CfP: IOM Migration Research Series on the links between migration and technology

IOM is pleased to share a new call for abstracts for its Migration Research Series on the links between migration and technology, addressing, for instance, issues related to the use of ICT during migration journeys, the use of applications and social media throughout the migration cycle and in public debates, the implications for migration of artificial intelligence, and the use of new and emerging technologies to support digital identities.

The abstract should be of a maximum of 400 words and submitted by email to research@iom.int by 31 March 2019.

IOM will endeavour to shortlist abstracts within onemonth  after the deadline. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to submit a full paper of 4,000 words maximum within an approximate 2/3-month
timeframe. Papers will then be peer reviewed to ensure quality.

Guidance note for authors

The objective of the Migration Research Series (MRS) is to contribute to a better understanding of the multidimensional aspects of migration and inform migration policies at the national, regional and international levels through research and analysis that is:
✓ Robust and rigorous: although not an academic publisher, IOM strives to publish high quality papers that are grounded on solid academic research. Research and analysis should be well designed and clearly formulated and structured. Despite being addressed to a general/policy audience, some methodological information, including definitions, are important to include.
✓ Evidence-based: research and analysis have to be firmly grounded on evidence and building on existing literature. Clearly referencing source material is essential (see section on content and sourcing below).
✓ Objective and balanced: in order to ensure credibility of research and maximize its impact on policy-making, MRS papers have to be objective, balanced and temperate in tone.
✓ Policy-oriented: MRS publications are addressed to a general, policy audience. The MRS objective is thus to distil the existing evidence-based in a clear, succinct and accessible manner (see section on writing style below).
To ensure high quality of MRS publications, all papers are submitted to peer reviewers.

Writing style
The MRS is for a general audience, not an academic or scientific audience. This means that the writing style needs to be clear, succinct and accessible. The word count is concise, so deliberately more suited to a policy audience. It is fine to include a few annexes (if necessary) for more detailed discussion/analysis; any annexes would not be counted in the 4,000-word limit.
Technical/normative terms can be used and, where necessary, explained briefly in a footnote or annex. Guidance on specific style and formatting issues (e.g. spelling, referencing, capitalisation) is provided in the Essential elements of house style for research submissions.

Content and sourcing
The use of tables, dot points and text boxes (where relevant) is encouraged to summarise information and help ensure papers hold a reader’s interest. Figures (e.g. graphs, maps, infographics) can also be useful in presenting information to general audiences. To better inform migration policies, it is recommended to include in conclusion some implications for migration policies that build on research findings.
Source material should be clearly referenced and primary sources (rather than secondary) referred to for data and statistics. Guidance on referencing is provided in the Essential elements of house style for research submissions.