The Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology (AJMA)
The AJMA is AIMA's primary annual publication. It began in 1978 as the Australian Maritime Archaeology Association Newsletter and evolved quickly into a respected peer-reviewed journal. In 1980, after only four volumes, it was renamed Bulletin of the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, commonly referred to as the AIMA Bulletin.
In 2017, after another three decades, the journal was redesigned and renamed the Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology to better reflect the geographical span of its core readership. Whilst comprising contributions of broad scope on all aspects of maritime archaeology anywhere in the world, its primary focus is the maritime archaeology and cultural heritage of Australia, New Zealand and the Southwest Pacific Islands (Oceania), Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Today, the AJMA is the primary conduit for maritime archaeology research output for these regions.
Before submitting a paper, please read the AJMA Author Guidelines V2.0 and AIMA's Code of Ethics.
The links below will direct you to our publications.
Recent Journals (Last 5 Years) - Free for current members
Past Journals - Open Source - Free for all (under development)
Ethics Statement
The AJMA welcomes submissions from all persons engaged in archaeology or cultural heritage management with a maritime relevance anywhere in the world, whether AIMA members or not, but expects authors to have worked within the principles set forth in the AIMA Code of Ethics, the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, 2013 and the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and its Annex. Collectively, these documents provide guidance for the investigation, research, conservation and long-term management and protection of materials, sites and places of cultural significance (cultural heritage). The 2001 UNESCO Convention and its Annex specifically aim to:
- Ensure and strengthen the protection of underwater cultural heritage (Convention Article 2.1)
- Recognising that: in-situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage shall be considered as the first option (Annex Rule 1)
- Recovered underwater cultural heritage shall be deposited, conserved and managed in a manner that ensures its long-term preservation (Convention Article 2.6)
- The commercial exploitation of underwater cultural heritage for trade or speculation or its irretrievable dispersal is fundamentally incompatible with the protection and proper management of underwater cultural heritage and so underwater cultural heritage shall not be traded, sold, bought or bartered as commercial goods (Annex Rule 2).
In keeping with these principles and item 1.2(e) of the AIMA Code of Ethics, the AJMA will not accept any submission that serves as the primary publication of any site subjected to commercial excavation or salvage, or of any object or archaeological material in a public or private collection that was obtained through illicit or unethical trade from any nation, including the commercial excavation, salvage or recovery of archaeological material for irretrievable dissemination and/or sale. An exception may be made if, in the view of the Editor, the article aims to emphasise the loss of archaeological context or other deleterious effects of these activities and their impact on cultural heritage and the public good.
AJMA intends to work to the best practice of the Committee on Publication Ethics, and the Editor aims to work according to its Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Assignation of authorship of all submitted content should be based on those who have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the submission; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafting or revision of the text, approval of the final draft. Upon submission, authors must declare all conflicts of interest and competing interests. By submitting contributions to the journal, all named authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and commit to resolving any editorial questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, before, during and after publication. The editorial team will have responsibility for ethical oversight and retain the right to withdraw content that violates the ethical standards of the journal or to publish corrections and comments as they deem appropriate.
Authors may wish to consult the Editor regarding these issues or any other submission queries.
Aims and Scope of the Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology
The Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology is one of only three journal publications in the world dedicated to maritime archaeology and the only one that focuses on Australasia and the surrounding regions. It has been successfully published for over 30 years and contains a wealth of information from when maritime archaeology first started in Australia. The journal is aimed at a readership of all those interested in the maritime heritage and archaeology of this region and will accept publications on a wide range of archaeological discoveries and issues relevant to the Australasian region.
AJMA welcomes submissions from all persons engaged in archaeology and related fields, as noted above, with a maritime or nautical relevance. As publication in a refereed journal gives long-term academic respectability to any material published, we expect transparency. The Editor asks that clear information regarding the following is provided, as relevant, when an article is submitted:
- Information on the financing of surveys, excavations, and collection or archival research.
- Permissions obtained from the responsible authorities when working with original material/primary data in the field, in museums, archives, conservation labs, and similar.
- The location, conservation, and long-term curation of all finds and of the paper and digital archive arriving from primary materials research.
- Permissions obtained to use any material for which the author/s do not hold copyright (third-party material; generally, images or unpublished data originating beyond the author/s’ own work).
- For research students, evidence of the approval of their supervisor(s).
The journal only accepts original contributions that have not been previously published. Each submission is reviewed by at least two referees with relevant expertise. After the reviews are received, authors will be informed via email of the Editor’s decision to accept, reject or request resubmission, and will be provided a copy of the consolidated reviewers’ report. No publication fees are charged for any submitted academic content.
The journal ISSN is 2652-0508. The Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology is published annually. Journal access is available to current members of the Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology. Volumes older than five years are made publicly available through the AIMA website without any access restrictions.
Editorial Team and Contacts
To contact our editorial team, please email the Journal Editor on publications@aima-underwater.org.au
Physical mail can be sent to the following address:
Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology
c/o Wendy van Duivenvoorde
Flinders University
Bedford Park 5042, Adelaide
Australia
Journal Editor
Jeremy Green (Western Australian Museum)
Assistant Editors
Mick de Ruyter (Flinders University)
John McCarthy (Flinders University)
Myra Stanbury (Independent researcher)
Editorial Board
Ross Anderson (Western Australia Museum)
David Gregory (National Museums of Denmark)
Peter Harvey (Harvey Maritime)
Sarah Holland (Gray & Pape)
Bill Jeffery (University of Guam)
Margret Leshikar-Denton (Caman Islands National Museum)
Jennifer McKinnon (East Carolina University)
Widya Nayati (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
David Nutley (Comber Consultants)
Jason Raupp (East Carolina University)
Nathan Richards (East Carolina University)
Vicki Richards (Western Australia Museum)
Della Scott-Ireton (University of West Florida)
Debra Shefi (Western Australia Museum)
Wendy Van Duivenvoorde (Flinders University)
Copyright and Copying
© AIMA (2024) Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology. All rights reserved. No part of our publications may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or any means without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Authorization to copy items for internal and personal use is granted by the copyright holder for libraries and other registered organizations. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying such as copying for general distribution.
Copyright for papers published in the Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology rests with the authors. Through the process of publication, authors agree that the Australasian Institute of Maritime is granted exclusive licence for publication of the text and figures in their specific published combination of image and caption. Authors must sign a license agreement on behalf of all authors of the paper before contributions can be published.
Advertising
Advertising may be considered, provided it conforms with our Ethics Statement and the AIMA Code of Ethics.