Editorial Policies

Editorial Policy 

CHAM’s editorial programme encompasses a range of publishing formats, both print and digital, including journals and editorial series, with the aim of disseminating original academic research.  

The CHAM Editorial Policy seeks to establish, standardise and implement a set of guidelines, best practices, and editorial procedures applicable to its publications (journals, books, and e-books), ensuring compliance with international standards for open-access scientific publishing. This  policy aligns with the international recommendations of COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics, as outlined in the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and the Code of Conduct issued by this organisation.  

Participation in CHAM Publishing´s publication process requires all parties involved to acknowledge, accept and adhere to the ethical standards described in this document. 

 

Originality 

CHAM´s journals and series accept original and unpublished contributions, meaning works that have not been previously published or are not under review by other publications. 

 

Previous publication 

Preprints: CHAM Publishing does not accept submissions of texts that have been previously published online. 

Translations: CHAM Publishing does not accept submissions of articles that have been previously published in another language. 

Theses and dissertations: The Editors-in-Chief of CHAM’s editorial series reserve the right to determine whether theses and dissertations previously deposited in institutional repositories may be published, considering the scope of the respective series and quality of the submitted text. Authors must undertake a thorough revision and adapt the thesis/dissertation to a book format. 

Conference proceedings: CHAM Publishing does not publish conference proceedings. However, it does accept collective works derived from scientific meetings, provided they demonstrate internal coherence. 

 

Authorship 

Authors bear full responsibility for the content of their manuscripts. All individuals listed as authors must have made a significant contribution to the conception and writing of the work and must assume full responsibility for its content, ensuring the accurancy and integrity of the data presented.  

The corresponding author (responsible for the submission) must ensure that all other co-authors have consented to their inclusion in the authorship of the manuscript and  are fully informed about its content and any subsequent revisions. 

Authorship should reflect each contributor’s role in the final manuscript. The first and last authors are typically considered to have made the most substantial contributions to the article or book. In the case of articles or books with more than one author, the specific contributions of each author must be clearly stated at the time of submission. 

 

Authors Identifiers 

All authors must provide their ORCID IDs or another recognised digital identifier when submitting their manuscript. 

 

Editorial endogeny 

For collective books  and journal issues, the proportion of book chapters/articles authored by CHAM researchers shall not exceed 30%.  

The proportion of book chapters/articles in which at least one author is an editor or member of the Editorial or Scientific Boards of the respective journal or editorial series shall not exceed 25% of the articles published in the last two issues (journals) or chapters in the respective collective book. 

 

Plagiarism 

CHAM Publishing strongly rejects plagiarism in any kind. All manuscripts submitted undergo a plagiarism detection process using Turnitin before being sent for peer review.   

 

Artificial Intelligence 

Any use of AI in text writing, data collection and/or analysis, or image generation within the manuscript must be disclosed as part of the applied methodology, specifying which AI tools were used and how they were applied. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any use of AI that violates the code of conduct and principles of transparency and best practice upheld by CHAM Publishing. 

 

Scientific Refereeing 

All manuscripts submitted for publication in CHAM Publishing’s journals and series undergo review by experts in the field, ensuring high standards of scientific quality. 

External scientific review is a critical tool for ensuring the excellence of publications and adherence to ethical principles and best practices in scientific research. 

CHAM Publishing defines an external referee as someone who is not part of the journal or series’ editorial team (Editor-in-Chief, member of the Editorial or Scientific Boards), nor the coordinator of the thematic dossier or collective book, nor affiliated with the research unit (CHAM). 

Each referee is limited to evaluating one article per journal issue. 

Scientific evaluation is conducted according to the following principles: 

  • Journals: Each article proposal is evaluated by at least two anonymous referees through a double-blind peer-review system. For open thematic dossiers, the coordinators carry out a preliminary evaluation of the proposals and determine whether they will proceed to the peer-review stage. All manuscripts submitted for review are anonymised, and the identities of the referees are also protected. To ensure their anonymity, referees’ names are disclosed in the technical sheet and on the journal’s website every two issues. 
  • Books: Manuscripts are evaluated by at least two referees in an open peer-review system. 

The Editorial Board is exclusively responsible for selecting the referees. Referees must not be affiliated with the same institution as the author(s), or have any academic, professional or personal relationship with them.  

If a referee agrees to write an evaluation report but fails to submit it or refuses without a valid justification, this will be noted by the Editorial Board, and the referee will not be invited to evaluate manuscripts for CHAM Publishing again. 

Based on the referees’ evaluation reports, the Editorial Board will make a final decision: 1) acceptance, 2) revision with minor changes, 3) revision with major changes, or 4) rejection. In the event of conflicting evaluations, the Editorial Board may choose to submit the article or book for review by an additional referee or make a decision regarding publication.  

The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit the referees’ evaluation reports before sending the final report to the authors. 

Authors must revise their manuscripts in accordance with the content of the evaluation report. If author disagree with any of the recommended revisions, they must provide a written justification when submitting the revised text. The Editorial Board will then decide whether or not to publish the article or book based on this justification. 

 

Conflicts of Interest 

Authors, referees and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the review or publication process.  

At the time of submission, authors must provide their institutional affiliation, ORCID IDs (or other identifiers, as previously mentioned), and the funding sources for the production of the manuscript. Based on this information, the Editorial Board will take appropriate measures to manage any conflicts of interest when selecting external referees.  

If a member of the Editorial Board is the author or co-author of a submitted manuscript, they will be excluded from the evaluation and publication process. 

 

Equality and Non-Discrimination 

CHAM Publishing rejects any texts that promote prejudice or discrimination in any form. Our journals and editorial series are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible scientific environment. Editors must ensure that published works do not contain language that could be interpreted as hostile or offensive, and authors are expected to comply with these guidelines. 

 

Complaints and Allegations of Misconduct 

Complaints and allegations of misconduct should be reported to the Editorial Board, which will address them with the utmost seriousness and in accordance with the guidelines set by COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics.  

In cases where allegations are directed at members of the Editorial Board, these should be forwarded to CHAM, which will refer the matter to the NOVA FCSH Ethics Committee. 

CHAM Publishing does not tolerate any form of abusive behaviour towards the Editorial Board, authors, or referees.  

 

Retractions 

If scientific malpractice or a breach of CHAM Publishing’s code of conduct is identified after publication, the complete online version of the article or book will be removed from the respective platform and digital repositories. Only the title, preceded by the reference “Retracted,” the authors’ names with their respective affiliations, and a retraction note—clearly and thoroughly detailing the reasons for the retraction—will remain.. This retracted version will retain the same DOI as the original. For print versions, distribution will be discontinued. 

 

Corrections and Changes to Author Identification 

In the event that significant errors are identified following the publication of an article or book, a formal correction will be issued online. Significant errors are defined as those that may impact the reputation of the author, the journal, or CHAM Publishing. Minor typographical, grammatical, or spelling errors do not warrant the publication of a correction. 

Requests from authors to change their name or pronoun in published articles or books will be considered by the Editorial Board. Such requests may include name changes due to marriage or divorce, gender affirmation, or religious conversion. CHAM Publishing can implement these changes solely in versions published on the respective websites and in the institutional repositories of NOVA FCSH. 

 

Copyright 

All texts published by CHAM Publishing are licensed under a Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Licence (CC BY 4.0), permitting sharing and adaptation, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and the journal.  

Authors retain copyright and grant the exclusive right of first publication, free of charge to CHAM – Centre for the Humanities, NOVA University of Lisbon – School of Social Sciences and Humanities. CHAM reserves the right to reproduce and publish the work in both print and digital formats and to promote its distribution through all available channels. 

Authors are authorised to enter into separate, non-exclusive agreements for the redistribution of their articles as published in CHAM’s journals (for instance, by depositing them in an institutional repository or including them in a book), giving acknowledgment to authorship and the original publication.  

Authors bear sole responsibility for securing copyright clearance for any images reproduced in their articles, book chapters or books. 

 

Self-archiving 

Authors are permitted to deposit the publisher’s final version of their work (provided as a PDF file) in any repository or on any website. However, the self-archiving of earlier versions of the article or book, including preprint or postprint versions, is not permitted. 

 

Confidentiality 

All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential until publication. Their content remains under embargo, and no information beyond the abstract may be disclosed by any means. Editorial teams are required to maintain the confidentiality of all submitted texts. 

 

Privacy 

Personal data provided by authors will be used exclusively for services related to CHAM Publishing and will not be shared with third parties or used for any other purposes. All data will be processed in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.  

 

Open access 

CHAM Publishing adheres to an open-access policy, ensuring that all articles are freely available on the journal’s website and in RUN – NOVA University of Lisbon Repository.   

This commitment to open access maximises both the scientific and societal impact of research by guaranteeing its universal accessibility. By making its journals and books freely available, CHAM Publishing seeks to democratise access to knowledge and foster wider dissemination of scholarship.  

 

Research data 

Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit the research data underpinning their articles, book chapters, or books in an open-access repository, such as Zenodo.  

 

Digital Preservation  

The long-term preservation of content published by CHAM Publishing is ensured through its deposit in the institutional repository RUN. Editorial documentation is securely stored in digital format on a cloud-based platform (OneDrive) and on an external drive kept at CHAM’s facilities. 

 

Publication costs 

There are no charges associated with submitting, processing, publishing, distributing or downloading articles, chapters and books. 

 

Periodicity 

CHAM's journals are published on a regular basis: 

  • AHAM: annual 
  • Cultura: annual 
  • Res Antiquatis: biennial 

 

Composition of Editorial Teams 

  • The Editor-in-Chief of the journal or book series is a PhD-holding researcher appointed by the CHAM Executive Board. 
  • The Editorial Board consists of the Editor-in-Chief and a group of PhD-holding researchers from CHAM, selected by the Editor-in-Chief and approved by the CHAM Executive Board. 
  • The Editorial Management of CHAM Publishing is overseen by a member of CHAM’s science management team.   
  • The Scientific Advisory Board is composed of specialists appointed by the Editor-in-Chief to provide consultative support throughout the editorial process.  
  • The coordination of thematic dossiers may be proposed by authors or invited by the Editorial Board. Each dossier must be coordinated by at least two PhD-holding researchers, at least 50% of whom must be external to CHAM  
  • External referees are selected by the Editorial Board of the journal or book series. 

 

Responsibilities 

Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board 

  • Providing guidance to authors, dossier organisers, and referees regarding their responsibilities and duties, as well as CHAM Publishing’s editorial policy. 
  • Informing the new members of the Editorial Board about their responsibilities and duties, as well as CHAM Publishing’s editorial policy. 
  • Defining an annual editorial plan and its corresponding timetable in collaboration with CHAM Board’s Publishing Department and CHAM’s editorial management office.  
  • Participating in quarterly working meetings with CHAM Board’s Publishing Department and CHAM’s editorial management office. 
  • Seleccting, in advance, articles/books that align with the scope and criteria of the respective journal or editorial series. 
  • Guaranteeing an imparcial evaluation process for submitted manuscripts, adhering to double-blind peer-review system for journals and open peer-review system for books.  
  • Ensuring the selection of referees based on their scientific merit and relevance to the manuscript’s content, while safeguarding against conflicts of interest. 
  • Developing and maintaining an up-to-date database of referees, regularly reviewed based on their performance. 
  • Guaranteeing that when an articles or books includes contributions from a member of the Editorial Board, that individual does participate in the evaluation process. Additionally, ensuring that the proportion of such contributions does not exceed the limit established in the policy on editorial endogamy (see above) 
  • Ensuring that the evaluation of manuscripts is conducted solely on the basis of their scientific merit, without discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, ethnic origin, religion, nationality, political affiliation, social background, or institutional affiliation. 
  • Issuing a final evaluation report with determines the publication outcome of manuscripts, taking into account external referees’ reports as well as CHAM Publishing’s submission criteria and editorial ethics policies. 
  • Ensuring that no unpublished material from a submitted manuscript is used by any member of the Editorial Board or by referees without the explicit consent of the authors. 
  • Taking appropriate action in response to complaints and allegations of malpractice, adhering to COPE guidelines and flowcharts. 
  • Guaranteeing that all steps are taken to investigate any alleged breaches of the code of conduct by members of the Editorial Board, authors, or referees, and ensuring that all parties involved are informed of the process and its conclusions, with equal opportunity to respond. 

 

 

Editorial management: 

  • Checking that proposals for articles or books comply with the submission guidelines and have been properly anonymised, deciding whether to accept them for peer-review or return them to authors for necessary revisions.  
  • Reviewing the required legal documentation, including Declarations of Authorship, Authorisation to Publish, and proof of permissions for image use (copyright compliance). 
  • Managing the flow of information on the submission platform, facilitating communication between authors, Editorial Board, referees and the printing house. 
  • Managing the external scientific evaluation process. 
  • Managing the notification process for evaluation outcomes and editiorial decisions. 
  • Reviewing the article and book proofs provided by the printing house in collaboration with the respective authors. 
  • Ensuring that published volumes are made available online on the respective platforms and institutional repositories. 
  • Implementing the necessary procedures for institutional archiving. 

 

Coordination of thematic dossiers (journals): 

  • Defining the theme of the dossier and providing clear guidelines to the authors regarding the subject and scope of submitted manuscripts. 
  • In the case of open dossiers, analysing submitted manuscripts and approving those that align with the dossier’s thematic scope and comply with the submission guidelines and editorial ethics policies, before proceeding to external evaluation.   
  • Establishing, in collaboration with the Editorial Board, a timetable for the processes of submission, evaluation, revision and final submission, while ensuring that all deadlines are duly met. 
  • Writing the introduction to the dossier. 

 

Scientific Advisory Board 

  • Providing decision-making support to the Editorial Board upon request. 
  • Suggesting external referees when requested by the Editorial Board. 

 

Referees 

  • Submitting evaluation reports within the deadlines set by the Editorial Board. 
  • Informing the Editorial Board promptly if they are unable to undertake the evaluation. 
  • Adhering to the ethical principles consensually associated with peer review, including: 
  • Mantaining strict confidentiality regarding the content of the manuscripts, respecting the intelectual property and copyright, and refraining from sharing or using any data or ideas for personal gain. 
  • Conducting an impartial evaluation, ensuring that no bias is introduced based on perceived author background, identity, beliefs or affiliations. 
  • Using respectful, objective and clear language, focusing on the strenghts and weaknesses of the manuscript. 
  • Providing a constructive evaluation, including recommendations for additional bibliography and clear explanations of aspects that could be further developed.  
  • Being open to clarifying any queries related to the review and, if necessary, re-evaluating manuscripts.   
  • Informing the Editorial Board of any conflicts of interest. 
  • Notifying the Editorial Board of any suspected breaches of copyright, including plagiarism or self-plagiarism. 

 

Authors: 

  • Complying with the submission guidelines of the journal or editorial series, including adherence to citation rules and ensuring the manuscript is properly anonymised. 
  • Cooperating in the evaluation and revision processes, meeting all stipulated deadlines. 
  • Refraining from submitting the same manuscript (or substantially similar versions) to different journals or editorial series. Authors must accurately reference the origins of all ideas, bibliographic and primary sources and data cited in the manuscript to prevent any form of plagiarism. It is recommended to acknowledge to any contributions arising from public or private discussions or previous peer-review reports. 
  • Guaranteeing the originality of the manuscript and avoiding self-plagiarism. 
  • Ensuring that permissions have been obtained for the reproduction of any copyrighted content, including images, or confirming that such materials are in the public domain.  
  • Disclosing any conflicts of interest and providing details of projects and funding agencies that have supported the research work and its publication. 
  • Informing the Editorial Board of any inaccuracies or significant errors identified in the text after publication so that appropriate corrections can be made.