Aug 17, 2020: In this post, our Series Editor Elicia O’Reilly outlines the four firsts that NVJS12 brings to the journal, and highlights its relationship with the growing network of #NVJSalumni. She also thanks everybody, a lot! (See the NVJS12 Parade of Honour down the page…)
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The NVJS Network
Volume 12 heralds a number of firsts for New Voices in Japanese Studies. On the content side, it is a pleasure to be able to include a review by Guest Editor Dr Alexander Brown. This volume marks the first time for a guest editor of New Voices in Japanese Studies to contribute a standalone piece to a volume in addition to the introductory essay, and it is an honour to be able to feature his work. I am also grateful for his choice of book, as it features chapters by NVJS alumni Laura Emily Clark and Rebecca Hausler, as well as NVJS10 Guest Editor Dr Penny Bailey.
In another milestone, Volume 12 features the journal’s first repeat author, Shannon Whiley. Her review in this volume of the book Okinawans Reaching Australia complements a paper she published in Volume 10, which focused on the experiences of Nikkei-Australian soldiers during World War II. New Voices in Japanese Studies first began publishing reviews last year, offering a new avenue for authors to engage with the journal. I am delighted that this author has chosen to return, and look forward to the number of repeat authors growing in the future.
Megan Catherine Rose’s paper on alternative kawaii fashion in Harajuku marks yet another first. This contribution represents the first New Voices in Japanese Studies paper to be framed as a direct response to a previous paper in the journal. Rose situates her analysis in dialogue with a paper by Amelia Groom, which appeared in Volume 4 of New Voices (the former title of the journal) and has proven consistently popular in terms of access rates over the years. Similarly noteworthy is Rose’s use in the paper of work by fashion and gender scholar Masafumi Monden, also an alumnus of New Voices in Japanese Studies. It is highly rewarding for New Voices in Japanese Studies to be able to support this kind of scholarly conversation among alumni. In allowing us to chart the development of individual authors and their scholarship in this way, Rose’s paper constitutes a wonderful reminder of what New Voices in Japanese Studies is about, as does Alexander Brown’s aforementioned review which also highlights the work of alumni.
And while it is not a first per se, I’m pleased to report that this volume is the largest in terms of contributor numbers since Volume 2. It’s wonderful to be able to support this increasing level of participation, and we hope to see contributor numbers grow further still with coming volumes.
ORCiD Numbers
On the production side, readers will notice that ORCiD numbers have been visibly incorporated into the platform for the first time. While the journal has submitted publication metadata for authors with ORCiD numbers in the past, this year we have actively encouraged authors to create ORCiD profiles for themselves and have embedded these into the website and PDF layouts. This development will help authors to better prepare for future academic publications, and illustrates the journal’s continued efforts to engage with emerging developments in scholarly publishing. We will also work to retroactively add ORCiD links to previous volumes for authors with existing ORCiD profiles.
Acknowledgments
As we celebrate these firsts, I also take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has come together to make them possible. It takes the work of many to bring a scholarly journal volume to fruition, and each role is important. This year has been one of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty, first with the bushfires which affected Australia this summer, and now with the global pandemic and its evolving impacts on the tertiary sector. Despite these difficulties, everyone involved in this volume has been unflaggingly present and helpful to the best of their ability, and I wish to express my deepest gratitude for their ongoing professionalism and dedication.
**NVJS12 Parade of Honour**
To Dr Alexander Brown, our Guest Editor of this volume:
Thank you for taking the time to be part of this project, and for the attention that you have given to each of these papers and reviews over the past 12 months, often over many iterations. Editing work by first-time authors often takes a great deal of time and commitment, and I have been incredibly grateful for your patience and expertise as we have navigated this volume, especially in the context of the ups and downs in the world around us this year.
To the NVJS12 Authors:
You are the reason that this journal exists. Thank you for choosing New Voices in Japanese Studies and entrusting the editorial team with your work. We trust that you can be proud of your publication and the many hours of hard work and discipline that it represents, and we hope that it stands you in good stead as you continue your research.
To the Supervisors who supported these submissions:
Thank you for recommending New Voices in Japanese Studies to your students, and for working with them to help refine their submissions and revisions. Each volume owes much of its existence to the supervisors who so kindly connect their students with this journal, and we look forward to your continued support over the years to come.
To the Members of this year’s Editorial Board:
Thank you for giving so generously of your time and expertise to improve these papers and help the authors develop their knowledge and skills. Reviewing papers can be a time-consuming task—possibly more so when the authors are early career researchers. Thank you for your thorough and considered feedback, which has been invaluable for these papers, and for your ongoing support of New Voices in Japanese Studies and its emerging authors.
To our Designer, Kevin Vo:
Thank you as always for your patience, your wonderful eye and your attention to detail. It is always a pleasure to work with you.
To NVJS Readers:
Thank you for the interest you take in our authors and their research. I hope you will continue to Read, Cite and Share the papers and reviews published in New Voices in Japanese Studies, and that you will continue to follow our authors as they and their work evolve over the years to come.
Encouragements!
Finally, as is often the case, more than one author in this volume first submitted their manuscript to a previous volume. I would like to congratulate these authors on their extended hard work and determination to bring their papers to publication standard. Also, as is often the case, not all authors who submitted to this volume have been published here. I hope that these authors find the feedback they have received to be valuable, and I wish them all the best as they continue to refine their papers. I strongly encourage them to revise and resubmit, and I look forward to seeing their revised work published in a future volume.
(August 2020)
