Publication Guidelines

1. Focus and scope
2. Selection process for articles and research notes
3. Author rights and obligations
4. Ethical principles of research and publications
5. Regarding de publications process

1. Focus and scope

REIS Journal is a quarterly publication of the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS), whose objective is to promote quality scientific research that contributes to a greater understanding of political and social phenomena.

Original articles and research notes received for publication in the REIS undergo a rigorous selection process governed by strict quality criteria. This process is always carried out by external specialist assessors, and the anonymity of both assessors and authors is guaranteed.

The Editorial Board of the REIS will consider book reviews and bibliographic essays.

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2. Selection process for articles and research notes

The selection process for manuscripts is free and follows the procedures set out below:

  1. Submission of manuscripts: to submit original manuscripts to the REIS, please go to the website of this journal:

    /index.php/REIS/about/submissions

    Manuscripts can only be accepted for consideration through the OJS platform. Originals sent via email will not be considered. Any questions about the manuscript submission process should be sent by email to consejo.editorial@cis.es.

    After the manuscript has been received via the platform, the author will receive an automated acknowledgement by email, although he or she may later be asked to correct formatting or presentation errors, or to change it to fit the requirements set out in the Guidelines for Authors.

    The sending of manuscripts, their evaluation and, when relevant, their subsequent publication, does not bear any cost for the authors.

  2. Following receipt, the REIS Secretary's Office will revise the manuscript to ensure its anonymization. In order to guarantee impartiality during the assessment process, elements of the manuscript that could lead to the authors being identified directly (name, explicit references to their own work, acknowledgements, etc.) or indirectly (essentially, biographical/professional details that facilitate relatively easy identification) will be deleted or modified. In any event, the REIS Secretary's Office staff responsible for supervising and ensuring anonymization will endeavour to reduce the latter’s impact on the manuscript to a minimum so as not to compromise its coherence. Submission of manuscripts implies the authors’ acceptance of these possible modifications made solely for the purposes of the assessment process.

  3. A primary appraisal or prior selection will then be made. At least two members of the Editorial Board will verify that the manuscript meets the subject criteria and the general quality requirements of the magazine. However, if one of these appraisals is positive, the article will be submitted for an external assessment. Work with content outside the sphere of sociology, political science or related social sciences shall be excluded, as well as work lacking the structure of an academic text. Authors of papers that do not pass the selection filter will receive notification and the reasons for the decision.

  4. Double-blind peer review: each article or research note that passes preselection shall be sent to two specialists who are external to the Editorial Board and the Sociological Research Centre (CIS) for anonymous evaluation. These evaluators shall issue a report based on the scientific quality of the manuscript and its suitability for publishing or not, which shall be taken into consideration by the Board. The evaluators shall have four weeks to submit their reports, which must be respectful and constructive.

  5. When deemed necessary, the Editorial Board will approach a third external reviewer or a committee of experts if the two reviews contradict each other.

  6. The external assessors' reviews will be sent to authors with the final decision, which is the responsibility of the Editorial Board.

  7. Editorial Board plenary sessions will be held at least three times a year, and the minimum valid attendance is half plus one of its members.

  8. Based on the external evaluations of each manuscript, the Editorial Board may take four types of decision:

    1. a) Publishable with minor amendments: The manuscript will be published directly or after making minor improvements.

      b) Publishable with major amendments: It can be published after making major improvements.

      c) Not publishable, return for rewriting: It will be returned to the author with instructions for it to be rewritten. The resulting manuscript must be reassessed, with no assurance that it will be published in the future.

      d) Not publishable: the manuscript will not be published.

    9. Authors of manuscripts that must be reviewed for publication shall have two weeks to notify the REIS Secretariat if they agree to making the modifications proposed by the Editorial Board, as well as the period in which they agree to resubmit the revised version, which in no case may exceed two months. Once reviewed, the manuscript shall be sent to the REIS Secretariat again along with a report explaining the changes made. The REIS Secretariat shall send the revised version, the report explaining the changes and the original manuscript to the Editorial Board. If the Editorial Board believes that the modifications introduced correspond to those requested, the manuscript shall be considered approved for publication.

    10. Bibliographical essays and presentations that accompany classic texts shall be sent to at least one external evaluator and must subsequently receive a favourable report from the Editorial Board for approval.

    11. Editorial Policy Criteria: decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts are based on the following factors: originality, relevance, methodological quality and presentation or style.

    12. Public information:
    Up-to-date information on the decisions regarding assessed manuscripts made at each Editorial Board meeting will be available on the CIS website: the number of manuscripts approved, sent back for revision or rejected; as well as the average turnaround time between receipt of a manuscript and the author being notified of the decision.

    At the beginning of each year, the REIS Secretary's Office will make public the previous year's Activities Report, which will contain at least the:

    a) Identities of all external assessors used during the previous year.

    b) Total number of manuscripts received.

    c) Total number of manuscripts rejected at the pre-selection stage.

    d) Total number of manuscripts assessed at Editorial Board plenary meetings: how many were approved, how many were sent back for revision and how many were rejected for publication.

    e) Average turnaround time between receipt of manuscript and the author being notified of the result of the assessment.

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3. Author rights and obligations

Authors have the following rights:

  1. To receive confirmation of receipt, by e-mail, of their communications with the REIS Secretary's Office, especially in relation to submission of the manuscript and supplementary materials.

  2. To expect the REIS Secretary's Office to maintain anonymity of authorship and to disseminate their manuscript only insofar as necessary for purposes of the assessment process.

  3. Upon receipt of the final decision by the Editorial Board and the evaluations on which it is based, except in the case of manuscripts rejected in the preselection.

Authors who submit manuscripts to the REIS for publication will be subject to the following obligations:

  1. Submission of a manuscript to the REIS implies having read and accepted the journal's editorial guidelines and instructions for authors.

  2. While the manuscript is in the process of being assessed by the REIS, the author will not submit it to other journals for assessment. However, the journal could accept papers previously published in conference proceedings provided that their quality justifies it. The author must indicate where the paper has been previously published.

  3. The author undertakes not to publish his/her paper in any other journal, in either paper or electronic format, unless the CIS expressly authorizes him/her to do so. However, the author may present it at conferences, symposiums or as a working document.

  4. The author will assume liability for any disputes that may arise in relation to copyright, as indicated in point 7 of the Instructions for authors.

  5. Authors shall transfer the publishing rights of their manuscript to REIS so that it may be disseminated and capitalised on on Intranets, the Internet and any web portals and wireless devices that the publisher may decide, by placing it at the disposal of users so that the latter may consult it online and extract content from it, print it and/or download and save it. These activities must comply with the terms and conditions outlined on the website hosting the work. However, the SJSR authorises authors of papers published in the journal to include a copy of these papers, once published, on their personal websites and/or other open access digital repositories. Copies must include a specific mention of REIS, citing the year and issue of the journal in which the article was published, and adding a link to the REIS website(s).

  6. The author should be cited in inverted comas and the source, publisher and author of the work correctly referenced.

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4. Ethical principles of research and publications

The following shall be considered as plagiarism: paraphrasing the source without proper referencing; and abusive paraphrasing, even if the source is mentioned.

Cases of scientific fraud include the following: a) fabrication, falsification or omission of data and plagiarism; b) duplicate publication; c) conflicts over authorship. Dishonest conduct relating to plagiarism and the different cases of scientific fraud detected shall be debated by members of the Editorial Board, who shall decide what measures should be taken. The author shall accept liability for any consequences that may result from failure to comply with the obligations set out in these publishing regulations.

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5. Regarding de publications process

  1. Inclusion in tables of contents: Once accepted, manuscripts may be included in the table of contents of future issues of the journal. When considering their inclusion, the Editorial Board will take into account both the date of receipt and the date of approval of the manuscript.

  2. In any event, authors who make the appropriate request will receive a certificate stating that their manuscript has been approved and is awaiting publication.

  3. Proofreading: Page proofs in electronic or paper format will be sent to the author for proofreading. These proofs must be returned to the REIS Secretary's Office within a maximum period of 15 days as from the date of remittance. No substantial modifications or alterations of the manuscript's content as previously approved for publication will be permitted during the proofreading process. The author will receive a free printed copy of the journal in which their paper appears, as well as an electronic file containing their contribution.

  4. Translation and correction of English proofs: The REIS shall arrange and organise back translation from Spanish to English of approved manuscripts for their bilingual publication in electronic format. The responsibility for the technical quality of these translations rests solely with the magazine, although the authors may be consulted for their feedback and collaboration on correcting proofs.

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