FAQ (Frequently-Asked Questions)
Q: Should I anonymise my submission?
A: The submission form will ask for your name, academic contact information, and the name of your academic institution. Nevertheless, our peer-review process relies on the anonymity of pieces, so yes, the document(s) you submit must be anonymised. Please remove any information that may reveal your identity to our peer-review team, including your name, your academic institution, course title(s), and the names of your mentors and peers.
If your work is selected for this academic year’s publication cycle and you consent to its publication, it will be published with your name (or pen name) and the name of the academic institution you were enrolled in at the time of its submission. Our peer-reviewers will only be able to see these in the published edition of The Ostraka Journal— not during the editing process.
Q: How many pieces may I submit?
A: You may submit multiple pieces for each category, as outlined by our submission guidelines. Please note that if you submit more pieces per category, only the first pieces to fall within the limits will be accepted, unless you contact the Editor-in-Chief to annul one of your previous submissions.
We can only publish a limited number of submissions per publication cycle. Submitting multiple pieces of work does not guarantee you will be published. On the other hand, you might be published multiple times in the same issue.
Q: Does The Ostraka Journal have a submission fee?
A: No---- submissions to The Ostraka Journal are free of charge. Equally, authors will not get paid for any submissions that get published. However, our authors may go on to publish their work elsewhere, and earn money from it, following peer-review and publication in The Ostraka Journal. This must be organised only after the relevant issue of The Ostraka Journal is published.
Q: May I submit one of my Ostraka pieces as a university assignment, following publication?
A: Absolutely, because the work would be your own. However, please be aware that if you submit an academic paper written for The Ostraka Journal as a university assignment in the future, there is a high chance you will be flagged for plagiarism by your academic institution, even if the piece is entirely yours. We recommend that you produce new or updated arguments in future assignments.