Call for papers

Community Journalism Interest Group
AEJMC annual convention, Aug. 2-5, 2006, San Francisco
Deadline, postmarked by April 1, 2006


Dear Colleagues,

Start planning now to submit your exciting research paper(s) for our second annual national paper competition. Papers presented at San Antonio in August 2005 represented an academically robust yet professionally practical area of journalism research. Here’s how our official Call for Papers reads:

The Community Journalism Interest Group (COMJIG) is interested in research focused on any and all aspects of community journalism, from small-town newspapers to niche magazines in major cities, from rural independent radio to independent Web ‘zines with readers around the world.

We welcome original, meaningful research that advances the understanding of the role of journalists and news organizations as members of communities, with particular interest in issues that are unique to small-market (though not necessarily small-town) journalism. Quantitative and qualitative methods are equally welcomed, as are attempts at mixed methodology. Theoretical groundings are appreciated. Only serious and complete studies will be considered — please do not submit opinion essays, incomplete pilot studies, literature reviews, or other incomplete or unscholarly works.

Papers should be about 7,500 words long, or about 25 pages, double-spaced. Include a 75-word abstract. Prepare the manuscripts for blind review, removing any language that identifies the authors or the authors’ institutions. Please provide a running title on each page. Please enclose a single title page that includes authors’ names, institutions, and full contact information. Please do not staple the title page to the manuscripts.

Papers that do not meet the guidelines of the Uniform Paper Call of AEJMC will not be considered.

If you would like more information, contact Bill Reader, COMJIG’s research chair, via e-mail (reader@ohio.edu) or via telephone: 740-593-9808.

Send submissions postmarked by April 1, 2006, to Bill Reader, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, 205 Scripps Hall, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701.