YOUNG
YOUNG – Nordic Journal of Youth Research is an international, peer-reviewed journal publishing high-quality interdisciplinary scholarship on youth and young people. Founded in 1993 within the Nordic research community, it has become a leading forum for global youth studies. We are particularly interested in publishing theoretical and empirical work that places young people’s experiences, cultural practices, and social positions at the centre of analysis. We are open to diverse methodologies—qualitative, quantitative, comparative, ethnographic, or mixed-methods settings—but expect that in all research designs youth is treated as having intrinsic value instead of considering them merely as an instrumental sample, as a risk group or as a phase of incompleteness. By placing young people’s perspectives and conditions at the centre, YOUNG advances critical debates and fosters dialogue across the field of youth research worldwide.
We welcome manuscripts between 5000 and 8000 words (including references, tables, figures and notes). All submissions are subject to peer review through a double-blind reviewing process.
YOUNG is a fully Gold Open Access journal. The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Endorsements
“As the former managing editor, I wholeheartedly endorse YOUNG as a vital platform for advancing youth research globally. The journal provides a space for ethically grounded scholarship that centers young people's perspectives in all their diversity. It encourages scholars to reflect deeply on their ethical responsibility to produce knowledge about youth in ways that valorise their agency and lived realities. Crucially, YOUNG recognises the value of youth-centred knowledge as a vital resource for shaping inclusive and sustainable societies.” – Prof. Päivi Honkatukia, Faculty of Social Sciences (Youth Work and Youth Research), Tampere University
“YOUNG has earned its reputation as a journal at the forefront of the field of youth studies. Truly international, the journal is devoted to advancing thinking about contemporary youth and the issues that impact on young people’s lives. Its interdisciplinary nature ensures that it features articles that advance thinking about youth studies, challenge orthodoxies and open up understanding of diverse young lives.” – Prof. Johanna Wyn, Youth Research Centre, The University of Melbourne
“YOUNG is the main academic forum for truly interdisciplinary youth research, covering among other areas sociological, anthropological, educational and media studies perspectives on youth, youth cultures and questions related to young people more generally. An indispensable read for anyone interested in the research area.” — Prof. Göran Bolin, Culture and Education, Södertörn University
“Already its first volume back in 1993 empowered youth studies by making innovative interdisciplinary and transnational moves that remain vital to the contemporary research agenda.” — Prof. Johan Fornäs,
Professor Emeritus in Media and Communication Studies, Södertörn University
“Sub-titled the 'Nordic Journal of Youth Research', YOUNG does much more than give space to the very well-established expertise in youth research found in the Nordic countries. To me, YOUNG is one of only a very few journals that can be relied upon so consistently to publish new, critical research and theory about youth and young people that is important internationally.” — Prof. Robert MacDonald, Honorary Professor, Department of Sociology, Durham University and Emeritus Professor, School of Education, University of Huddersfield
Nordic Journal of Youth Research provides a forum for analytical, critical, and interdisciplinary research on youth and young people. The journal’s aim is to strengthen youth studies as a distinct field of inquiry by publishing work that explicitly engages with and advances debates in social scientific youth research. We encompass areas, such as youth leisure and culture, transitions, participation in society and emerging trends and challenges for young lives, while maintaining youth research as its main reference point. The journal approaches youth not as a fixed age group, but as a life perspective, a cultural practice, a social position, or a generational identity—situated within broader structures across societies.
We encourage submissions that engage critically with the traditions and debates of youth research, explicitly positioning their contribution within the field. We are particularly interested in contributions that analyze how young people actively navigate, resist, and reshape social conditions, and how societies in turn define, regulate, and imagine youth. Manuscripts can draw on diverse methodologies, from ethnography to quantitative analysis, while keeping young people’s perspectives at the centre. The journal does not accept work that treats youth merely as a convenient sample or an instrumental category detached from its social meaning.
By articulating a distinct scope, YOUNG seeks to maintain its role as a leading international journal for youth studies. Rooted in a Nordic tradition of interdisciplinarity, we now welcome contributions from all regions and contexts, provided they advance the field of youth research as a critical and evolving scholarly arena.
Manuscripts should generally be between 5,000 and 8,000 words (including references, tables, figures and notes). All submissions are subject to peer review through a double-anonymized reviewing process. For more author instructions, please see Submission Guidelines
| Malin Fransberg | Finnish Youth Research Society, Helsinki, Finland |
| Antti Kivijärvi | The Finnish Youth Research Society, Helsinki, Finland |
| Nadezhda Vasileva | Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland |
| Susanna Areschoug | Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden |
| Helle Bendix Kleif | Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Denmark |
| Susanna Ågren | Faculty of Social Sciences/Youth Research, Tampere University, Finland |
| Kalle Berggren | Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden |
| Shane Blackman | Canterbury Christ Church University, UK |
| Gemma Commane | School of Media, Birmingham City University, UK |
| Lars Roar Frøyland | Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway |
| Christer Hyggen | Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway |
| Magnus Kilger | Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden |
| Hannah King | Department of Sociology, University of Durham, UK |
| Maria Klingenberg | Uppsala University, Sweden |
| Yana Krupets | Department of Sociology and Centre for Youth Studies, HSE University, St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Göran Bolin | Södertörn University, Sweden |
| Les Back | Goldsmiths College, United Kingdom |
| Vinod Chandra | Lucknow University, India |
| Carmen Leccardi | University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy |
| Sunaina Maira | University of California, Davis, USA |
| Anne Scott Sørensen | University of Southern Denmark, Denmark |
| Lucia Rabello de Castro | Uni. Rio de Janeiro |
| Carles Feixa Pàmpols | Pompeu Fabra University, Spain |
| Ann Phoenix | University College London, UK |
| Karen Valentin | University of Aarhus, Denmark |
| Johanna Wyn | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Siyka Kovacheva | University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
| Pun Ngai | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong |
| Christopher T Conner | University of Missouri, USA |
| Dorothy Tukahabwa | University of Rwanda, Republic of Rwanda |
| Mengyao Jiang | Qingdao University, China |
| Mounir Saidani | Tunis Al-Manar University, Republic of Tunisia |
| Adrian Scribano | University of Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Madgerie Jameson-Charles | University of The West Indies, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Claire Paterson-Young | University of Northampton, United Kingdom |
| Hernan Cuervo | University of Melbourne, Australia |
Guidelines for Contributors to YOUNG
We invite youth researchers to contribute scientific articles and book reviews. Submission of original articles is open to all active youth researchers, irrespective of discipline and institutional allocation. We may occasionally publish articles that have been previously published in other languages. In such cases, the articles go through the standard review process, and are required to be reworked.
All manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editors. Those papers that meet the editorial standards of the journal and fit within its aims and scope will be submitted for peer review through a double-blind reviewing process.
To meet the criteria of YOUNG, the manuscript is required to have relevance for youth research field and engage in youth research literature. The manuscripts are expected to present a clear argument and have originality and value for the scientific discussion. Empirical contributions are expected to be methodologically rigorous.
Guidelines for submissions
Manuscripts are submitted online via the YOUNG SAGE Track website at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/young.
Each manuscript should contain:
- Title page with full title and subtitle (if any). Provide the names, affiliation and full contact details for each author, plus a short biographical note (50–100 words). Make sure that the manuscript is fully anonymized throughout the text.
- Abstract of 100–150 words.
- Up to 10 key words.
- Main text and word count – suggested target is 5000–8000 words for articles including abstract and references, and 1000 words for book reviews. Text should be clearly organized, with only two levels of headings (no letters or numbers in the headings), and quotations exceeding 40 words intended.
- End notes should be kept to a minimum and should be signaled by superscript numbers in the main text and listed at the end of the text, before the references.
- References in both the text and end notes should follow Harvard style whereby references in the text should be cited as (Author, Year: page) and an alphabetical references section follows the text. Examples below:
Book
Surname, Xxxxx and Surname, Yyyyy (year) Title with Initial Caps: Subtitle with Initial Caps. Place: Publisher.
Article in book
Surname, Xxxxx (year) 'Title of Chapter', in Xxxxx Surname and Yyyyy Surname (eds) Title of Book, pp. xxx-xxx. Place: Publisher.
Journal article
Surname, Xxxxx (year) 'Title of Article', Name of Journal vol. (issue): xx–xxx [page range].
Conference paper
Surname, Xxxxx (year) 'Title of Paper', paper presented at Name of Conference, City, Date of presentation.
Website
Surname, Xxxxx (year) 'Title of Article', Name of Journal vol.no.(issue no.), URL (consulted Month, Year): http:/xxxx.xxxx.xx.xx/xxxx/xxxx
Tables: Tables should be typed on separate sheets and their position indicated by a note in the text. All tables should have short descriptive captions with footnotes and their source(s) typed below the tables.
Illustrations: All line diagrams and photographs are termed 'Figures' and should be referred to as such in the manuscript. They should be numbered consecutively. Line diagrams should be presented in a form suitable for immediate reproduction (i.e. not requiring redrawing). They should be reproducible to a final printed text area of 190 mm x 120 mm. Images should be supplied as TIFF or JPEG files at high resolution. All figures should have short descriptive captions typed on a separate sheet.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. Permission letters must be supplied to SAGE Publications.
Style: use a clear readable style, avoiding jargon and acronyms. If technical terms or acronyms must be included, define them when first used. Use non-racist, non-sexist language and plurals rather than he/she. Use as few italics as possible. Do not italicize foreign words or repeated foreign vocabulary.
Spellings: UK or US spellings may be used with '-ize' spellings as given in the Oxford English Dictionary (e.g. organize, recognize).
Punctuation: use single quotation marks with double quotes inside single quotes. Present dates in the form 1 May 1998. Do not use points in abbreviations, contractions or acronyms (e.g. AD, USA, Dr, PhD). Ranges are truncated.
Copyright: Before publication authors are requested to assign copyright to SAGE Publications and YOUNG Editorial Group, subject to retaining their right to reuse the material in other publications written or edited by themselves and due to be published preferably at least one year after initial publication in the Journal.
Reviews: YOUNG includes a section in which books and other significant contributions to the field are reviewed. This includes both essay length and shorter contributions. Suggested target is up to 1000 words for book reviews. Books for review and manuscripts of book reviews should be sent to Malin Fransberg, School of Social Sciences and Humanities Linna 5031, FI-33014 University of Tampere [email: malin.fransberg@uta.fi].
Guidelines for YOUNG special issues
Calls for special issues are always open for all researchers wishing to contribute.
Proposals for special issues are evaluated by the editors of YOUNG based on the vision for the journal as a key publication in the area of youth studies. Potential guest editors should submit a proposal of maximum 2 pages demonstrating (see also previous calls for special issues for inspiration):
- An interdisciplinary approach,
- An international appeal that fosters dialogue between minority and majority worlds,
- Theoretical commitment and empirical sophistication in the field of youth studies,
- Attracting contributions from both early career researchers and established researchers,
- Attracting contributions that provide high impact and wide interest to enhance the profile and research engagement of the journal,
- Contributions that theoretically and empirically address change and the emergent policies and practice that have an impact upon young people’s lives.
YOUNG will assign 1–3 YOUNG editors to the special issue who will work on the issue with the guest editors.
Guest editors are encouraged to write an introductory editorial for their special issue of no more than 3,000 words. The editorial will be reviewed by one or two YOUNG editors. Guest editors cannot publish their own work in the special issue.
Special issues will contain a maximum of 5 articles. Both YOUNG editors and guest editors are responsible for decisions on inclusion of manuscripts in the special issue. However, YOUNG editors make the final choice on articles and the order of the articles in the special issue. A potential surplus of articles passing the review process will be offered publication in regular issues of YOUNG.
Authors should submit full papers, not work in progress or abstracts. However, the author(s) can contact editors to discuss the relevance of the planned article prior to submission.
Authors should clearly state that they wish to publish in the special issue. Submissions must follow the journal guidelines and be submitted for review via the YOUNG SAGETrack website at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/young. This means that all manuscripts are reviewed initially by YOUNG editors and the special issue guest editors. Those special issue papers that meet the editorial standards of the journal and fit within the aims and scope of the journal and of the special issue will be submitted for peer review through a double-blind reviewing process. Reviewers are selected by both guest editors and YOUNG editors. The names of persons who have accepted to review will only be known by the internal editors, however, in order not to break with YOUNG’s policy of anonymity of reviewers.
Special issues are normally published around a year from the date on which call for papers is published. However, publication time of the special issue also depends on the smoothness of the review process and on the journal’s pipeline of other articles and other special issues. YOUNG publishes a maximum of two special issues per year, and never two after each other.