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Asterisks & Anomalies

Educational and research site of academic research articles related to the fantastical, from sci-fi to fantasy, from conspiracies to cryptozoology, from horror to action/adventure.

We are interested in any media these research forms may address: from novels and short stories to poems, from social media to fanfiction, from films to streaming serials, from tabletop games to video games.

Asterisks & Anomalies' on the other hand sections summarize and cite larger works, giving readers quick insight into new ideas and developments in the fantastical, providing inpsiration for research.

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On the other hand

Submissions

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Author Guidelines

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Aim and Scope

Asterisks & Anomalies seeks to publish abridged versions of academic research related to the fantastical, from sci-fi to fantasy, from horror to action/adventure, from cryptozoology to conspiracies. We are especially interested in research from academics who are beginning their careers. We seek research that addresses any of these forms of media: from novels and short stories to poems, from social media to fanfiction, from films to streaming serials, from tabletop games to video games. We also accept simultaneous submissions, where Asterisks & Anomalies receives the abridged version of the research and other publishers receive the full research paper.

Review Policy

Asterisks & Anomalies only publishes articles based on research that has either been accepted to or has been presented at the Popular Culture Association, national or regionals. (However, for non-PCA writers, we do publish smaller writings for our "On the Other Hand" sections; see the Otoh section.)

The Popular Culture conferences:

Deadlines

Asterisks & Anomalies uses rolling submissions. An editor will respond to your initial submission within a week to verify receipt of your submission. Selection processes occur within the first week of each month.

Author Guidelines: Articles

Submissions must be three documents attached directly to an email (No SharePoint, GoogleDocs, etc).

  1. This completed form
    • (Name this file YourLastnamearticleform.docx)
  2. the Word document with your article
    • (Name this file as YourLastnameArticle.docx)
  3. Original abstract submitted to PCA national or regional
    • (Name this file as YourLastnameAbstract.docx)

The Article Form (above) requires the following:

  • Your name (That you desire to use as the author)
  • Telephone number (Used only for Staff contact)
  • PCA membership (Length in years of membership at PCA)
  • Five keywords (Concerning your article's main points)
  • A Creative Commons License
  • PCA proof
    • A screen shot of the PCA email showing acceptance to the conference,
    • or, a screen shot of PCA program that lists you (the author/presenter) and the title of the research.
  • Infographic/poster (Select who will design the infographic)

Optional biographical information(Information publicly displayed next to your article):

  • Title/Rank, if applicable
  • Highest Degree/Institution
  • Public email address
  • Links to your social media
  • Your website or institution page
  • Links to any of your other publications
  • A Brief Bio, focusing on academic research interests and expertise
      For example:
    • Warren Jones (Ph.D., University of Central Florida, 2011) is a full professor at Eastern Florida State College. His research interests range from apocalyptic narratives to RPG open world video games. Dr. Jones has been attending PCA since 2013. Dr. Jones has mentored over 50 undergraduate PCA presentations in the last decade.

The Article: length and tone

Word limits

A typical paper for this journal should be no more than 2,500 words, a word count that does not include ancillary material such as the keywords, the bio information, endnotes, or the citation pages.

Tone / Voice

We lean more toward the "popular" in the crossover of academic and popular discussions of PCA; in other words, feel free to stretch creatively in the writing tone and writing style to fit an academic, yet at the same time lay, audience.

Please avoid any self-referential language that refers to the article itself.

Style Guidelines

MLA amended. We use endnotes instead of parenthetical in-text citations. Endnotes are not counted toward the 2,500 word limit. At all times seek to add the name of the source, and if possible, the article or book name, into the writing itself. Please be consistent with spelling, be that American or British.

  • Use ibid for repeating sources
  • Use ibid ## (## = page numbers) for repeating a source with different page number
  • Use LastName ## for non-sequential repeated source

Quoted Passages

Please use double quotation marks, except where "a quotation is ‘within’ a quotation." Please note that long quotations should be indented without quotation marks if over 40 words in length.

Formatting

Papers must be submitted in Word, 12 point font. Times New Roman.

References

Please format all end note references consistent with the 9th ed. MLA style manual.

Authors are responsible for clearing copyright on all photos, use of song lyrics, other text, and figures. Here is a good site that helps authors acquire needed permissions.

You agree to release the article for a one-time, non-exclusive right to publish the edited, submitted version of your article on Asterisks & Anomalies platforms and in ancillary forms through which Asterisks & Anomalies might make it available.

Choose a Creative Commons license

Creative Commons licenses are the standard at Asterisks & Anomalies. There are various forms of these licenses, enabling you to allow or restirct permissions for republishing.

If you are unfamiliar with the different options, the strongest is CC BY-NC-ND. The entirety of that license can be found here. (That website also has an online chooser which helps you dtetermine which Creative Commons License is best for you.)

CC BY-NC-ND.

This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. CC BY-NC-ND includes the following elements:

  • BY: credit must be given to the creator.
  • NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
  • ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

Editorial changes

By submitting work to A&A, you are expressly allowing and giving the right for our Editors to make syntactical or grammatical changes that do not alter the intent or meaning of passages, as well as granting our Editors the right to add hyperlinks to the article that extend or add to the meaning of the article.

Publication Charges

There are no submission fees or publication charges.

Posters

In lieu of artwork or photography accompanying an article on our sites, Asterisk & Anomalies utilizes postered research as a form of an infographic above each article. You may create one of your own, or you may send written notes within the word document concerning what you have in mind for a poster, or you can elect to have our Design Team create a poster for you. Choose one of the three options below and list that in the top of the Word document with the article.

Author-made posters

Please review Poster Production to aid in creating a poster that entices readers and enlicits intrigue of your paper. Our Design Team will review your poster and make emendations as needed. While articles may be returned for revision, posters will not. The Design Team will try to stay as close to your vision as possible.

Include your Poster Notes

You can include notes concerning which ideas, or sections, of your paper for the Design Team to focus on, and you can suggest various imagery you believe would help relay your ideas. The Design Team will try to stay as close to your postered vision as possible.

Elect Design Team

You can allow our Design Team to have full and free decisions to create a poster that exemplifies your central points of the paper.

On the other hands

See On the other hand submissions