Generations: The Women and Gender Studies Undergraduate Journal
About the Journal
Generations is an open access interdisciplinary undergraduate journal out of the University of Toronto’s Women & Gender Studies Institute. We encourage submissions in a range of formats that explore the entanglements of gender, race, class, sexuality, and beyond.
Visit the journal website here.
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Aim
Generations is the University of Toronto’s student-run Women & Gender Studies Undergraduate Journal. Our primary objective is to provide a platform for students across U of T’s three campuses to showcase their diverse works. Echoing the Women and Gender Studies Institute’s dedication to exploring the entanglements of gender, race, sexuality, class, age, size, and ability and beyond, Generations is grounded in transnational feminist studies. This approach integrates questions concerning nation-states, citizenship, colonialisms, diasporas, and global capitalism with analyses of the gendered, queered, and raced politics of subjectivity, activism, and knowledge production.
Scope
With a commitment to interdisciplinary perspectives and experiential and embodied knowledges, we strive to foster intellectual curiosity and innovation. By encouraging submissions from students across various academic disciplines, we hope to contribute to ongoing dialogue and knowledge production in the field of gender studies. Generations welcomes submissions in various formats, including (but not limited to): research essays, creative writing, poetry, critical commentary, and mixed media art. We aim to challenge traditional expressions of scholarly knowledge and cultivate a publication that encourages experimentation and creativity.
History of the Journal
Our journal is a revival of the previous WGSI undergraduate journal: Intersections, which was established in 2009. Intersections was established by the U of T Women and Gender Studies Student Union as Canada’s first reviewed undergraduate journal dedicated to publishing works on issues of gender, sexuality, race, and social justice. Physical copies of the previous iterations of the journal can be found at D.G. Ivey Library.
After a publishing hiatus since 2016, Generations is resuming publication with a new name for our 6th issue in the 2023-2024 academic year concurrent with the 50th anniversary of the Women & Gender Studies Institute at U of T. Our name reflects both the generations of scholars, activists, and feminists who have worked and studied over the past 50 years at the institute, but also the generations of knowledge that have emerged out of the department, and feminist and gender studies more broadly.
Editorial Board
Our publication utilizes an editorial board process for reviewing and editing manuscripts. Our editorial boards are composed of undergraduate UofT students, whose names are included in each edition of the journal.
Open Access Policy
Generations is an open access publication, guaranteeing unrestricted and cost-free access to all its content. Our journal is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0), granting users the freedom to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the complete text of the articles for any non-commercial purpose if proper credit is given.
Authors retain hold of the copyright on their published works, which according to PKB means the author retains the right to reuse, distribute, re-publish, etc. The author licenses the right of first publication to Generations, which means that the journal retains the right to be the first venue where the work is published.
Policy on Artificial Intelligence Use
The following policy draws from Science Journals editorial policies.
Generations reserves the right to accept or reject submitted work that is produced with Artificial Intelligence programs, software, technology and generators. Failure to disclose the use of AI through attempting to pass off AI-generated content as one’s own work will be treated as plagiarism.
If you must disclose the inclusion of AI-generated content in your piece, please do so in the “comments to editors” section of the submission page. This policy is subject to change.
Artistic and creative work | Submissions of artistic work are unique in the sense that artists may consider using AI-generated content more freely in their submissions. Artists may only include AI-generated content in their work if explicitly stated and if the AI-generated content is a vital part of the work and not a stand-in for artist-generated content. Accompanying artists statements must also justify the use of AI-generated content to allow for greater understanding of the necessity of its inclusion in the work.
Written work | All submissions must be primarily created by the author submitting the work. There are very few cases where Generations will accept works including AI-generated content; and authors must disclose if their work has been created with the use of Artificial Intelligence programs, software or other technology. Authors may only include AI-generated content in their work if explicitly stated and if the AI-generated content is a vital part of the work and not a stand-in for author-generated content.
Archiving Policy
Pieces published by Generations are archived in two ways. First through the PKB Preservation Network, and secondly through a LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism as defined by COPE is “when somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were his/her own and without proper acknowledgment.” In submitted manuscripts, plagiarism is both unacceptable and unethical. We follow the standards laid out by COPE when it is suspected that there is plagarism in a manuscript.
Publishing Ethics
Generations strives to meet the high standards for editors defined defined in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors that is promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Author fees
Generations operates on a non-fee model, ensuring that authors are not subject to any charges or processing fees for the submission and publication of their research. The commitment to cost-free participation underscores the journal’s dedication to fostering open access to scholarly knowledge.
Sponsorship
Women & Gender Studies Institute
The Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI) at the University of Toronto is dedicated to exploring the entangled work of gender, race and sexuality in identities, relations, practices, theories, and institutions. WGSI has developed a distinct strength in transnational feminist studies, which joins questions concerning nation-states, citizenship, colonialisms, diasporas, and global capitalism with concerns about how to understand the gendered, queered, and raced politics of subjectivity, activism and knowledge making.