Call for Papers Scope: Contemporary Research Topics 2025

Image: Michael Cooke, Preoccupied on Amble, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 760mm x 760mm, detail from front cover of Scope (Art&Design) 22, 2021

Scope: Contemporary Research Topics is a series of peer-reviewed open access journals published annually by Otago Polytechnic Press. For previous issues, author guidelines and malpractice statement please see www.thescopes.org. 

In addition to an open call for papers for Art&Design there will be two special issues of the journal published in 2025.

Art & Design 30 

Scope (Art & Design) aims to engage discussion on contemporary research in the visual arts and design. It is concerned with views and critical debates surrounding issues of practice, theory, history and their relationships as manifested through the visual and related arts and activities, such as sound, performance, curation, tactile and immersive environments, digital scapes and methodological considerations. With New Zealand and its Pacific neighbours as a backdrop, but not its only stage, Scope (Art & Design) seeks to address the matters which concern contemporary artists and arts enquirers in their environments of practice.
ISSN (print): 1177-5653; ISSN (online): 1177-5661.
Submissions to scope.editorial@op.ac.nz by 30 April 2025.

Art & Design 28 Special Issue Theme: Fashion

The theme of this issue is "Contemporary Fashion Informed." Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua | I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past, is our framework. This whakataukī speaks to a Māori perspective where the past, the present and the future are intertwined. Similarly, Design cannot be considered independent of the past, current or future contexts. Contributors are encouraged to consider this theme broadly. Submissions from all fields and disciplines that add to critical debates and new understandings of fashion and the fashion system are welcomed.  
We welcome EOIs during 2024. Submissions to ScopeFashion@op.ac.nz  by 21 February 2025. 

Art & Design 29 Special Issue Theme: Hospitality and Tourism

This special edition invites contributions from hospitality and tourism educators, practitioners, writers, and scholars to explore the future of these sectors. In the rapidly evolving landscape of hospitality and tourism, a tension has emerged between those who wish to preserve traditional practices and those advocating for new and alternative approaches. We are seeking submissions that offer fresh perspectives, stimulate critical discussions and dialogue and address the ongoing disruptions to these sectors, and which can contribute to shaping the future of hospitality and tourism.
Expressions of interest for all formats to adrian.woodhouse@op.ac.nz are due 18 November 2024. Submissions to adrian.woodhouse@op.ac.nz by 24 March 2025.

Tīrou 1

We wish to acknowledge with gratitude everyone who has contributed to the journal Scope: Kaupapa Kāi Tahu, which has been published biannually since 2011. Under the guidance of the Kaitohutohu we have changed the name of the journal to reflect the aim of reaching out to kairangahau Māori across the motu. As such, we warmly welcome expressions of interest for Scope: Tīrou to be launched in 2025.

Tīrou, is the figurative waka as the publication and the articles within the publication move the waka sideways or in different directions but align to the kaupapa and purpose. Scope: Tīrou will seek to provide a platform for new and emerging kairangahau to publish on topics of importance to hapū, iwi, Māori and to our communities. Each issue attends to a broad theme.

Maintaining our collaboration between the journal and symposia this year’s theme is Tino Rangatiratanga, mirroring the theme from the 2022 symposium. Under the banner of Tino Rangatiratanga presenters at the 2022 symposium spoke on a range of local and national Māori research interest areas. We look forward to collaborating with you and providing an avenue to publish your research.

Please send your EOI in the first instance to Nikita.Rewha@op.ac.nz or Scott.Klenner@op.ac.nz by the end of November. Calls for Papers will close 30 April, 2025.

Learning and Teaching Issue 15

The journal Scope (Learning and Teaching) is concerned with views, critical debate and reflections on learning and teaching theory and practice. It seeks to address current topical matters in the field of tertiary and vocational education. Its focus is on building a sense of community amongst researchers from an array of New Zealand institutions with the goal of linking with a wider international community.
ISSN: 1179-951X (hardcopy), ISSN: 1178- 9528 (online).
Learning and Teaching 15 Theme: Academic Integrity and GenAI. We are especially interested in the experiences of kaiako and ākonga with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. In addition, we welcome submissions on the growing topic of Generative AI from the polytechnic perspective, and the related opportunities, challenges and ethical responsibilities for higher education within New Zealand.
Submissions to megan.kitching@op.ac.nz by 30 April 2025.

Work-based Learning Issue 7

The journal Scope (Work-based Learning) focuses on contemporary research in assessment of prior learning, learning in, for, and about work, and professional practice. It is concerned with critical debate about practice, theory, and history, and their relationships as manifested in the experiences of learners, practitioners, and researchers in work-based learning and professional practice. 
SSN 2703-6227 (print) ISSN 2703-6235 (online).
Work-based Learning Issue 7 Theme: The dynamic transformations of identity in professional practice.
Amidst the rapid changes reshaping our workspaces, we invite you to contribute your valuable insights to explore the ongoing evolution of professional practice identity. The 2025 issue seeks to investigate how individuals actively engage with and evolve their identities in response to, and in driving, change, viewing these shifts as opportunities for growth and professional "becoming."
Submissions to henk.roodt@op.ac.nz, rachel.mcnamara@op.ac.nz by 30 April 2025.