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Queries and Submissions to: g-ehr@aseh.org

What is Germinate?

Germinate: Environmental History Review is a born-digital publication of record of the field. It provides an open-access forum dedicated to environmental history. It includes peer-reviewed articles and non-peer-reviewed contributions in various formats that explore relationships between humans and their environment/the more-than-human world in context. EHR aims to bring together interdisciplinary scholarship and scholars and practitioners to inform the larger public beyond academic settings. As an open-access journal, Germinate: EHR is committed to inclusivity, diversity, and open to queries, conversations, and controversy, welcoming different perspectives and voices. 

Who is Germinate?

Onur İnal (University of Vienna), Editor-in-Chief

Ramya Swayamprakash (Grand Valley State University), Associate Editor

Kerri Arsenault (The Environmental Storytelling Studio), Associate Editor

Editorial Board

Aditya Ramesh (University of Washington)

Andrew Robichaud (Boston University)

Debjani Bhattacharyya (University of Zurich)

Emily O’Gorman (Macquarie University)

Mary E. Mendoza (Penn State University)

Sandra Swart (Stellenbosch University)

Sarah S. Elkind (San Diego State University)

When is Germinate?

Germinate: Environmental History Review is published continuously throughout the year. Submissions are accepted quarterly. Pieces submitted before quarterly deadlines (31 March, 31 July, 31 October, 31 December) will be published over the course of the next quarter, given the peer-review process.

Germinate's Philosophy on Access

On the premise that making research publicly available fosters a more extensive worldwide exchange of information, this publication offers immediate open access to its material. The authors of published articles retain the copyright and grant third parties the right to use, reproduce, share, and build upon the article in accordance with the Creative Commons license agreement.

Editorial Policies

Germinate: Environmental History Review includes peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed works. Submissions are made through the web page by using the relevant forms. The editors initially assess all submissions and determine their suitability for the journal.

Submissions for the peer-reviewed section considered suitable are assigned to two experts (reviewers) who assess the article for clarity, validity, and soundness, and provide high-quality feedback to the authors. The editors ensure the selection of reviewers is free from bias. For this reason, reviewers from the same institution or faculty as the author(s) of the manuscript are not invited for review.

Germinate: Environmental History Review operates a double-blind peer review process, meaning that the identities of both reviewers and authors are unknown to each other throughout the review.. The review period is expected to take around four weeks. Reviewers are asked to provide formative feedback, even if an article is not deemed suitable for publication in the journal.

Based on the reviewer reports, the editors make a decision for rejection, major or minor  revisions, or acceptance. Overall editorial responsibility rests with the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, supported by an expert international Editorial Board.

Submissions for the non-peer-reviewed section follow a similar process, except the editors make the judgment without peer review. Submissions considered suitable are forwarded for copy-editing and published within two weeks.

Germinate: Environmental History Review includes peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed works. Submissions are made through the web page by using the relevant forms. The editors initially assess all submissions and determine their suitability for the journal.

Submissions for the peer-reviewed section considered suitable are assigned to two experts (reviewers) who assess the article for clarity, validity, and soundness, and provide high-quality feedback to the authors. The editors ensure the selection of reviewers is free from bias. For this reason, reviewers from the same institution or faculty as the author(s) of the manuscript are not invited for review.

Germinate: Environmental History Review operates a double-blind peer review process, meaning that the identities of both reviewers and authors are unknown to each other throughout the review.. The review period is expected to take around four weeks. Reviewers are asked to provide formative feedback, even if an article is not deemed suitable for publication in the journal.

Based on the reviewer reports, the editors make a decision for rejection, major or minor  revisions, or acceptance. Overall editorial responsibility rests with the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, supported by an expert international Editorial Board.

Submissions for the non-peer-reviewed section follow a similar process, except the editors make the judgment without peer review. Submissions considered suitable are forwarded for copy-editing and published within two weeks.

The use of other people’s work without correct attribution and permission is considered a very serious offense by the academic community. All submissions to the Journal will be uploaded to Similarity Check to assess if the content closely matches content available elsewhere. If a high similarity report is produced, or a case of allegation is made against a publication, the Editor-in-Chief will carry out an independent investigation, following COPE guidelines, and remedial actions will be taken.

Germinate does not accept that AI tools sufficiently meet the requirement of authorship.