Editorial Policies

Emblecat. Journal of Studies in Image, Art and Society is a scientific journal that, since its first edition in 2012, is available in an open-access electronic format and in print. It gathers research studies from various fields of the humanities. Its aim is to promote, communicate, and disseminate research, criticism, and debate around the study of art, emblematics, and other disciplines, encompassing all historical periods, countries, and languages. It also includes a section dedicated to reports that focus on current topics particularly related to Catalonia.

Publication Frequency: Annual. One issue is published per year.

Since the creation of Emblecat, the Editorial Board decided that the journal would publish one issue per year. Thus, the publication frequency is annual. The criterion was, and remains, to ensure the highest quality in the articles proposed for publication. The process is thorough, and the annual frequency allows for a detailed review of each submitted and accepted text.

Online ISSN: 2014-5675
Print ISSN: 2014-5667

Published by: Associació Catalana d’Estudis d’Emblemàtica, Art i Societat.

Postal Address: Viladomat, 86, 08015, Barcelona, Spain
Email: revista@emblecat.com

The journal accepts research works in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese.

EMBLECAT publishes original and unpublished contributions annually, provided they meet the level and quality standards required for publication based on the results of a double-blind peer review and according to the Editorial Board's criteria.

The journal does not publish articles that solely express opinions, hypotheses, or unsubstantiated interpretations, nor those presenting ad hominem arguments that discredit scientific positions based on the person or group defending them. It also excludes articles addressing local aspects through a concrete, cumulative, and inconsequential description of facts and anecdotes considered in isolation. Studies on "local cases" will only be published if they meet the requirement of being experimental sites for the corresponding general field and enrich, nuance, or challenge the general framework.

The journal has an Editorial Board, a Scientific Committee, and international reviewers, and all studies are subjected to a double-blind peer review system.

Focus and Scope

Emblecat. Journal of Studies in Image, Art and Society represents the most significant effort by the Associació Catalana d’Estudis d’Emblemàtica, Art i Societat to disseminate research studies, as outlined in the founding statutes of the Association.

The journal Emblecat is interdisciplinary. It accepts research studies from various areas of the humanities, including iconography, history, literature, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and primarily art history. It also features diverse disciplines and artistic techniques such as photography, cinema, theater, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, engraving, decorative arts, fashion, and visual arts.

The journal prioritizes the dissemination of studies on imagery across all disciplinary and artistic fields and in all historical periods and countries, with special attention to Catalonia.

The primary languages of publication are Catalan, Spanish, and English, though submissions in other languages are accepted, provided they comply with the guidelines set by Emblecat Edicions.

Recently, due to the connections established with Latin America, particularly Mexico, a research line has been opened to explore the relationship between Catalan culture and that of various Latin American countries. The objective is to highlight reciprocal influences, enabling the interpretation of artworks through documentary and oral sources, bibliographies, graphic works, and, without exception, museum networks and online archives.

The Emblecat editorial team places particular emphasis on publishing research studies from young doctoral candidates, although studies demonstrating high research quality from all authors are welcomed.

The journal is published both in print and digital formats, and it can be accessed through the website www.emblecat.com. As recognition of the effort invested in ensuring the quality of the published research, the printed journal has been accepted into various museum archives and university libraries. A list of these institutions is available on the aforementioned website.

For each issue, meetings are held between the Editorial Board and the Director of the journal to decide on the content of each edition based on the texts submitted for possible publication.

Open Access Policy

Emblecat. Estudis de la Imatge, Art i Societat is published under an Open Access model. The full text of published articles is freely available and accessible immediately after publication without any fees or embargo. The journal does not charge fees for access, subscriptions, manuscript submissions, or reviews.

The content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Peer Review Policy

Submitted manuscripts are reviewed by the Editorial Board to ensure alignment with the journal's editorial line and the call for papers announced for the year. If the manuscript meets the criteria, it is forwarded to the Scientific Committee and subsequently to external reviewers for a double-blind peer review.

The Editorial Board and Scientific Committee nominate collaborating specialists. Reviewers have access to a template if needed, which helps them assess the quality of submitted manuscripts based on specific parameters [Download template]. The reviewers' report clearly states whether the article is publishable, noting necessary corrections for publication.

Decisions regarding the content of each issue are made during joint meetings between the Editorial Board and the journal director, based on the submitted and accepted manuscripts.

Reviewers include non-permanent members and, occasionally, members of the Scientific Committee, provided the Editorial Board ensures the anonymity of the manuscript.

Evaluation outcomes may include:

  • Acceptance of the study.
  • Acceptance upon revisions suggested by reviewers.
  • Initial rejection with the possibility of resubmission after significant revisions.
  • Unconditional rejection.

Each reviewer operates under the coordination of a member of the Editorial Board. Authors are informed of the review decision within four months of the initial provisional acceptance via personal email.

If revisions are required, authors must resubmit their manuscripts within 15 days of receiving notification.

Emblecat publishes a list of reviewers and Scientific Committee members who participated in the evaluation process for each issue.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to return articles that do not comply with submission guidelines or fail to meet the established criteria. Authors are informed about the decision following the Scientific Committee's review.

By submitting a manuscript, authors explicitly agree to transfer the rights for editing and publication to the Associació Catalana d’Estudis d’Emblemàtica, Art i Societat, authorizing the inclusion of their work in the printed and digital editions of Emblecat. No changes are allowed after one month from the Editorial Board's notification to avoid delays in final layout.

Funding / APC

Emblecat does not charge fees for submissions or publication (APC). The Associació Catalana d’Estudis d’Emblemàtica, Art i Societat covers all management and processing costs through member contributions and fees.

Copyright Policy

Authors retain copyright over their works published in Emblecat. By submitting a manuscript, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive, free license to:

  • Publish the article and distribute it in related media.
  • Make the article accessible via the journal website and other open-access platforms.
  • Reproduce the article in digital or print formats and allow its distribution in institutional repositories and scientific dissemination networks.

Authors guarantee the originality of their work and ensure that it does not infringe on third-party copyright. They are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions for any copyrighted material, including images, tables, or other elements, and providing proper attribution.

Authors retain the right to reuse their work in other publications and projects, provided the original publication in Emblecat is appropriately acknowledged.

All images in the journal, unless otherwise indicated, are used under the provisions of Article 32.1 (Quotation and Illustration for Teaching) of the Intellectual Property Law 23/2006.

Self Archiving Policy

Authors may self-archive the final published version of their article in institutional or thematic repositories, personal websites, academic social networks, or other relevant platforms.

Self-archiving can occur immediately upon publication without embargo. Authors are encouraged to include the article’s DOI in the self-archived version or use the article’s URL if a DOI is unavailable.

Self-archived versions must comply with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Ethics and Best Practices Policy

The journal ensures the rigorous and ethical dissemination of quality knowledge, adhering to the Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Journal Editors defined by the Committee On Publication Ethics (COPE).

This statement provides a behavioral guide for all parties involved in the publishing process—editors, reviewers, and authors—to comply with these principles.

Editorial Team Responsibilities:

  • Decisions on article publication are made impartially, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or political views.
  • Updated guidelines for submission and peer review are provided.
  • The team commits to publishing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary and refrains from using submitted articles for their research without author consent.
  • Confidentiality of the evaluation process is ensured, including anonymity of reviewers and authors, content under review, and any related communications.

The Editorial Team maintains the integrity of published works and reserves the right to retract articles found to contain significant errors, fraud, or unethical practices. Strict measures are taken against plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and redundant publication.

Authors’ Responsibilities:

  • Ensure the originality of their work and compliance with copyright laws.
  • Notify the journal of any errors detected post-publication for prompt correction.
  • Provide consent for co-authorship where applicable.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities:

  • Provide objective, informed, constructive, and impartial reviews.
  • Evaluate submissions based solely on relevance, originality, interest, and adherence to editorial guidelines.

Digital Preservation Policy

The journal content is preserved through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) under the LOCKSS program in OJS (Open Journal System).

DOI (Digital Object Identifier)

The journal uses Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) managed through Crossref to ensure persistent access. Journal DOI: https://doi.org/10.56349/emblecat