What are working papers?

Working Papers are open access pre-publication versions of academic articles, book or completed dissertation chapters or conference papers. Papers posted on this site are either in progress, undergoing revision, under submission, or in press and forthcoming elsewhere.

This is, we believe, the first Working Papers series in the field of Irish Studies, such series are very common in other academic disciplines.

Working Papers are offered on this site by the author, in the interests of disseminating and promoting discussion around scholarship. Working Papers are not refereed. Papers in this series may be in various stages of completion – this is why the version number is indicated on the cover of each paper.

The form and content of papers are the responsibility of individual authors. The format (other than the cover sheet) is not standardised. The quality of these working papers is thus not guaranteed by the Institute of Irish Studies.

Papers may be downloaded from the site by individuals, for their own use, subject to the ordinary rules governing fair use of professional scholarship (see copyright statement, below). Comments on papers or questions about their content should be sent directly to the author, via his or her email address. We encourage scholars to offer constructive feedback on papers through this mode.

Posting a paper on this site does not preclude simultaneous or subsequent publication elsewhere, including other working papers series. The copyright of a working paper is held by the author or by his or her assignee (see copyright statement, below).

Downloadable copies of working papers will be removed from this site if and when authors indicate to the Institute that they have been published elsewhere and request that they be removed. Once a paper has been published elsewhere, it is ordinarily preferable to cite it in its final, published version, rather than in its working paper version. If the author wishes, a pre-typeset open access version of their paper may be retained on the Working Papers website after their paper has been published, along with a link to the published version. Authors can request the removal of their work at any time for any reason.

Who can submit a paper?

Any member of academic or research staff (including emeritus, visiting and honorary staff) at Queen’s University Belfast researching an Irish Studies related topic may submit a working paper. In addition, any current or former postgraduate student at Queen’s University Belfast who is researching or has researched an Irish Studies related topic for a degree programme may submit a working paper, subject to the approval of their research supervisor

Academic and research staff, and postgraduate students, researching in Irish Studies fields at a university or centre with which the Institute of Irish Studies at QUB has a partnership arrangement may also submit working papers under the same terms as above. Visiting speakers at the Institute may also submit papers. 

How to submit a paper.

Papers must be submitted to the Director of the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University Belfast via email at irish.studies@qub.ac.uk . Please prepare your paper by following these steps.

• Make a copy of your paper. Rename this copy, using the form Lastname #.v$.doc. (# = 1 for your first submitted paper, = 2 for your second and so on; $ = version number. E.g. Gray 1.v1.doc).
• Open the renamed paper. Add a blank page 1 (for adding the Cover Page Template).
• Download the Cover Page Template. (Word doc)
• Open the downloaded Cover Page Template, and copy it onto your blank Page 1
• Edit the Cover Page, replacing ‘Title’ etc. with the relevant information. Add an abstract of 2-3 sentences (c.100 words).
• Convert your paper into .pdf format.
• Review your new .pdf file, checking to make sure it appears the way you want it to look when it is downloaded.
• Decide which subject categories you want your paper listed under, and include these in the email to the Institute. You may list your paper under as many subjects as you feel are appropriate.
• Email the .pdf copy of your paper as an attachment to the Institute. Be sure to include in the body of your email the subject(s) under which your paper should be listed.

If and when you wish the downloadable version of your paper to be removed from the Working Papers series (e.g. when it has been published elsewhere), please inform the Institute via email at irish.studies@qub.ac.uk . If you send full publication information to the Institute, this information will be posted in the place of the downloadable version.

Working Papers should have a maximum length of 10,000 words and use referencing conventions appropriate to the disciplinary category. 

Copyright Statement

It is the current policy of the Institute of Irish Studies to maintain all working papers posted on the site unless otherwise notified by the author(s). Copyright to working papers remains with the author/s or their assignees. Users of this site may download papers and produce them for their own personal use, but downloading of papers for any other activity, including reposting to other electronic bulletin boards or archives, may not be done without the written consent of the author/s.

Upon print publication, copyright will often be formally transferred to the publisher. It is therefore the author's responsibility to know if copyright has been transferred and to notify the Institute to have it removed from the site, if necessary. In those cases where the author has retained copyright, it is the author's responsibility to notify the Institute when and if they wish to have the paper removed.

Citation

Working Papers may be cited without seeking prior permission from the author. The proper form for citing Working Papers in this series is:

Author, ‘Title’, Version number (Date), QUB Working Papers in Irish Studies. [URL for series]

Posting

Irish Studies Working Papers will be posted to a dedicated site linked directly to the Irish Studies homepage at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/IrishStudiesGateway/ under the title Irish Studies Working Paper Series

The Director of the Institute of Irish Studies, assisted by the Irish Studies Administrator, shall have responsibility for updating and maintaining this site.

Newly added papers will be advertised via Irish Studies social media.

Subject Categories

Anthropology

Archaeology

Art History

Cultural Studies

Drama and Film Studies

Economic History

Economics and Management

Geography and Planning

History

Irish Language and Literature

Law

Literature in English

Music

Politics and Conflict Studies

Sociology and Social Policy

Download this document as a pdf: Guidance Document 1.21

Download the cover page template as a Word document: Cover Page Template