Permanent call for thematic issues

The RPN journal offers a permanent call for thematic dossiers in addition to a permanent call for articles (for publication as a varia and/or a working paper). This page explains how to submit a proposal for a thematic dossier. A thematic dossier may be the result of a study day, seminar or colloquium, or it may be created with a view to publication, based on requests for papers or a call for contributions. If you would like to issue a call for papers, please write to us (barbara.palli@univ-lorraine.fr and pierre.peraldi-mittelette@univ-lorraine.fr) so that we can help you with the process.

Contents of the proposal for a thematic dossier

A two- to three-page presentation of the chosen theme.
-An introduction.
-Abstracts of each article (a minimum of five articles is expected, with a maximum of 65,000 characters including spaces, notes and bibliography).
A brief presentation of the authors (surname, first name, institutional affiliation and e-mail address).
-Summaries of the presentation of the dossier must be written in French and English, as well as summaries of the articles and keywords.
The articles in the dossier must follow all the rules for submission and presentation set out above in the journal's instructions for authors.

All submissions must be sent by e-mail to the RPN management and to the editorial secretariat.

Selection procedure for thematic dossiers

Upon receipt, the dossier proposal is carefully read by the entire editorial board. RPN encourages submissions based on a multidisciplinary approach, where appropriate.

Acceptance of the general proposal does not mean that each article will ultimately be published. If the proposal is accepted, each article will undergo a selection procedure, i.e. an internal evaluation and an external double-blind evaluation. On receipt of the first drafts, we will be able to give you an indication of the possible publication deadline.

Role of the dossier coordinators

The thematic dossier coordinators are committed to supporting authors throughout the process. They reread the very first versions and go back and forth with the authors before submitting the first version to the journal. Prior to the submission of the various versions, the coordinators are also asked to provide the authors with editorial instructions. They can then help the authors to revise their paper in the light of the expert reviews. The coordinators also ensure that the timetable is respected at every stage.

Throughout the process, from submission of the proposal to publication of the issue, they liaise with the Editorial Board, and specifically with the person appointed by the Editorial Board to be responsible for monitoring the project.

The coordinators also write the introduction to the dossiers, known as the edito, which amounts to around 65,000 characters. A first version of the introduction must be sent, at the latest, on receipt of the second version of the articles making up the dossier. The introduction should provide an overview of the state of the art in the field. From there, the chosen angle should be argued and problematised, and the common thread linking the various contributions, presented one by one, should be clearly apparent.

Finally, the coordinators are encouraged to take part in the distribution of the dossiers when they are published, in order to give them the widest possible exposure.