RRIC publication schedule
New Issue every 2-4 weeks
This means the next Issue must be under development when a new Issue is published on the RRIC website.
* * *
Steps for developing an Issue
- Identify the Issue
- Determine the three Points of Entry
- Assemble the Resources for each Point of Entry
- Find a featured image
- Develop Issue main page
- Develop the three Point of Entry pages
- Review, proofread & approve the content
- Upload the content to the RRIC webpage
** For examples, please see previous issues on the RRIC website: http://refugeeresearch.net/ms/research-in-context/
1. Identify & name the Issue
Issues are selected for a variety of reasons. For example, some issues have garnered significant public and media attention but merit additional contextualization and analysis. Other key issues have not even registered in public discourse or in the media. We also invite researchers and practitioners to propose pertinent issues.
Determination of Issues is open and dynamic, responsive to current events and perceived crises as well as taking advantage of new publications and resources. Issues can be determined through different means such as peer consultation, the weekly RRN Research Digest, social media (e.g. RRN facebook page and Twitter feed), media, etc.
Title of the Issue
The standard format for titles follows this construction: X in Context. The “X” will be as short a version as possible of your Issue – e.g. Rohingya in Context, Climate Change Refugees in Context.
2. Determine & name the three Points of Entry
Points of Entry offer key analytical perspectives on the Issue and address questions such as: Why is this happening? What is the deeper context and history? What are the implications, responses, and possible remedies? Together the Points of Entry offer a kind of map to understanding the Issue.
In the process of researching the Issue, think about the implicit and explicit angles that would help to capture the phenomenon. Points of Entry will often emerge from the body of research you are assembling and may lead you to narrow the parameters of the initial Issue.
Points of Entry could relate to:
- Historical/political/legal/cultural/geographical contexts
- Critical approaches to the issue
- Policies and responses
- Future trends/solutions/recommendations
In determining the title for each Point of Entry:
- Aim for a three-word title e.g. “history of discrimination,” “access to protection.”
- The title should highlight a keyword of that Point of Entry.
3. Assemble the Resources for each Point of Entry
Please refer to the methodology section on the homepage before working on your Issue. [http://refugeeresearch.net/ms/research-in-context/methods/] There we discuss our goals to democratize and decolonize knowledge.
Here are some of the criteria to use in assembling the resources for an Issue:
- Source: We prioritize open access academic articles and grey literature (for example, in-depth media articles, working papers, community-based research, and reports).
- Diversity: We seek to incorporate a range of theoretical, geographical, and linguistic perspectives and resources. Include a diversity of formats, voices, approaches.
- Credibility: The resources should reflect credibility of authorship (derived from institutional affiliation and/or lived experiences and relationships) and methodology.
- Timeframe: In addition to consulting the most up-to-date research, you may want to include resources produced in previous decades that capture how the issue was understood. The inclusion of these resources can help us to understand how the Issue has developed.
4. Find a featured image
Choose an image that captures the Issue. Make sure the image is clear, vibrant, and of good quality. Here are some criteria to consider when selecting an image:
- Resolution: Images should be 270 x 250 pixels.
- Source: Make sure to use only images that are open source (or for which you have the legal copyright).
- Representation: Make sure not to reinforce stereotypical and/or prejudicial conceptions of refugees. Give some thought to the agency/privacy/security of the people being depicted in a photo.
The featured image serves three functions:
- It becomes the banner for the Issue on the RRIC homepage;
- It is used to anchor the Issue page;
- It is made into three fragments to accompany the Points of Entry titles on the Issue page.
Here is a potentially helpful database of open-access images: https://search.creativecommons.org/
5. Develop Issue main page
These are the components of the Issue main page:
- Title (discussed above)
- Featured image (discussed above)
- Brief overview of context:
- Length: three to four sentences.
- Goals: describe the Issue in clear language. Explain why the Issue has been chosen and introduce the three analytical Points of Entry.
- List of Points of Entry:
- Placement: The three Points of Entry are displayed horizontally below the featured image and brief overview.
- Components: a fragment of the featured image is presented as a circle above each Point of Entry title.
6. Develop the three Point of Entry pages
Each Point of Entry page has the following components:
- Title: use same titles for each Point of Entry as on the Issue page.
- Brief summary of Point of Entry:
- Length: one to two sentences
- Goals: the brief summary explains the angle that this Point of Entry opens into the Issue.
- Resources:
- Number of resources: three to four resources.
- Display: (formatting to be decided once resources are visible – could be horizontal or vertical list, checkerboard pattern, etc.).
- Components for each resource:
- Graphic: usually a screenshot of PDF of resource.
- Title of resource: use the author’s title.
- Author: By [first name] [last name]
- Year of publication
- Brief annotation: One to two sentence summary of what the resource is about.
- Link: links directly to the resource (or to the abstract if the article is behind a paywall).
- List of additional resources: optional. APA citation format.
7. Review, proofread, and approve the content
Please contact the editor at this stage in the process.
Allow 3-5 business days for reviewer response.
Editorial team/committee to review.
8. Upload the content to the RRIC website
Do in conjunction with editorial team.