About the Journal

The Journal of Music Archaeology (JMA) is a peer-reviewed open-access periodical dedicated to the field of music archaeology.

Scope

It addresses questions concerning the archaeology of sound and rhythmical behaviour of past cultures all over the globe, including the study and reconstruction of certain or possible sound tools, the investigation of soundscapes, especially where intentionally chosen or erected, as well as related historical, anthropological and ethnological research based on iconographies, literatures, and comparative studies reflecting the wide range of approaches and methodologies that has characterised music archaeology from its beginnings. It is published at the Publishing House of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The journal will appear yearly, with the option of publishing online first.

Open access

All content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of the articles or use them for any other lawful purpose without asking prior permission from the publisher or the authors. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

Publication ethics

The Journal of Music Archaeology is committed to the ethical standards set out by the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Peer review

Submitted manuscripts are first assessed by the editors, who may reject submissions which do not fit the topic or do not meet the quality criteria of the journal. The remaining submissions are subject to double-blind peer review by at least two reviewers who are not based at the same institution as the authors, have not recently collaborated with the author and do not have other potential conflict of interest. In exceptional cases, one of the editors may serve as an additional reviewer, but she/he is then no longer included in the editorial decision process. The names of reviewers are not disclosed to the authors of the manuscript under review.

The reviewing process usually takes up to three months. The editors rely heavily on the judgments of the reviewers, although they are not bound by them and can summarise, restate, or elaborate the reviewers’ assessments in their recommendations to authors. The authors are informed of the board’s decision. In case of rejection or request for modifications, the authors receive an explanation or a specification of the modifications suggested by the reviewers and editors. Resubmissions should address comments provided by the reviewers and the editors. The editors may contact initial reviewers or contact new external reviewers to assess resubmissions if necessary.