Paper selection process for the Varia issues

Papers must be submitted by December 1^st, and are published in November of the following year. The articles are first assessed by the editor, who checks whether their content and style match the journal’s editorial line (research field, quality of the writing and academic reliability) and whether they respect the journal’s basic standards (original contribution, number of signs, language used). If these requirements are met, the editor forwards an anonymized version of the article to the editorial secretary, with the names of two experts. The secretary then sends the anonymized submission to the experts, with a list of assessment criteria (in French or German) and scrupulously oversees the peer review process through its every stage. The reviewers are asked to give one of the following recommendations:

• Accept in this form

• Accept with minor revision

• Substantial revision is required

• Reject

Two unfavourable decisions lead to the article being rejected.

If the submission receives one unfavourable and one favourable review, it is then assigned to a third expert.

If the article receives one unfavourable review and a recommendation to substantially revise the content, then the author is asked to modify his paper before publication can be considered; the article has to go through the same peer review process once it has been revised.

If a reviewer asks for substantial revision of the article, then it has to be rewritten in order to comply with the reviewer’s recommendations, and is then assessed by the editor.

If the reviews are favourable, the article is published as soon as possible, with slight revision if need be.

Varia issues may also contain a selection of 4 to 7 papers on the same specific theme. Proposals must be sent to the editor, with a detailed presentation of the theme, a table of contents and a list of authors (with status and university affiliations). The coordinator will have the articles reviewed and ensure they respect the journal’s editorial norms before handing the complete manuscript over to the editor. The editor may assign the papers to other reviewers if she feels additional advice is required.

Selection process for the Special Thematic Issues

Special issues are usually proceedings of conferences. Proposals must be sent to the editor, with a detailed presentation of the topic (the topic of the conference), a summary (even if it is a provisional one) and a list of possible authors (with status and university affiliations). The coordinator will have the papers reviewed and ensure they respect the journal’s editorial norms before handing the complete manuscript over to the editor. The editor may assign the papers to other reviewers if she feels additional advice is required. The papers are published in May-June of the following year.