, Proofreading Team and English Editors, Photo Editor, Web Editor and Graphic Production Coordinator. The list of the current Editorial Board members is available on the Journal’s website: https://www.mlar.sk/editorial-board/.
- The Editorial Board is an executive body of the Journal and its members approve the form and content of the Journal. The members of the Editorial Board are appointed by the statutory representative of the Journal’s Publisher. The Editorial Board meets at least once before publishing each issue of the Journal, i.e., at least twice a year. They select texts to be published on the basis of overall quality of submitted articles, taking into account results of the double-blind peer reviews. Before approving the final version of a specific issue of the Journal, the members of the Editorial Board are obliged to read, assess and collectively discuss the content of all delivered articles in detail.
- The Journal’s Advisory Board consists of domestic as well as foreign experts who professionally focus on media studies and marketing or closely related scholarly issues. The Advisory Board supervises and monitors quality of the Journal’s issues and individual articles or other published materials. Its main obligation is to ensure that the published content uses proper terminological frameworks and research methodologies, applying innovative theoretical or empirical approaches to present significant findings able to contribute to further development in the fields of media studies and marketing communication.
- Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Managing Editor, Indexing Process Specialist, Technical Editors, Proofreading Team and English Editors, Photo Editor, Graphic Production Coordinator and Web Editor are executive bodies of the Journal.
IV. Acceptance of Submitted Manuscripts
- The Editorial Board offers interested authors an opportunity to publish their original theoretical studies and research articles. which have not been published yet. These have to be related to the focus and scholarly profile of the Journal.
- It is not possible to publish texts authored or co-authored by the same person in two consecutive issues of the Journal.
- The Editorial Board accepts only manuscripts which are edited in accordance with Guidelines for Authors: https://www.mlar.sk/guidelines-for-authors/; the template of study: https://www.mlar.sk/templates-to-download/ are available on the Journal’s website.
- Using the MS Word editing software (.doc or .docx formats) is necessary. All texts are submitted exclusively via the e-mail address mlar@ucm.sk.
V. Review Process and Selection of Articles
- At least two double-blind peer review reports are elaborated in relation to each submitted manuscript. Based on the results, the Editorial Board decides whether the assessed text is to be published or not. The peer review process is strictly double-blind. The version of a manuscript assigned for reviewing does not contain any identification data on its author(s) and their affiliations. The personal data is removed in advance by the Editorial Board.
- The reviewers are selected and appointed by Editor-in-Chief from the existing database of the Journal’s reviewers, taking into account the thematic focus of the reviewed manuscript. The list of the Journal’s reviewers is accessible via the Journal’s website: https://www.mlar.sk/list-of-reviewers/.
- The reviewers assess the overall quality of specific manuscripts’ form and content and submit thorough review reports, in which they point out positive as well as critical notions related to the texts and their recommendations related to further editorial procedures and adjustments (if needed).
- Each reviewer is obliged to clearly state their recommendation to publish or not publish the reviewed text in the standardised review report. The Editorial Board fully respects reviewers’ decisions and arguments.
- On the basis of elaborated review reports, the Editorial Board proceeds as follows:
- If both reviewers recommend publishing the text, it will be accepted for publishing.
- If both reviewers recommend rejecting the text, it will be rejected.
- If both reviewers recommend the text to be published after necessary adjustments, the author(s) will be asked to re-elaborate the manuscript and the revised version will be reviewed repeatedly by the same reviewers.
- If reviewers express widely differing opinions on the same text, the final acceptance or rejection of the manuscript will be decided by the Editorial Board. The Editorial Board may accept such a text conditionally, based on prior discussion involving both reviewers, and will also ask for implementation of the reviewers’ comments and proposals.
- The author(s) receive review reports related to their manuscripts (but not any personal information on specific reviewers who wrote them) and the final decision of the Editorial Board via e-mail.
- Reviewing of the submitted manuscripts is not liable to any form of financial or other remuneration.
- Publishing in Media Literacy and Academic Research is not remunerated.
VI. Distribution
- The Journal is available in the University Library of the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava (Hajdóczyho 2, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia), and in the Faculty Library of the Faculty of Mass Media Communication, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava (V Jame 3, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia).
- Under the applicable law, the print version of the Journal, as well as its data and contents, may be ordered and subscribed only by research centres, universities and libraries – for study and research purposes.
- The authors, whose articles or other texts have been published in the Journal, are entitled to receive a digital copy of their work free of charge. The Journal uses the gold open access model; all published articles and related contents are made available for free immediately on the Journal’s website. The authors are free to download, share and reuse their published content via platforms such as academia.edu or researchgate.net.
VII. Funding
- The Journal is financed from the budget of the Faculty of Mass Media Communication, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia, i.e., from public sources.
- Neither the Journal nor the members of the Editorial Board and members of the Editorial Team affiliated with Media Literacy and Academic Research, demand and/or receive any financial funding or voluntary financial contributions from the private (business) sector.
- No submission fees are charged.
- The Journal does not include commercial advertising and does not accept any related offers and business proposals.
Last update: August 30, 2023.
Approved by: Norbert Vrabec, Editor-in-Chief