Submissions

Author Guidelines

Aqui está a tradução técnica e acadêmica do documento para a língua inglesa, mantendo a precisão terminológica exigida para publicações científicas.

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1. AUTHOR GUIDELINES FOR SYMBIOS JOURNAL

1.1 General Criteria

Compliance with the journal's specific criteria is essential to ensure the quality and standardization of the texts published in Symbios Journal. When authors register on the journal's website (ojs.uva.br) and submit their work through the platform, they commit not only to contributing relevant content but also to respecting the technical guidelines that structure our publication. The drafting of the contribution must follow the guidelines indicated in the items below:

• Co-authorship: Submissions produced in co-authorship are permitted. It is recommended that at least one co-author belongs to a different institution. The maximum number of co-authors allowed is 5, including the lead author.

• Languages: Texts in Portuguese, English, or Spanish will be accepted. The author must submit two versions of the text: one in Portuguese and another in a foreign language of their choice (English or Spanish). Further details regarding the submission rules for the foreign language version can be found in item 2 of this page.

• Undergraduate Students: Undergraduate students must submit their work with an advisor, who must be a professor with a Master’s or Doctoral degree.

• Omitted Cases: Cases not covered by these guidelines may be decided by the Journal's Editorial Committee.

• Peer Review: Evaluations are conducted via peer review; the names of the reviewers can be found on this website under the "Editorial Team" section.

• Submission Flow: The journal operates on a continuous submission flow.

1.2 Accepted Manuscript Types

Symbios Journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:

• Original articles

• Systematic reviews

• Bibliometric reviews

• Case reports

• Book reviews of works published within the last two years.

1.3 Specific Criteria: Formatting the Originals

The journal's specific standards cover specifications regarding formatting, citations, references, spacing, and general text structure. All these rules are contained in a single document provided below. Therefore, before submitting their manuscript, authors must pay special attention to the guidelines indicated in this document, checking every detail of formatting and compliance with ABNT standards (Brazilian National Standards Organization).

To facilitate formatting, we provide a Template with the Journal's standard formatting. Please download a copy of the template to your computer. It is worth noting that the template is intended only to facilitate the insertion of the article into the Journal's format and styles and does not replace the text formatting rules, which are the primary reference. It is necessary to read the submission rules to observe formatting patterns, page limits, the number of lines for the abstract, among others.

Below are the guidelines and templates, available at the following links:

1. Textual Formatting Standards: Access the standards document here.

2. General Template for Scientific Articles (Portuguese): Access the template here.

3. General Template for Scientific Articles (Foreign Language): Access the template here.

4. General Template for Book Reviews: Access the template here.

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2. FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEXT SUBMISSION

At the time of submission, authors must mandatorily submit the manuscript in two languages:

1. Portuguese Version;

2. Foreign Language Version (English or Spanish).

2.1 Translation Quality

• The translation must demonstrate academic rigor and technical terminology appropriate to the field.

• Machine translations (e.g., Google Translate) without professional human review will not be accepted.

• On the initial page, in the footnote, the author must declare responsibility for the translation. If AI was used, its use must be declared along with the performance of human curation. Symbios Journal does not accept automated translations performed solely by artificial intelligence.

• At the discretion of the Editorial Board, a Statement of Responsibility for Translation or a certificate of review by a specialized/native translator may be requested.

2.2 File Formatting

Authors must observe the following submission options:

• Option A (Single File): Submit the full text in a single file, presenting the Portuguese version first, followed by the foreign language version (separated by a page break).

• Option B (Separate Files): Submit the Portuguese text as the "Main Document" and the translated version as a "Supplementary Document" identified as "Version in [English/Spanish]".

2.3 Pre-textual Elements

Regardless of the body of the article, the Title, Abstract, and Keywords must mandatorily appear in all three languages (Portuguese, English, and Spanish) to ensure indexing in international databases (such as Latindex and SciELO).

2.4 Translation Costs

The journal is not responsible for translation costs. This is the sole responsibility of the authors, ensuring the democratization of access to knowledge produced by Veiga de Almeida University and Symbios Journal on a global scale.

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3. ETHICAL CRITERIA AND COPYRIGHT

Authors are responsible for the ideas expressed and defended in their texts. Furthermore, they are responsible for any authorization regarding the use or broadcast of images used and submitted for publication. In the case of texts reflecting research involving human subjects, authors must seek the necessary authorizations, including those from bodies and committees dedicated to monitoring research ethics, before submitting their texts for consideration.

By submitting their articles, authors assign the copyright to Veiga de Almeida University (UVA), authorizing the use and broadcast of the article in print and/or digital formats. Thus, UVA holds the copyright for all articles published by it. Total reproduction of articles from this journal in other publications, or for any other purpose by any means, requires written authorization from the Editor.

The Journal adopts national and international guidelines on ethics in scientific research. Thus, any work involving humans or animals, directly or indirectly, must comply with current legislation and ethical principles established by relevant resolutions. For submission, the author(s) must present one of the following documents:

• An Institutional Review Board (IRB/CEP) or Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA) approval letter, approved before the start of data collection; or

• An Ethical Responsibility Declaration, issued and digitally signed via Gov.br, in which the researcher attests that the research was submitted and approved by a competent ethics committee during its execution; or

• Declaration within the article: The author(s) must include in the text (usually in "Methodology" or a specific "Ethical Aspects" section) the information that the study was approved by a Research Ethics Committee (CEP/IRB), including:

  • The name of the institution;

  • The approval or protocol number.

  • Example: "This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of University X, under opinion No. XXXX, in accordance with CNS Resolution No. 466/2012."

The absence of documentary proof will result in the immediate rejection of the submission. The journal reserves the right to request additional documents to verify the ethical compliance of the study.

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4. POLICY ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND PLAGIARISM

To ensure authorship and scientific rigor, the use of AI is expressly prohibited for:

• Production of original scientific content, including the drafting of academic articles.

• Formulation of hypotheses, analyses, or conclusions, preserving the intellectual responsibility of the researchers.

• Generation of images or tables, except in exceptional cases duly justified and approved by the editorial team. Information regarding the AI employed must appear in the image credits.

The act of submission implies the recognition and acceptance of the rules established herein. By submitting the manuscript, authors declare that the work is original, does not constitute total or partial plagiarism, and that the use of artificial intelligence, where applicable, complies with the journal's guidelines.

After approval, texts will be subjected to AI detection tools and plagiarism verification software. Works that present rates above acceptable limits or fail to comply with established guidelines will be rejected. This phase occurs after peer review and acceptance; therefore, reviewer acceptance does not guarantee immediate publication.

Self-citations should be restricted to cases where they are indispensable for the development of the manuscript's central theme.

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5. SUBMISSION PREPARATION CHECKLIST

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check their submission's compliance with all the following items. Submissions that do not adhere to these standards will be returned to authors.

1. The contribution is original and unpublished and is not being considered for publication by another journal; otherwise, it must be justified in "Comments to the Editor."

2. Both versions (Portuguese and Foreign Language) have been submitted.

3. The submission file is in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or RTF format.

4. URLs for references have been provided where possible.

5. The text fits the required manuscript types and requested formatting.

6. In the case of research involving humans or animals, Ethics Committee documents have been provided.

7. AI usage policies are being respected.

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6. SEX AND GENDER ISSUES

Symbios reaffirms its commitment to scientific integrity and social responsibility by adopting the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines. It is mandatory for authors to observe these recommendations from the study design stage, ensuring accurate reporting of sex and gender information in data analysis, results presentation, and interpretation of findings.

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7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

Authors must mandatorily declare any potential conflict of interest, including political or financial interests, patents, or intellectual property associated with the conduct of the study, as well as the provision of materials or equipment by manufacturers. Researchers with ties to organizations that funded the research or provided access to restricted data must formally disclose this relationship upon submission. Associate Editors and reviewers must also declare themselves recused if they identify conflicts of interest upon receiving an evaluation invitation.