Statement of Publishing Ethics
Middle West Review
ISSN 2372-5664, eISSN 2372-5672
https://nebraskapressjournals.unl.edu/journal/middle-west-review/
Published bi-annually
Editor: Jon K. Lauck, University of South Dakota
Editorial Board: Available on the Editorial Board tab on the webpage listed above
Journal ownership: University of Nebraska Press

The editor(s) and editorial board of Middle West Review are committed to the following:

  • We will make our best efforts to ensure that our peer-review processes and editorial decisions are fair and unbiased, and that manuscripts are judged solely on their merits by individuals with appropriate levels of expertise in the subject area.
    • We have the right to reject a manuscript at any point in the process if, after an unbiased evaluation, it is the opinion of the editor(s) it does not align with the journal’s mission or editorial policies or would be in conflict with the journal’s legal requirements.
  • We will treat submitted manuscripts as confidential documents and will not discuss them or share information about them with anyone outside the editorial staff, editorial board, potential reviewers, or the publisher.
  • We expect transparency on the part of editors and reviewers regarding potential conflicts of interest and will assign manuscripts to individuals who are not expected to have such conflicts.
  • We expect authors to help us uphold our ethical standards by
    • submitting only original works;
    • respecting the intellectual property rights of others;
    • adhering to the journal’s policies regarding simultaneous submissions;
    • acknowledging sources;
    • appropriately crediting all authors, other research participants, and funding sources;
    • disclosing any potential conflicts of interest; and
    • notifying the editors and/or publisher of any significant errors discovered after submission or publication.
  • We will promptly investigate any credible allegation of unethical or illegal practices related to an article we have published. When warranted, we will issue corrections, retractions, and/or apologies, working with the author(s) as appropriate to find the best resolution.
  • Concerns may be reported to the editor(s) or publisher using the contact information found in the Submissions & Book Reviews section of our webpage and the UNP Journals contact page.

Statement of Principles

Middle West Review embraces the principles of open inquiry, free speech, intellectual diversity, and robust debate and discussion and believes they are crucial to the proper functioning of scholarly journals, higher education, and a society where unfettered expression and deliberation are prized ideals. Middle West Review adheres to the longstanding tenet of academic freedom which promotes an open marketplace of ideas among its editors, contributors, and readers. It strives to create a forum that reflects high standards of scholarship and places a premium on facts, logic, and evidence, as well as respecting all viewpoints embracing such standards and that are grounded in the process of critical thinking that has traditionally characterized scholarly endeavors. Middle West Review also welcomes intelligent and well-reasoned creative non-fiction and cultural criticism more generally. Toward these ends, Middle West Review specifically endorses the University of Chicago’s Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression (2015). More broadly, Middle West Review recognizes the importance of creating and sustaining academic and literary outlets in the nation’s far-flung and diverse regions and embraces the goals of regionalists who have sought to resist the dominant centers of cultural production in the nation and to create more platforms in order to foster a diversity of thought and creative enterprises.