Publishing Electronic Literature Research in Metric-Driven Academia: A Roadmap for Electronic Literature Scholars
Proposal Type
Workshop
Location
Algorithms & Imaginaries
Start Date
July 2026
End Date
July 2026
Abstract
Electronic Literature research in India increasingly engages with electronic literary practices, multimodal narratives, and platform-based textual practices. However, institutional evaluation systems continue to prioritize Scopus and Web of Science indexed journal publications, creating structural tensions for scholars whose work does not align neatly with conventional disciplinary formats. As highlighted in Roy and Shanmugapriya’s ELO (Un)linked 2024 workshop, early-career and precariously positioned academics often confront a mismatch between innovative digital research and institutional publication requirements (Roy & Shanmugapriya, 2024). The pressure to meet indexed benchmarks for thesis submission, hiring, and promotion can marginalize experimental and interdisciplinary scholarship.
These concerns intersect with broader challenges in the Indian Electronic literature landscape. Roy (2022) identifies uneven digital infrastructures and a persistent “print anxiety” that shape both production and reception of electronic writing in India. Similarly, Shanmugapriya and Menon (2018) observe the limited visibility of Indian electronic literature within global archives and anthologies, reflecting ongoing issues of recognition and canon formation.
This interactive workshop builds on these insights to propose a practical roadmap for 2026. Participants will collaboratively map publication venues, explore hybrid portfolio strategies that translate digital projects into theoretically rigorous articles, and develop advocacy language for institutional evaluation contexts. Rather than rejecting metric systems outright, the workshop encourages tactical navigation, collective networking, and strategic positioning of digital scholarship. By reframing publishing as an ecosystem rather than an isolated output, the session aims to equip Indian Electronic literature scholars with sustainable and context-responsive publication strategies.
References:
Roy, S. B., Shanmugapriya T. (2024, July 18). Publishing electronic literature research as precarious academics. Electronic Literature Organisation (Un)linked 2024 Conference & Media Arts Festival, University of Central Florida. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/elo2024/narrativeandworlds/schedule/21/.
Roy, S. B. (2022). Indian solo electronic writing and its modernist print anxiety. Electronic Book Review. https://doi.org/10.7273/sj5h-fa44.
T., Shanmugapriya & Menon, Nirmala. (2018). Locating New Literary Practices in Indian Digital Spaces. Matlit Revista do Programa de Doutoramento em Materialidades da Literatura. 6. 159-174. https://impactum-journals.uc.pt/matlit/article/download/2182-8830_6-1_11/4678.
Publishing Electronic Literature Research in Metric-Driven Academia: A Roadmap for Electronic Literature Scholars
Algorithms & Imaginaries
Electronic Literature research in India increasingly engages with electronic literary practices, multimodal narratives, and platform-based textual practices. However, institutional evaluation systems continue to prioritize Scopus and Web of Science indexed journal publications, creating structural tensions for scholars whose work does not align neatly with conventional disciplinary formats. As highlighted in Roy and Shanmugapriya’s ELO (Un)linked 2024 workshop, early-career and precariously positioned academics often confront a mismatch between innovative digital research and institutional publication requirements (Roy & Shanmugapriya, 2024). The pressure to meet indexed benchmarks for thesis submission, hiring, and promotion can marginalize experimental and interdisciplinary scholarship.
These concerns intersect with broader challenges in the Indian Electronic literature landscape. Roy (2022) identifies uneven digital infrastructures and a persistent “print anxiety” that shape both production and reception of electronic writing in India. Similarly, Shanmugapriya and Menon (2018) observe the limited visibility of Indian electronic literature within global archives and anthologies, reflecting ongoing issues of recognition and canon formation.
This interactive workshop builds on these insights to propose a practical roadmap for 2026. Participants will collaboratively map publication venues, explore hybrid portfolio strategies that translate digital projects into theoretically rigorous articles, and develop advocacy language for institutional evaluation contexts. Rather than rejecting metric systems outright, the workshop encourages tactical navigation, collective networking, and strategic positioning of digital scholarship. By reframing publishing as an ecosystem rather than an isolated output, the session aims to equip Indian Electronic literature scholars with sustainable and context-responsive publication strategies.
References:
Roy, S. B., Shanmugapriya T. (2024, July 18). Publishing electronic literature research as precarious academics. Electronic Literature Organisation (Un)linked 2024 Conference & Media Arts Festival, University of Central Florida. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/elo2024/narrativeandworlds/schedule/21/.
Roy, S. B. (2022). Indian solo electronic writing and its modernist print anxiety. Electronic Book Review. https://doi.org/10.7273/sj5h-fa44.
T., Shanmugapriya & Menon, Nirmala. (2018). Locating New Literary Practices in Indian Digital Spaces. Matlit Revista do Programa de Doutoramento em Materialidades da Literatura. 6. 159-174. https://impactum-journals.uc.pt/matlit/article/download/2182-8830_6-1_11/4678.
Bio
Dr. Samya Brata Roy works in the fields of Electronic Literature, Videogame Studies and Digital Humanities. He is an Assistant Professor of English and the Co-ordinator of the Digital Technology and Cultural Change Cluster at the Centre for Asian Studies at Gitam (deemed to be) University, Hyderabad. He is/has been affiliated or a fellow with San Diego State, University of Regensburg, University of London, Electronic Literature Organisation, and Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory. He co-founded ELitIndia, is a governing body member with DHARTI and a graduate committee member with ARDIN. He was an IITF member with ADHO, a Technical Advisory member with Humanities Commons, a liaison with ACH and a Transcriber with The Canterbury Tales Project.
Shanmugapriya T (https://shanmugapriya.com/) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of HSS at the IIT Dhanbad. Her research interests include digital humanities and electronic literature. She is part of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Literature Organisation. Shanmu has co-founded the Indian Consortium for Interactive Digital Narratives.
Mehulkumar Desai is a Doctoral Scholar at Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad. He works in the field of Electronic literature, Interactive Digital Narratives and Digital Humanities. He is a co-founder of Indian Consortium for Interactive Digital Narratives. He is a core-committee member of Electronic Literature India. He is also a member of ELO and DHARTI.