About the journal

Film is a distinct medium with a distinct history and, as such, it requires a distinct pedagogy. The Film Education Journal (FEJ) is the world’s only publication committed to exploring how teachers and other educators work with film, and to involving other participants – policymakers, academics, researchers, cultural agencies and film-makers themselves – in that conversation.


  1. Aims and Scope
  2. What we publish
  3. Editorial process and Peer Review
  4. Acceptance criteria
  5. Open Access and Licensing
  6. Diamond OA – no article publication charges (APCs)
  7. Discoverability and Indexing
  8. Journal metrics
  9. Journal Details
  10. Contact and Community

Aims and scope

We distinguish film from wider media. In consequence, pedagogical approaches inherited from other subjects, such as the textual study of literature, are not always appropriate for analysing film. In many parts of the world, the study of film is not yet recognized as a discrete subject and has not become a fully integrated part of the curriculum. FEJ aims to lead and shape the developing conversation about the place of film education in diverse educational contexts.

We have identified four groups routinely involved in the practice of film education: theorists, educators, film practitioners and policymakers, each coming from a different background yet sharing a common interest. FEJ exists to occupy the productive middle ground between these groups. We take particular inspiration in this respect from international film cultures that have developed a more holistic sense of how theory, practice, policy and pedagogy speak to each other, for example the post-war film culture in France. In bringing together the diverse voices engaged in film education within a single publication, FEJ will explicitly encourage a greater degree of exchange between theory, practice, policy and pedagogy.


The journal has two key aims:

  1. To further understandings of the diverse approaches to film education around the world by exploring how educators, practitioners and policymakers are responding to the questions of film education in different international contexts: in primary schools, secondary schools, universities and film schools, and in programmes of education taking place outside institutions such as community projects and clubs.
  2. To develop a critical discourse around these diverse approaches by considering how the work of relevant theorists casts light upon film education practice, and encouraging film practitioners and educators to reflect critically upon their practice.

The journal’s editors will pursue a number of strategies to foster a sense of dialogue between articles written by academics and those written by educators, film-makers and policymakers outside the academy. We are particularly interested in pairs of articles looking at an issue or area of film education from academic and non-academic perspectives.


What we publish

We welcome a wide range of content formats, including:

  • Research articles
  • Case studies

Find out more about how to format and submit to the journal in our Author Guidelines:

Author guidelines

Editorial process and Peer Review

Film Education Journal operates double anonymised peer review, where both the reviewers and authors are anonymised during review. Authors should submit an anonymous version of the manuscript, removed of all identifying references to the author(s) for peer review.

Reviewers cannot be from the same institution as the author, based at any funding bodies connected to the paper and cannot be recommended by authors or anyone else connected to the paper. Author(s) should submit an anonymous version of the manuscript, stripped of all identifying references to the author(s) for peer review.

Further information regarding peer review can be found on the UCL Press editorial policy pages (https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/site/editorial_policy).


Acceptance criteria

We assess submissions based on:

  • Relevance to our aims, scope and mission.
  • Clarity and soundness of argument and findings.
  • Evidence of new knowledge and meaningful contribution to the field.
  • Responsiveness to reviewer and Editorial feedback.

Submissions are unlikely to be accepted if they:

  • Are primarily commercial or self-promotional.
  • Contain excessive self-citation.
  • Lack clear conclusions or conceptual rigour.
  • Provide minimal updates on prior work.
  • Are not suitable for peer review due to clarity or fit with the journal.

Articles accepted for full publication will be those where the Editorial Board has received at least two favourable peer reviews and is satisfied that all reviewer and Editorial comments have been adequately addressed.

Experience suggests that few submissions are accepted after a single review round. The Editorial Board may decline a submission at any stage if reviewer concerns cannot be addressed to the Board’s satisfaction. In some cases, Editors may request revisions before peer review to support review effectiveness.



Preprints

Film Education Journal is happy to accept submissions of papers that have been loaded onto preprint servers or personal websites, have been presented at conferences, or other informal communication channels. These formats will not be deemed prior publication. Authors must retain copyright to such preprints and are encouraged to link any prior posting of their paper to the final published version within the journal, if it is editorially accepted.

Further information about self-archiving your article on preprint servers can be found on the UCL Press editorial policy pages:

Editorial policies

Open Access and Licensing

All content is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. This ensures:

  • Free access for readers worldwide.
  • Retention of copyright by authors.
  • Maximum flexibility for reuse, adaptation and sharing.

We follow the Budapest Open Access Initiative and are committed to author rights and open scholarship. Our Author Contributor Agreement outlines full terms for publication:

Author Contributor Agreement

Diamond OA – no article publication charges (APCs)

Film Education Journal is a Diamond Open Access journal, meaning that UCL Press does not levy any Article-Processing Charges (APCs) for submission or publication.

UCL Press covers all the costs to publishing every article and publishing is free at every stage:

  • No submission fees
  • No peer review fees
  • No publication fees


This reflects our commitment to equity and non-profit publishing, especially for authors with limited funding or from underrepresented sectors.


Discoverability and Indexing

UCL Press works with subject specific indexers to deposit published articles in relevant repositories and search databases. Articles published in the Film Education Journal are indexed in:


Journal metrics

We are committed to the responsible use of metrics and strongly encourage all readers, authors, reviewers, and Editors to read through our statement about the use of metrics across the journal, available online at https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/site/editorial_policy/#METRICS.


Journal Details

ISSN: 2515-7086
Publication frequency: twice a year (in June and November)


Published by

UCL Press, University College London (UCL)
Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK

journals.uclpress.co.uk

uclpressjournals@ucl.ac.uk


Contact and Community

We are a community-led journal. Whether you’re submitting, reviewing, or simply reading, we invite you to be part of our network.

For pre-submission enquiries:
filmeducationjournal@ed.ac.uk


Stay connected:

Bluesky: @uclpressjournals.bsky.social‬

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ucl-press-journals