The prime directive of the Online Trombone Journal is to encourage the creation of original research and creative products to benefit trombonists of all ages and ability levels.

Specific to articles, these research and creative products can take many forms from a fully-developed doctoral thesis to a unique take on a pedagogical device such as a scale sheet and play-along file.

Regardless of the type of research, to be published in the Online Trombone Journal articles library the following simple criteria must be met:

1. the author must have verifiable expertise in the area and the content must present an original and valuable view on the subject
2. the writing must be clear, accurate, free from bias, and appropriate for the audience

Articles vs. Reviews

In the original Online Journal Journal there was no distinction between “articles” and “reviews.” Both were published in the library with “reviews” being one category of articles. Going forward, the OTJ will differentiate between articles (original research and creative products) and reviews (writing about creative products such as recordings and literature).

Reviews represent an important method of sharing information about the research and creative products of our peers, and also a way to learn about the great works in our history. The same criteria and high standards of writing is expected for reviews and articles.

Article Peer Review

In the academic arena, peer review of publications and performances is an important measure of quality. Through a double-blind process we offer authors the option of having their original research products undergo peer review. When requested, a submitted article will follow this simple process:

1. Upon receipt of an article to be refereed, three reviewers will be appointed to evaluate the article. The reviwer can make one of three responses: a) accept the article for publication, b) accept the article for publication with required revision/clarifications, or c) do not accept this article for publication (based on clearly-stated rationale).
2. If a majority of the panel members feel that the required level of scholarship has been met, the author will be notified and the article will be published (with requested edits/clarifications as requested).
3. If a majority of the panel members feel that the required level of scholarship has not been met, the author will be notified and the article removed from consideration. The author in encouraged to resubmit the article after revision to address concerns.

For most articles, this process should normally happen within four-six weeks of initial article submission. Extensive articles and those with unique formatting requirements may take slightly longer to publish.

Article File Formats

Article text should be in a Microsoft Word or Apple Pages file. Alternatively, a link to a text file (non-PDF) on Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive is also acceptable. The article should be in a finished format with titles, headings and sections presented as they are to be published.

Because the OTJ is a mobile-first web site, it uses responsive images. The images you supply for the article should be as large is possible (at least 1024 pixels wide - for full-width images 2400px is preferred, no lower than 72 dpi). Your images must be original (not clip art or stock photos). Images should be in a JPG or PNG format.

If your article is to include video, ideally you would host your video files on a service such as YouTube and send us the links to those files. Hosting videos at YouTube will allow for faster access and smoother streaming across a wide geographical area.

If your article has other media or unique formatting requirements, please contact us to determine its suitability for publication in the Online Trombone Journal.

Ready to Start?

Gather the files for your article including the article text, images, and any additional media you wish to include in the article then complete the article submission form. Please read the instructions carefully as this will save time and steps going forward.