About the Journal

Aim and Scope

1. Our journal aims at disseminating scientific knowledge, guided by the rigor and quality of its author’s contributions. Only research results (of theses, dissertations and research projects) organized in accordance with the norms of scientific works are accepted.   
2. The public audience of our papers comprises the whole society, specially researchers interested in the covered topics.
3. Geografares accept the following types of article: papers, interviews, translations and reviews or bibliographic and thematic summaries and reports on books, theses, dissertations etc. 

Peer Review Evaluation Process

Only manuscripts formatted in accordance with the Guidelines for Authors and whose subject matter falls within the scope of the journal will be accepted. A preliminary review will assess the potential for publication and its interest in the journal's readership, compliance with ethical requirements, and the report generated by the plagiarism detection software  CopySpider. Papers that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. 

Manuscripts that are considered potentially publishable in Geografares are subject to an editorial process consisting of the following steps:

a-Technical review – carried out by the editors of the journal (desk review). It essentially consists of checking aspects of form and scientific writing to ensure that the manuscript meets all the points detailed in the journal's guidelines for authors and is eligible to enter the external peer review process.

b-External peer review – The review system is double-blind; the ad hoc reviewers are not aware of the identity of the authors and are not identified in the review sent to the authors. Papers will be sent to at least two (2) external reviewers from among Editorial Board members and/or special guests, who will evaluate scientific quality and content based on: the originality and significance of the contribution and its suitability to the editorial line of Geografares; appropriate methodology; adherence to ethical criteria/research integrity; the relationship between the proposed problem and the data presentation/analysis; conclusions supported by the data; clarity, coherence, and organization of the text; an indication of the main strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript. In the event of a disagreement between the reviewers, the paper will be sent to a new reviewer with similar characteristics to the previous reviewer to help break the tie. A detailed standard form is used by the journal editors to forward the review request to the reviewer. The ad hoc reviewers must follow the Guidelines for Reviewers of the journal Geografares, based on the recommendations of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics, in Portuguese) available at: https://publicationethics.org/files/Ethical_Guidelines_For_Peer_Reviewers_2.pdf. This peer review process implies an obligation on the part of the author(s) to respond to the reviewers' comments as quickly and satisfactorily as possible. Geografares reserves the right to reject, without justification, papers that do not consider the reviewers' suggestions.

c-Editorial Review – after receiving the reviews, the editors will examine the material and forward it to the authors. At this stage, the text will be placed in one of three categories:

    i-ACCEPTED (unconditional acceptance): the paper should be published. The topic is of great interest to the field of the paper, it is innovative and well-written. Only minor corrections are required, and these can be made by the editorial team itself.

   ii-REQUEST FOR REVISIONS (conditional acceptance): small or medium changes must be made by the author(s) within the deadline set by the editors. The paper must be returned for re-evaluation and the editors will check whether the ad hoc reviewers' suggestions have been followed or whether there is a justification for not following them.

   iii-REJECTED (not accepted): the necessary changes to the paper are so extensive that they would result in a new paper; therefore, the paper is rejected, and the author may submit another paper whenever he/she wishes.

d-Editing review – d)  Editing review – accepted manuscripts will be submitted to Portuguese language and technical standards (ABNT) review. Some papers may be returned to the authors for consultation and/or approval of eventual changes during the process. After this step, the manuscript will be sent for layout, proofreading and publication.

It should be noted that more than one round of review may be required at all stages.

Reviewers have between 15 (fifteen) and 30 (thirty) days to complete their review. The average response time for the author(s) is approximately 120 days for the first review issued by the reviewers, 180 days for the final opinion and up to 8 (eight) months for publication if accepted.

The recommendations will be sent to the authors with a fixed deadline for the return of the revised version of the manuscript. Authors are advised to pay attention to the notifications that will be sent to the e-mail address provided in the submission and to respect the deadlines for response. Failure to meet the deadline, especially if not justified, might be a reason for stopping the editorial process of the manuscript.

The order of publication will follow the criteria established by the Editorial Board, considering the thematic organization of each issue and those that may be commissioned by the Editorial Board. The author must follow the process through the journal's website to verify that there are no doubts or requests for corrections from the reviewers.

Publicantion Frequency

Geografares is an academic peer-reviewed, open-access journal published biannually. Issues are published online twice a year and might be compounded as a thematic compilation or on a regular basis.

Open Access Politics

Geografares is an academic peer-reviewed open-access journal published biannually. Issues are published online twice a year and might be compounded as a thematic compilation or on a regular basis.

Publication Ethics and Good Manners

Geografares Editorial Board Statement of Ethical Principles and Good Manners

Double-blind peer review is an essential model for Geografares, guaranteeing the independence and anonymity of authors and reviewers. Geografares is committed to respecting and maintaining ethical standards of behavior at all stages of the publication process. These ethical principles, which apply to all parties involved in the publishing process, are based on the COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

 

Decisions regarding the publication of articles

The Editor is responsible for the journal. The Editorial Board consists of the Editor and the Associate Editors. The Editorial Board is responsible for deciding the editorial policy of the journal, always regarding the Editorial Collective. The editorial policy must respect the regular legal requirements against criminal defamation, copyright violations and plagiarism, and other decisions related to publishing.

Transparency and respect to diversity

The Editors and the Editorial Board must evaluate submitted manuscripts regardless of the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnical origin, nationality, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality

The Editors and the Editorial Board cannot disclose any private information about a submitted manuscript, except to the reviewers and to the Editorial Collective as part of the evaluation process.

Dissemination and competing interests

Original, unpublished material from a submitted manuscript cannot be used for private research by the Editor or by a member of the Editorial Board without the express written consent of the author.

 

Reviewers Responsibilities

Supporting the Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewing assists the editor in making editorial decisions and may also assist the author in improving the manuscript through editorial communication.

Punctuality

Any manuscript reviewer who feels unable or unqualified to analyze the submitted article, or who does not have time to read it immediately, should notify the Editor immediately.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are confidential. Unless authorized by the editor, they may not be shown or discussed with others.

Standards of Objectivity

Commenting must be kept objective. It is inappropriate to make personal criticisms of the authors. Critics must be clear and reasoned.

About the Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited by the authors. Reviewers should inform the editor of any substantial similarity, resemblance, or overlap of content between the submitted manuscript and other published work that they are personally aware of.

Dissemination and competing interests

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and should not be used for personal gain. Reviewers should decline to read manuscripts in which they have an interest and/or a relationship with any of the authors.

Rights and Responsibilities of the Authors

Original Research

Authors of manuscripts referring to original research are required to accurately report the work and objectively discuss its significance. Supplementary data should be accurately reported. It should contain sufficient details and references to enable others to reproduce the work. Fraudulent and intentionally inaccurate reporting constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.

 Originality and plagiarism

Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If authors use the work and/or text of others, these should be properly cited. The journal has a systematic policy to identify plagiarists through the use of plagiarism detection software. In addition, a written statement of originality and exclusivity is required from the authors. If plagiarism is found, authors will not be allowed to publish in Geografares. The journal is also committed to removing or correcting articles where plagiarism is found, and to enforcing this upon authors when necessary. The editors are committed to publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when appropriate.

Duplicate submission/publication

Authors should not submit or publish manuscripts that essentially describe the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal or publishing the same article in more than one academic journal or conference proceedings is unethical and unacceptable.  

 About the Sources

Authors must cite each publication that was important in determining the nature of the related work.

Authorship

All significant contributors should be listed as co-authors on the submitted manuscript. Co-authors are required to authorize and approve the submission of the manuscript and the final version of the document.

Risks to humans and animals

If the work involves chemical products, processes, or equipment that may present unusual risks associated with their use, authors should identify them in the manuscript.

 Declaration of Competing Interests

Authors must declare in their manuscript any financial or non-financial competing interests that could be interpreted as influencing the results or interpretation. All sources of funding for the research project must be declared.

Corrections to published articles

If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her published work, it is his/her duty to immediately notify the Editor and cooperate in correcting the article.

Sponsors

The journal is supported by the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Espírito Santo (FAPES), which provide scholarships.

Support Background

• The Geografares team would like to thank the different sectors of the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) that have supported our journal, allowing its daily improvement.

  • Departamento de Geografia da UFES
  • Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia da UFES
  • Pró-reitoria de Pós-Graduação da UFES
  • Superintendência de Tecnologia da Informação da UFES (NTI)
  • Comitê Gestor de Periódicos da UFES