Article Submission

Last update: 06/08/2026

Submission of Manuscripts and Editorial Process

The submission of articles to Pensar – Journal of Legal Sciences is free of charge and may be made at any time through the Open Journal Systems (OJS), an open-source platform developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP). Manuscripts must be submitted through the University of Fortaleza's Journals Portal, available at https://ojs.unifor.br/rpen.

The journal also accepts manuscripts previously deposited on recognized preprint servers (see the Preprints Submission policy).

Before submitting, the author must register in the system (Register) with identification through ORCID iD. For technical difficulties or questions, contact: revistapensar@unifor.br.

Journal Sections

The editorial line of Pensar is structured around three permanent thematic axes, articulated with a transversal section of International Articles.

Thematic Axis 1 — Law, Democracy, and Social Justice

Articles addressing social justice, vulnerabilities, gender inequality, incarceration, and public health from the perspective of fundamental rights and the ethics of care. Selection favors a critical and humanizing approach to the action of the State and society.

Thematic Axis 2 — Constitution, Institutions, and Democracy in Brazil

Articles dealing with the action of democratic institutions, the Judiciary, infraconstitutional and constitutional legislation, and national and international normative frameworks aimed at citizenship, democratic culture, and rights.

Thematic Axis 3 — Law, Technology, and Society in Transformation

Articles that critically analyze the intersections between Law, technology, and contemporary social transformations. Topics covered include personal data protection, artificial intelligence, algorithmic racism, abusive advertising directed at children, and the challenges of protecting personality in cyberspace. Interdisciplinary, critical approaches committed to social justice and digital ethics are valued.

International Articles

Pensar considers an International Article a manuscript that fits at least one of the following hypotheses:

  • (a) Authorship with institutional affiliation abroad — at least one author affiliated with a foreign institution; and/or
  • (b) Theme, approach, and academic dialogue predominantly international, even if the authors are not affiliated with foreign institutions, provided that the contribution is directly aimed at the internationalization of scientific debate.

International Articles are published in their original languages (English, Spanish, Italian, or French) and may fit any of the three thematic axes.

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General Guidelines

  • The journal prioritizes the publication of studies produced within stricto sensu Graduate Programs;
  • At least one author must hold a doctoral degree;
  • A maximum of 6 authors per work is allowed;
  • Articles must be unpublished, with 12 to 30 pages, and written in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, or Italian;
  • All authors must have an active ORCID iD and provide a biographical statement;
  • Authorial contributions must be declared according to the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy);
  • Declarations of conflicts of interest and use of Artificial Intelligence are mandatory;
  • Research involving human subjects requires Ethics Committee approval, with protocol number and approval document attached as supplementary materials;
  • Prior linguistic review by a qualified professional is recommended, especially for manuscripts in foreign languages.

The full submission guidelines and template are available in a single document: Template and Submission Guidelines.

Approved national articles receive translation into English, provided by the journal, ensuring greater international reach for Brazilian scientific output.

Stages of the Editorial Process

1. Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through OJS, complying with the journal's guidelines and attaching the mandatory documents:

  • Manuscript (Word or PDF format) — without identification of authors in the body of the text, in case of double-blind evaluation;
  • Submission Form – Author Data, Open Science and IDEIA completed and signed;
  • Conflict of interest declaration;
  • Artificial Intelligence use declaration (mandatory since 2026);
  • Ethics Committee approval, when applicable;
  • Supplementary materials (research data, case law, scripts), when applicable.

2. Initial Screening

The editorial team performs preliminary verification to check compliance with the journal's scope, submission rules, and minimum standards of scientific and technical quality. At this stage, manuscripts are subjected to similarity verification via Crossref Similarity Check / iThenticate.

3. Editorial Reviews

At the editorial team's discretion, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for formal, structural, or compliance adjustments, both before and after peer review. This stage aims to ensure the technical and editorial quality of the work, even when reviews are favorable.

4. Peer Review

Manuscripts approved in the screening are forwarded to external reviewers for peer review, with a 45-day deadline for sending the review. The evaluation model follows the preference indicated by the author(s) in the Submission Form:

  • Open Peer Review: its adoption depends on the express agreement of the reviewer(s);
  • Double Blind Peer Review: standard model, with preservation of anonymity between the parties.

In the absence of agreement of any of the parties (author(s) and/or reviewer(s)), the evaluation will take place in the double-blind model. See the Manuscript Evaluation Criteria.

5. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviews, the editorial team may adopt one of the following decisions:

  • Accept (with or without formal adjustments);
  • Accept with minor revisions (simple revision);
  • Accept with major revisions (resubmission and new evaluation);
  • Reject with possibility of new submission (after substantial reformulation);
  • Reject definitively.

The decision is formally communicated to the authors.

Important: approval of the manuscript by ad hoc reviewers does not, by itself, guarantee publication. The final decision lies exclusively with the scientific editorial team, which may, based on editorial, strategic, or ethical criteria, deny publication even after favorable reviews.

6. Author Revision

Authors make the requested modifications and resubmit the manuscript. This stage may be repeated as needed until final acceptance.

7. Editing and Preparation for Publication

After acceptance, the article undergoes:

  • Text revision and editorial standardization;
  • Layout;
  • Translation into English (national articles);
  • XML JATS markup according to the SciELO Publishing Schema, contracted with a SciELO-certified company;
  • Assignment of Crossref DOI;
  • Final verification of compliance with the journal's editorial and ethical guidelines.

8. Publication and Post-publication

The article is published in open access on the journal's website, under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license. After publication:

  • The article is automatically disseminated to the indexers in which the journal is registered (DOAJ, Latindex, REDIB, ERIH PLUS, EBSCO, Periódicos CAPES, among others);
  • A permanent Crossref DOI is assigned;
  • The content is preserved by the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN/LOCKSS) and Rede Cariniana (IBICT) networks;
  • The editorial team may promote the article on the journal's social media (YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp);
  • Authors are encouraged to submit a presentation video of the article (2 to 5 minutes), as per item 7 of the Open Science Editorial Policy;
  • The editorial team responds to comments and correction requests, when necessary.

Average time between submission and editorial decision or publication: approximately 6 months.

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