Heard and Seen: The Herd Zine Journal
Review Process
Heard and Seen: The Herd Zine Journal uses a supportive, developmental peer review process designed to help creators strengthen their work while preserving their unique voice, perspective, and creative vision. Our goal is not to gatekeep zine culture or impose traditional academic publishing standards. Instead, we seek to cultivate a welcoming publishing environment that values creativity, lived experience, artistic expression, community knowledge, and multiple ways of knowing.
Rolling Submissions
The journal accepts submissions on a rolling basis throughout the year. Rather than publishing a single issue release date, accepted zines are added to the current annual issue on a monthly basis. This model allows creators to submit work when it is ready and helps maintain a continuous flow of new content and perspectives.
Initial Editorial Review
Upon submission, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary review to ensure that the work:
Fits within the journal's aims and scope
Meets basic submission requirements
Includes any required contributor information and content notes
Has been submitted to the most appropriate section:
- Informational Zines
- Art Zines
- Personal/Literary Zines
Submissions meeting these requirements will move forward to peer review.
Peer Review
Each submission is reviewed by six peer reviewers selected from a diverse review team that includes educators, artists, librarians, students, nonprofit professionals, community members, and creators.
Reviewers are matched with submissions based on their expertise and interests within one of the journal's three sections:
Informational Zines
Reviewers consider:
- Clarity of communication
- Accuracy and appropriateness of information presented
- Accessibility for the intended audience
- Connection to the issue theme
Art Zines
Reviewers consider:
- Creative vision
- Visual storytelling and design choices
- Effective use of artistic elements
- Connection to the issue theme
Personal/Literary Zines
Reviewers consider:
- Strength of voice and perspective
- Narrative or thematic coherence
- Reflection and meaning-making
- Connection to the issue theme
For all submissions
Reviewers use a common rubric that considers:
- Alignment with the issue theme
- Clarity of purpose
- Cohesion of content
- Effectiveness of layout and organization
- Authenticity of voice
- Ethical and respectful engagement with topics or communities
- Accessibility and readability
When appropriate, reviewers may print and assemble zines according to the creator's instructions to experience the work in its intended format.
Reviewer Feedback
Reviewers provide constructive written feedback highlighting:
- Strengths of the submission
- Areas that could be strengthened
- Questions or suggestions for the creator
- Recommendations regarding publication
The emphasis is on encouragement, dialogue, and helping contributors refine their work.
Editorial Decision
After peer review, the editorial team will consider reviewer feedback and communicate one of the following decisions:
- Accept
- Accept with Minor Revisions
- Revise and Resubmit
- Decline for the Current Issue
Whenever possible, creators will receive feedback intended to support future development of their work, regardless of the editorial decision.
Publication
Accepted zines are published in the current annual issue of Heard and Seen and made available through the journal website. New content is added throughout the year, creating an evolving collection of informational, artistic, and personal works that contribute to the journal's ongoing conversation around creativity, community voice, lived experience, and knowledge creation.
Review Philosophy
At its heart, Heard and Seen believes that publishing should be a collaborative process. Peer review is not intended to determine whose stories deserve to be told; rather, it is an opportunity to help creators communicate those stories as clearly, thoughtfully, and effectively as possible. We value experimentation, emerging voices, community perspectives, and forms of knowledge that may not always be recognized within traditional scholarly publishing.
