Evaluation

Revista Vórtex accepts submissions on a continuous basis, in Portuguese, English or Spanish, and in the categories of article, review, translation and interview. Authors can choose between two submission categories:

a) Submission for Double Blind Evaluation;
b) Open Science submission, via SciELO PrePrint (IN PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION);

DOUBLE-BLIND EVALUATION

The double-blind evaluation begins when the article is submitted. The editor carries out the initial screening and assigns two reviewers in a double-blind system, in which reviewers and authors remain anonymous. With the opinions in hand, an editorial decision is made and the authors are informed. Below are detailed instructions for submitting your work to the double-blind evaluation system:

1) Submit your work via the journal's submission platform (OJS): https://vortex.unespar.edu.br
2) Make sure you meet all the “Conditions for submission” that your manuscript complies with the “Guidelines for Authors”.
3) All material for evaluation must be anonymous.

SCIELO PREPRINT EVALUATION (OPEN SCIENCE)

In line with Open Science guidelines, Revista Vórtex adopts practices of transparency and information sharing, promoting free access, the use of open repositories, and the publication of preprints on public platforms, such as SciELO Preprints (https://preprints.scielo.org/index.php/scielo). A preprint refers to a version of an article that is shared publicly before peer review. This practice ensures immediate access to research results and allows authors to receive feedback from the community, enabling them to make adjustments before submitting to the journal.

Below are detailed instructions for submitting your work to the PrePrint evaluation system:

PREPRINT – SCIELO STAGE

[1] For preprint manuscripts, the first step is to deposit the text in the SciELO Preprints repository (see guidelines at https://preprints.scielo.org/index.php/scielo/about/submissions). Deposited articles receive a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), which ensures authorship and allows citation.

[2] The author must declare their intention to submit to Revista Vórtex via revista.vortex@unespar.edu.br, informing the exact date of publication (posting) of the manuscript and the link to access the text in the SciELO repository. This step aims at internal registration and coordination of dissemination by the journal.

[3] Revista Vórtex will disseminate the preprint on its official channels and social networks, increasing its visibility and public exposure. Readers are invited to access and comment on the article directly in the SciELO repository: https://preprints.scielo.org/index.php/scielo/preprints-review

[4] As part of the Open Data policy, evaluation in the SciELO repository may occur openly. When authorized by the reviewers, the opinions may be attached at the end of the text, in the “Preprint” section of the document template (template.docx), with identification of names and institutional affiliations. Authors are encouraged to deposit and share the data, codes, and/or methods used in the production of their manuscripts.

PREPRINT – VÓRTEX STAGE

[5] Submission to the Vórtex Journal can only occur after a minimum of 20 (twenty) days of public exposure of the article in the SciELO Preprints repository. Before submission, the author must review the manuscript, incorporating the suggestions and comments received during the exposure period.

[6] Submit your text through the journal's submission platform (OJS): https://vortex.unespar.edu.br. In the “Documents” tab, upload the main text containing the authors' names and mark it as “Text”. Then upload the attachment “Open Science Compliance Form” and mark it as “Open Science Compliance Form”.

[7] During the editorial process at Revista Vórtex, reviewers may choose to identify themselves or remain anonymous. In cases where identity is preserved, the process will follow the single-blind model.

OPEN SCIENCE COMPLIANCE

Revista Vórtex follows the Gold Open Access model. Authors are asked to state: (a) whether the manuscript is a preprint and, if so, its location; (b) whether data, program code and other materials underlying the text of the manuscript are properly cited and referenced; and, (c) whether they accept openness options in the peer review process. Authors are encouraged to make available all content (data, program code and other materials) underlying the text of the manuscript prior to or at the time of publication. Exceptions are allowed in cases of legal and ethical issues. The aim is to facilitate the evaluation of the manuscript and, if approved, to contribute to the preservation and reuse of the contents and the reproducibility of the research. Revista Vórtex adopts the Open Science Compliance Form:
https://wp.scielo.org/wp-content/uploads/Open-Science-Compliance-Form_en.docx

OPEN DATA (SciELO Preprints)

In line with Open Science guidelines, Revista Vórtex adopts transparency and information sharing practices, promoting the open access policy, the use of open repositories and the publication of preprints on public platforms such as SciELO Preprints. Authors are encouraged to deposit and share the data, codes and/or methods used in the production of their manuscripts. Authors are responsible for storing and accessing the data, which should be deposited in open access repositories such as SciELO Data. To facilitate reuse, data should be made available in open formats (e.g. spreadsheets rather than PDFs). If the data is restricted, the restriction must be justified in the article and a contact point for requesting access must be provided. The journal offers authors and referees the option of opening up the peer review process, with or without identifying their names. We recommend the SciELO data repository Data: https://data.scielo.org/

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST POLICY

Authors, reviewers and editors must ensure the absence of conflicts of interest throughout the publication process. Conflicts of interest can arise in situations related to the nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender or other characteristics of the authors, as well as of a personal, commercial, political, academic or financial nature. When submitting a manuscript, authors must inform the editors of any possible conflict of interest by sending an e-mail (revista.vortex@unespar.edu.br) at the same time as the submission. Reviewers must maintain a neutral and impartial stance. If they identify any conflict of interest with the authors – whether institutional, as recent co-authors, or of a personal nature – they should inform the editors immediately.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Revista Vórtex operates on a continuous publication system (1 volume per year), i.e. once the evaluation and editing process is complete, the work is published. The approximate time between submission and publication is up to 6 months. The entire process follows this flow:

- The editors make a first reading of the manuscript and decide whether the work is of interest to the journal (2 weeks);
- The editors analyze the profile and invite two reviewers for the task (2 weeks);
- The reviewers evaluate the work (12 weeks);
- Based on the evaluations, the editors decide on publication or rejection (2 weeks);
- If accepted with necessary corrections and revisions, the manuscript returns to the authors (3 weeks);
- Once accepted, the manuscript goes to Publishing, where it will be prepared for publication, with DOI assignment and layout finalization (3 weeks).

In addition, the journal offers authors and reviewers the option of opening the peer review process, with or without identifying their names.

These are the responsibilities of the reviewers:

- Reviewers should help authors objectively, pointing out relevant work that could be cited. They should also instruct authors on how to improve their work for publication;
- Reviewers must not have a conflict of interest and must remain neutral and impartial, informing the editors if any conflict arises. Possible cases of conflicts of interest include: nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender or other characteristics of the authors; conflicts of a personal, commercial, political, academic or financial nature. These conflicts can occur between authors, reviewers or editors;
- The peer review process should be treated with confidence and should only involve designated editors and reviewers;
- In the peer review process, the confidentiality of names is guaranteed (double-blind); a list of reviewers will be published at the end of the publication process, but will not relate the reviewer to each article;
- Editors and reviewers must respect the intellectual independence of the authors;
- On rare occasions, editors may provide opinions.

The “Evaluation Form” used on our platform for reviewers reads as follows:

“The review is anonymous and may be sent to the author. Please do not share your name or contact details. Some observations: [1] respect the confidentiality of the material provided to you; [2] remember that all reviews must be conducted objectively, i.e. personal criticism of the author is inappropriate; [3] inform us in the event of a conflict of interest; [4] after the publication of each issue, the journal will make available on its website the identity of the reviewers and their institutional affiliations for the issue in question. The double-blind peer review system will always be respected. Articles will not be associated with the reviewers.

[1] Does the work make a relevant contribution to the field?
[2] Do the title, abstract and keywords express the content of the work?
[3] Is the theoretical foundation or methodology consistent?
[4] Is the language used clear? Does the text need grammar or spelling revision?
[5] Do the citations comply with the author-date system?
[6] Are all the stated references cited in the body of the text?
[7] Are the images and illustrations legible?
[8] General quality of the work?
[9] Final opinion
[10] General comment (optional)”