Seascape aims to represent an international reference for the exchange of knowledge and experiences about themes and problems concerning the coastal areas of the world. The main focus is set in the Mediterranean basin and the transformations of its coastal landscapes.
Seascape is a cultural space where Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Geomorphology are confronted with related disciplines – Ecology, Botany and Archeology – and thus dialogue with the aim of enticing progress and disclosure of scientific research, as an opportunity for the creation and spreading of a “new culture of design” sensitive to the contingencies of contemporaneity. This is why even non-academic realities – research centers, companies, associations and local authorities – participate to create a “bridge journal” between the world of scientific research, the communities and governance.
Seascape has adopted an editorial policy based on Open Access. Each publication is fully accessible on the journal website: www.seascape.it. The digital version can be entirely browsed and consulted free of charge and is also available for print, distributed by Primiceri Editore Srl in specialized bookstores and on the e-commerce channel. The journal is published and distributed under a Creative Commons License (Attribution – Non-commercial – Share alike 4.0 International) in order to give maximum diffusion and possibility of content sharing while protecting the author in terms of intellectual property.
Seascape has its own Code of ethics, drawn up according to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Seascape is committed to the respect of high standards of ethical behavior at all stages of the publication process. Authors, members of the editorial staff and members of the scientific committee, as well as publishers, are required to respect what is stated in the code of ethics.
Structure of publications
Every year, Seascape organizes 2 calls open to the entire national and international scientific community, in order to select a shortlist of articles on specific topics.
Each topic is developed in an “interdisciplinary” and “multi-scale” way. All scientific articles (10-12 per issue) are collected via an international call, conveyed by the journal’s channels, by the publisher and by the scientific committee belonging to international academies and institutions. Each issue will also include various sections dedicated to interviews, recent book reviews, publications of significant projects, results of competitions, exhibitions, etc.
All the contributions by the journal are subjected to blind peer review by the Scientific Committee and by scholars not belonging to it. The committee is made up of Italian and foreign professors and researchers. Each member is chosen and invited because of his specific scientific and disciplinary skills, and constitutes a presidium for the journal in the various academies, research centers and institutions to which he refers to. Other than evaluating and selecting the articles, the Scientific Committee cooperates with external members in the identification of the topics, the dissemination of calls and editorial products.
The chosen languages for the publication are English and Italian. The editorial format undergoes the guidelines set by texts and images. Particular attention is paid to notes and bibliography, as serving the purpose of supporting with scientific rigour the specificity, development and comprehension of the papers.
Contribution selection process
Each year the magazine makes 2 calls (one for each semester) open to the entire national and international scientific community, in order to collect papers for the specific chosen topics.
The identification of the papers to be published is entrusted to the Scientific Committee and to external scholars and takes place through a double blind peer review. Participation in the call is allowed through the submission of an abstract (structured in a prearranged format). The abstract is evaluated anonymously by a minimum of 3 referees. Each reviewer assigns the abstract a score from 0 to 40, which considers:
– the relevance of the proposal to the topic of the call (maximum 10 points),
– the originality of the proposal (maximum 10 points),
– the quality of the language and the clarity of the presentation (maximum 10 points),
– the research methodology (maximum 10 points).
The editorial staff will formulate the ranking of the selected contributions on the basis of the sum of the scores assigned by the 3 reviewers, accepting an average of 120 articles for each issue. The Scientific Secretariat will communicate the outcome of the evaluation to each applicant at the end of the first phase. Subsequently the authors of the promoted papers receive detailed information on how to deliver the complete report, in compliance with the editorial norms.
The second phase of the referral process will start after the receiving of the full papers. Each paper will be anonymously revised by 3 referees who will give indications in order to improve the contents and the understanding of the text, in compliance with the editorial norms. Should the full paper be deemed as not sufficient, the author/s will be given notice of the impossibility of publication. The promoted paper are reviewed by the Editorial Board to verify compliance with the editorial norms, before moving on to the layout stage.