Policy Making Latin American Public Policy Review

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Author Guidelines

Guide for Authors

Journal Structure and Process

With a multidisciplinary focus, Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review welcomes high-quality, methodologically rigorous research in fields such as Public Administration, Political Science, Economics, Epidemiology, Law, Sociology, Urban and Regional Planning, Public Health, and other disciplines related to Public Policy. The journal’s primary emphasis is on Latin America and its diverse national contexts. Comparative studies are welcomed and encouraged. The journal fosters dialogue between theory and practice, promoting exchange between scholars and public sector professionals.

Original manuscripts may be submitted in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Each published article will include access to a multilingual translation tool. Manuscripts previously posted on preprint servers such as SciELO Preprints or presented in the proceedings of academic conferences are eligible for submission.

All submissions undergo a two-stage evaluation process:

Stage 1 – Editorial Committee Review: The Editorial Committee evaluates the manuscript’s alignment with the journal’s scope and its adherence to the quality and rigor standards required for publication.

Stage 2 – Double-Blind Peer Review: Manuscripts that meet these standards are sent for peer review under a double-blind procedure, involving successive rounds of revisions and improvements until a final publication decision is reached. Only texts demonstrating solid methodological rigor and high publication potential are forwarded to anonymous reviewers.

The views expressed in published articles are the sole responsibility of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journal.

Policy Making adheres to the CNPq Research Integrity Commission Guidelines (10/07/2011) and uses Crossref Similarity Check software for content similarity and plagiarism screening.

The journal does not charge any editorial, submission, or publication fees and operates under an open-access model, reaffirming its commitment to the democratization of knowledge.

Sections (types of manuscripts)

Policy Making publishes contributions across four sections:

Analytics – Original scientific articles between 6,000 and 9,000 words, subject to rigorous peer review. This section aims to enhance the international visibility of high-quality research produced in Latin America.

Expertos – Articles of up to 3,000 words, directed toward public managers, policymakers, and practitioners. It prioritizes applied analyses, practical experiences, and case studies that connect academic insight with policy practice.

Up-to-Date – Short notes of up to 400 words, focusing on recent national and international bibliographic releases relevant to the field of public policy.

Utilities – Resources presenting research sources, databases, and reference materials useful for scholars and public administrators.

Formatting and Writing

Manuscripts submitted to any section must be formatted according to the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and reference style. Line spacing should be 1.5 pts, using Times New Roman, size 12, with margins of 2.5 cm (top and bottom) and 3.0 cm (left and right) on A4 paper size (29.7 x 21 cm).

The word limits established for each section include abstracts, titles, keywords, illustrations (such as tables, figures, and charts), references, and footnotes. Abstracts must be provided in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, each ranging from 150 to 250 words. Titles should not exceed 15 words, and authors must include three to five keywords in all three languages.

Authors should ensure that no direct or indirect identification of their names or affiliations appears at the beginning or throughout the manuscript text.

Illustrations (figures, tables, charts, graphs, maps, images, and others)

Each illustration must be identified at the top, preceded by its designated label (Figure, Table, Chart, Graph, Map, Image, etc.), followed by its sequential number in Arabic numerals and an appropriate title. At the bottom, authors must indicate the source (mandatory, even when it is the author’s own creation), as well as any legends, notes, or additional information. Every illustration must be explicitly referenced in the text prior to its appearance.

All illustrations must be of high resolution to ensure proper visualization and readability, including the font size used within them. Images should be submitted exclusively in .jpg or .tiff formats with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.

Tables, charts, and graphs must be submitted as separate files (one file per element) in .docx or .xlsx formats, since these elements will be typeset according to Policy Making’s layout standards.

Graphic elements created by other authors must include proper source attribution. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in rejection of the submission.

Submissions to the Utilities Section

For submissions to the Utilities section, the following additional criteria must be observed:

  • Datasets must be accompanied by a text describing the method of construction and the intended application for which they were developed;
  • Datasets must be provided in one of the following formats: .csv, .json, .xml, or .geopackage (GPKG);
  • Each dataset must include a data dictionary specifying the variable name, description, data type, expected values, and legend (for categorical data represented by codes).

In-Text Citations

The following table illustrates the standard format for indirect in-text citations (See TABLE).

Reference List Models

Books

Complete Work:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title: Subtitle. Place of publication, state abbreviation or country: Publisher.

Work with Additional Information:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title: Subtitle (Vol., ed., pp.). Place of publication, state abbreviation or country: Publisher.

Edited, Coordinated, or Organized Works:
Surname, Initials (Ed. or Coord. or Org.). (Year of publication). Title: Subtitle (Vol., ed., pp.). Place of publication, state abbreviation or country: Publisher.

Series or Collection:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title: Subtitle (XYZ Collection). Place of publication: Publisher.

Book Chapter or Article:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the chapter. In Initials Surname (Ed. or Coord. or Org.), Title: Subtitle (Vol., ed., pp.). Place of publication, state abbreviation or country: Publisher.

Chapter (Edited Book):
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the chapter. In Initials Surname (Ed. or Coord. or Org.), Title: Subtitle. Place of publication, state abbreviation or country: Publisher.

Journals

Scientific Journals, Magazines, and Bulletins:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the article. Name of the Journal, Volume(Issue), page range.

Electronic Journals:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the article. Name of the Journal, Volume(Issue), page range. Retrieved from full URL (no period at the end).

Magazine or Newspaper Articles:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication, Month Day). Title of the article. Name of the Magazine or Newspaper, Volume(Issue), page range.

Other

Conference Proceedings:
Surname, Initials. (Year, Month). Title. In Proceedings of the [Number and Name of the Event] (p. or pp. xx–xx), City, State abbreviation or Country.

Thesis and Dissertation:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title of the work (Type of Document). Institution, City, State abbreviation or Country.

Working Paper:
Surname, Initials. (Year, Month of publication). Title of the work (Working Paper No. XYZ). Institution, City, State abbreviation or Country.

Electronic Documents:
Surname, Initials. (Year of publication). Title: Subtitle. City, additional information. Retrieved from full document URL (no period at the end).

Laws and Constitutions (example):
Law No. 7,855, of October 24, 1989. (1989). Amends the Consolidation of Labor Laws, updates penalty amounts, expands their application, establishes the Development Program of the Federal Labor Inspection System, and provides other measures. Brasília, DF. Retrieved from http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/L7855.htm

ORCID Identification

All authors must have and provide their Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools

The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools must comply with the provisions established in Policy Making’s Editorial Policy and must also adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Except in cases of text translation or orthographic refinement, the use of AI tools must be explicitly acknowledged within the manuscript (in a section preceding the references), clearly indicating the name of the tool(s) and the purpose of use;
  • The creation or manipulation of data or results without methodological support is strictly prohibited;
  • The generation of figures, images, or diagrams using generative AI tools is likewise prohibited unless such use is clearly identified and transparently described within the manuscript.

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
  • This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
  • All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
  • All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
  • Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided with this submission.

Analytics

Reúne artículos científicos originales con el objetivo de ampliar la visibilidad internacional de la producción académica de alta calidad proveniente de América Latina. Esta sección busca consolidar un espacio de referencia para investigaciones innovadoras y rigurosas.

Expertos

Voltada para gestores públicos, formuladores de políticas e profissionais, priorizando análises aplicadas, experiências práticas e estudos de caso.

Up-to-date

Notas e resenhas sobre os mais recentes lançamentos bibliográficos nacionais e internacionais.

Utilidades

Divulgação de fontes de pesquisa, bases de dados e materiais relevantes para pesquisadores e gestores.

Copyright Notice

Copyright Notice

Authors publishing in Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review agree to the following terms:

  1. Copyright Transfer
    Upon acceptance of the manuscript for publication, authors agree to transfer the copyright of the article to Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review. This transfer covers the exclusive rights of reproduction, distribution, public communication, and translation of the work, in all formats and media, for an unlimited period.

  2. Open Access and Licensing
    The journal provides immediate open access to its content, in accordance with the principle that making research freely available supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
    All published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
    This license permits users to download and share the work with proper citation of the original source, provided that:

    • The material is not used for commercial purposes;

    • The content is not modified, transformed, or built upon;

    • Proper credit is given to the author(s) and to the journal as the copyright holder.

    License details: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

  3. Author’s Responsibilities
    Authors retain the moral rights to their work, including the right to be identified as the author and to object to derogatory treatment of the work.
    Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submission does not infringe on any existing copyrights, moral rights, or intellectual property rights of third parties.

  4. Reuse and Attribution
    Any reuse of the published material must include a clear and visible acknowledgment of Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review as the original publisher, along with a full citation of the article as it appears in the journal.

  5. Commercial and Derivative Use Prohibition
    The published material may not be used, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes or adapted into derivative works without the prior written consent of the journal.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.