All submissions are initially assessed by the associate editor, who decides whether or not the article fits the scope of the journal and is suitable for peer review. Submissions considered suitable are then reviewed by two independent experts, who assess the article for clarity, validity, and sound methodology.

The journal operates a double-blind peer review process, meaning that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous for the review process. Reviewers are asked to provide formative feedback, even if an article is not deemed suitable for publication in the journal.

Reviewers are expected to provide constructive feedback in a collegial way. They should clearly and objectively identify areas in the submission that require improvement (e.g., flow of argument, quality of writing, gaps in citation, etc.) and, where possible, offer suggestions for how to improve the manuscript (e.g., suggesting additional sources that the author should cite).

Personal criticism of the author is not acceptable. Authors have different linguistic and cultural backgrounds and epistemological frameworks, and authors may be at different stages of their careers, so reviewers should recognize that they may need to read sensitively. KULA reserves the right to redact comments or not pass on comments to authors if the editors consider them to be uncivil and/or inappropriate. 

Reviewers are expected to keep the review process confidential. They should not disclose any details about the work under review to anyone except the associate editor and the editor in chief.

Reviewers are expected to follow the ethical guidelines for peer reviewers provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics. 

Based on the reviewer reports, the associate editor will make a recommendation to decline the submission, to request revisions, to request revisions and resubmission for another round of peer review, or to accept the submission. Overall editorial responsibility rests with the journal’s editor-in-chief, who is supported by an international editorial board and who makes final decisions about whether to accept submissions for publication.

Note: Not all article types (e.g., project reports) undergo peer review. The information in this section applies to research articles, methods articles, commentaries, and teaching reflections.

Copyright Policy

Authors grant KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies the right of first publication of their work but retain copyright, with their work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Under that license, others may share the work if they acknowledge the work’s authorship and initial publication in KULA.

Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to a repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies.

Authors grant permission for their work to be indexed in full text form in commercial indexes and non-commercial indexes.

Co-Editors in Chief

Jonathan Bengtson, University Librarian, University of Victoria Libraries; Chair, Coalition of Canadian Digital Heritage

Samantha MacFarlane, PhD, Special Projects Administrative Officer, University of Victoria Libraries

Editorial Board

Stacy Allison-Cassin, Assistant Professor, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University 

Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada Emeritus

Susan Brown, Professor of English and Canada Research Chair in Collaborative Digital Scholarship, University of Guelph; Visiting Professor in English and Humanities Computing, University of Alberta

Leslie Chan, Associate Professor, Department of Global Development Studies; Director, Knowledge Equity Lab; University of Toronto Scarborough

Isto Huvila, Chair of Information Studies, Department of ALM (Archival Studies, Library and Information Studies, and Museums and Cultural Heritage Studies), Uppsala University; Adjunct Professor, Information Management in the Department of Information Studies, Åbo Akademi University; and Visiting Professor in Library, Archival, and Information Studies, UBC iSchool

Fidelia Ibekwe, Professor of information Studies, School of Journalism and Communication, Aix-Marseille University; Editor in Chief, Education for information

Masud Khokhar, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds

Laura Mandell, Professor, Department of English, Texas A&M University; Director, Center of Digital Humanities Research; Director, Advanced Research Consortium (ARC)

Cameron Neylon, Professor of Research Communication, Centre for Culture and Technology, Curtin University

Miriam Posner, Assistant Professor, Department of Information Studies, UCLA

Susan Schriebman, Professor, Literature & Art, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University

Kathleen Shearer, Executive Director, Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR)

Deb Verhoeven, Canada 150 Research Chair in Gender and Cultural Informatics, University of Alberta and Director, Humanities Networked Infrastructure (HuNI) Project

Sally Wyatt, Professor of Digital Cultures in Development Technology & Society Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University

Past Board Members

Chad Gaffield, Professor and University Research Chair in Digital Scholarship, Department of History, University of Ottawa

Lisa Goddard, Associate University Librarian, Advanced Research Services, University of Victoria Libraries

Charles Henry, President, Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)

Bethany Nowviskie, Dean of Libraries and Professor of English, James Madison University

Seamus Ross, Professor, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto

Ray Siemens, Distinguished Professor, Department of English, University of Victoria; Director, Implementing New Knowledge Environments (INKE), Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI), and  Electronic Textual Cultures Lab (ETCL)

John Willinsky, Khosla Family Professor of Education, Stanford University; Professor of Publishing Studies, Simon Fraser University; Director, Public Knowledge Project