Submissions

Author Guidelines

Overall and Ethics Considerations

• In order to submit any proposal to Project : Research — O.porto School of Architecture Research Journal, authors must register with the journal’s OJS platform. This platform enables authors to monitor the workflow for each submission, ensuring a transparent process.
• All articles are to be written and submitted in UK English. Project : Research — O.porto School of Architecture Research Journal is a bilingual journal, published in both UK English and Portuguese. Original texts in Portuguese will only be requested to authors whose native language is Portuguese and after acceptance for publication. All others will be translated by the journal.
• The submissions must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration by another journal. 
• Authors should ensure that their proposals adhere to the instructions for authors. Proposals not meeting the initial criteria outlined in these guidelines may be returned for corrections before undergoing the review process.
• Clearly and thoroughly reference all material in the text.
• Ensure data is carefully checked and include any supplemental data required by the journal.
• Declare any relevant competing interests to the journal.
• Obtain written permission to reuse any figures, tables, and data sets.
• Notify all co-authors once you have submitted the paper.

Common Requirements for All Types of Submissions

• Manuscripts should be formatted as A4, with 2.5cm margins. Utilise standard fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial, and format the text in 12 pt. Please use only one empty space between sentences and avoid using more than one consecutive tab for formatting. All titles and subtitles must be in Title Case (lower case, with capitalisation for the first letter of the first word).
• The written component of each proposal/submission should be submitted as .doc or .docx files, anonymously with no reference to identity and affiliation.
• The text should steer clear of discriminatory language and implications.
• Submit all illustrations, photographs, tables, and diagrams as separate high-quality files (pdf, jpg, png, 300 dpi), ensuring that their file names match the references in the text. Use brackets, like (Fig. 1), when citing in the text. Include a caption for each image with a title, author and/or photographer, source/copyright holder, and year.
• Please provide short biographies of all authors, maximum length of 1000 characters, as an extra .doc or .docx files.

References and Quotations within the Text

• Bibliographic citations are presented in concise endnotes, complemented by a references list that encompasses all works cited in the notes. This adheres to the notes and bibliography system of the Chicago Manual of Style.
• All sources which are cited in the endnotes must be included in the references list. They should be arranged alphabetically in a single list by the last names of the authors (or, if no author or editor is given, by the title). Sources which are not cited in the endnotes should not be included in the references list.
• Ensure the inclusion of the DOI for Open Access publications to facilitate interlinking and referencing with the original source.
• Use double quotation marks for a quoted word, phrase, or sentence, and single quotation marks for quotes within quotes. If the citation exceeds 40 words, it should be indented without quotation marks. When omitting words from a quotation, use three ellipsis dots [...] with a space before and after. Note that full stops and commas are not included in the quotation marks, except when the sentence is quoted in full.
• Use “ibid.” in the parenthetical reference if quoting another passage from the same source on the next page or two, without intervening quotes from a different source.
• Quote original works in English rather than translations. If using an English translation from a non-English original, mention the year of the original publication. If quoting from a work without an English translation, provide your own translation and identify it as such. 
• When citing a work, include the first edition’s year in the original language in square brackets. 

Submission of Abstracts

During an active Call for Papers, authors are encouraged to submit only an abstract, following the structured outline below. The editorial board will assess suitability, and authors will proceed to prepare and submit their articles only after receiving communication regarding the decision.

Abstracts should follow this order:

• Title of the Proposal;
• Issue / Title of the Call for Papers;
• Type of Contribution (project essay, full article, or review article);
• Keywords (mandatory): from four up to eight;
• Body of text: single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font. It employs italics instead of underlining (except with URL addresses) up to 3000 characters with spaces.
• Reference List: Please provide a reference list, following the Chicago Manual of Style. A reference list includes only the works that have been referred to in the abstract.

Submission of Project Essays, Full Articles and Review Articles (Contributions subject to Peer-Review)

• A project essay, full article, or review article proposal should adhere to the following structure:

1. Title of the Proposal;
2. Issue/Title of the Call for Papers;
3. Keywords (mandatory): from four up to eight;
4. Abstract (previously submitted during the Call for Papers, subject to review for better alignment with the final paper);
5. Main Text, preferably divided into sections;
6. Reference List following the Chicago Manual of Style.

• Refer to "Common Requirements for All Types of Submissions" for guidelines on including illustrations.
• To maintain a fair and unbiased review process, all articles (excluding interviews and text translations) undergo a double-blind reviewing procedure. This necessitates the elimination or conversion of any information that could reveal the authors' identity. Specifically, in the case of project essays, details such as specific street names in location plans should be replaced with generic labels like Street A, Street B, etc. This measure ensures the confidentiality of the authors during the review process.

Double-Blind Peer Review Process and Ethics

All articles, with the exception of those directly invited by the guest editors, interviews and text translations, undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process. This ensures that both the reviewers and the authors remain anonymous throughout the review procedure. The responsibility for selecting abstracts lies with the guest editors, who are supported by the editorial board. Once accepted and following the submission of project essays, full articles, or review articles, the guest editors assign a minimum of two expert reviewers in the respective field.

The reviewers provide their evaluations anonymously using a provided form, offering recommendations on whether the article should be accepted or rejected. Ultimately, the final decision to accept or reject the article rests with the guest editors, who may also seek input from the editorial board.

Project : Research directs editors to the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Additionally, it advises all reviewers to adhere to the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.