Best practices | Cadernos EBAPE.BR

How to get your article published: a brief guideline

Considering that standards are high and getting published is not easy, we have set out these few tips on how to get published.

Why should you consider publication?

You have something relevant to say; i.e, your work is innovative and you will contribute to the theory filling a gap, or to building a better society or organization.

Why should you consider Cadernos EBAPE.BR?

Journals are not alike. So make sure that you submit your article to the right one. Thus ask yourself

Does my paper fit the journal’s aims, scope, and subject area?
What types of submission does the journal accept?
Who reads the journal? Will they be interested in my research?

For instance, Cadernos EBAPE.BR does accept both theoretical essays and empirical research, but, for instance, we are not dedicated to Public Administration. These topics may be used merely as a background for broader discussions.

Furthermore, make sure you have followed our guidelines (word limit, formatting). Should you have a question, go to guidelines or do not hesitate to contact us.

Is my article relevant?

If you are still not sure if your article is relevant; so ask yourself a few questions:

Who is going to be interested?
How does it build upon we already know?
What is the relevance of your research?
Are you sure about your findings?

High risk and low risk submissions

Our colleagues at Sage distinguish submissions as high or low risk. They understand that a high risk submission is a conversion of a big report or monograph. Do not misunderstand us, we are looking forward to reading your thesis or dissertation, but be sure that your artcile is not a cut and paste.

An article is also considered high risk:

When even part of it has already been published elsewhere;
When it is 30% under the word count (or above it);
And also, when it does not fall in line with the journal’s focus.

Said that, what would be considered a low-risk publication?

Papers written for the journal, so that it fits with our genre and scope;
A paper that engages with the debates;
One that refers to related publications.

What should I do to prepare my manuscript?

First, and above all, read the guidelines; furthermore

Double check if you have used APA referencing style;
Make sure you have stayed within the word limit;
Verify if you have formatted your article (tables, figures) correctly;
Ensure there are no identifying features in the text;
Improve the quality of the manuscript before submission (follow the conventions of academic writing);
Make sure your manuscript is complete and well-written;
Ensure that you have been granted permission for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the web);
Proofread your manuscript thrice before submitting;
Provide a cover letter to the editor: keep it short, notwithstanding, highlight the salient features of your article;
Consider including supplemental data, should it add value to the content;
Certify that you have adhered to all forms of publication ethics, including listing authors, acknowledgements, disclosure of any conflicts of interest and avoided all kinds of plagiarism.

Conventions of academic writing

Title: avoid long titles (ten words is a good limit);
Abstract: it must contain the research question, a brief research design (should it be the case), the findings and, above all, the implications of your research;
Introduction: it is a brief contextualization of the research, which must have a clear and compelling statement (research question), as well its purpose and relevance. The introduction must clearly emphasize the incremental contribution of your research and the originality, and briefly and clearly state its goal and motivation. It is also a good idea to explain how the article is structured;
Theoretical framework also called literature review is the base upon which hypothesis will be built (if it is the case), the state-of-the-art of the field and debates will be highlighted, and also the findings will be discussed and analyzed. You may use seminal articles, but as a rule of thumb, we expect you to refer to articles published in high-impact journals in the past five years;
Research design is the section in which the research protocol as well as the methodological procedures (how the data was collected and treated) are presented. This explanation must be clear so that it my allow the replication of the research. Your research design must be described in detail, explaining the methodological choices you adopted and why;
Findings: using the method you have chosen, you must present the results of your research;
Discussion is the section in which you confront your findings to the theoretical framework;
Implications: describe the contributions and impacts of your research to the field, society and organizations;
Conclusion: do not merely repeat results. In this section, it is a good idea to reinforce our constibutions, include directives of research, practice, and awareness of limitations. Do not go beyond the evidence.

"TEACHING CASES – guidelines for submission"

Cadernos EBAPE.BR’s Case Studies & Teaching Cases section aims to promote the production and use of teaching cases in administration, contributing to the dialogue among scientists and technological production, and the application of this teaching and learning methodology in undergraduate and graduate programs in business and public administration.

Teaching cases must present the following basic structure:

(a) Initial description of the context and problem (introducing the characters/actors involved, decision-making context, company situation, etc.);

(b) Background of the company object of the process under analysis (history, sector of activity, main products and/or markets, financial indicators, etc.);

(d) Conclusion of the case;

(e) Teaching notes and case application.

What happen next?

As all submissions are online, right after submitting your manuscript, you will receive and acknowledgment and reference number. Keep it! You will need this number to follow up on your manuscript.

First, we will check if your manuscript has followed all the guidelines.Then it is forwarded to the Associate Editor and the Editor-in-chief for desk review. There are two possible outcomes: your manuscript can be accepted and forwarded to double blind-review or rejected right away.

Desk reject occurs when the editors identify that the paper does not fit with the journal, in case of non adherence to the conventions of academic writing, poor presentation (grammatical errors, incorrect formatting), weak methods or literature base.

Anti-Plagiarism

If the article is pre-approved by editors in the desk review, the percentage of similarity will be analyzed using the Crossref Similarity Check software (Anti-Plagiarism System). If the percentage is higher than expected by the editors, the article will be rejected or returned to the author(s), so those parts identified as similar to previous research can be rewritten.

A new similarity check will be carried out if the article is approved for publication.

After the reviewers have analyzed the paper, there are four possible outcomes:

Accept without change – which is extremely rare;
Minor revisions – these papers tend to be accepted, provided these adjustments are adhered to;
Major revisions – depending on the level of revisions, the paper may need to be resubmitted as a new manuscript (due to multiple factors);
Reject after review – which my occur in the first, second or even the third round. It may occur due to several reasons, such as writing style, flaws in the methodology, lack of discussion and implications, or even insufficient conclusions.

Handling revisions

First of all, take your time and do not take it personal. Consider the editor’s and the revewers’ comments;
Follow the timeframes requested for review;
Demonstrated what you have changed point by point (a good idea is to create a table: on the left-hand side replicate the reviewer’s comment and on the right-hand side, what you have changed – or not – in your manuscript, and why);
If yo cannot meet all criticisms, point ou why;
Be polite, positive, and constructive;
Be aware that this reviewing interaction process may take two or three rounds.

Handling rejections

We know it is frustrating, but do not overeact for criticism is there to enhance;
Carefully read the referees’ reports and the editor’s letter;
Aim to understand why your manuscript was rejected: did you submit to the right journal?Is the research fundamental? Any specific problem?
Try and rework the paper.

What happens once your paper is accepted?

Once your paper is accepted for publication, it will be forwarded to the production team for processing. You will have to sign a contributor agreement form “Statement of Responsibility and Copyright”.

The article will be added to a waiting list or directed to a specific edition. The article must be revised to meet the language standards and must follow the journal’s formatting rules. Following the journal’s guidelines regarding the language of submission, the authors are responsible for sending translated versions (English, Portuguese, or Spanish), choosing service providers, and paying the related costs. Before being published, a new verification of similarities (anti-plagiarism) will be applied, followed by layout verification and validation by the author(s).

Promoting your publication

Social media aids discoverability of your research and allows users to engage with your publication. It allows for a two-way conversation raher than one-way communication.

Good luck and count on us!