Mediapolis: A Journal of Cities and Culture is an interdisciplinary online journal of media and urban culture. We publish research across multiple academic fields — including, but not limited to, media studies, urban studies, geography, film, architecture, art history, visual culture, digital humanities, sound, and music. As a ‘small-gauge’ journal, we are particularly interested in publishing timely contributions that engage with current topics and objects at the intersection of cities and culture, and that feature original thought and work-in-progress rather than reviews of the existing literature. In doing so, Mediapolis aims to counter the often slow and potentially exclusionary nature of traditional publishing models by opening up a space for debate and discussion.
Our primary readership is academic, but we aim to foster a responsive, robust, and inclusive debate by publishing work that is broadly accessible to a public audience. To that end, Mediapolis is committed to a model of open access publishing, and accepts work across a range of topics and formats. At the moment, our recurring formats are:
- Edited Dossiers: Edited dossiers are a selection of 6-8 articles (c. 3,000 words) that are connected through a shared theme, edited and introduced by a guest editor(s). You can find an overview of all previous dossiers here. If you are interested in editing a dossier, please contact the managing editors.
- Roundtables: This format enables authors to engage in a sustained conversation about a single topic over a series of brief posts (c. 750 words each). Roundtables are organized by a guest editor and involve between four and six participants responding to each other. You can find an overview of all previous roundtables here. If you are interested in editing a roundtable, please contact the managing editors.
- Deep Dives: In this section, we publish in depth contributions (c. 4,000 words) that are not connected to the theme of a particular dossier. If you are interested in writing a Deep Dive, please send the full manuscript to the managing editors.
- On Teaching and Student Voices: In the On Teaching section, authors reflect on teaching methods and pedagogical issues, often with an example syllabus. In the Student Voices section, we feature selected undergraduate research. If you are interested in contributing to On Teaching and/or Student Voices or are teaching a course at the intersection of media and urban studies, please reach out to section editor Anna Viola Sborgi.
- Q&A: Authors of recent books (monographs and/or edited collections) present their work through an in-depth discussion with an interviewer. If you are interested in organizing a Q&A or would like to suggest a particular publication, please contact section editor Michael D. Dwyer.
- From the Archive: This section encompasses reflections on specific archives, close analysis of specific objects within these archives, as well as essays on collaborations or programs created for archival institutions. If you are interested in submitting a contribution to From the Archive, please reach out to section editor Floris Paalman.
- Reading and Resource Lists: These are annotated lists of key literature, online resources, and audiovisual materials on topics related to Mediapolis. If you are interested in contributing a Reading and Resource List, please reach out to section editor Lawrence Webb.
- Mediapolis Now: We publish a regular podcast featuring interviews, event recordings, and audio essays exploring the intersections of cities, culture, and media. If you are interested in contributing to the podcast, please reach out to audio editor Scott Rodgers.
While these are the currently recurring formats, we are open to suggestions for other types of contributions – including but not limited to video essays, photographic essays and creative reflections.
Peer Review Process
All contributions in Mediapolis are peer reviewed with academic care and rigor: All submissions are initially screened by the managing editors, section editors, and/or guest editors.
- Deep Dives are peer reviewed independently by two members of the editorial board, with the final recommendation made by the managing editors. In case of recommendations for substantial revision, there might be additional rounds of peer review.
- Dossier articles are peer reviewed by one member of the editorial board as well as the dossier’s guest editor(s). In case of recommendations for substantial revision, there might be additional rounds of peer review. The managing editors offer support throughout this process.
- All other formats are reviewed by the section editors.
We are strongly against the use of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) in the peer review process: Mediapolis is centred on the principles of dialogue and exchange between researchers, teachers, artists and interested publics – which is a fundamentally creative, collaborative and human process. No materials submitted to Mediapolis will be uploaded to large language models (LLMs), and genAI will not be used in the reviewing or editing process at any stage [policy updated on September 2026].
Copyright
An important note on copyright: Mediapolis is an open-access, peer-reviewed, online academic journal and as such participates in the open exchange of information. All contributions published in Mediapolis are released under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. Under this license, articles are available for sharing and noncommercial distribution provided the appropriate attribution is given.