As Geographers, we want to support great scholarship and geography, and invite our students to share their experiences and perspectives on the world. I’ve talked about some of the principles in this blog series aimed at supporting high-aspiring Sixth Form students, which may offer some interesting insights beyond this scope! Some may feel comfortable doing that in school societies and environments – but how do we encourage and support them to step beyond the scope of their school context to explore and tell their story? 

For some student membership of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) may be a good answer. It’s good for engagement with the wider academic discipline, and the access to journals and online Monday night lectures might be brilliant for students to learn more, and hear more of Geography than their existing sphere of engagement. But it’s often a “listening and learning” experience – there aren’t many platforms for them to share or write about their work and understanding.  

This is where Routes Journal is an interesting option for you and your students to explore.  Originally founded in 2020 by Professor Elizabeth Rushton and Dr Cyrus Golding, the journal aims to provide a supportive and friendly environment for Sixth Form and undergraduate students to experience what it’s like to publish in a peer-reviewed journal. The ethos of the journal is volunteer-led, with a team who aim to provide a supportive and enjoyable experience for Geography students. There’s a continual aim to be positive for reviewers and writers, whilst maintaining a commitment to publishing interesting and original thought.  

There’s no formal call for papers or thematic approach – authors are free to write whatever they want, or have found interesting. Some Sixth Form students have based work on their Non-Examined Assessment; while others have found overlapping purpose with essay competitions (e.g. the 2023 winner of the RGS-IBG School Essay Competition) or their own scholarship and work. Undergraduate students have published papers linked to their research and emerging dissertation themes. Submission guidelines are designed to be supportive for first time writers, and you’ll be allocated a Senior Editor, together with two peer reviewers, who’ll help you make the most of what you want to write.  

In summer of this year, a new editorial board – led by Dr Jonny Turnbull and Dr Liam Saddington – have taken the helm of Routes to continue to provide opportunities for great writing to be shared. You can see the latest issue and their initial editorial here.  

The work is also thoroughly rewarding for reviewers. You can apply to be a peer reviewer – with support offered to give you insight in to how to review and edit at this level. Everyone’s a volunteer, and the ethos of the team is to share knowledge for the best outcomes for student authors – there’s no egos. You’ll work alongside the Editorial Board, and might find that you’re peer reviewing with another teacher, or an academic whose got expertise in the area of the paper! It’s excellent professional development for you, and brilliant insight for your students as to high quality writing. There’s no formal commitment, and you’re always supported to manage workload and the number of papers you can be asked to review in a year.  

So have a look at the latest edition, over a mince pie and in the quiet afternoon. The Editorial Board would love to hear from you if you’ve got questions; or from your students if you can encourage them to write! I’m always happy to talk to people if it’s helpful!

Wishing you & yours a wonderful Christmas break – and an awesome 2024!