Guidelines for Authors
Format: All submissions must be made within the DURMS paper template, which can be found here.
Authorship: Both single and multi-author submissions are accepted. If you have conducted a group research project, you may submit a single article that comprises a joint effort with multiple authors. If someone is included as an author they must have 1) made a clear contribution to the research process, 2) agreed to being listed as an author on the article, and 3) seen and approved the final, submitted version of the article. There are three possible alternatives for deciding the order of author names on a multi-authored paper:
- Order is based on contribution, with the author who contributed the most to the article listed first.
- If two or more authors contributed equally, they can be listed as joint first author. In this case, this should be flagged up to the editor and this will be marked in the publication as a joint first authorship.
- If the research was an entirely, equally shared process across all authors, you can list all authors in alphabetical order, followed by the note: All authors contributed equally to this work.
Language: All submissions should be written in British English.
Length: The maximum length for submissions is 5,500 words (excluding Abstract and References). Shorter submissions are also welcome, and the submission length will depend on the type of project. An abstract of no more than 200 words is also required.
Referencing: A consistent referencing style is required throughout the submission. This can be either 1) the author-date system as described in the Music Departmental referencing guidelines, or 2) American Psychological Association (APA) style (7th edition).
Tables: All tables should be clearly labelled as Table 1, Table 2, etc. with a brief title above that describes the contents (e.g. Table 1. Mean Scores on Pitch Memory Test by Age Group). All tables should be referred to within the written text of the paper. See example Table in the DURMS template.
Figures: All figures should be clearly labelled as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. with a brief caption below that describes the contents (e.g. Figure 1. Mean Scores on Pitch Memory Test by Age Group). All figures should be referred to within the written text of the paper. See example Figure in the DURMS template.
Headings: Appropriate headings (e.g. Method, Results) and subheadings (e.g. Design, Participants) should be included to demarcate the structure of the paper, as appropriate to the paper format.
Peer Review: All submissions will be reviewed by the editor and editorial team. The assumption is that before submission to DURMS the author will have addressed any queries or weaknesses outlined in the feedback from the marker for the original assignment. Therefore, the submission should already be of a standard acceptable for publication in an undergraduate research journal at the point of submission and the editorial team will provide only light feedback, primarily to ensure there are no inconsistencies in the style and formatting of the work. If the original coursework submission received a mark of less than 70, please include a Response Letter with your submission, detailing how your work has been revised in line with the marker’s feedback.
Timeline
The next issue of DURMS will be published in Autumn 2023.
Submission portal opens: 3 July 2023
Submission deadline: 1 September 2023
Feedback and revision: September – October 2023
Publication of DURMS, Volume 6: Early November 2023
Submission
To submit to DURMS, send an email to Kelly Jakubowski (kelly.jakubowski@durham.ac.uk) with your article as a Word Document (formatted using the template above) and Response Letter (if required) attached by Friday, 1 September 2023.
Questions?
Any questions can be directed to:
Dr Kelly Jakubowski (kelly.jakubowski@durham.ac.uk)
Music & Science Lab 