Aim and Scope:
MAST (The Journal of Media Art Study and Theory) is an online, open-access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal dedicated to interdisciplinary scholarship in media studies. MAST bridges theory and practice, bringing together scholars and artists working in media studies, media arts, media theories, and practice-based research which involves media and technology. MAST is sponsored and published by the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA / Gannon University, 2023—present, and NeMLA / University at Buffalo, 2019—2023). The journal is published digitally twice a year, in Spring and Fall.
MAST accepts:
full papers (5000 - 6000 words)
practice-based studies (1000-2000 words)
videoessays
book reviews
interviews
MAST is interested in the themes below:
Media Archaeology
Analog and Digital Media
Archives and Archival Art Practices
Aesthetics of Error, Glitch and Noise in Media Arts
Haptic, Tactile and Interactive Media Arts
Locative and Mobile Media Arts
Media Art and Embodiment
Peer Review Process:
MAST follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, relevance, and integrity of all published work.
Initial Review
All submissions are first reviewed by the journal editors to ensure they meet the journal’s scope and basic submission requirements, including formatting, clarity, and relevance. Submissions that do not meet these standards may be desk-rejected or returned to the authors with feedback and an invitation to revise and resubmit.Reviewer Selection
Internal reviewers are selected from the MAST editorial team and advisory board. External reviewers are identified by guest editors (in the case of special issues), in consultation with the journal editors, from a broader network of scholars with relevant expertise. All reviewers are contacted by the journal editors, who oversee the process to ensure alignment with MAST’s peer review standards and to prevent any potential conflicts of interest.Review Process and Decision-Making
Each submission is typically reviewed by at least two reviewers. Reviewer reports are assessed by the journal editors (and guest editors for special issues), who make the final decision. For special issues, guest editors provide recommendations based on the reviews, but final decisions are confirmed by the editorial team. Decisions—whether to accept, revise, or reject—are based on the quality of the submission, reviewers feedback, and relevance to the journal's scope and the special issue’s theme. Members of the advisory board support the peer review process by serving as internal reviewers, advising on reviewer selection, and offering input on editorial decisions as needed. Their involvement helps maintain the scholarly standards and mission of the journal.Revised Manuscripts
Revisions are evaluated by the journal editors (and guest editors), and in the case of major revisions, may be returned to the original reviewers for re-evaluation. Minor revisions are assessed by the editorial team to confirm that all feedback has been adequately addressed.Communication with Authors
All formal decisions and reviewer feedback are communicated to authors by the journal editors via the official editorial email (editors@mast-journal.org), even when guest editors are involved. This ensures consistency and proper record-keeping throughout the review process.
Open Access:
MAST is an open-access journal and provides free access to the full texts of all its contents immediately upon publication. No fees are charged to either readers or authors. MAST is a member of Radical Open Access Collective.
Copyright:
Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions. Authors may reuse/republish their article as part of a book or other materials, providing acknowledgment is given to MAST as the original source and place of publication. Authors can post a copy of their accepted/published article on their websites and on their Institutional repository, citing that the article was originally published in MAST.
Licensing:
All MAST’s published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Repository:
We recognize the value of open access and the benefits of making research widely available. By providing authors with the flexibility to deposit their work in repositories, we support their efforts to maximize the visibility, accessibility, and impact of their research outputs. This policy reflects our commitment to fostering open scholarship and facilitating the dissemination of knowledge to a broader audience.
Indexing:
MAST is indexed by CrossRef, with all published content assigned a DOI to ensure immediate accessibility and citation tracking upon publication. The journal is also indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ROAD).
Open Citation:
As a member of Crossref, MAST deposits reference lists for all published articles. These references are made publicly available through Crossref’s Cited-by service and are included in the Initiative for Open Citations (I4OC), allowing unrestricted access to our citation metadata. This promotes transparency, discoverability, and greater integration within the open scholarly ecosystem.
Digital Archiving Policy:
MAST is committed to the long-term preservation of its content. All articles published by the journal are preserved on mast-nemla.org. In addition, the journal encourages authors to archive the published version of their articles on their institutional repositories and as well as other appropriate websites.
Editorial Ethics and Integrity
MAST adheres to the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is committed to upholding the highest standards of editorial integrity. While not formally a member of COPE, we follow its Core Practices in areas such as transparency, peer review, authorship, conflicts of interest, and handling of research misconduct. Our editorial process is guided by fairness, accountability, and respect for scholarly integrity.