Policies

Aim and Scope

The Tamil Academic Journal is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to publishing original, interdisciplinary research about Tamil people globally. Grounded in a decolonial and community-centered approach, TAJ seeks to challenge exclusionary academic traditions while building a collaborative space for scholars of Tamil Studies from all disciplines. 

In addition to original scholarly research, the Tamil Academic Journal aims to be a vehicle for experimental forms of documentation and archival processes in regard to knowledge produced in the Tamil academic sphere. It seeks to amplify marginalized and under-represented voices and subject matters in Tamil studies, but particularly in the Tamil diasporas. By emphasizing its interdisciplinary approach, the journal aims to propel emergent discourse in the field of Tamil studies and beyond, providing space for negotiation and critical engagement at the intersection of scholarly representation and Tamil people.

Copyright and Licensing

All authors publishing with the Tamil Academic Journal  retain the copyright of their work. By submitting a manuscript to the Tamil Academic Journal, authors agree to license their work under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), unless otherwise specified. This license allows others to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author(s).

As part of the submission process, authors must confirm their agreement to this copyright and licensing policy by checking a consent box and submitting a signed Copyright and License Agreement form. This ensures that the journal has the right to publish and disseminate the work, while the author retains full ownership of the intellectual property.

All published articles will clearly display the copyright holder’s name (the author[s]) and the applicable Creative Commons license on the article landing page and PDF.

Author Fees

Tamil Academic Journal is committed to equitable access to knowledge and supporting scholars at all stages of their academic journeys. We do not charge any fees for submission, peer review, editing, publication, or access to content. There are no article processing charges (APCs) or hidden costs at any stage of the publication process.

Our journal operates on a not-for-profit basis and is supported by a collective of volunteer editors, reviewers, and scholars dedicated to open-access, community-driven publishing.

Authors will never be asked to pay to publish in Tamil Academic Journal.

Funding Sources

Tamil Academic Journal is an independent, open-access academic journal made possible through the generous support of our institutional partners. We are proud to be supported by the University of Toronto Tamil Chair and the York Centre for Asian Research’s Tamil Studies Symposium. Their ongoing partnership sustains our commitment to accessible, community-engaged Tamil scholarship.

We gratefully acknowledge their contributions, which help us maintain a fee-free publishing model and uphold high standards of editorial and scholarly integrity.

Authorship

The following authorship policy is informed by the authorship policy of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the recommendations for authorship standards from McNutt et al. (2018).

Each author is expected to:

  • Make substantial contributions to:
    • the conception or design of the work;
    • OR the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
    • OR the creation of new software used in the work;
  • OR draft or substantially revise the work;

They must also:

  • Approve the final version of the manuscript to be published;
  • AND agree to be personally accountable for the author’s own contributions and for ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved and documented in the literature;
  • AND disclose the use of editorial services or Artificial Intelligence to the journal at the point of submission, including in what capacity they were used;
  • AND provide an author contribution statement, making use of the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) taxonomy, where possible.

The corresponding author is expected to:

  • Be the primary contact with the journal throughout the publication process;
  • AND ensure that all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript;
  • AND ensure that all administrative requirements of the journal are met;
  • AND verify that the transparency and reproducibility standards of the journal and academic discipline are adhered to.

Authors are solely responsible for the content of their submissions. They must ensure that:

  • All information is accurate and appropriately cited.
  • The research is conducted in accordance with academic and ethical standards.
  • The manuscript complies with the journal’s formatting and submission guidelines.

Permission to Use Material from Elsewhere:

Authors must obtain written permission to use any copyrighted material (such as images, tables, or excerpts) from previously published works. Proper attribution must be provided in accordance with copyright laws and fair use policies. Documentation of such permissions must be submitted along with the manuscript.

Warranties by the Author:

By submitting a manuscript, the author affirms that:

  • The work is original and has not been published previously, nor is it under consideration elsewhere.
  • The manuscript is free from plagiarism and does not infringe on any third-party rights.
  • All co-authors have contributed meaningfully and consent to the submission and potential publication.

Data Sharing

Where possible, underlying research data must be made openly available in data repositories, such as Dataverse, or Zenodo. A data access statement with a link (DOI preferred) to the repository must be present in the submitted manuscript. If there are restrictions on data availability, this must be disclosed to the journal at the time of submission.

Self-Archiving

Authors may deposit a copy of their publication in an open access repository or open archive. 

To protect both the integrity and authenticity of the publication the deposited copy must indicate that it was originally published by the Tamil Academic Journal. There must also be a URL link from the deposited version to the initial version within the Tamil Academic Journal’s repository.

Conflict of Interest

All those involved in the peer review process (authors, editors and peer reviewers) must declare any conflict of interest (also known as ‘competing interests’) to ensure transparency. Conflicts of interest can be financial (for example, related to research grants or paid employment) or non-financial (for example, personal relationships or religious beliefs) and can be either professional or personal. 

Examples of conflict of interest (non-exhaustive list):

  • Authors:
    • Funded or associated with an organisation that may benefit from the publication.
    • Membership of a lobbying or an advocacy organization that focuses on topics related to the research work.
    • Having personal or professional relationships with current or former members of the journal’s editorial board.
    • Current or former member of the journal’s editorial board.
    • Acting as an expert witness in legal proceedings cited in the research work.
  • Editor or Peer Reviewer:
    • Having personal or professional relationships with the author.
    • Being currently employed by the same institution as the author.
    • Have published with, collaborated with or held grants with the author in the past 2 years.

Declaration:

If there is a conflict of interest, authors must state their competing interests at the end of the final manuscript submitted to the journal, under a separate heading (‘Conflict of Interest’). 

Meanwhile, editors and peer reviewers must inform the editorial board in writing, if there is a conflict of interest. 

Editorial Board Decisions:

The editorial board may disqualify the manuscript from the peer-review process if they believe that the conflict of interest has either led to or created the perception of bias in the research work. 

All editors and reviewers who have declared or are identified to have a conflict of interest will be removed from the peer review and publication process by the editorial board to ensure objectivity.

Policy on Translated Articles

We accept translated articles under the following conditions:

  • The original publication must be clearly acknowledged.
  • Written permission from the original publisher (and author, if applicable) must be provided.
  • The translation must preserve the original meaning and should include a translator’s note where needed.
  • Translated works are subject to the same peer review process as original submissions.

Ethics Approvals

Research involving human participants, animal subjects, or sensitive data must be accompanied by documentation of approval from a recognized ethics review board or institutional review committee. Authors must state this approval in their manuscript and ensure that research complies with international ethical standards.

Editorial Submission Process

Upon submission:

  • Authors will receive an acknowledgment of receipt within 5 working days.
  • The editorial team will conduct an initial screening to ensure compliance with journal standards.
  • Suitable manuscripts will then proceed to peer review.

Peer Review Policy

  • The journal uses a double-blind peer review system: both reviewers and authors remain anonymous.
  • Each manuscript is typically reviewed by two independent reviewers.
  • Authors can expect an initial decision within 4–6 weeks of submission.
  • Feedback will include constructive comments, recommendations, and a decision: accept, revise and resubmit, or reject.

Proofing and Timelines

  • Once accepted, the manuscript will undergo copyediting and typesetting.
  • Authors will receive proofs for review and are expected to respond within 5–7 days.
  • The final version will be scheduled for publication in the upcoming issue, with advance online publication as applicable.