Pawaatamihk Journal of Métis thinkers

About

In November 2022, our Circle of Editors had the opportunity to visit with Elder Verna DeMontigny and talk about our vision for this journal. During the visit, Verna graciously offered the name Pawaatamihk, which in Michif and Cree roughly translates to “collective dreaming” or “a group of people dreaming.”
In the same way that dreaming can offer us direction and futures to aspire to, so too will the knowledge that comes through this journal. Simultaneously it is an opportunity to connect to our shared pasts as Métis people, including honoring our ancestors and living relatives whose hard work and dreams have paved the way for our thinking today. We are inspired by the ways that Métis thinkers are building knowledge in many different spaces—within and outside of academia—and aim to push the boundaries of previously narrow academic understandings of knowledge.
Knowledge shared through scholarly papers, visual art, poetry, book reviews, and community stories will be included in each edition. Intentional care will be put toward making space for 2SLGBTQ+ and gender diverse thinkers, scholars at different career stages, and community members not affiliated with academic institutions.
We dream that this journal will become a nourishing home for Métis thought.

Editorial policy and ethics

Authorship 

1.1 Author information

○ Each author/creator must provide a 100-150 word biography. Indicate the author(s) full name, current position, and general interests. If you are within a year of a prestigious award or funding, feel free to mention it.

○ Community connection statement—200-word Métis community connection statement for Circle of Editors to understand your kinship ties and responsibilities to the Métis Nation (which might include family lines, community relationships, connections to place, citizenship, etc.).

○ Our preference is to publish Métis scholarship and scholarship that assists emerging Métis scholars to raise their research profile through co-authoring papers with known scholars. 

Speaker bios are being collected for publication; community connection statements will be viewed only within the Circle of Editors during the initial review process.  

1.2 As part of the submission process for Pawaatamihk, you will be required to indicate that you are submitting your original work, have the rights to the work, and are submitting the work for first publication in Pawaatamihk. You must submit work that is not up for consideration for publication elsewhere and/or has not already been published elsewhere, and you obtained and can supply all permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you (images, graphs, etc.).

1.3 Papers should only be submitted for consideration once all contributing authors consent. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors. The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who have:

(i) Made a substantial contribution to the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data concept or design of the work;
(ii) Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
(iii) Approved the version to be published,
(iv) Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public
responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

Note: A student is usually listed as the principal author of any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

All parties contributing substantially should be listed as authors. Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. First authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the individuals' relative scientific or professional contributions, regardless of their status.

1.4 Acknowledgements

Any contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgments section. Examples include an Elder who has provided guidance, community members who collaborated in meaningful ways, a person who provided technical help, or a supportive colleague. 

Peer Review Process

All submissions considered for publication for Pawaatamikh are double-blind peer-reviewed. The Circle of Editors reviews all manuscripts to determine suitability for potential publication in Pawaatamihk. Some papers are rejected without peer-review owing to not meeting the standard required or being outside of the scope of the journal. Once a manuscript has passed editorial review, it is sent out to at least two peer reviewers through a double-anonymized peer review process. Material submitted to Pawaatamihk remains confidential while under review, with the author's identity being removed and the peer reviewers’ identity also protected. Peer review is expected to take 4 to 8 weeks, depending on reviewer availability. Corresponding authors are notified of editorial decisions after peer review and are provided with reviewer and editor feedback. 

An editor from the Circle of Editors may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, alternative members of the Board will manage the peer review process, and the submitting Editor will have no involvement in the decision-making process.

Publishing Policies

2.1 Publication ethics

Pawaatamihk supports the highest standards in scholarly publishing. We adhere to practices ensuring transparency in the publishing process and editorial decisions. We expect that authors’ contributions to the Journal have been subjected to ethical review when appropriate and research conducted honestly and ethically. 

2.2 Plagiarism

Pawaatamihk takes issues with plagiarism, copyright infringement, or other breaches of best practices in publication most seriously. Offences of this nature will be dealt with swiftly. We seek to protect the rights of our authors, and we will investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of Pawaatamihk against malpractice. Submitted articles may be reviewed using duplication-checking software. If an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work, including third-party copyright material without permission, with insufficient acknowledgment, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: 

(i) publishing a correction
(ii) retracting the article
(iii) taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's
institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies
(iv) Taking appropriate legal action 

2.1.2 Prior publication

If previously published, it is not generally acceptable for publication in Pawaatamihk. However, certain circumstances allow previously published material to be considered for publication. Please contact the Circle of Editors if you have questions about your previously published article, poem, or artwork. 

2.2 Contributor's publishing agreement 

Before publication, Pawaatamihk requires the author as the rights holder to sign the Pawaatamihk Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement.