FAQ - Distraction - The Journal of Fan Fiction Studies

What do you publish?

Papers are welcome which thoughtfully examine any aspect of fan fiction from any and all fandoms and disciplines. This includes literary, sociological, historical, cultural, psychological, ethnographic, political, statistical, linguistic, legal, educational, media and other studies. Papers may address fan fiction in general ("meta" studies) or may focus on one or more specific fandoms or on phenomena within those fandoms. See our CFP for more information.

Who can submit work?

In studying fan cultures, Matt Hills (2002), Henry Jenkins (1992) and others have worked to shatter the perceived boundary between academics and fans. Following in their footsteps, Distraction welcomes articles from a variety of contributors, from tenured professors to students publishing their first papers to those outside the ivory tower; emphasis is placed on the quality of work submitted. We feel that this policy, along with our ever-expanding team of editors from across the U.S. and abroad, appropriately reflects the diversity of fanfiction writers, readers and scholars.

Is the journal peer-edited?

We are working to make it so. At this time we are building our editorial board with the goal of having staff with combined expertise in a comprehensive range of subjects.

Fan fiction writers and readers comprise a range of ages, professions and specialties; Distraction's board will reflect that diversity with a variety of editors. It is our hope that the board will consist of a mix of professors, independent scholars, graduate students, published authors, established fan fiction writers, leaders in fan communities, lawyers and other professionals (not that these categories are mutually exclusive), who together will provide a thorough review of submissions. Until that time, we will invite guest editors on board for each issue to supplement our board, selected as appropriate for the papers we receive.

Every essay will be reviewed by multiple editors, ensuring that accepted essays are accurate in both their academic and fandom-related content. For example, the team reviewing a paper on gender role reversal in Buffy/Spike fanfic might include a gender studies professor and a "Spuffy" fan fiction author.

We understand that some potential contributors, particularly tenure-track academics, may be reluctant to submit work to a journal run by two recent university graduates. We hope that those of you who hesitate to participate will reconsider as our editorial board takes shape and our first few issues are released.

Yes; however, all else equal, preference will generally be given to new work. If your work has been printed or posted online, in whole or in part, please let us know in your email. Please also ensure that all references and citations are up to date.

We ask that you do not submit an article that is also under consideration at another publication.

You may submit a paper that was presented at a conference so long as you obtain any necessary permission to publish or republish your work. Please let us know in your email that the paper was presented at a conference.