Governance and management

Governance and management

Guarantees of independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on merit, relevance to the scope and compliance with this policy.

  • APET, the publisher, sponsors and partners do not interfere in the selection of manuscripts, the choice of reviewers or decisions.
  • Membership of APET or a commercial relationship with the publisher does not give any author priority.
  • APET provides the resources necessary for the operation of the journal, its digital preservation and the handling of misconduct.
  • MP Editora, responsible for the production, printing and distribution services of the journal, exerts no influence over the activities of the Editor-in-Chief or over decisions on manuscripts.

Sustainability

The journal is funded by APET. There is no advertising in the scholarly content. Institutional sponsorships, when they exist, are identified as such and confer no influence over decisions, topics, reviewers or authors. Promotion of the journal and calls for papers are made with truthful information.

Manuscripts by team members and by the institution

Editors, board members and reviewers may submit manuscripts, subject to the rules below:

  1. The manuscript is handled by an editor with no institutional ties or recent co-authorship (3 years) with the authors; if the author is the Editor-in-Chief, the manuscript is handled by an Associate Editor appointed by the Editorial Board.
  2. The member-author has no access to the manuscript as an editor, does not choose the reviewers and does not know their identity.
  3. The manuscript is reviewed by two reviewers external to the editorial team and to the authors’ institution.
  4. The published article states the handling editor and that one of the authors is a member of the editorial team.
  5. Articles authored by members of the editorial team do not exceed 25% of the articles in each issue, in line with the DOAJ criterion.

Rules 1 to 3 also apply to directors and employees of APET and of the publisher. Editorials and issue introductions are not subject to them.

Internationalization goals

  • At least 20% of the members of the Scientific Advisory Board and at least two members of the Editorial Board with a foreign affiliation.
  • At least one reviewer with a foreign affiliation for 15% of the manuscripts reviewed each year.
  • Thematic calls with international promotion, especially in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries.
  • Proportion of foreign authors, reviewers and members reported in the annual indicators (“Editorial indicators” item).
  • Launch, every two years, at least one thematic call of regional or international interest, promoted abroad.

Deadline for meeting the internationalization goals: 2029.

Privacy and data protection

Personal data provided at registration and submission (name, e-mail, affiliation, ORCID, academic degree, country and contact details) are processed by APET, as data controller, in accordance with Law No. 13,709/2018 (General Data Protection Law – LGPD), for managing the editorial process, publishing the authorship data that form part of the scholarly record, registering metadata with identification and preservation services (Crossref, ORCID and PKP PN) and, subject to consent, communicating about the journal. The legal bases are the performance of the editorial process requested by the data subject, the legitimate interest in preserving the scholarly record and consent. Reviewers’ data are not associated with the manuscripts they review; no data are sold or shared for other purposes.

Data subjects may request confirmation, access, correction, anonymization, portability or deletion of their data, except for data that form part of the permanent record of published articles. Requests: rdcf@apet.org.br.

Complaints, appeals and ombudsperson

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by sending a reasoned message to rdcf@apet.org.br within 30 days of the decision. The appeal is examined by an Associate Editor not involved in the decision, who may request a new review; a response is given within 30 days. Appeals involving the Editor-in-Chief are decided by the Editorial Board. The decision on the appeal is final.

Editorial indicators

The journal publishes annually: number of submissions, acceptance rate, average time to first decision, to final decision and to publication, proportion of articles by team members (“Manuscripts by team members and by the institution” item), composition of the boards (“Composition, diversity and terms of office” item, in Editorial Team) and proportion of foreign authors, reviewers and members (“Internationalization goals” item). The indicators are published on the “Indicators and Metrics” page.

Policy management

This policy is reviewed annually by the Editor-in-Chief and approved by the Editorial Board, with the version and date recorded. Relevant changes are announced on the journal’s website.