The AMMODI blog features three different formats; Research notes, Policy notes, and Notes from the field. Below you will find specifications of the style and theme of each format, and further below a section with general instructions for all posts.

Please send your proposals for submission to the editors at crgammodi@gmail.com.

Research notes

This category of blog posts offers short texts on ongoing research relating to African migration, mobility, and displacement. The intention is to offer easily accessible and conceptually rich inputs to academic scholarship on these themes, giving authors the possibility to try out new conceptual ideas and showcase more comprehensive work in a lighter format. A summary of (forthcoming) publications can also be presented.

In the spirit of AMMODI, the forum is cross-disciplinary, meaning that more emphasis is placed on the relevance or originality of findings and ideas than on the density of citations and references to previous scholarship. The research notes are edited by the AMMODI coordinators, in order to ensure some coherence in style and substance.

Length: 800 – 1,500 Words

 

Field notes

Empirical research implies a substantial process of improvisation and reflection that is rarely given full recognition in the final products of such endeavours. This section offers reflections on fieldwork and other parts of the research process, with an emphasis on first impressions, methodological challenges and innovations, and on some of the ethical quandaries and compromises that we all encounter but rarely acknowledge.

The contributions to this category of blog posts are intended to serve as a collective pool of reflections, questions, and possible solutions to carrying out empirical research on migration, mobility, and displacement in different African contexts. Although the pieces are edited by the AMMODI coordinators, the AMMODI Field notes aim for the less polished reflections that often end up on the floors of our virtual editing rooms. It is an opportunity to share thoughts on work in progress, before it becomes written work-in-progress.

Length: 800 – 1,500 Words

 

Policy notes

Migration and mobility research has experienced a dramatic surge in interest from political actors, policy makers, and a broader public in recent years. Insisting on the importance of the forward-looking and independent nature of academic research, this section offers a possibility for reflection on current policy issues, informed by the research conducted by AMMODI’s members. By dividing research and policy reflections into different sections, it is our intention to insist upon the integrity and independence of academic migration research, while at the same time encouraging academics to engage with the more applied dimensions of their scholarship.

This category of blog posts is intended as an interface between research and policy, and AMMODI will actively consult and connect with actors within both spheres. Without reducing the idea of policy relevance to a generic check list of policy dos and don’ts, AMMODI policy notes serve as food for thought for academic researchers and policy thinkers alike, in order to stimulate a more productive and mutually beneficial exchange.

Length: 800 – 1,500 Words

General instructions

The audience for these blog articles is interdisciplinary and also includes non-academics. You should therefore aim to make your text as easily readable as possible.

Writing Style 

• Use simple language and short sentences
• The first paragraph is essential to gain the interest of the reader. Make sure to have a short, succinct summary of the main arguments
• Try to avoid direct quotes from literature. Paraphrase arguments made instead
• Add all references as hyperlinks. The links should provide additional reading only and not be necessary for understanding the text itself
• Use sub-headings to divide the article

Please provide us with

• 1-6 photos that help describe the subject of the piece, either your own from fieldwork or research, or a suitable one from e.g. Flickr that has a Creative Common Licence
• A 2-3 line short author bio with your research interests, affiliation and current project(s) which we can include at the end of the article