Focus and Scope
Aura is a journal of literary studies. The journal publishes research on forms, genres, themes, literary theories, and cultural practices in their plural modes of transmission and reception. We understand discursive and cultural productions as socially symbolic acts and believe that the cooperation between morphological analysis and historical interpretation can be an instrument for active knowledge of reality. Aura values the heuristic potential of a comparative perspective for interpreting phenomena from the age of early globalization onward, as a tool for mapping homologies and conflicts within cultural systems. By engaging mostly young scholars, the journal also seeks to foster a space for horizontal interaction and dialogue within the Italian and international hermeneutic community.
Sections
The journal evaluates articles of significant scholarly interest for its peer-reviewed sections: a thematic section called Tema, announced through specific calls for papers; and a miscellaneous section titled Varia. Additionally, Aura publishes, in the Choc section, militant discussions on current issues in contemporary cultural criticism, and, in the Recensioni section, critical notes and commentaries on recently published scholarly works.
Peer Review Process
Each submission is subject to a review process that may result in acceptance, acceptance with revisions, or rejection. The submission is read and evaluated by at least two reviewers—one from the editorial board and one external—in a double-blind peer review. The purpose of the review is to provide authors with a reasoned assessment of the submission’s quality. Reviewers also offer authors guidance on how to improve their essays for publication. Evaluation criteria include the submission’s scholarly relevance, argumentative rigor, and alignment with the journal’s scope and aims.
Publication Frequency
Starting in 2024, Aura will be published biannually, with a summer and a winter issue. Specific announcements regarding thematic calls for papers are posted in the Announcements section. For non-thematic sections, the suggested submission deadlines are April 15 and October 15. The editorial board reserves the right to allocate accepted contributions according to the needs of individual issues.
Open Access Policy
The journal provides open access to its content, believing that free availability of research fosters knowledge exchange. Aura charges no fees for article publication or peer review. All contributions are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.