Pitch a Pod: Submission Guidelines

Proposals for Season 4 Episodes are due July 15, 2024. Scroll below for more information.

Overview

SMT-Pod is a Open Collaborative Peer-Reviewed and creative venue for timely conversations about music theory. Audio-only podcasts offer a unique—though non-traditional—way of engaging with music, analysis, and contemporary issues in the field. As opposed to the heavy, jargon-laden publications we are used to working through at our desks, SMT-Pod publications are easy to listen to and think about in the car, on your run, or while grading.

Read more about why we use an
Open Collaborative Peer Review (OCPR) Process here

The format of each episode is dictated by its content. For some topics, interviews with individual scholars or panel discussions may be effective; for others, sample lessons may prove useful; for more traditional analysis topics (that would not require visual aids), single-author lectures with plenty of audio examples may suffice. If none of these formats seem beneficial to the episode you are proposing, feel free to design your own. The choice is up to you!

We welcome proposals from all scholars: those who are avid podcast listeners and those who are less familiar with the medium; whether you have years of experience or are new to the recording process.

Publication Process

If you think you have an idea for SMT-Pod, here are some things you should prepare/consider as we work together to create your podcast using an open collaborative peer-review process.

Season 4 Proposals are due on July 15, 2024.

The initial proposal (500–1000 words) should include information about the topic, format, and content of your episode. You’ll submit your proposal on this Google form, where you’ll also be asked about the structure of the episode and any technological needs you may have. You can see specifics about the rest of the process below (click to open each phase) or summarized in a timeline here (opens google doc).

  • May 15, 2024: Call for Season 4 Proposals Opens
  • July 15, 2024: Proposals due by 11:59 pm EST
  • July 30, 2024: Notification of proposal acceptances for Season 4
  • August 30, 2024: NEW - Deadline of podcast outline due to Team Lead and Peer Reviewer
  • September 30, 2024: End of collaborative peer review phase for the outline
  • November 30, 2024: Deadline for episode's audio draft and transcript of episode. Authors may request production help from production team.
  • December 30, 2024: Receive peer reviewer and production team feedback and comments
  • Depending on your feedback during the previous phase, you will have one of two deadlines:
    • January 30, 2025: Final audio/files due for podcasts requiring minimal edits
    • February 15, 2025: Final audio/files due for podcasts requiring revisions
  • Before April 2025: Final Review of episodes
  • Late April 2025: Tentative Release of Season 4

A. Call for Proposals

  • Proposals must be received by July 15, 2024 at 11:59pm EST for consideration in Season 4.
    • Authors interested in submitting their work for consideration in the next season of SMT-Pod should submit their proposal using this Google Form.
    • The materials for submission include the following:
      1. Email
      2. Name (First and Last)
      3. Institutional affiliation (or N/A)
      4. Number of authors
      5. Structure of episode (Interview/Panel, Pedagogy/Lesson Plan, Musical Analysis, etc.)
        • If you are interested in proposing a series of episodes (2+ episodes on the same overarching topic), include this in your proposal and outline, as well as submit larger/longer documentation.
      6. Approximate Length of Episode: Short (10-20 minutes), Medium (20-30 min), Long (30-45 min)
      7. Comfort with recording/editing process (This does not impact the success of your proposal–it is for our records so we can assign board members to further guide you through the process).
      8. Title of episode
      9. Five relevant keywords (These can be edited or expanded later if needed)
      10. Five potential peer reviewers who can speak to the scholarship of the episode and their emails
        • SMT-Pod will select one to be the peer reviewer and will ensure there are no conflicts of interest or personal connections between author and peer reviewer
      11. A 500–1000 word proposal in PDF format detailing the content and format of the episode
        • It should not only detail the research and content of your episode, but also incorporate the structure, potential musical examples, and overall vision for the episode.
      12. OPTIONAL: Tell us why you think your topic is particularly suited for SMT-Pod instead of other publications.
      13. Acknowledgement of timeline and commitment to adhering to it.
        • Prior to submitting a proposal for each season, please review the timeline presented on this page or here (opens up a google document). Reach out to us in case of exceptional circumstances.

B. Initial Open Collaborative Peer Review by Program Committee

  • All proposals will be reviewed by the program committee of SMT-Pod. They will not be reviewed anonymously, and committee members will keep the following criteria in mind when reading author’s proposals:
    1. Suitability for a podcast format (no excessive jargon, no reliance on visual materials, etc.)
    2. Creating a diverse set of topics in a season
    3. Possibility of reaching out to scholars in the field for commentary, relevant review, and/or contribution to the episode

C. Initial Acceptance

  1. July 30, 2024: Accepted authors will be notified by email approximately 2 weeks after the call for proposals closes.
    • Your proposal will either be accepted at this phase or you will be offered to revise and resubmit for the next season. Acceptance of your proposal does not guarantee publication, as the steps in Phases 2 and 3 (below) must be completed and approved before publication is scheduled.
  2. Accepted authors will be assigned a Production Team Leader and one author-chosen Peer Reviewer. Authors will be presented with resources and guidelines, detailed schedules, and have the opportunity to ask questions of their Team Lead and reviewer at any step of the subsequent process.

A. NEW: Creation and Open Collaborative Review of Episode Outline

  1. August 30, 2024: Detailed outline of the episode(s) is due to the Team Lead and Peer Reviewer. This does not need to be a completed transcript or include any audio recordings. Instead, this outline or timeline should give the author and team a clear vision of what the episode will include conceptually and structurally.
  2. By September 30, 2024: Author will receive collaborative feedback from the peer reviewer on the outline. This phase is intended to be a conversation and allow for the free exchange of ideas. The peer reviewer will not be rendering any decisions on the publication but rather should use this time to ensure concepts and examples will be fully fleshed out. This collaboration can take place over email, on shared documents, or even over Zoom depending on the comfort of all parties involved.

B. Recording the Podcast and Subsequent Review

  1. November 30, 2024: Authors will need to submit a complete audio draft and transcript by this date. Depending on the author's comfort with audio editing software, the audio draft may be one single audio file or may be separate files (with clear indication in the transcript where examples/music will be inserted).
    • Authors will have approximately two months to compile an audio draft of their episode. The audio draft does not need to include all musical examples but should be in a condition where the editorial board and peer reviewer can envision the final version.
      • The audio draft must be accompanied by a complete transcript (including any interviews) for peer reviewers to follow along and comment on. If the author needs help with the transcript, feel free to recruit colleagues and/or students to help or reach out to the board for resources.
      • Authors should keep in mind that this is a draft—the peer reviewer and/or editorial board will likely request that some portions be re-recorded or restructured.
      • Each episode is assigned a team of board members to listen to audio drafts, check for quality, and interact with the peer reviewer comments.
      • Authors will be informed of the members of their team while audio drafts are being created and should use their team as a resource.
    • Authors are NOT required to have prior audio recording or editing experience. If comfortable recording and editing audio, they are encouraged to do so for the main content of your episode (SMT-Pod will take care of final production and opening/closing credits). If authors are less experienced with this technology, members of the production committee will work closely with them in all phases of production.
    • If, however, authors are recording individuals and/or over Zoom, they MUST schedule time to meet with (and potentially record with) a member of our production team. Our production team is available to help for any and all authors who request it. The editorial board reserves the right to delay publication if audio quality does not meet our standard.
  2. December 30, 2024: Authors will receive two reviews from SMT-Pod after the submission of their audio draft - from the peer reviewer and from our production committee.
    • The following are decisions either/both parties can give:
      • Accept as is
      • Accept with suggestions*
      • Accept pending revisions*
      • Rejection
      • *Suggestions = can ignore; revisions = must be addressed
    • Authors should be prepared to re-record portions or the entirety of their episode should they be given revisions from either their peer reviewer or the production committee. Those who receive rejections at this stage of the process should discuss future revisions with the Editors.
    • In the spirit of our open collaborative review process, peer reviewers will know the author’s name and the author will know who their peer reviewer is. In the final version of the episode, authors will acknowledge the peer reviewer by name.
    • The board reserves the opportunity to reject an episode after peer review or after final production should the episode not meet expectations in production quality or academic rigor.

A. Submitting the Final Audio/Files

  1. Once the peer reviewer completes their commentary and renders a decision, SMT-Pod will send them to the author along with any additional guidelines.
    • The due dates for final files will depend on the status of the peer and production review:
      • January 30, 2025 if minimal edits needed
      • February 15, 2025 if revisions are required
    • Authors are responsible for any copyright permissions or infringements related to musical examples in their episode.
      • If obtaining permissions is too challenging or problematic, consider creating a reduction of the score. Rather than obtain copyright permissions for a recording of a public domain piece, consider having students or colleagues perform the excerpts (they will be included in the credits and show notes!)
  2. The following items should be prepared for publication:
    1. A final audio file (as mp3 or WAV file; Keep Reaper or Audacity files in case we need them!)
    2. An acknowledgements audio recording which can be included in your episode or as a separate file (be sure to thank your peer reviewer!)
    3. A complete transcript of the episode (do NOT include timestamps) including musical excerpts and names of who is speaking before each paragraph – follow the structure of transcripts found on our website in the podcast player (see TRANSCRIPT tab for individual episodes)
    4. A 1-sentence summary of the episode (SMT-Pod will read this to introduce your episode, we may edit for length or clarity if needed)
    5. A 100-word bio for the website
    6. A headshot for website (make it fun! Take a photo while recording!)
    7. Five (5) Keywords
    8. Supplemental materials following the formatting and reference guidelines from the provided template
    9. An audio clip pronouncing author’s name (or any other names in the episode)
    10. Any credits to include in the show notes (such as students or colleagues who helped produce your episode or transcript)
    11. Links to your website and/or social media handles (if applicable)

B. Final Review and Publication

  1. Before April 2025: The final episode including intro/outro music and any requested edits will be sent to the author before the episode is scheduled to air. The author will be able to make comments/suggestions; any edits will be applied one time. Once those edits are included, the episode will be scheduled to air.
  2. Late April 2025: Season 4 scheduling and launch
    • The schedule of episodes will be determined as production progresses and in consultation with authors.
    • Episode 1 will tentatively be released in late April, with subsequent episodes released weekly.

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