Call for papers

Event details

Date: 21 April 2027

University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria

The ECREA Journalism Studies Section and the Young Scholars Network (YECREA) invite applications for the 7th Journalism Studies PhD Colloquium, which is organized by the Department of Media and Public Communications and will take place on 21 April 2027 at the University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria.

The PhD Colloquium aims to connect up-and-coming journalism researchers and experienced colleagues in the field, and to provide mentorship to doctoral student members of the Journalism Studies Section. It is an opportunity for PhD researchers in Journalism Studies to present their projects, receive in-depth feedback on their work from established scholars, and network with senior scholars and peers in a friendly and supportive environment. You will be paired with an experienced scholar, who will read a substantive piece of your work (a chapter or paper of 5,000-8,000 words) and give you feedback during the colloquium. 

We welcome all theoretical and empirical PhD projects focusing on journalism research. We support submissions from PhD students at all stages of their PhD journey but particularly encourage those in the mid-stages of their PhD.

Submission guidelines

Interested PhD students should submit the following:

• An abstract of 500 words outlining the 1) topic, 2) rationale, 3) theoretical approach, 4) methodological approach, and 5) findings (if this is an empirical paper).
• Name, affiliation, expected graduation date, and supervisor. 
• A ranked list of five potential respondents (please try to choose scholars likely to attend a section conference in the European context).

Please send your submissions via this form no later than 14 of September 2026 23.59 EST. Submissions will be reviewed in a double-blind review process. The final selection of participants will account for diversity (e.g., based on gender, nationality, affiliation) and stages of PhD progress.

Notifications of acceptance will be issued by the end of Octoberber 2026.

We expect participants whose abstracts are accepted to submit a full paper (5,000-8,000 words) by 21 March 2027. Full papers are mandatory for participation as they will be sent to selected respondents. More information on the full paper submission requirements will be sent to accepted participants via email. 

*PLEASE NOTE*: The PhD colloquium will take place in-person only and we are unable to accommodate requests for virtual participation. Participation in the PhD colloquium does not guarantee participation in the ECREA JSS conference as these are separate events.

Timeline

• Submission open – 1 June 2026
• 14 September 2026 at 23:59 (EST) – deadline for abstract submissions
• End of October 2026 – acceptances announced
• 21 March 2027– full paper submission deadline
• 21 April 2027 – PhD Colloquium date