Comments on: Student Publishers: what are their responsibilities to authors?

By: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Suzanne Conboy-Hill — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:35:43 +0000

I suspect it may be rather more self serving than that!

By: anaspanish

anaspanish — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:28:48 +0000

Ah well could be lots of reasons: benefit of the doubt hoping that the original intention was a good one; or perhaps a sense that the ultimate naming and shaming belongs with the university dept in question not with the students? Only you can answer that one!

By: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Suzanne Conboy-Hill — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:04:21 +0000

I’m interested now in my own behaviour – why have I not named and shamed? Hm!

By: anaspanish

anaspanish — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 07:36:19 +0000

I see your point about it not being classed as research however if this is a project being supervised (directly or indeed indirectly) by the university then you would expect some level of regulation/ethics/integrity. You’d hope it was an essential requirement of any project involving others.

I think the very fact that these students are involved in some way in the world of writing makes this seem all the more abhorrent. Of all the people you’d hope would value the written word … but then I’m probably being ridiculously idealistic.

Oh well, as you say, we must celebrate those publishers who do act ethically and professionally.

By: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Suzanne Conboy-Hill — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:30:13 +0000

I suppose the thing is, the MA/MFA may not be perceived as research. If there is no background in research (in literary circles, that means information gathering, not information generating) then there may be no introduction to the ethics of involving people who are not part of the course. There’s also a culture of gratitude, I think, in getting work published. Editors seem powerful and subject to all manner of whims – spacing, word count, genre, even the use of tense! This doesn’t really give writers much of a sense of self worth so why, as a student publisher, would you feel the need to tell them they are just a means to an end? I think the surprise is that so many – often unpaid and minimally staffed – do behave ethically and professionally. They are to be celebrated.

By: anaspanish

anaspanish — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:31:03 +0000

I’ve never come across but have only literally just started submitting my work. I’m frankly incredulous that this sort of practice could be part of any form of academic project. I thought ethics was for all research work not just science. One has to wonder with what sort of rigour – if any – the tutors are monitoring their students’ work.

By: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Suzanne Conboy-Hill — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:07:51 +0000

I always check out the ‘About us’ page before I submit – really just to have an idea who I’m talking to – but sometimes there’s nothing much there so I go to ‘contact us’. Duotrope gives a decent guide as to activity on the site so I know if there’s life, but so far, I haven’t come across an MFA/MA that’s ‘outed’ itself to writers. I commend those that do

By: irenapas

irenapas — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 12:20:46 +0000

I haven’t got much experience with the student publishers. I had an experience of a publisher going into a couple of months hiatus, but at least he posted something about hectic days and health problems on his blog and the magazine is back to life now.
I agree with you about the project thing — some of the magazines indeed state being MFA or MA project or trace their birth to such projects, but not all have this decency.