Please make sure you follow these guidelines when submitting a piece for consideration.

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Scope of the Journal

MAI Journal publishes multidisciplinary peer-reviewed articles around indigenous knowledge and development in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. All papers must critically address and engage with current international and national literature and academic and/or Indigenous theory and make a significant contribution to the field of Indigenous studies. Our journal is a coveted space for Māori and Indigenous scholars, who are working in Indigenous-led spaces. As a publishing avenue for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, we also share the intent of Ngā Pae’s strategic direction to “grow and enhance excellent Māori researchers and Māori-led research that together build the foundations for flourishing Māori futures.” This is the basis from which MAI makes its publishing decisions. There are few avenues for Māori and Indigenous scholars to publish their work, and MAI is proud to offer one of these platforms. Authors are welcome to discuss their ideas with members of the MAI Journal editorial board. For more information or to contact the editors email the editorial office at editors@journal.mai.ac.nz.

Publication Languages

MAI Journal publishes in both English and Te Reo Māori. We currently distribute 3 articles per year, with one of these issues dedicated to works written in te reo Māori.

Articles

MAI Journal welcomes articles for inclusion in general issues throughout the year. Articles should generally range between 5,000–7,000 words, including references. Articles must include a 100–150 word abstract and have up to six keywords. All articles must be original pieces of work that critically analyse and substantively address an indigenous issue or theme in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. The work cannot have been previously published in the same form nor can its substance be drawn from previously published books or articles. Submissions to MAI Journal must not be under consideration in any form by other publishers.

Authors are asked to submit articles in the correct format, including the APA referencing style. Please download and read the Author Guidelines below. A sample article can also be downloaded below.

Commentaries

MAI Journal welcomes short and timely commentaries on critical issues concerning indigenous peoples. Commentaries are expected to be sharp in their analysis, thought-provoking and new. Commentaries are peer reviewed to different criteria, allowing novel opinion to be expressed. Commentaries are normally between 3,000-4,000 words long, including references and must include a 100-150 word abstract and up to six keywords.

Authors are asked to submit commentaries in the correct format, including the APA referencing style. Please download and read the Author Guidelines.

Situation Reports

A Situation Report is a short piece authored by a leading research expert(s) that provides a quick, clear, concise understanding of a developing critical issue relevant from an Indigenous perspective – focusing on meaning and context, in addition to the facts.  A Situation Report clearly calls for attention or action. Situation Reports meet a different review standard and are exempt from our standard peer review process. Rather reviews will be completed by our Editors and Editorial Board.

Book Reviews

We always have recently published books or edited volumes on indigenous issues waiting to be reviewed – if you are interested in reviewing a book please join our mailing list; we send out a list of books with requests for reviewers a few times a year. Our book reviews are up to 1,000 words long and should be guided by a discussion of the engaged debate, position the book in its field of literature and give a few points of information on the author’s background. Book reviewers should neither be uncritically advocating for the book by offering an overly meticulous summary without analysis, nor should they take the book that is to be discussed as an occasion for presenting the reviewer’s own views on a theme or topic. Book reviews are assessed by the Editors. A sample book review can be downloaded below. 

Special Issues and Themed Supplements 

MAI Journal publishes themed supplements or issues that span a specific topic or theme. We are especially interested in themes of topical debate to Aotearoa New Zealand. If you are interested in presenting and editing a collection of papers focusing on a single issue, we are currently commissioning content. Please download the Guidelines for Special Issue editors, to be read in conjunction with the MAI Journal Author Guidelines below. 

Journal Requirements

Contributors are expected to meet internationally accepted guidelines on carrying out ethical and culturally competent research involving indigenous peoples and conform to the standards for authors set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). MAI Journal has a Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement which provides guidelines for all parties involved in the publishing of the journal: Authors, Editors, Reviewers and the Publisher. To read this please download it below.

Submission Process

Submissions of articles and commentaries must be made through our online submission system and include confirmation of all journal requirements and suggested peer reviewers. Hard copy submissions cannot be accepted.

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made a significant contribution should be listed as co-authors. Others who have contributed in certain substantive aspects to the manuscript are listed in the acknowledgments section. All co-authors and responsible authorities at the institute or organisation where the research was carried out should have approved the submitted version.

Peer Review

Some papers are rejected without peer review owing to lack of novelty, not meeting the standard required for academic indigenous scholarship or work lying outside the scope of the journal. Our preference is to publish Māori and Indigenous scholarship, and scholarship that assists young Māori and Indigenous scholars to raise their research profile through co-authoring papers with known scholars.

All papers considered for publication in MAI Journal undergo a strict double-blind peer review process.  Authors are encouraged to suggest the names of three potential reviewers; however, it is at the Editors’ discretion whether to invite these reviewers. Authors should avoid suggesting recent collaborators or colleagues who work in the same institution as themselves and should not knowingly provide false information. Material submitted to MAI Journal remains confidential while under review. Author(s) identity is removed from the manuscript and shielded from the reviewers during the review process and peer reviewers’ identities are protected, unless they wish to disclose their identity to the author. Submissions from authors with whom the editors have a conflict of interest will be assessed by a member of the Editorial Board. Submissions by members of the Editorial Board will be assigned to an Associate or a Guest Editor to ensure a fair and appropriate process.

MAI Journal is peer reviewed to international standards and our aim is for all papers to be reviewed by indigenous scholars from within the group under discussion as well as by international indigenous or non-indigenous experts in the research discipline. All papers are peer reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers. The editors will use these reviews in making a decision on your paper. Revised articles are usually sent for re-review to the original peer reviewers if these indicate their willingness to review the article again. Revision of an article gives no guarantee of acceptance and in some cases revised articles are rejected if the improvements are not sufficient or new issues arise. All authors should be prepared to return revised papers and proof corrections to the deadlines required for publication.

Complaints

If authors, peer reviewers or readers suspect any misconduct such as violation of the editorial policy, publication ethics or any or any applicable guidelines/policies specified by COPE, they are encouraged to submit a formal letter of complaint by email addressed to the editors at editors@journal.mai.ac.nz. Suspected cases of misconduct will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.

Appeal

Rejected papers are given the opportunity for a formal appeal. Appeal requests should be made in writing, and should be addressed to editors at editors@journal.mai.ac.nz with the word "appeal" in the subject line. If an author remains unsatisfied, he or she can write to the editorial office, citing the manuscript reference number. In all these cases, it is likely that some time will elapse before MAI Journal can respond, and the paper must not be submitted for publication elsewhere during this time. Authors should provide detailed reasons for the appeal and point-by-point responses to the reviewers' and/or Editor's comments. Authors should also be aware that priority is given to new submissions to the journal and so the processing of the appeal may well take longer than the processing of the original submission. If an appeal is rejected, further appeals of the decision will not be considered and the paper may not be resubmitted.

Misconduct

The editors will be guided by COPE’s Guidelines for retracting articles when considering retracting, issuing expressions of concern about, and issuing corrections pertaining to articles that have been published in MAI Journal. They will take reasonable responsive measures when handling ethical complaints about suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct.

Copyright

Authors will be required to sign a Contributors Agreement for Publishing before publication in which they agree to grant Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, the publisher of MAI Journal, the right to publish the work.  Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga as the copyright owner reserves the right to print and publish the work in MAI Journal in convential printed form as well as preserve its storage electronically.  All other uses, reproduction and distribution, including without limitation commercial reprints, selling or licensing copies or access, or posting on open internet sites, your personal or institution’s website or open access repository, are prohibited.  For exceptions, permission may be sought for such use by contacting the MAI Journal editorial office on editors@journal.mai.ac.nz.

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