What is INTER-SECTION?
INTER-SECTION is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal focusing on contributions from young archaeological researchers at Leiden University. The journal aims to stimulate both undergraduate and graduate students to take an additional step in their academic development by publishing their individual research. INTER-SECTION strives to be an accessible platform for young researchers and emphasises career advancement and training for student-authors, by providing support along every step of the publishing process. The Editorial Board of INTER-SECTION consists of archaeology students and PhD candidates from the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University.
Who can publish at INTER-SECTION?
INTER-SECTION welcomes submissions from current and recently graduated undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology and related fields. While the focus lies with students from the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, students from other faculties and universities can publish at INTER-SECTION as well. Rather than narrowing focus to any one method, region, or time period, we aim to include diverse approaches that look beyond arbitrary divisions and place student-led research in a broader archaeological context.
What is the target audience of INTER-SECTION?
INTER-SECTION aims to publish articles by and for young academic researchers in the fields of archaeology and archaeological heritage. With our open-access format we aim to reach a large, international audience.
Why should I publish at INTER-SECTION?
During your studies you are likely to have written a lot of assignments, concluding with a large BA and/or (R)MA thesis at the end. All these written assignments and theses are original and relevant work, based on new research, conducted by a new generation of young researchers with a fresh point of view. However, most of this work is not published at all, and thus is only read by teachers and perhaps supportive friends and family members, with theses ending up in hard-to-find thesis repositories. We know that, even though expectations to publish continue to rise after graduation, students often do not publish as they feel insecure over the relevance of their work for the broader archaeological field, or are unfamiliar with the publication process. INTER-SECTION aims to help you with this. We offer an accessible platform for the publication of individual research by undergraduate and graduate students. At INTER-SECTION, we specifically emphasise career advancement and training for student-authors. Since the writing process is critical to student-researcher development, we provide support at each step of the review.
In short, you should publish at INTER-SECTION because:
- Your work deserves to be read by more people than your teacher and your patient family members! ;
- You want to learn how to publish a peer-reviewed article;
- You want to discuss your publication ideas with someone;
- You want support in your writing.
What can I submit for publication?
You can submit all sorts of articles, as long as they are based on original work and contribute to the broader understanding of a relevant archaeological (or related) problem. The ideal starting point for such publications are BA and (R)MA theses, as well as written assignments for courses. The first step is to submit a proposal of your publication idea, which is backed up by a Faculty staff member. You can also contact the Editorial Board if you want to discuss your publication idea before submitting a proposal. After your proposal has been accepted, possibly after working through feedback from the editors, you can start working on your draft manuscript. See the Submission process for more details.
How long does the publication process take?
The Submission process involves a number of steps to assess the quality of the published material. The process, from the submission of a proposal until the final publication of the manuscript, takes approximately twelve months. This does not mean that you will be writing for twelve months but the writing, reworking of the manuscript combined with waiting for feedback from the editors and peer reviewers usually takes several months.
How do I translate my thesis or coursework into an article?
In order to translate a large BA or (R)MA thesis into a clear and concise paper, it can be helpful to start by composing an outline (based on the elements described above) in which every component is summarised in one or two sentences. In general, a good paper follows an hourglass structure: starting broad, narrowing down towards the research questions, and following the opposite trend in the discussion and conclusion. Finally, we suggest having a look at papers, preferably on similar topics, published earlier in INTER-SECTION and in other peer-reviewed journals (e.g. Journal of Archaeological Science; Journal of Human Evolution; World Archaeology).
What are the guidelines for manuscripts and for referencing?
All manuscripts submitted to INTER-SECTION need to adhere to certain guidelines for uniformity and clarity. Since 01-08-2022 INTER-SECTION uses APA7 as a reference system. INTER-SECTION therefore now follows the new Faculty of Archaeology guidelines concerning referencing and bibliography. The submission guidelines can be found here.
Authors who started their manuscript before 01-08-2022 have the option to either use APA7 or to continue using the old INTER-SECTION guidelines, which can be requested from the Editorial Board.
How can I reach the Editorial Board?
The Editorial Board consists of enthusiastic archaeology students and PhD candidates who are happy to answer your questions and to help you with all your writing and publication endeavours! We can be contacted by e-mail (editorialboard@inter-section.nl), through this contact form, or in person at the Faculty of Archaeology.
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