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GeoPatterns

An open-access journal of the Center for Risk Studies and Spatial Modelling

Information for Authors

Peer Review

Peer review is single-blind and involves two external reviewers and one editor from the journal. The editorial team first checks that editing requirements are met and the topic is appropriate. The scientific content is then sent to two external reviewers. Where necessary, the editorial board forwards the reviewers’ comments to the authors so that they may make the recommended revisions. The revised article is then returned to the reviewers.

Reviewers are experts in their field with a strong academic background from universities and research institutes. They are expected to provide objective comments and to recommend improvements to the examined manuscripts. Reviewers are required to declare any potential conflict of interest and to maintain the confidentiality of their evaluation.

If at least one reviewer considers that the article does not meet the scientific requirements for publication, the Editorial Board may refuse publication. Evaluation takes into account: the importance of the issues discussed, adequacy of the literature review, rigour of methodology, rigour of analysis, clarity of writing, suitability of illustrations and tables, adequacy of the abstract and keywords, adequacy of the introduction and conclusions, accuracy of the title, and contribution to GeoPatterns’ areas of interest.

Authors are expected to participate in the peer-review process by responding to reviewers’ requests. Failure to provide the recommended corrections and revisions without adequate justification will halt the publication process.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to confirm compliance with all of the following items. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may be returned to the authors.

  1. The submission has not been previously published, nor has it been sent to another journal for consideration.
  2. Manuscripts must be accompanied by a signed certification confirming that the scientific contribution represents the authors’ original work and has not been copyrighted elsewhere. The template for this certification can be downloaded here: GeoPatterns Agreement Letter.
  3. The submission file is in Microsoft Word format.
  4. Where available, DOI URLs for references must be provided.
  5. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

Copyright Notice

Submission of an article implies that the work presented has not been previously published or copyrighted, is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that its publication is approved by all authors. Manuscripts under review in GeoPatterns should not be resubmitted to copyrighted publications. Manuscripts describing substantially the same research results should not be published in more than one journal.

By submitting a manuscript, authors retain the rights to the published material and, if published, permit its use (copying and distribution) under open-access legal acknowledgement procedures. The copyright on any article published in GeoPatterns is retained by the author(s). Authors grant the publisher of GeoPatterns a licence to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher. Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely, provided its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are clearly identified.

Notes

  • The journal does not have article processing charges (APCs) or article submission charges.
  • The average time between submission and publication is approximately 12 weeks.
  • The journal allows readers to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search and link to the full texts of its articles for any lawful purpose.