After being received, papers are tested using the following check-list, to ensure a double-blind review process:

1. If the article meets the format requirements contained in authors guidelines section. If it doesn’t meet those requirements, the files returned back to the author so as to let him make the appropriate adjustments, within a period not exceeding 15 days.

2. Afterwards, the paper undergoes prior assessment by members of the Editorial Board, this according to two main criteria: thematic relevance, on one side, and scientific quality, on the other. In case it is not selected for publication, the author(s) will be notified. Papers not accepted are not returned to the author.

3. In the case of papers subjected to referee, an anonymous copy is sent to two referees, prestigious experts external to the institution. External evaluators issue a report containing an advise —publishable, publishable with improvements, not publishable. The referees are provided with working guidelines and shall send their advice in no more than 30 days. Form available here for download.

4. The Committee of the journal takes referees reports into consideration when making its final decision, to establish whether the paper is to be published or not, or if it should be improved before publication.   In the event of controversial evaluations, the intervention of a third reviewer will be requested. For a text to be approved for publication, two of the three opinions must be positive. The decision will be informed to the author, who will also receive the reports from the referees.

5. If the author agrees to make changes to his paper, he shall submit the improved version together with a brief report explaining the improvements and, in the case that no improvements were made, an explanation that justifies that decision. The new version and the report must be submitted no more than 15 days after the notification.

6. Journal’s Committee determines if the paper can be published.

7. The Committee decides the order of publication in free articles and monograph articles sections, according to topic relevance criteria, order of arrival and order of acceptance.

8. In case of misstatements, rectifications will be made in electronic version.

The journal follows the Guide for COPE revisions of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).