Topoi - Information for Guest Editors and Authors

Thematic Issue Proposals

The journal welcome proposals for whole issues devoted to a specific topic (topos) of philosophical interest. Proposals should be submitted by prospective guest editor(s) directly to the Editor, as an electronic attachment (only the following formats are accepted: DOC, RTF, ODT, PDF) to an e-mail addressed to: fabio.paglieri@istc.cnr.it (this opens in a new tab)

Each proposal should include the following information:
•    Guest editors: names, affiliations and contact details
•    Topic of the issue
•    Expected date of completion: the date by which the guest editor(s) will deliver the final manuscripts
•    Rationale: a short text (no less than 20 lines, no more than 2 pages) explaining why the topic is considered appropriate for an issue of Topoi
•    Expected contributors: a list of prospective authors who will contribute to the issue. For each author, the list must include the topic of his/her contribution, his/her affiliation, and an indication of whether or not the person in question already agreed to submit a paper for that issue. The list of invited contributors can be supplemented by a call for papers, but (i) this must be indicated in the proposal and (ii) no less than half of the expected contributions have to be by invitation, i.e., already mentioned in the proposal

Prospective guest editors should keep in mind that:
•    each issue of Topoi is approximately 570.000 characters in length, spaces and references included
•    the journal publishes only original contributions, which has not been published before and are not being considered for publication elsewhere (see details below)
•    the journal does not publish conference proceedings, albeit a workshop or conference might constitute a suitable way of soliciting some or all the papers included within an issue
•    if a proposal is accepted (at the sole discretion of the Editor), the guest editor(s) will be required to provide all the materials for that issue, including copyright transfer forms, within the agreed deadlines, to proofreads all contributions, and to make sure that authors do the same in a timely fashion (except for Untimely Reviews and extra-topos articles, which will be handled directly by the Editor); failure to comply might result in delaying or canceling the issue
•    guest editors of accepted issues will be required to handle the peer reviewing process through Springer Editorial Manager

Manuscript Submission

Legal requirements. Submission of a manuscript implies: that the work described has not been published before; that is not under consideration for publication anywhere else; that its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – at the institute where the work has been carried out. The publisher will not be held legally responsible should there be any claims for compensation.

Permissions. Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Anymaterial received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the author(s).

How to submit. Manuscripts should be submitted exclusively through the Online Manuscript Submission System (Editorial Manager), accessible at ttp://www.editorialmanager.com/topo/ Please save your manuscript in one of the formats supported by the system (e.g., Word, WordPerfect, RTF, TXT, LaTeX2E, TeX, Postscript, etc.), which does NOT include PDF. Make sure to select the appropriate article type for your submission, according to the following criteria:
•    if your manuscript is intended for one of the thematic issues currently in preparation, select the appropriate tab from the scroll-down menu: e.g., “Special issue on Examples in philosophy (Smith/Doe)
•    if your manuscript is not intended for any specific thematic issue but is rather an extra-topos contribution, select “Extra-topos article”
•    if you have been invited to submit an untimely review, select “Untimely review”

Article types

As a general rule, all contributions to Topoi should refer to one its thematic collections: authors should make sure to individuate the relevant thematic collection prior to submission, and then select the appropriate item from the scroll-down menu “Article type” at the time of submission. The only two other types of acceptable submissions are Open Commentaries and Untimely Reviews: an Open Commentary is a brief piece that specifically discusses one or more articles previously published on Topoi; an Untimely Review is a critical notice of a philosophical classic, reviewed as if it had just been published. Untimely Reviews are by invitation only, and anyone interested to write an Untimely Review who has not been invited to do so should first contact the Editor (fabio.paglieri@istc.cnr.it), to verify whether his/her proposal is suitable for consideration. Any submission that does not match the article types described above will be rejected without review.

Manuscript Preparation

Title page. The title page should include:
-    The name(s) of the author(s)
-    A concise and informative title
-    The affiliation(s) and address(es) of the author(s)
-    The e-mail address, phone and fax numbers of the corresponding author

Abstract. Please provide an abstract of 100 – 150 words. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references.

Keywords. Please provide 4 to 6 keywords which can be used for indexing purposes.

Language. The journals language is English. British or American English spelling and terminology may be used, but either one should be followed consistently throughout the article. We appreciate any efforts that you make to ensure that the language is corrected before submission. This will greatly improve the legibility of your paper if English is not your first language.

Symbols. Unusual symbols should be identified at their first occurrence, and an alternative or equivalent symbol or sign should be provided if the one required is rare. Special care should be taken to distinguish between the letter O and zero, the letter l and the number one, kappa and K, mu and u, nu and v, eta and n. Subscripts and superscripts should be marked if not clear. Note that letters used as symbols will be set in italics unless otherwise indicated.
 
Text formatting
-    Use a normal, plain font (e.g. 12-points Times Roman) for text
-    Use italics for emphasis
-    Use the automatic page numbering function to number the pages
-    Do not use field functions
-    Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar
-    Use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables
-    Use the equation editor or MathType for equations (note: if you use Word 2007, do not create the equations with the default equation editor but use MathType instead)
-    Save your file in two formats: doc and rtf. Do not submit docx files

Heading levels, numbering. Please use the decimal system of headings with no more then three levels.

Abbreviations and acronyms. Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.

Equations. Please use the standard mathematical notation for formulae, symbols etc.:
-    Italic for single letters that denote mathematical constants, variables, and unknown quantities
-    Roman / upright for numerals, operators, and punctuation, and commonly defined functions or abbreviations, e.g., cos, det, e or exp, lim, log, max, min, sin, tan, d (for derivative)
-    Bold for vectors, tensors, and matrices

Footnotes. Footnotes on the title page are not given reference symbols. Footnotes to the text are numbered consecutively; those to tables should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data).

Acknowledgments. Acknowledgments of people, grants, funds, etc. should be placed in a separate section before the reference list. The names of funding organizations should be written in full.

References. The list of References should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text. Do NOT use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for a reference list.

Citation in text. Cite references in the text by name and year in parentheses. Some examples:
-    Negotiation research spans many disciplines (Thompson 1990)
-    This result was later contradicted (Becker and Seligman 1996)
-    This effect has been widely studied (Abbott 1991; Barakat et al. 1995; Kelso and Smith 1998; Medvec et al. 1993)
-    Negotiation research spans many disciplines (Thompson 1990a, b)

List style (Basic). Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work.
•    Journal article
Smith J, Jones M Jr, Houghton L et al (1999) Future of health insurance. N Engl J Med 965:325-329
•    Book (authored)
South J, Blass B (2001) The future of modern genomics. Blackwell, London
•    Book (edited)
Smith J, Brown B (eds) (2001) The demise of modern genomics. Blackwell, London
•    Book chapter
Brown B, Aaron M (2001) The politics of nature. In: Smith J (ed) The rise ofmodern genomics, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York
•    Proceedings as a book (in a series and subseries)
Zowghi D et al (1996) Aframework for reasoning about requirements in evolution. In: Foo N, Goebel R (eds) PRICAI’96: topics in artificial intelligence. 4th Pacific Rim conference on artificial intelligence, Cairns, August 1996. Lecture notes in computer science(Lecture
notes in artificial intelligence), vol 1114. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, p 157
•    Paper presented at a conference
Chung S-T, Morris RL (1978) Isolation and characterization of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid from Streptomyces fradiae. Paper presented at the 3rd international symposium on the genetics of industrial microorganisms, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 4-9 June 1978
•    Dissertation
Trent JW (1975) Experimental acute renal failure. Dissertation, University of California
•    Non-English publication cited in an English publication
Wolf GH, Lehman P-F (1977) Atlas der Anatomie, vol 4/3, 4th edn. Fischer, Berlin. [NB: Use the language of the primary document, not that of the reference for ‘vol’ etc.!]
•    Non-Latin alphabet publication
Marikhin VY, Myasnikova LP (1977) Nadmolekulyarnaya struktura polimerov (The supramolecular structure of polymers). Khimiya, Leningrad
[NB: The English translation is optional.]
•    Patent
Norman LO (1998) Lightning rods. US Patent 4,379,752, 9 Sept 1998
•    Article by DOI
Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. J Mol Med. doi:10.1007/s001090000086
•    Online document
Doe J (1999) Title of subordinate document. In: The dictionary of substances and their effects. Royal Society of Chemistry. Available via DIALOG. http://www.rsc.org/dose/title of subordinate document. Cited 15 Jan 1999

Always use standard abbreviation of a journal’s name according to the list at http://images.webofknowledge.com/WOK46/help/WOS/A_abrvjt.html

Tables
-    All tables are to be numbered using Arab numerals
-    Tables should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order
-    For each table, please supply a table heading. The table title should explain clearly and concisely the components of the table
-    Identify any previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference at the end of the table heading
-    Footnotes to tables should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data) and included beneath the table body
 
Figures
-    All figures are to be numbered using Arab numerals
-    Figure parts should be denoted by lowercase letters
-    Figures should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order
-    For each figure, please supply a figure caption
-    Make sure to identify all elements found in the figure in the caption
-    Identify any previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference at the end of the caption
-    For more information about preparing your illustrations, please follow the hyperlink to the artwork instructions on the right

ESM
If Electronic supplementary material (EMS) is submitted, it will be published as received from the author in the online version only. ESM may consist of
-    information that cannot be printed: animations, video clips, sound recordings
-    information that is more convenient in electronic form: sequences, spectral data, etc.
-    large original data, e.g. additional tables, illustrations, etc.
-    If supplying any ESM, the text must make specific mention of the material as a citation, similar to that of figures and tables (e.g., “..as shown in Animation 3.”).
-    For details on formats and other information, please follow the hyperlink to the specific instructions for electronic supplementary material on the right

After acceptance
Upon acceptance of your article you will receive a link to the special Springer web page with questions related to:
Open Choice. In addition to the normal publication process (whereby an article is submitted to the journal and access to that article is granted to customers who have purchased a subscription), Springer now provides an alternative publishing option: Springer Open Choice. A Springer Open Choice article receives all the benefits of a regular subscription-based article, but in addition is made available publicly through Springer’s online platform SpringerLink. We regret that Springer Open Choice cannot be ordered for published articles.

Copyright transfer. Authors will be asked to transfer copyright of the article to the Publisher (or grant the Publisher exclusive publication and dissemination rights). This will ensure the widest possible protection and dissemination of information under copyright laws. Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, they agree to the Springer Open Choice Licence.

Color in print. Online publication of color illustrations is free of charge. For color in the print version, authors will be expected to make a contribution towards the extra costs.

Online first
The articles will be published online after receipt of the corrected proofs. This is the official first publication citable with the DOI. After release of the printed version, the paper can also be cited by issue and page numbers.

Proof reading
The purpose of the proof is to check for typesetting errors and the completeness and accuracy of the text, tables and figures. Substantial changes in content, e.g., new results, corrected values, title and authorship, are not allowed without the approval of the Editor.
After online publication, further changes can only be made in the form of an erratum, which will be hyperlinked to the article.

Appendix - Publisher’s Code of Conduct

In this Appendix the term “Journal” shall mean the journal for which the Editor-in-Chief is editorially responsible.

COPE

1. The Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Editor(s)-in-Chief are expected to follow the COPE guideline entitled Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

2. The Publisher has responsibility to ensure that journals published by the Publisher adhere to editorial and publication ethics standards recommended by COPE, and the Publisher will support Editor(s)-in-Chief in their pursuit of adhering to such COPE standards. When dealing with publication and research ethics issues, Editor(s)-in-Chief are expected to follow COPE guidance and flowcharts or any guidance provided by the Publisher. The final course of action should be decided by the Editor(s)-in-Chief. In difficult cases, or where there is no existing COPE guidance, the Editor(s)-in-Chief may seek advice from the Publisher, and some cases may need to be resolved in collaboration between Editor(s)-in-Chief and the Publisher. The Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and general guidelines and flowcharts are available from the COPE website (http://publicationethics.org (this opens in a new tab)).

3. Editor(s)-in-Chief is expected to be aware of the editorial policies and information provided for authors by the Journal.

4. If there is more than one Editor-in-Chief for the Journal, it is understood that the responsibility concerning Editorship of the Journal is shared between them.

Peer review

5. Editor(s)-in-Chief is expected to comply with the Journal’s peer review policy (e.g. open, single- blind, double-blind).

6. Peer review is an essential component of the research publication. It aims to assess the validity of the reported research and suitability for journals’ scope and aims. In order to maintain the integrity of the published record the Editor(s)-in-Chief are expected to ensure that all manuscripts reporting primary research, or secondary analysis of primary research, accepted for publication in the Journal are peer reviewed by reviewers who are competent in a relevant field and/or have expertise in a relevant methodology, as judged by their publication record, and are free of potential bias. Such bias includes, but is not limited to, any recent collaboration between the peer reviewers and the authors of the manuscript. The requirement for Editor(s)-in-Chief to ensure absence of conflicts of interest amongst peer reviewers expressly applies to peer reviewers suggested by the authors of the manuscript.

7. Editor(s)-in-Chief is expected to obtain a minimum of two peer reviewers for manuscripts reporting primary research or secondary analysis of primary research. It is recognized that in some exceptional circumstances, particularly in niche and emerging fields, it may not be possible to obtain two independent peer reviewers. In such cases, Editor(s)-in-Chief may wish to make a decision to publish based on one peer review report. When making a decision based on one report, Editor(s)-in-Chief are expected to only do so if the peer review report meets the standards set out in section 8 below.

8. Peer review reports should be in English and provide constructive critical evaluations of the authors’ work, particularly in relation to the appropriateness of methods used, whether the results are accurate, and whether the conclusions are supported by the results. Editorial decisions should be based on peer reviewer comments that meet these criteria rather than on recommendations made by short, superficial peer reviewer reports which do not provide a scientific rationale for the recommendations.

9. Editor(s)-in-Chief is expected to independently verify the contact details of reviewers suggested by authors or other third parties. Institutional email addresses should be used to invite peer reviewers wherever possible. Each manuscript should be reviewed by at least one reviewer who was not suggested by the author.

10. Manuscripts that do not report primary research or secondary analysis of primary research, such as Editorials, Book Reviews, Commentaries or Opinion articles, may be accepted without two peer review reports. Such manuscripts should be assessed by the Editor(s)-in-Chief if the topic is in the area of expertise of the Editor(s)-in-Chief; if the topic is not in area of expertise of the Editor(s)-in-Chief, such manuscripts should be assessed by at least one independent expert reviewer or Editorial Board Member.

Manuscript handling

11. Editor(s)-in-Chief is expected to provide a professional service to authors. Correspondence should be handled in a timely and professional manner. Arrangements should be in place to ensure editorial staff absences do not result in a reduced service to authors.

12. Editor(s)-in-Chief are expected to make full use of the online submission and peer-review system provided by the Publisher and, where necessary, maintain offline tracking systems, in order to preserve a full record of the peer review of each manuscript, where offline tracking is used, Editor(s)-in-Chief should upload offline records to the online submission and peer-review system as soon as possible.

Confidentiality

13. Editor(s)-in-Chief is expected to respect and uphold the confidential status of materials submitted to the Journal and should ensure that material remains confidential while under review.