Artistic Advisory Team

ARTISTIC ADVISORY TEAM

Artistic Advisory Team

While every journal appreciates scholarly professionalism at the core of its values, at JLARF, we hold creativity on just as high a pedestal. We believe that academic language, particularly for up-and-coming scholars who have not yet been bound to the often-strict language of academia, does not need to be dry. Authors should feel free to express themselves, in their work, the way they feel most appropriately reflects their journey.

Academic research can be crafted with nearly infinite possible purposes in mind, but beyond that purpose, there always lies a journey—a journey that the researcher, regardless of the broader purpose of the study, will have to undergo. If there is the faintest amount of passion put into the work, that journey will mean something to the researcher; something beyond the scope and the intentions of the research. If the work is significant enough to the researcher, they will likely emerge from the process a changed person, directly as a result of their research.

An unfortunate outcome can be envisioned for that personal journey: most likely, the researcher will feel compelled to strip away their personal voice and experience from their work due to how unconventional it would be otherwise in academic spaces. This means a valuable experience—one with the potential to shift perspectives, challenge norms, and inspire others—remains hidden from exactly the type of audience it could have impacted.

We do not want that to happen at JLARF!

To ensure that scholars feel empowered to embrace their unique voices, we have established the Artistic Advisory Team. This team exists to help free researchers from the shackles of rigid academic convention, offering guidance and encouragement to those who wish to break from impersonal, formulaic expression. Our advisors provide support to authors looking to infuse their research with individuality, whether through storytelling, creative structure, or simply a more authentic voice.

The Difference: A Sample Transformation

Consider a study in the field of linguistics exploring code-switching in bilingual communities. A conventionally rigid format of such study might read as follows:

This study examines the frequency and functional motivations behind code-switching in bilingual Persian-English speakers. Data was collected from 30 participants across three age groups, analyzed through a mixed-methods approach. Findings indicate that intra-sentential code-switching occurs at a rate of 42% among young adults, primarily serving a pragmatic function in discourse management. These results align with previous research (Poplack, 1980; Muysken, 2000) and suggest that code-switching serves a communicative strategy rather than a deficiency in linguistic competence

While this passage conveys valuable information, it lacks the researcher’s voice and the personal connection to the work. Now, imagine a revision where the author embraces their experience, perspective, and passion:

Growing up bilingual, I never thought much about why I switched between Persian and English mid-sentence—until I noticed my younger cousin doing the same. “Hand me that لیوان,” he said casually, blending languages as effortlessly as breathing. Was this just habit, or something more? That question led me to this study, where I analyzed the speech patterns of 30 Persian-English bilinguals, uncovering a fascinating trend: younger speakers code-switch at a remarkable rate of 42%, not out of necessity, but to navigate social nuance. Rather than signaling a gap in linguistic competence, their speech choices reveal a deep mastery of both languages. In other words, code-switching is not just a habit—it’s an art.

Both passages present the same findings, but the latter places the researcher in the narrative, allowing readers to connect with the study on a human level. The Artistic Advisory Team at JLARF exists to help scholars bridge this gap—to move from detached, impersonal analysis to research that breathes with the identity and passion of its author.

We want our scholars to own not just their work but their experiences—to feel empowered to share them with an audience that would have otherwise been deprived of them. JLARF is not just a platform for publishing research; it is a space for scholars to be seen, heard, and understood in their fullest capacity: a platform for people to be themselves and be appreciated for exactly who they are. We want the unique identity of our authors to scream from their work! Much like how this last sentence may have felt out of place on an academic journal’s website, we want our partners to be themselves in any manuscript they choose to publish on our platform.

The Artistic Advisory Team is here to ensure that no researcher feels they must sacrifice authenticity for acceptance. We encourage bold expression, confident storytelling, and the celebration of the scholar behind the research. After all, research is not just about knowledge—it is about the people who create it.