About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Significação – Revista de Cultura Audiovisual publishes articles, essays, reviews, and interviews dedicated to studying the media and audiovisual processes and systems by the diverse practices and ideas entailed by their processes of reflection, creation, production, and dissemination. The editorial board defines the interviews and translations.

The journal has adopted the continuous publication of papers, which means that all papers are published into a single annual volume which will fill throughout the year as each new paper is published. It invites unpublished original articles (from individual and collective authorship) written by PhDs and doctoral students, in a continuous flow system. Articles that have been previously published in annals of scientific events can be accepted as long as they have undergone revision. Review articles can be submitted by master's students and must address recent studies. That is: the publication year of the reviewed study must be the same or, at most, two years prior to the edition intending to submit the review. Articles submitted for publication must not have been submitted to any other publication. We suggest that neither author nor eventual co-authors have, at submission, any publication within the three prior issues of our journal.

The journal is directed at the academic community interested in the different forms of articulation and expression of audiovisual culture, in terms of its historical dimension, and by an interdisciplinary approach.

Significação – Revista de Cultura Audiovisual is released in the first month of each publication period.

Peer Review Process

Submitted manuscripts that do not meet the minimum requirements specified in the Terms will not be reviewed (see items 1. Publication Goals and 3. Formatting). All manuscripts undergo redundancy detection, both by plagiarism checker programs and by human factor (for additional information see item 6. below on Duplicate or redundant publication). Once this is verified, manuscripts are referred to the next stage: review by members of the Scientific Committee and ad hoc consultants. This is a double-blind process, absolutely anonymous, in which authorship is not identified (guidelines for submitting an article to blind peer review are found in the system). Two reviewers will assess the manuscript. If their opinion diverges, a third reviewer is summoned to issue his opinion, providing greater subsidies for the editorial board to reach a final decision. Submission can be either accepted in present form, accepted with revisions, or declined. Review process takes from 4 to 12 weeks, and authors will be notified by email of the outcome: whether their manuscript was accepted or declined, or whether they must perform modifications on it. The author must provide the revised manuscript within 4 weeks, using the submission in which the editorial process was initiated. Modifications performed by the author are subject to a new assessment, conducted by the reviewers who participated in the first round and suggested those alterations. If accepted, the manuscript is referred to the next stage: editing. In this stage, the text will be assessed in matters of orthography, grammar, and format – which is performed in contact with authors to clear any doubts. After review and editing, articles are referred to publishing, stage in which they are diagrammed. The PDF file is submitted for the author to approve. Once approved by the author, the manuscript is ready to be published in the edition indicated by the editorial board.

Article processing charges

No fees are charged for an author to process or publish a paper. 

Bounce rate

In 2019, one hundred and thirty-seven articles were submitted to Significação – Revista de Cultura Audiovisual. Of these, sixty were declined and thirty-three approved. Regarding percentage, our bounce rate is 44.00%. Below is a table with data since 2014. 

Year

Submitted Articles

Declined Articles

Bounce rate (%)
       

2014

           93

           17

18.28%

2015

          236

           76

32.20%

2016

           88

           59

67.05%

2017

          150

           97

64.67%

2018

          111

           67

60.36%

2019

          137

           60

44.00%

Number of accesses

2020 jan-jun

175722

2019

144467

2018

181710

2017

153548

Number of downloads

2020 jan-jun

34966

2019

64042

2018

67278

2017

59666

Publication frequency

Single annual continuous volume 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The journal have signed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Indexing sources and directories

Social Midia

Qualis

The journal is classified as B1 by CAPES.

Ethics

Significação: Revista de Cultura Audiovisual follows the Code of Conduct for Journal Editors established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

ORIGINALITY         

We understand as original propositions and theoretical, methodological, and analytical treatments unprecedented in the literature review of a given field of knowledge and that, therefore, is innovative. For a manuscript to be considered new, it must not have been published before. This includes printed and digital formats, with or without record. As for manuscripts that appear in annals of scientific events or in institutional repositories (theses and dissertations), we encourage authors to review their study, considering discussions with peers, before submitting to the journal. We also ask for the submitted study to be referenced, indicating the scientific event (if from annals), or the thesis and dissertation, following, in both cases, the guidelines for blind peer review.

DUPLICATE OR REDUNDANT PUBLICATION

All manuscripts undergo redundancy detection, both by plagiarism checker programs and by human factor. Results are reported to the editors, who investigate and gather documentary evidence on the extent and nature of the redundancy.

If the overlap is not significant, reviewers will be informed of the decision and the suggested procedures. If there is a minor overlap – with some element of redundancy or legitimate overlap (e.g., exposing methods, updating previously performed analyses, or discussion which targets different audiences) – the journal will contact the author to inform a position. Such contact intends to clarify that secondary study must reference the original or that the overlapping material should be removed. This procedure is supported by review and editorial decision.

As for extensive range overlaps or very similar results – showing that the author sought to hide redundancy – that do not reference the previous study, the journal will contact the authors in writing, presenting documentation that evinces duplication or redundancy and the statement (signed by them) that the submitted study has not been published anywhere else.

If the authors provide a satisfactory response – for example, legitimate republication – they will be informed of the journal's position and future expected behavior. If the authors present an unsatisfactory response or admits guilt, they will be notified that his submission has been declined. The editors will also consider informing the senior agents and/or those responsible for the research. The reviewer will also be informed of the decision.

PLAGIARISM

Suspected plagiarism must be reported to the editors. When notification is confirmed, they will evaluate the degree of plagiarism and start gathering documentary evidence.

When the submission presents minor copying – short phrases and no misattribution of data – the editors will contact the author to inform the journal position, pointing the need for correcting the study. Those responsible for reporting the suspected plagiarism will be informed about the journal's actions.

As for clear plagiarism – unattributed use of large portions of text and/or data, presented as if they were by the plagiarist, – the journal will contacts the author in writing and send a copy of the declaration of authorship and originality (signed by them) along with evidence of the plagiarism. The author should contact the editors and provide explanations.

If the authors provide a satisfactory response, they will be informed of the journal's position and future expected behavior. However, if the response is unsatisfactory, the journal will consider withdrawing the submitted or already published study and will report the event to involved publishers, senior agents, and/or those responsible for conducting the research, as well as to the victim of plagiarism and readers.

If the authors fail to provide any response to the editors, the co-authors and/or the author's institution will be contacted and requested to report the problem to their superiors or those responsible for the research. In case no response is provided, another attempt will be done within 3 to 6 months. After that, the journal will consider contacting other authorities.

Sources of Support

Our history

Significação began its activities in 1974. It was founded by Eduardo Peñuela Canizal, professor of the Department of Film, Radio and Television (CTR) of the School of Communications and Arts (ECA) of the University of São Paulo. At first, the journal was associated with the so-called Study Center for Semiotics A. J. Greimas, from the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Languages Barão de Mauá, in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, Brazil. It focused on semiotics: as stated on the journal's first issue, it was “concerned in building a scientific metalanguage to approach semiotic problems.” After eight years, the journal moved to the School of Sciences and Languages of Araraquara – UNESP but remained affiliated to the same study center. In 1987, the journal moved to its current site, the ECA/USP, but was still assisted by UNESP in some publications.

In 1999, the journal was incorporated to the former Image Poetics Research Core (NUPPI) and supported by the Tuiuti University of Paraná, experiencing changes in its graphic conception. In 2000, the Image Poetics Research Center (CEPPI), from CTR/ECA/USP, became responsible for publishing. Up from 2001 the journal acquired a semiannual publication frequency.

The partnership with the Tuiuti University of Paraná lasted until 2006. Up from then, the CTR/ECA/USP assumed the journal and, until 2009, was financially supported by the CINUSP “Paulo Emílio,” a body from the Pro-Rectory of Culture and Extension of the university. Meanwhile, in 2007, 33 years after it was founded, the journal underwent its most radical change – from Significação: Revista Brasileira de Semiótica, it started to be called Significação: Revista de Cultura Audiovisual. This change brought to light what had been demonstrated for over twenty years in the articles published by the journal, which addressed themes related to the audiovisual culture in its interface with the humanities, arts, and communications.

In 2009, Significação undergoes yet another change. No longer associated with the CEPPI, the journal now integrates the Graduate Program in Audiovisual Media and Processes, acquiring a new graphic composition.

In 2011, the journal was no longer published in printed form, and up from 2014, it is incorporated to the Journal Portal of the University of São Paulo. From then on, previous issues were digitized, and the journal's complete collection is available online, enabling ease of access to interested persons.

Over the years, the journal has been edited by various professors. In its current institutional version, it has been edited by professors Eduardo Morettin, Irene Machado, Patrícia Moran and Esther Hamburger. Esther Hamburger and Cecília Mello are currently the editors.