Preprint Submission

Last update: 02/05/2026

Pensar – Journal of Legal Sciences adopts practices aligned with Open Science and formally accepts the submission of articles previously deposited on nationally and internationally recognized preprint servers. This policy is part of the journal's Open Science Editorial Policy (item 1).

1. Accepted preprint servers

Deposits are accepted on recognized national and international preprint servers, including:

The journal preferentially recommends SciELO Preprints, due to its integration with the Brazilian scientific communication ecosystem and its technical compatibility with the editorial workflow of Pensar.

2. Technical integration

The journal's technical integration with the SciELO Preprints ecosystem is carried out through the PKP PN plugin, activated in Pensar's OJS. This integration allows manuscripts deposited on preprint servers to be submitted directly to the journal without loss of metadata traceability or integrity.

3. How to declare the preprint at submission

Authors who have deposited their manuscripts on preprint servers must inform, at the time of submission to Pensar:

  • Preprint server used (name and URL);
  • Public access link to the preprint;
  • Preprint DOI, when available;
  • Deposited version (date, version number);
  • Relevant differences between the preprint version and the version submitted to the journal, if any.

This information must be recorded in the Submission Form, in the specific field on prior deposit on preprints, and also mentioned in a footnote on the first page of the manuscript.

4. Clarifications on prior publication

Prior publication on preprint repositories does not constitute prior publication and does not prevent the editorial evaluation of the manuscript, provided that:

  • The version submitted to Pensar remains unpublished in scientific journals;
  • The manuscript meets the journal's editorial guidelines;
  • The preprint deposit is transparently declared at the time of submission.

5. Prohibition of parallel submission

Deposit on a preprint server should not be confused with parallel submission. It is forbidden to simultaneously submit the same manuscript to more than one scientific journal. If the manuscript is under evaluation by another journal, the author must wait for the decision before submitting it to Pensar — or formally communicate the withdrawal of the previous submission.

6. After editorial approval

Once the article is approved and published in Pensar, authors are recommended to:

  • Update the preprint page with reference to the final published version (Version of Record);
  • Include, on the preprint, the Crossref DOI assigned by the journal and the permanent link to the final article;
  • Expressly mention that the definitive version was published in Pensar – Journal of Legal Sciences, under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

This practice reinforces the traceability of scientific production and meets the FAIR principles, contributing to the interoperability between the preprint and the published version.

7. Peer review and preprints

Pensar recognizes that prior publication on a preprint server, when the document is public and named, may render double-blind peer review imperfect, since author identity becomes potentially identifiable. Accordingly, the journal adopts the following guidelines:

  • To reviewers: it is recommended that they do not deliberately seek out the preprint before issuing their review, preserving, as far as possible, the anonymity of the evaluation process;
  • To authors: by choosing prior deposit on a preprint server, they accept that the imperfection of double-blind review is inherent to the transparency of Open Science and that the option for Open Peer Review remains available as a coherent alternative;
  • To the editorial team: it is the team's responsibility to monitor the process and, in case of evident impairment of impartiality, request the replacement of the reviewer.

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