About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Simbiótica is an academic journal published by the Center for Indicial Studies and Research (NEI), affiliated with the Department of Social Sciences and the Graduate Program in Social Sciences at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitória, Brazil. It is aimed at both the academic community and the general public, bringing together contributors from a wide range of fields, including Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, History, Psychoanalysis, Education, Philosophy, Literature, Arts, Psychology, Religious Studies, Communication, among others.

The journal seeks to transcend disciplinary boundaries, emphasizing originality and creativity in works resulting from empirical research and/or theoretical debate. Simbiótica publishes only unpublished contributions that aim to articulate, reconnect, contextualize, globalize, and integrate knowledge, while recognizing singular, individual, and concrete dimensions. From the perspective of complexity, the journal fosters the articulation, identification, differentiation, and dialectics of the multiple dimensions of life — physical, biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual. In contrast, simplified knowledge tends to isolate these dimensions, resulting in specialized, fragmented, reductionist, one-dimensional, and compartmentalized approaches. In this regard, Complex Thought requires breaking with disciplinary, cognitive, and epistemological divisions. Complexity should not be mistaken for completeness, as it is widely acknowledged that complete knowledge is unattainable. Rather, complexity offers a path toward multidimensional understanding. It embraces contradiction as a fundamental element of the knowledge process, sustaining the principle that everything is simultaneously its opposite.

Simbiótica accepts for publication, in the field of the social sciences, articles, essays, reviews, ethnographies, and interviews.

The journal is published three times a year and operates under a continuous submission policy. Manuscripts simultaneously submitted to other journals will not be considered.

The abbreviated title of the journal is Simbiótica, to be used in bibliographies, footnotes, captions, and references.

 

Peer Review Process

The evaluation process at Simbiótica consists of two stages. The first stage is conducted by the Editorial Board and involves a technical, scientific, and editorial assessment of the submission. The second stage entails a review by two specialists from the Editorial Board in the specific thematic area of the submitted work. If no specialists in the area are available within the Board, Simbiótica will consult ad hoc reviewers to carry out the evaluation. Submissions may be classified as “Approved”, “Approved with Revisions,” or “Rejected”. The entire review process is conducted anonymously, following a double-blind peer review system, in which neither authors nor reviewers are identified. The names of the reviewers will not be disclosed. The final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests with the Editors. All submitted manuscripts are checked using plagiarism detection software.

 

Frequency

Simbiótica is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published three times a year, with issues released in the first and second semesters. Each issue includes up to 15 original contributions.

 

Free Access Policy

Open Access Statement

• Simbiótica is an open access scholarly journal.
• Copyright of the published works grants usage rights to third parties through an open license (Creative Commons), allowing immediate free access to the content. This license permits any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts of the articles, index them, convert them into data for software, or use them for any other lawful purpose.

The journal offers immediate open access to its content, based on the principle that making scientific knowledge freely available to the public promotes greater global democratization of knowledge.

The journal’s policy for storing and indexing published articles in institutional repositories is as follows:

1. Simbiótica allows the storage of the author’s post-print version (the peer-reviewed version published by the journal).
2. The journal provides open access to the final published article.
3. Articles may be deposited in institutional repositories immediately after publication.
4. Simbiótica permits the copying and distribution of its articles for non-commercial purposes.
5. All works published in Simbiótica are licensed under the Creative Commons - Atribuição-NãoComercial 4.0 Internacional

 

Author Free Waiver Policy

Simbiótica is a scientific journal that does not charge any fees from authors—regardless of their region or country of origin — for the submission, evaluation, or publication of their work. This policy reflects the journal's commitment to disseminating scientific, artistic, and cultural production by researchers, professors, students, and creators, fostering free and open access to knowledge in the fields of Science, Art, and Culture.

 

Mission

Through a multidimensional approach, Simbiótica seeks to reunite and reconnect different fields of knowledge from an autonomous perspective, articulating the diversity that emerges between science, art, and culture in a truly symbiotic movement. The journal advocates for a complex methodology that places knowledge in continuous interplay, refusing to neglect any of its multiple dimensions.

 

Ethics Statement and Best Publishing Practices

Simbiótica is a scientific journal committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics in academic publishing. All parties involved in the publication process — including editors, editorial board members, authors, and peer reviewers — are expected to adhere to ethical behavior standards. The journal endorses the principles set forth in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), available at http://publicationethics.org.

 

Editors’ and Editorial Committee Responsibilities

The Editors and Editorial Committee of Simbiótica are responsible for:

• Deciding which submitted articles should be published, guided by the journal’s editorial policies (Author Guidelines) and by applicable legal requirements concerning defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism;
• Providing guidance to guest editors, authors, and reviewers regarding their expected responsibilities and clarifying the procedures of the double-blind peer review process;
• Informing new members of the Editorial Board about their roles and keeping current members informed about editorial policies and developments;
• Evaluating submissions solely on the basis of their academic and intellectual merit, without discrimination based on race, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, religious belief, nationality, political orientation, or social class of the authors;
• Ensuring that the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and conducted anonymously (double-blind), and that all related information remains confidential. The identities of both authors and reviewers must be protected;
• Ensuring the appropriate selection of qualified reviewers;
• Developing and maintaining a relevant and up-to-date database of reviewers, based on their performance and expertise;
• Guaranteeing that unpublished material disclosed in submitted manuscripts is not used in any editorial member’s own research without the express written consent of the author(s);
• Taking reasonable and prompt action in the event of complaints related to submitted or published articles;
• Publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies whenever necessary.

 

Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest editors are responsible for:

• Defining the central theme and the role of each article in special issues;
• Providing clear guidance to authors regarding the topic and scope of their contributions as well as the overall conception of the issue;
• Ensuring, in collaboration with the Editorial Board, the selection of appropriate reviewers for all articles, whether commissioned or submitted in response to a call for papers;
• Establishing a timeline for article submission, peer review, revision, and final submission in conjunction with the Editorial Board, ensuring that all deadlines are met;
• Writing the introduction to the special issue.

 

Responsibilities of Authors

• Authors of original research works must rigorously report the work carried out and present an objective discussion of its significance. The data underlying the research must be accurately represented in the article. Fraudulent or intentionally inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
• Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one publication. Such conduct is unethical and unacceptable.
• Authors must ensure that their work is original and that any work or words of other authors, collaborators, or sources are properly credited and referenced.
• By submitting manuscripts as original articles to Simbiótica, authors confirm that these are their own contributions and have not been copied or plagiarized from other works, in whole or in part, without clear citation of the source. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in the nature of the reported work.
• Plagiarism in all its forms is unethical and unacceptable in publication.
• Authors must ensure that the submitted manuscript has not been previously published elsewhere.
• Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have contributed substantially should be listed as co-authors. Individuals who have participated in certain substantial aspects of the research should be acknowledged or listed as collaborators.
• The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included on the manuscript and that all co-authors have agreed on the final version of the manuscript and its submission for publication.
• Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their article(s). All sources of financial support must be disclosed.
• If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board of the journal and to cooperate in correcting or retracting the article.

 

Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Peer review supports the decisions of the Editors and the Editorial Board of Simbiótica and, through editorial communication with the author, can also help improve the manuscript.
• Any reviewer invited to evaluate a manuscript who feels unqualified to assess the research described or who cannot meet the deadline must promptly notify the Editors of Simbiótica so alternative reviewers can be contacted.
• All manuscripts received for peer review must be treated as confidential documents.
• Any privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
• Reviewers should inform the Editors if they become aware of any copyright violations and/or plagiarism by the author(s).
• Reviews should be objective, with clear and well-argued comments to help authors improve their manuscripts.
• Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based solely on their content, independent of factors such as race, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, nationality, political views, or social class of the authors.
• Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions related to the manuscript.

 

Responsibilities of Editors

As editors of Simbiótica, they:

• Provide practical support to members of the Editorial Committee and Board to ensure adherence to the established code of conduct for scientific journals recommended by COPE;
• Guarantee the autonomy of editorial decisions;
• Protect intellectual property and copyright;
• Ensure good practices are upheld in accordance with the aforementioned standards.

 

Journal History

Revista Simbiótica is an electronic academic journal affiliated with the Nucleus of Indicial Studies and Research (NEI-UFES), the Department of Social Sciences, and the Graduate Program in Social Sciences at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES – Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil). Launched in June 2012, the journal has, since its inception, prioritized publications from an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective, aiming to foster broad epistemic, thematic, conceptual, and artistic diversity.

Grounded in the paradigm of complexity, Simbiótica has continuously consolidated its reputation as an important venue for scientific and cultural dissemination. In 2015, several national and international scholars from diverse fields of knowledge — recognized for their distinguished academic trajectories and commitment to complex thought — joined its Editorial Board.

In May 2018, Simbiótica gained further recognition with the inclusion of Dr. Edgar Morin as Honorary Editor. A preeminent scholar at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS-EHESS) in France, Morin is widely regarded as one of the most influential contemporary thinkers and a principal theorist of complexity. His association brought additional prestige to the journal.

Anchored in these intellectual foundations, Simbiótica is committed to disseminating artistic and cultural works, theoretical reflections and reviews, as well as empirical research conducted by faculty, researchers, and students from Higher Education Institutions in Brazil and abroad. The journal is dedicated not only to the reconnection of knowledge but also to fostering a multidimensional epistemological stance grounded in excellence and high scientific standards.