UMAC is currently investigating ways to improve the quality of articles published in UMACJ and is working towards seeking recognition for the journal as the primary publication outlet for papers on museums and collections in higher education. You can assist us by ensuring your submissions are prepared with the selection criteria below clearly in mind and in accordance with the UMACJ Style Guide.

Review processes

The Editor of the Journal welcomes original articles submitted by researchers at any time. The work of the Editor is supported and informed by an Editorial Board consisting of professionals with a mixture of higher education, museology and publication knowledge and experiences. 

The Editorial Board, through the Editor, will aim to respond to any submission with an answer regarding publication within three months. The Editorial Board may also request invited contributions to the Journal stemming from international conferences of UMAC, and other relevant international or national meetings. The Editorial Board also welcomes correspondence with potential authors on possible contributions to the Journal.

Each paper submitted to the journal will undergo double blind peer review. The results of the review process will be communicated back to the author by the Editor. The author may be requested to undertake either major or minor revisions before acceptance for publication. A reasonable amount of time will be established for any revision completed in consultation with the author.

The Editors’ decision regarding acceptance or rejection is final.

Preparing your submission

Authors must observe the following:

  1. Texts should present an original contribution with broad interest to the global community of university museums and collections (see Editorial Policy).
  2. While case studies are acceptable they must be framed within a broader international context and reflect on museum theory and/or relevant organization theory.
  3. Texts should be well written, in concise and well-structured English (US English). They should have a clear introduction, in-depth development and concluding remarks. Texts that are conversational in style are not acceptable.
  4. Texts for publication are usually between 2,000 and 6,000 words long. We will accept longer or shorter contributions in special cases that should be discussed and agreed with the editor.
  5. Contributions must conform to UMACJ Style Standards (below).
  6. Titles should be clear, concise and informative.
  7. Each contribution should include an abstract of around 100 words and encapsulate the objectives, main ideas/arguments and a summary of outcomes.
  8. Each contribution should include a selection of 3-4 key words at the end.
  9. Illustrations are welcomed, but the source of any material used as illustration must be clearly identified and it is the author’s responsibility to ensure there are no copyright restrictions on the journal’s use of the image or illustrative material.
  10. Reports of activities, merely descriptive texts of local interest will not be accepted – we recommend you consider publication of this sort of material through the News section of the UMAC website.
  11. If you are not confident at writing in English (the standard language of the journal) please ensure you seek and receive assistance with English expression prior to submission of your manuscript.
  12. UMACJ has an extensive history of publications on university museums and collections. Please consider referencing this material, if appropriate, in preparing your manuscripts for submission.

UMACJ Style Standards

All submitted papers should follow the UMACJ Style Standards 
You may find it helpful to download the MS Word template. It must be downloaded, before it can then be opened. The appropriate styles are included in the template:

https://tinyurl.com/UMACjTemplate

Template Styles

Contact

All queries and contributions, including illustrations, should be emailed to: UMACJ Editor.