Paper short abstract:

This presentation consists of the author's initial ethnographic observations and reflections of the observable values, rules and boundary-keeping as practiced at the Lancet and the British Medical Journal.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation consists of the author's initial ethnographic observations and reflections of the observable values, rules and boundary-keeping practices that obtain at the Lancet and the British Medical Journal. It follows a life-cycle approach, and pays close attention to key moments of transition between developmental moments. The presentation also discucsses what happens when new arrivals in this land inadvertently transgress highly-policed norms. Life cycle points include: negotiating authorship and its ordering, navigating the submission interface, managing the publisher processing charge, decoding the peer review process, and surviving audience reception.