Submissions

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Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • Authors have included their ORCID and validated it after receiving an email.
  • The contribution is original and unpublished, and it is not under review or intended for publication in another journal, proceedings book or book chapter.
  • Submission files are in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or RTF format (as long as they do not exceed 2MB) and follow the RLE Template .
  • URLs or DOIs for references have been provided when available.
  • The authors completed the Cover Page and submitted it together with the manuscript.
  • For submissions to peer-reviewed sections (e.g., articles), the text does not contain personal information or any details that could compromise the double-blind peer review process.
  • In the case of empirical studies, the name of the ethics committee and the approval code (if applicable) are identified in the method section.
  • I declare that I, as well as the other authors, have followed the RLE’s GenAI Policy and, in case GenAI tools were used, I have declared their use before the reference list in the article.
  • I declare, under my honor, that the above information is true.
  • The authors have completed and signed the Statment of Responsability.
  • The authors completed the protocol for the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI).
  • The authors completed the Declaration on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Scientific Integrity and submitted it along with the manuscript.

Author Guidelines

1. Submission of Manuscripts

Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Submissions may be written in Portuguese, English, French, or Spanish.

All manuscripts must be submitted online via the journal’s platform:
http://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/rleducacao

2. Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted:

  • Cover Page
  • Anonymized manuscript (using the journal template)
  • Author Responsibility Statement, signed by all authors
  • Declaration of AI Use

The manuscript must be fully anonymized, with no references to authors or affiliations. Author information (name, email, country, ORCID, and institutional affiliation) must be entered only in the submission system and on the Cover Page. A maximum of 7 authors is allowed.

Authors must remove identifying information from the file properties.

3. ORCID

Authors are required to provide an ORCID identifier. Those without an ORCID should register at: http://orcid.org

4. Plagiarism Screening

All submissions are checked for originality using similarity detection tools.

Policy and Protocols for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Revista Lusófona de Educação is committed to scientific integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility in the production and evaluation of academic knowledge. In accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the indexing criteria of international databases (such as OpenEdition Journals and EDUC@/FCC), the following rules and protocols regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools are established.

1. Protocol and Guidelines for Authors

Prohibition of AI Authorship

  • AI cannot be listed as a co-author:AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) do not meet the requirements for scientific authorship, as they lack moral agency, cannot assume legal responsibility for texts, and cannot manage conflicts of interest. Any inclusion of AI tools in the list of authors will result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript.

Permitted Uses (Technological Support)

The use of AI is accepted exclusively as a technical and linguistic support tool, provided that there is critical human supervision and full validation of the results by the authors. It may be used for:

  • Grammatical, spelling, and stylistic correction of the manuscript;
  • Improving readability and textual fluency;
  • Technical formatting of citations and bibliographic references;
  • Assistance in the translation and writing of abstracts and keywords (subject to rigorous human review).

Prohibited Uses (Scientific Misconduct)

The use of AI is strictly prohibited for:

  • The complete generation or generation of substantial sections of the text without original human intellectual contribution;
  • The creation of synthetic data, manipulation of field research results, or fabrication of empirical evidence;
  • The automatic generation of critical theoretical analyses or academic conclusions delegated to the machine.

Transparency and Disclosure Protocol

Authors must be fully transparent regarding the use of AI.

  1. Where to declare:If AI tools are used in the methodology (e.g., data analysis) or in the writing process, this must be explicitly declared within the article itself, in a footnote associated with the title, or in a dedicated final section (e.g., “AI Use Statement”).
  2. What to declare:The statement must include the name of the tool used, its version, the developer, and the specific purpose of its use (e.g., “Google's Gemini Version 1.5 Pro was used exclusively for the final grammatical and stylistic revision of the manuscript.”).
  3. Final responsibility:Authors are fully and exclusively responsible for the legal, factual, and ethical accuracy of all manuscript content, including any plagiarism, biases, or hallucinations generated by the tool.

2. Protocol and Guidelines for Editors and Reviewers

The editorial team of the Revista Lusófona de Educação (Section Editors and Executive Editors) and its peer reviewers (ad hoc reviewers) must strictly observe the following rules:

Absolute Confidentiality of Manuscripts

  • Prohibition of Uploading to Public AI Systems:Editors and reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading submitted manuscripts, in whole or in part, to public or third-party AI tools (such as free versions of ChatGPT) for the purposes of summarization, analysis, or report generation.
  • Justification:Submitted texts are the intellectual property of the authors and are protected by editorial confidentiality. Sending these data to open platforms violates confidentiality and may train commercial AI models without the authors’ consent.

Primacy of Human Judgment

  • Irreplaceable Critical Evaluation:The use of AI must under no circumstances replace the intellectual assessment, pedagogical expertise, and critical judgment of reviewers and the journal’s editorial board.
  • Scientific Reviews:The preparation of peer-review reports generated automatically by AI tools is expressly prohibited, thereby ensuring authors receive a humanized and contextually valid review within the field of Educational Sciences.

Detection and Tracking of AI-Generated Plagiarism

  • The editorial team will use accredited institutional screening tools for similarity detection and AI-generated content detection to audit manuscripts during the Desk Review stage. Where there is substantiated evidence of undeclared or fraudulent use of GenAI, the manuscript will be summarily rejected for breach of scientific integrity.

 

 

 

5. Scope and Content Requirements

Manuscripts must:

  • Address relevant issues in the field of Education Sciences;
  • Demonstrate engagement with up-to-date and relevant literature;
  • Contribute to advancing knowledge on educational processes at micro and macro levels.

6. Manuscript Preparation

Length

30,000 to 40,000 characters (including spaces), including abstracts, tables, figures, notes, and references.

Formatting

  • Font: Times New Roman, size 12
  • Line spacing: 1.5
  • Justified text
  • Margins: minimum 3 cm
  • Title: Font: Times New Roman - 14 Bold
  • Subtitles: Font: Times New Roman, 12 - Bold

Abstract and Keywords

Each manuscript must include abstracts in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish (1200–1500 characters each), followed by 3–5 keywords.

Abstracts must clearly state:

  • topic
  • research problem
  • objectives
  • methodology
  • main findings

Short Title

A short title (maximum 25 characters) must be included on the title page.

Notes

Endnotes should be used sparingly and placed before the references.

Authorship

The manuscript must not contain any author-identifying information.

Funding

If applicable, funding information must be included in the acknowledgements section after acceptance.

7. Referencing Style

The journal follows the APA (7th edition) referencing style.

All references must be accurate, complete, and formatted according to APA guidelines.

Ex

  1. Book with collective authorship (groups such as authors, institutions, organizations): American Psychological Association. (2021). Mastering APA style student workbook (7th ed.). 
    https://doi.org/10.1037/0000271-000
  2. Legislation: Resolução da Assembleia da República n.º 98/2016, de 2 de junho. Diário da República, Série I(106) https://data.dre.pt/eli/resolassrep/98/2016/06/02/p/dre/pt/html
  3. Doctoral thesis: Estrela, E. (2015). Alquimia do conhecimento: A construção do conhecimento curricular em Portugal (1970-2009). 
    [Tese de doutoramento em Educação, Universidade Lusófona]. Repositório Científico Lusófona. http://hdl.handle.net/10437/6695
  4. Scientific journal article:Estrela, E. (2018). The knowledge of policies: The personal dimension in curriculum policies in Portugal. British Journal of Educational Studies, 67(2), 
    1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2018.1444730
  5. Book with Editors as Authors:Johnson, N. G., Roberts, M. C., & Worell, J. (Eds.). (1999). Beyond appearance: A new look at adolescent girls. American Psychological Association.
  6. Scientific journal article:: Lopes, J. B., Silva, A. A., Cravino, J. P., Costa, N., Marques, L., & Campos, C. (2008). Transversal traits in scien- ce education research relevant for teaching and research: A meta-interpretative study. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(5), 574–599 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20225
  7. Scientific journal article: Moody, J., & White, D. R. (2003). Structural cohesion and embeddedness: A hierarchical concept of social groups. American Sociological Review, 68(1), 103. https://doi.org/10.2307/3088904
  8. Scientific journal article: She, H. C., Stacey, K., & Schmidt, W. H. (2018). Science and mathematics literacy: PISA for better school educa- tion. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 16(Suppl 1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10763-018-9911-1
  9. Journal article (or magazine article): Silva, C. C. (2021, 11 de maio). Avi Loeb: “Se os humanos estão a enviar aparelhos para o espaço, deveríamos procurar os que tenham sido enviados por outros”. Público. https://www.publico.pt/2021/05/11/ciencia/ entrevista/humanos-estao-enviar-aparelhos-espaco-deveriamos-procurar-enviados-1960517 
  10. Book: Teodoro, A. (2020). Contesting the global development of sustainable and inclusive education: Education reform and the challenges of neoliberal globalization. Routledge.
  11. Chapter of a book with Organizers/Editors but no page number: Teodoro, A., Galego, C. & Fraga, N. (2019). Teaching comparative education in Portugal. 
    In M. A. Peters (Ed.),     Encylopedia of teacher education. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1179-6_312-1
  12. Scientific journal article: Trindade, R. (2014). A autoaprendizagem no ensino superior e a aprendizagem baseada na resolução de proble- mas: Perspetivas e questões. Revista Lusófona de Educação, 27, 43–57. https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index. php/rleducacao/article/view/4829
  13. Web page:  World Health Organization. (2018, março). Questions and answers on immunization and vaccine safety. https:// www.who.int/mongolia/health-topics/vaccines/faq

8. Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Ensure ethical and responsible conduct of research;
  • Present results honestly (no fabrication or falsification);
  • Clearly describe methods;
  • Guarantee originality and proper citation;
  • Accept collective responsibility for the work;
  • Disclose funding sources and conflicts of interest.

9. Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening to assess:

  • compliance with guidelines
  • relevance to the journal’s scope
  • publication potential

Manuscripts may be rejected at this stage.

If suitable, manuscripts are sent for double-blind peer review by at least two external reviewers.

Evaluation criteria include:

  • originality and contribution
  • clarity of objectives
  • adequacy of literature review
  • methodological rigor
  • clarity of results
  • validity of conclusions
  • relevance of references
  • clarity of language

In case of conflicting reviews, additional reviewers or editorial board consultation may be required.

10. Editorial Decision Timeline

A first decision is typically provided within 30 working days after submission.

The full review and publication process may take 12 to 18 months, depending on reviewer availability and revision requirements.

Submission, acceptance, and publication dates are indicated in each published article.

11. Special Issues

Submissions to thematic dossiers may follow specific procedures defined by the editorial team.

All articles, including those in special issues, are subject to the same peer review standards.

12. Open Access and Licensing

The journal provides immediate open access to all content.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

 

 

 

Research paper

The format should follow a standard structure to avoid repetition and ensure that information is organized and clear:

Introduction: Presents the research context, literature review, and the problem motivating the study. Should include the objectives and, if applicable, the research hypotheses.

Methodology: Detailed description of the methods and procedures used for data collection and analysis, enabling other researchers to replicate the study. Includes information on sample, instruments, procedures, and analysis techniques.

Results: Presents the main findings of the study objectively, usually accompanied by tables, graphs, and figures to illustrate the data. This section should not include interpretations or discussions of the results—only the data presentation.

Discussion: Interpretation of the results in relation to the objectives and hypotheses, analysis of implications, and comparison with previous studies. May also include study limitations and suggestions for future research.

Conclusion: Summary of the main findings and their significance. The conclusion may highlight practical implications, suggestions for using the results, and the study’s contributions to the field.

References: Complete list of all sources cited in the article, following APA guidelines (7th edition).

Appendices and Annexes (if applicable): Additional material such as questionnaires, supplementary documents, and extensive tables that complement the article.

Diálogos

The Revista Lusófona de Educação accepts, on an occasional and selective basis, the publication of interviews with individuals of recognized academic and scientific relevance in the field of Education.
Before submitting an interview through the journal's platform, authors must complete a short form with the following information:

  • Provisional title of the interview

  • Name and affiliation of the interviewee

  • Summary of the interview (max. 150 words)

The Editorial Team will evaluate the proposal and provide feedback on the possibility of formal submission.

Click HERE to access the form.

Critical Review

Text in which the author critically analyzes, interprets, and evaluates a work or set of works, offering an in-depth view of their strengths and limitations. It should include:

  • Summary of the Work: A synthesis of the main arguments, objectives, and contents of the work being analyzed.
  • Critical Analysis: An evaluation of the methodological, theoretical, and practical aspects, discussing the relevance, coherence, and originality of the material.
  • Contextualization: The work is situated within a theoretical framework or compared to other productions in the same field, highlighting its contribution to the area.
  • Conclusions: The author outlines the implications of the work, pointing out possible gaps, suggestions for improvement, and directions for future studies.

Essay

Text that presents a critical and reflective approach to a specific topic. Unlike empirical studies that follow a rigorous methodology to test hypotheses, the essay allows:

  • Theoretical and conceptual discussion: The author presents and debates ideas, theories, and concepts, grounding their arguments in the existing literature.
  • Flexibility in structure: While adhering to submission guidelines, the essay may adopt a more flexible structure, allowing for a more discursive and less standardized presentation.
  • Contribution to the debate: The goal is to foster reflection and broaden understanding of the topic by proposing new perspectives or interpreting information in an original way.
  • Well-founded personal argumentation: The author may incorporate their critical and interpretative perspective, as long as the arguments are well-founded and contextualized.

Copyright Notice

The authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.
The articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International).

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Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses provided to the Revista Lusófona de Educação will be used exclusively for the purposes stated by this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other entity, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).