Oral archives, whether historical analog artifacts or contemporary, digitally collected resources, represent valuable research tools for disciplines focused on spoken and sung voice, such as linguistics, oral history, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, musicology, sociology, and psychology.
They are intrinsically connected to technical tools, services and infrastructures, which play a key role in their study, management, curation, safeguarding, and reuse. Additionally, these archives can serve as valuable databases for the development of new speech technologies and other related applications.
Their documentary nature also calls for close collaboration with archival sciences to create conservation and descriptive models that respect their unique characteristics while adhering to established standards. Equally important is the involvement of legal and ethical expertise to establish appropriate frameworks for the use and reuse of these resources.
Since oral archives are objects of broad interdisciplinary interest, fostering greater exchange of information among scholars and disciplines is essential. Such interaction can potentially facilitate the integration of diverse methodologies, perspectives, and tools, thereby advancing both the study and preservation of oral archives and addressing their inherent complexities.
Oral Archives (OAr) Journal, launched in 2024 and jointly published by USiena Press and Firenze University Press, acts as a platform for dialogue and critical engagement across research communities. By adopting a Diamond Open-Access publication model that supports both traditional contributions and data papers presenting archival resources, the journal aligns with global initiatives aimed at promoting and enhancing the organization and scholarly recognition of oral archive materials. For its second issue, scheduled for publication in 2026, the journal opens its sections to all interested contributors.
OAr will consider articles addressing all phases of the lifecycle of oral archives, starting from their Production. The dedicated section (1.A) focuses on theoretical reflections and experimental work on strategies for collecting oral data and establishing archives.
The section on Curation of oral archives (1.B) features articles on specific archives, providing readers with details on access methods and coordinates. In this case, the review process applies not only to the text but also to the archive being discussed.
OAr is also interested in contributions on the Preservation of oral archives (1.C), covering topics such as the restoration of analog media, digitization processes, data migration, and the sustainability of data storage.
Finally, the journal includes a section on Use and Reuse (1.D), which welcomes research based on documents contained in oral archives. This section also invites reports and methodological reflections on dissemination and creative reworking of archive contents, such as museum installations or soundwalks.
As previously mentioned, certain aspects of oral archives require a perspective that examines their entirety through a cross-disciplinary lens.
The section on Speech Transcription (2.A) provides a space for exploring methods, challenges, and innovations in the transcription of spoken language, addressing its role as a critical step in making oral data accessible and ready for analysis.
The Speech Technologies section (2.B) examines tools and innovations developed for working with oral archives. Besides presenting new developments, it offers practical guidance through benchmarks and usability testing, helping readers to evaluate and select existing solutions suited to their research needs. The section also welcomes contributions on the potential use of archival materials in the development of technical resources.
The section on Legal Issues (2.C) addresses challenges that span the entire lifecycle of oral archives. Contributions to this section are expected to propose reflections and solutions on issues such as intellectual property, the processing of personal and sensitive data, informed consent, copyright and performance rights, and data licensing.
Finally, the section on Ethics of Research (2.D) encompasses all ethical issues related to the recovery, sharing, and use of oral archives for research purposes. It also includes discussions on the relationship between researchers and the informants or contexts studied, the development of strategies for ethically disseminating research outcomes, and initiatives for restitution and repatriation to the original communities.
We invite researchers at all career stages to submit papers of approximately 30,000 to 50,000 characters (including bibliography), adhering to the Chicago Style editorial guidelines (see [link]). Each paper must include an abstract in English (maximum 150 words) and 5 keywords in English. Submissions are accepted in English, Italian, or French.
Visit this link for more information on the journal’s sections.
See here for examples of potential contributions.
See here for detailed evaluation criteria.
The deadline for submissions is the 31st March 2025
Expected publication date: January 2026.
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