About the Journal

What is DigitAsc?

Digital Age in Semiotics & Communication, a journal from the Southeast European Center for Semiotic Studies at the New Bulgarian University and founded by Prof. Kristian Bankov, explores the new forms of knowledge, social and linguistic interaction, and cultural phenomena generated by the advent of the Internet.

A topic is chosen for each issue by the editorial board, but the topics will be always related to the issues of the digital environment. The topic is announced with a call for papers and will also be available on our Facebook page (facebook.com/DigitASCjournal).

The working language of the journal is English. It uses double-blind review, meaning that both the reviewer’s and the author’s identities are concealed from each other throughout the review process.

Periodicity
The journal will be published annually by the Southeast European Center for Semiotic Studies and the New Bulgarian University Publishing House.

Purpose
The purpose of the journal is to provide a collaborative work field for scholars interested in researching new phenomena in the dynamic digital world. Our main purpose is to build a scientific bridge between the fields of semiotics, communications, social sciences and the problems of the digital era. We believe that our collaborations can raise the level of understanding for modern digital phenomena, providing both a solid theoretical framework and profound applied research.

The pilot issue summarizes the whole research program of the Center and the journal in particular. It is open to various problems concerning developments in digital culture and phenomena. We are interested in working with scholars from different research and applied fields, such as semiotics (both applied and theoretical), communication studies, marketing and advertising, linguistics and literary studies, anthropology and ethnography, cognitive science and psychology, and computer science.

More specifically, our interest is directed to:
• New forms of knowledge;
• New media and the immersive e-consumption of experience;
• New forms of social relations in the age of social media;

• New habits of communication and self-expression/representation;
• Online corporate communications;
• Digital narratology and e-fiction;
• Digital grammatology;
• Digital audio-visualisation;
• Internet linguistics.
The journal is supported and reviewed by our International advisory board as well as by chosen external reviewers.

For more information and submission of papers: DigitASC@nbu.bg.

Publication Ethics and Integrity Statement

1. Purpose and Ethos
Digital Age in Semiotics & Communication (DASC) is committed to fostering a space where emerging scholars and established researchers alike can explore innovative, interdisciplinary, and experimental approaches to meaning-making in the digital era. The journal welcomes conceptual creativity and methodological openness, but these must always rest on the foundations of academic integrity, intellectual honesty, and responsible research conduct.

Our ethical standards align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) principles and are guided by a respect for originality, transparency, and fairness throughout the scholarly process.

2. Data Fabrication and Falsification
Authors must present their findings truthfully. Any form of data fabrication (invention of results) or data falsification (manipulation of data, figures, or interpretations) is considered a serious ethical breach.
Authors must disclose how data were obtained and, when applicable, provide access to underlying materials or methodologies.
Creative or theoretical papers that rely on interpretive or qualitative approaches must make clear distinctions between empirical data, interpretation, and conceptual speculation.

3. Plagiarism
Plagiarism undermines intellectual trust. Submissions must be the author’s original work and properly acknowledge all sources, including paraphrased ideas, translated material, or non-traditional media (images, memes, code, etc.).

DASC uses plagiarism detection tools during review.
Plagiarism includes self-plagiarism (reuse of one’s prior work without citation).
The journal encourages intertextual creativity, but this must always occur with transparent attribution.

4. Multiple Submissions
Manuscripts must not be submitted to more than one journal simultaneously.
Authors should withdraw their submission if it is accepted elsewhere.
Exceptions may be made for translated versions or open-access preprints, but only with prior disclosure to the editors.

5. Redundant Publications
Authors must avoid fragmenting a single study into multiple minimal publications intended to inflate publication counts or create artificial novelty.
Theoretical development and empirical results should be presented as coherent wholes.
Follow-up or companion papers should make their relationship to prior publications explicit.

6. Authorship and Attribution
Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, execution, and interpretation of the work.
All contributors should be clearly listed, and the corresponding author must ensure all co-authors approve the final manuscript.
Ghost authorship (unacknowledged contributors) and honorary authorship (inclusion without contribution) are prohibited.
The journal encourages acknowledgment of mentors, collaborators, or AI-assisted tools in a transparent manner that distinguishes human and machine contributions.

7. Editorial Independence and Peer Review
DASC follows a double-blind peer review process. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts on scholarly merit, originality, and contribution to the field—not on institutional affiliation, status, or adherence to dominant paradigms.
The editorial team is committed to supporting young scholars and innovative research that may challenge established methodologies.
Constructive feedback and developmental peer review are integral to the journal’s mission.

8. Correcting the Record
If ethical breaches or substantive errors are discovered after publication, the journal will issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern in accordance with COPE guidelines. Authors are encouraged to cooperate fully in ensuring the integrity of the academic record.

9. Spirit of Ethical Scholarship
DASC recognizes that scholarship in the digital humanities and semiotics is evolving rapidly. The journal’s ethics policy therefore emphasizes dialogue over punishment, fostering a culture of mentorship, reflection, and intellectual courage.
We believe that innovation and ethics are complementary: genuine creativity thrives only where research integrity is upheld.