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<b>CfP: Methodologies for Virtual Worlds and Social Networks</b>
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<td>Call for Papers and Book Reviews: Methodological approaches
to the study of virtual environments and online social networks<br>
<br>
The Graduate Journal of Social Science (GJSS) announces a Call for
Papers and Book Reviews for a special issue dealing with methodological
approaches to the study of virtual environments and online social
networks. The journal encourages the submission of work by MSc/ MA/MS,
MPhil, PhD students and junior academics from all geographic regions.
All papers are submitted to a blind peer review process. The special
issue is scheduled for December 2011. <br>
<br>
Papers:<br>
The proliferation of virtual worlds such as The Sims, Second Life,
World of Warcraft and of online social networks such as blogs or social
networking applications (Facebook, LinkedIn, Hi5) has been met with an
enthusiastic interest from researchers across disciplines. Scholars in
anthropology, communication and cultural studies, economics, education,
psychology and sociology have become increasingly involved in the study
of such environments, bringing along not only discipline-specific
questions and theories, but also various methodological approaches.<br>
<br>
This special issue aims at mapping some of the methodological
approaches to the study of virtual environments, and welcomes both
theoretical and empirical analyses that address them. The interest here
is in what methods graduate researchers choose to use, the problems
they face in trying to use them and the ways in which these methods are
being adapted in relation to these virtual sites of study. Graduate
students doing empirical work on virtual worlds and online social
networks from all disciplines are strongly encouraged to submit papers
dealing with the processes of choosing, applying and critically
evaluating their methods. <br>
<br>
While we expect contributions to vary according to the particular focus
of investigation, questions such as the following may be relevant: What
are the advantages and disadvantages of these methods? Are such methods
developed specifically for the study of virtual worlds and/or online
social networks, or are they adaptations of traditional research
methods in social sciences? Are there specific disciplines, theories,
or academic frameworks that offer more suitable insights regarding such
methods- or can using them suggest limiting the scope of this ‘new’
research environment?<br>
<br>
Authors are encouraged to submit papers addressing questions such as: <br>
How to choose a suitable method for the study of virtual worlds and/ or
online social networks? <br>
Methods for exploring the social and cultural aspects of virtual worlds
and/ or online social networks.<br>
Methods for exploring the technical aspects of virtual worlds and/ or
online social networks.<br>
Criteria for evaluating research on virtual worlds and/ or online
social networks.<br>
Simulations as research methods: problems, recommendations, evaluation.
<br>
Methods for collaborative research in virtual environments and/ or
online social networks. <br>
Ethical issues.<br>
Immersion: do we need to be users of virtual worlds/ online social
networks to study them? <br>
<br>
All papers must be submitted electronically by March 15, 2011 to <dddumitr@ucalgary.ca>.
Articles should be between 5,000 - 8,000 words in length (including
footnotes but excluding references). Short essays (2,000 - 3,000 words)
and book reviews on this topic are also welcome. All submissions must
be anonymized and accompanied by the GJSS article submission form
(which can be downloaded from the GJSS website). Please include an
abstract, a short author bio and 3-5 keywords. For more information on
the stylistic guidelines, please check the GJSS website at
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://gjss.org">http://gjss.org</a>. <br>
<br>
For any further inquiries and to submit an article, please contact
Delia Dumitrica, special issue editor at <dddumitr@ucalgary.ca>. <br>
<br>
Book Reviews: <br>
We are also looking for reviews of books published between 2008-2010
dealing with methodological approaches to virtual worlds and online
social networks. Ideally, reviewers have their own copy of the book.
Book reviews should be between 1,000 - 1,5000 words and should not only
describe the book, but also critically engage with the points raised.
If you would like to propose a book review for this special issue,
please contact Delia Dumitrica, special issue editor at <dddumitr@ucalgary.ca>.
</dddumitr@ucalgary.ca></dddumitr@ucalgary.ca></dddumitr@ucalgary.ca></td>
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Delia Dumitrica
<br>
Department of Communication and Culture
<br>
University of Calgary<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:dddumitr@ucalgary.ca">dddumitr@ucalgary.ca</a></td>
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