Cataloging-in-Publication

Last update: 23/04/2026

Journal title: Pensar – Journal of Legal Sciences
Abbreviated title: Rev. Pensar
Acronym: PENSAR
ISSN: 0102-6712 (print, discontinued) | 2317-2150 (online)

CAPES classification: Qualis A2 in the 2021–2024 CAPES Quadrennial Assessment
Published by: Higher Editorial Council (Conselho Superior de Editoração — CSE) – University of Fortaleza (UNIFOR)
Sponsoring institution: University of Fortaleza (UNIFOR) – Edson Queiroz Foundation
Place of publication: Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Frequency: Uninterrupted publication since 1992. The journal followed a quarterly issue model (4 issues/year) until 2024 and migrated to continuous publication from 2025 onward, while maintaining continuous manuscript intake and editorial review throughout its entire history, with articles published as they receive editorial approval and complete copyediting.
Format: Electronic (online)
Access: Open and free (Open Access)
License: Articles published under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 International
Publication languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian and French
Year of foundation: 1992
Official website: https://ojs.unifor.br/rpen
Digital archiving and preservation: PKP Preservation Network (LOCKSS) programme
Access and editorial ethics policy: The journal follows the best practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the SciELO Open Science Guidelines and the principles of scientific integrity defined by the CSE – UNIFOR Higher Editorial Council.
Open Science policy: Supports transparency at all stages of the editorial process, the publication of research data in open repositories, the possibility of open peer review, the deposit of preprints and, subject to express agreement of the parties, the public sharing of reviews.
Accepts preprints: Yes. Manuscripts may be previously deposited on preprint servers such as SciELO Preprints, SSRN, Zenodo, OSF Preprints and equivalents.

Editorial policy registration: Pensar's editorial and access policy is registered with Diadorim (Directory of Editorial Policies of Brazilian Scientific Journals, maintained by IBICT) and with the Open Policy Finder (formerly Sherpa Romeo, JISC – United Kingdom), ensuring public and international consultation on publication, licensing and self-archiving conditions.

According to the CNPq classification, the journal's thematic coverage falls within:

  • Major Area: Applied Social Sciences (6.00.00.00-7)
  • Area: Law (6.01.00.00-9)
  • Subareas: Constitutional Law, Legal Theory, Administrative Law, Political and Economic Law, Civil and Commercial Law, among others, with secondary interfaces with Sociology and Computer Science, according to the approach of each article.

Thematic Scope

Since 2025, the journal's editorial policy has been structured around three permanent thematic axes:

(1) Law, Democracy and Social Justice — research focused on social justice, vulnerabilities, gender inequality, female incarceration, human rights and public health, addressed from the perspective of fundamental rights and the ethics of care.

(2) Constitution, Institutions and Democracy in Brazil — studies on the role of democratic institutions, the Judiciary, infraconstitutional and constitutional legislation, and normative frameworks aimed at citizenship, democratic culture and rights.

(3) Law, Technology and Society in Transformation — critical analyses of the intersections between Law, technology and contemporary transformations, addressing topics such as personal data protection, artificial intelligence, algorithmic racism, abusive advertising targeting children, and the protection of personality in cyberspace.

Articulated with these three axes is a cross-cutting International Articles section, dedicated to contributions from researchers institutionally affiliated abroad, in any of the three thematic axes, published in their original languages (English, Spanish, Italian or French). This editorial architecture treats internationalization as a cross-cutting dimension — rather than as a separate compartment — reinforcing transatlantic and comparative dialogue.

Highlights

  • The journal does not charge submission, processing or publication fees. See our Open Access Policy
  • Strong editorial exogeny: ad hoc reviewers affiliated with more than 90 Brazilian institutions across 17 states of the federation and with foreign institutions in 11 countries, with 16.8% international reviewers in the 2024–2025 biennium
  • Average turnaround of approximately 6 months between submission and publication or rejection (2024–2025 biennium average: 5.9 months) — see details of the editorial workflow
  • Submission guidelines
  • Encourages the open availability of research data and materials (case law, normative frameworks, interviews, scripts, etc.) to reinforce scientific transparency
  • Annual output: minimum publication of 35 articles per year, distributed across the three permanent thematic axes and the cross-cutting International Articles section, with a minimum of 11 international articles since 2025
  • Adheres to Open Science and to the IDEIA principles: Impact, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
  • Digital preservation: The journal participates in the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), ensuring perpetual archiving of its content through LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
  • File types provided for each national article:
    • PDF/A (Portuguese version)
    • XML (SciELO/DOAJ JATS standard)
    • Article translation (English)
    • Data Submission Form 
    • Author presentation video (when submitted)

All issues are available in digital format at the Unifor journal portal.

*e-ISSN-2317-2150

Main Contact

Katherinne Maciel / Sidney Filho - Editors-in-Chief
Phone: +55 (85) 3477-3805
revistapensar@unifor.br

University of Fortaleza - Unifor
Av. Washington Soares, 1321
Edson Queiroz
Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
ZIP code: 60.811-905
https://www.unifor.br/