About the Journal
1. General Information; 2. Editorial Policy – Aims and Scope; 3. Editorial Process; 3. 1. Stages of the Editorial Process; 3. 2. Quality Control of the Editorial Process; 4. Editorial Policies and Research Ethics; 4. 1. Editorial Code of Conduct: Declaration on Improper Practices in Publications; 4. 2. Open Access Statement; 4. 3. Copyright and Intellectual Property; 4. 4. Ethical Commitment; 4. 5. Policies on Authorship and Contributions; 4. 6. Conflicts of Interest; 4. 7. Post-Publication Correction Policies; 4. 7. 1. Addendum Publication Policies; 4. 7. 2. Retraction Publication Policies; 4. 7. 3. Erratum Publication Policies; 4. 8. Complaints Management Policy; 4. 9. Ethical Principles of the Editorial Process; 4. 10. Duties of the Editor; 4. 11. Duties of Ad Hoc Reviewers; 4. 12. Double-Blind Peer Review Process; 4. 13. Archiving Policy; 4. 14. Dissemination Policy – Websites and Social Media; 4. 15. Privacy Policy
1. General Information
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia publishes two issues per year in electronic format. The publication follows a continuous flow model, with articles made available as they are approved.
- Periodicity: Semiannual, with continuous publication
- Publication model: Continuous publication
- Year of establishment: 2013
- ISSN: 2317-5389
2. Editorial Policy – Aims and Scope
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is a publication of the Graduate Program in Law at the Regional University of the Northwest of the State of Rio Grande do Sul – Unijuí. Its purpose is to provide a forum for the dissemination of articles that take a critical and interdisciplinary approach to the study of Human Rights.
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia follows an open access policy, making all articles freely available in full. The journal operates on a continuous publication model, with articles published as soon as they are reviewed and approved.
Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not have been previously sent to other publications (electronic or print). Contributions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal, nor published in conference proceedings.
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia accepts original articles written in Spanish, English, or Portuguese, and the submission process is conducted entirely online.
All manuscripts submitted for publication undergo an initial evaluation by a member of the Editorial Board. Subsequently, the articles are sent to two reviewers following a double-blind review process. Reviewers assess the manuscript and recommend whether or not it should be published. Finally, the editor, in accordance with the journal’s standards, evaluates the scientific contribution of the article and considers the reviewers’ recommendations to decide whether the submission is accepted, accepted with revisions, requires resubmission, or does not meet the requirements for publication.
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia does not charge authors any submission fees. After acceptance, a publication fee of R$ 300.00 is required.
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
3. Editorial Process
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia adopts standardized editorial procedures and quality assurance practices at all stages, beginning with the receipt of the manuscript.
3. 1. Stages of the Editorial Process
Pre-analysis: In the first stage, the article is received by the technical team, which checks for compliance with the journal’s guidelines. The manuscript is then reviewed by members of the Editorial Committee, who assess its alignment with the general criteria and editorial policy of the journal. Articles will be rejected at this stage if they: a) are characterized as literature reviews or excerpts from dissertations, theses, projects, or research reports without proper adaptation; b) are excessively descriptive and lack analytical depth; c) do not make a significant contribution to the field of knowledge; or d) fail to comply with the journal’s publication guidelines. Articles rejected at this stage will be archived, and those approved will proceed to the next phase.
Peer Review: Articles are evaluated by at least two specialists in the relevant field, selected from the journal’s pool of ad hoc reviewers who are members of the Scientific Committee/Review Board and affiliated with different Brazilian and international institutions. The evaluation process is double-blind, meaning that both the reviewers’ and authors’ identities remain anonymous. Reviewer reports may, at the editor’s discretion, be published alongside the article. Reviewers assess the article based on the following criteria: clarity of writing and readability; conformity with academic standards; relevance and adequacy of the theoretical and conceptual framework; clarity and alignment of the study object with the journal’s focus and scope; clearly stated objectives consistent across the abstract, introduction, and conclusion; methodological rigor and suitability to the study’s purpose; quality of results presentation and discussion, supported by the theoretical framework; concise and consistent conclusions; and originality and contribution to the field. After completing the descriptive review and submitting it to the journal’s platform, the reviewer must select one of the following recommendations: Accept, Mandatory Revisions, or Reject.
Reviewer Reports: After the peer review process, the editor sends the reviewers’ reports to the corresponding author, indicating aspects that require correction, improvement, or clarification. The author must make the necessary changes within the established deadline.
Author Revision: Upon resubmission, the author must clearly indicate all modifications made to the text and attach a detailed response letter explaining how each suggestion was addressed or, when necessary, justifying any disagreements. This stage is essential to ensure the scientific rigor and editorial quality of the work prior to the final decision.
Editorial Decision: Based on the reviewers’ reports and the revised version, the Editors of the journal will communicate the editorial decision regarding acceptance or rejection of the manuscript. If additional adjustments in content or structure are required, these will be indicated to the authors, who must make the necessary changes. The Editors may also suggest minor stylistic or formatting adjustments to align the text with the journal’s editorial standards and visual identity.
Publication of the Pre-proof Version: After acceptance, the journal will publish the accepted version without editorial modifications, marked with a watermark indicating that it is an unedited version, along with the following notice: “This is a preliminary and unedited version of a manuscript that has been accepted for publication in the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia. As a service to our readers, we are making this initial version available as accepted. The manuscript will still undergo copyediting, formatting, and author approval before final publication.” At this stage, the article will already be assigned a DOI. The editor will later contact the authors regarding publication of the final versions.
Portuguese Language Review: All approved articles undergo a linguistic and reference review. Minor adjustments that do not affect content comprehension may be made by the reviewers.
Layout: The article will then be typeset according to the journal’s final publication format, following its graphic and visual standards.
Proof: The formatted version will be sent to the author for final verification. Only minor linguistic adjustments or small corrections that do not alter the content or structure of the article will be permitted. Any corrections must be communicated within the deadline established by the Editorial Team.
Final Version: After approval of the final proof, the pre-proof version will be replaced by the definitive version on the journal’s website.
3. 2. Quality Control of the Editorial Process
Editorial Quality: The publisher and the Editorial Committee are responsible for ensuring the quality of both the published content and the entire editorial process. Both must strictly adhere to the principles of editorial ethics, following all stages of the editorial workflow and standardizing evaluation criteria. The journal publicly discloses the names of its editors along with their institutional affiliations and ORCID iDs.
Quality of Ad Hoc Reviewers: The selection of ad hoc reviewers is rigorous, aiming to guarantee the quality and impartiality of the evaluations. Reviewers are chosen based on their active engagement and productivity in the manuscript’s thematic area, with recent and recognized experience in the field. Previous review performance is also considered, prioritizing those who have demonstrated commitment to deadlines and quality in their assessments. The journal ensures that reviewers have no conflicts of interest and no recent co-authorship or collaboration with the authors of the manuscript under review. The list of ad hoc reviewers who have performed reviews for the journal is published annually.
Quality of Editorial Decisions: Editorial decisions prioritize the scientific validity of the article and its relevance to the academic community. Editors follow the guidelines of the journal’s editorial board and comply with legal requirements related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Decisions are based on reports from ad hoc reviewers, considering the scientific merit and quality of the manuscript. The evaluation process is conducted impartially, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality, or political stance of the authors. The journal employs a double-blind review system, in which both reviewers and authors remain anonymous, aiming to prevent any bias during the evaluation process.
Post-publication Quality: The journal follows an open access model, meaning all articles are made immediately and freely available online upon publication. Anyone can access, read, and examine the full content of the articles without restrictions, promoting transparency and scientific reproducibility.
The journal welcomes comments, questions, and suggestions regarding published articles. Readers may submit a letter to the Editor with their observations.
In cases where potential scientific errors or ethical issues are identified in a published article, the editorial team should be contacted. Upon notification, the necessary procedures will be initiated to investigate the matter. If errors are confirmed, appropriate measures will be taken, such as issuing a correction or formal retraction, in accordance with international ethical guidelines.
4. Editorial Policies and Research Ethics
4.1. Editorial Code of Conduct: Statement on Misconduct in Publications
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is committed to research ethics and the responsible publication of results. Ethical standards are expected from all parties involved in the publication process.
The journal adopts the recommendations from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – https://publicationethics.org/core-practices – as well as the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors – https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf.
Commitment to Ethics and Quality: The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia maintains the highest standards throughout all stages of manuscript evaluation and publication, adhering to ethical principles by all involved — authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial staff.
All submitted articles are assessed based on their scientific merit and contributions, ensuring that each step of the editorial process follows best practices and complies with established ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Additionally, the journal systematically checks manuscripts for plagiarism using the Plagius software as part of its commitment to academic integrity.
In cases where plagiarism is detected — that is, a substantial portion of the text is identical to a previously published article — the Editor-in-Chief, together with the UNIJUÍ Editorial Support Team, follows these procedures: a) Evidence of detected plagiarism is sent to the author(s) for response; b) If the response is unsatisfactory or the text is not corrected, the article will not be published.
Submitted articles must fully comply with the journal’s editorial guidelines, ethical principles of scientific publication, and quality criteria:
Consent: All authors must declare their consent for submission and potential publication, confirming their active participation in the manuscript’s preparation and approval of its final version (see the Article Cover Letter template).
Author Contributions: All authors must have made a significant contribution to the article, with no omission of relevant authorship.
Originality: Manuscripts must be original, not previously published in whole or in part in any other venue, and not under simultaneous evaluation by another journal. Authors must guarantee the originality of the article and adherence to ethical publishing standards.
Permission for Third-Party Material: Articles must not include copyrighted material from other authors without proper authorization. If the manuscript contains excerpts, images, tables, or any content from third parties, authors must provide explicit permission for reproduction in both print and electronic formats, clearly indicating the source and credits.
Ad Hoc Reviewers: Ad hoc reviewers must have no employment, academic, or personal ties with the authors of the manuscripts, ensuring impartiality and independence in the review process.
Use of Automated Tools in Review: Ad hoc reviewers must conduct evaluations rigorously and responsibly, providing critical and well-founded analyses. The use of automated tools, such as chatbots or AI systems, to generate reviews or evaluations is strictly prohibited, as it may compromise the quality, confidentiality, and integrity of the editorial process. Reviews must be conducted personally and meticulously, ensuring the journal’s required ethical and scientific standards.
4. 2. Open Access Statement
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is an open access publication, meaning that all content is freely available at no cost to users or their institutions. The journal provides immediate and unrestricted access to its content, in accordance with the principle of disseminating scientific knowledge.
Articles are published under the Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0), which allows use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the author(s) and the original source.
In line with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access, users are permitted to read, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts of articles, or use them for any lawful purpose without prior permission from the publisher or authors.
The opinions and concepts expressed in the articles are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or its editorial board.
4. 3. Copyright and Intellectual Property
By publishing in the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia, authors agree to the following terms:
Articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0), which allows:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format;
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.
These permissions are irrevocable, provided the following terms are respected:
Attribution — authors must be properly credited, with a link to the license and indication of any modifications made;
No additional restrictions — no legal or technological measures may be applied that restrict the use permitted by the license.
Notices:
The license does not apply to elements in the public domain or covered by legal exceptions.
The license does not grant all rights required for specific uses (e.g., image rights, privacy, or moral rights).
The journal is not responsible for opinions expressed in the articles, which remain the sole responsibility of the authors. The Editor, with the support of the Editorial Committee, reserves the right to suggest or request modifications when necessary.
Only original scientific articles presenting research results of interest, not previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal with the same purpose, will be accepted.
References to trademarks or specific products are intended solely for identification purposes and do not imply any promotional endorsement by the authors or the journal.
License Agreement: Authors retain copyright over their articles and grant the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia the right of first publication.
4. 4. Ethical Commitment
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia maintains a strong commitment to upholding ethical standards related to published articles, as well as to the evaluation and publication processes.
The journal’s ethical decisions and procedures are based on the following documents:
CNS Resolution No. 466, December 12, 2012 (Ethics in Research Involving Human Subjects);
CNS Resolution No. 510, April 7, 2016 (Ethics in Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences);
Document from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) – Ethics and Integrity in Scientific Practice (available at: https://www.gov.br/cnpq/pt-br/composicao/comissao-de-integridade).
4. 5. Authorship and Contribution Policies
The journal adopts strict criteria for authorship. All listed authors must have made a significant contribution to the conception, development, or writing of the article, and no deserving author may be omitted. It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure that all individuals meeting the authorship criteria are properly acknowledged. This policy aims to ensure transparency, proper attribution of credit, and the integrity of the academic work.
4. 6. Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest in research occurs when one or more participants in the process — including researchers, editors, or reviewers — have affiliations or interests that may compromise the integrity of the research or limit impartiality in the evaluation of the study. For the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia, authors must complete a Cover Letter indicating whether or not a conflict of interest exists. This letter must be submitted together with the manuscript.
4. 7. Post-Publication Correction Policies
Any additions or modifications to the submitted manuscript must be made exclusively before acceptance and only if approved by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief will consider text additions or modifications after acceptance only under exceptional circumstances. While the Editor-in-Chief reviews such a request, the publication of the manuscript will be temporarily suspended.
Similarly, changes or additions to authorship are permitted only during the review stage, following a formal and justified request submitted by the authors.
However, if an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their responsibility to immediately notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate with the editor to correct the article.
4. 7 .1. Addendum Publication Policies
The publication of an Addendum occurs when no text corrections are needed, but additional information regarding a previously published document must be included. Addenda do not contradict the original publication and are not intended to correct errors; they should be used only when adding information enhances the reader’s understanding of a significant part of the published contribution. See: Guide for the Registration, Tagging, and Publication of Addenda.
4. 7. 2. Retraction Publication Policies
A previously published article in the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia in which misconduct is identified will remain indexed in the journal’s database as retracted.
The procedure for registering a retraction of a published article in the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia will begin upon receipt of a formal notification sent to the Editor-in-Chief at: revistaseletronicas@unijui.edu.br. The notification must include the text of the retraction, specifying the reasons why the article is being retracted. See: Guide for the Registration, Tagging, and Publication of Retractions
4. 7. 3. Erratum Publication Policies
In cases where an erratum is required, provided it does not involve misconduct, it must be issued in accordance with the Guide for the Registration, Tagging, and Publication of Errata.
4. 8. Complaints Management Policy
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is committed to receiving complaints and providing information about its editorial process. If a complaint is received alleging that any contribution to the journal violates intellectual property rights or contains material inaccuracies or illegal content, an investigation will be initiated. This process may include requesting evidence from the parties involved to support their claims. The journal will make a good-faith decision regarding the removal of the allegedly unlawful material, and all steps of the investigation and decision-making process will be properly documented by the editorial team.
We acknowledge our commitment to ensuring that the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia maintains the highest standards of quality and accuracy, while understanding that occasional errors may occur. The Editor-in-Chief and the journal team will make every effort to promptly and appropriately correct any issues, including providing the right of reply when necessary. Complaints are investigated impartially, with attention to improving systems to prevent errors whenever possible.
To submit complaints or request information about the editorial process, the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia can be contacted at: revistaseletronicas@unijui.edu.br
4. 9. Ethical Principles of the Editorial Process
a) Editorial Independence: The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is committed to maintaining full editorial independence, ensuring that political, economic, or commercial factors do not influence its decisions and processes.
b) Equality and Inclusion: The journal guarantees that authors, editors, and reviewers are treated equitably, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnicity, nationality, or political ideology.
c) Mutual Respect: The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia ensures that interactions among authors, reviewers, and editors are always conducted with mutual respect. Any form of offensive or disrespectful communication is not tolerated.
d) Transparency and Communication: The journal is committed to transparency throughout the editorial process and to clear, open communication among editors, authors, and reviewers.
4. 10. Duties of the Editor
a) Publication Decision: The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be accepted for publication, based on the reports of the ad hoc reviewers.
b) Confidentiality: The editor must ensure the confidentiality of all information related to a submitted manuscript, sharing it only with the assigned ad hoc reviewers.
c) Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: The editor must not use unpublished material from a submitted manuscript in their own research without the author’s explicit written consent. Additionally, the editor must refrain from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, whether competitive, collaborative, or arising from other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions related to the manuscript.
d) Engagement and Cooperation in Investigations: The editor must take the necessary and appropriate actions in response to ethical complaints related to a submitted manuscript or a published article.
4. 11. Duties of Ad Hoc Reviewers
a) Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Contribute to editorial decisions through a thorough and informed review.
b) Timeliness: Submit evaluations on time. Any reviewer who does not feel qualified to assess the manuscript or cannot meet the deadline must immediately notify the editor.
c) Confidentiality: Treat manuscripts received for review as confidential documents and must not show or discuss them with others.
d) Objectivity: Maintain objectivity in evaluations, expressing opinions clearly and with sound justification.
e) Identification of Relevant References: Identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors.
f) Alert on Similarities: Notify the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published article of which they have personal knowledge.
g) Conflicts of Interest: Inform the editor of any conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, companies, or institutions related to the manuscript, and abstain from reviewing the manuscript in such cases.
4. 12. Double-Blind Peer Review Process
To ensure impartiality and maintain high-quality standards in our publications, submitted manuscripts are evaluated through a double-blind peer review system. The responsibilities of the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia include:
a) Review Structure: Provide reviewers with the necessary resources to conduct the evaluation properly.
b) Ethical Guidelines: Encourage reviewers to act in accordance with established ethical guidelines.
c) Anonymity: Ensure that both parties (authors and reviewers) remain anonymous throughout the review process.
d) Investigation of Irregularities: Investigate any indications of fraudulent or manipulated review processes.
4. 13. Archiving Policy
The journal is published and archived using the Open Journal System (OJS), developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), a multi-university initiative that promotes open access and advances academic publishing. OJS is free software for managing and publishing scholarly journals.
The content is also preserved by the Brazilian Network of Digital Preservation Services (Rede Cariniana). As an initiative of the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT), Rede Cariniana participates in the Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe (LOCKSS) program.
LOCKSS is open-source software developed by the Stanford University Library that preserves selected online journals by regularly harvesting newly published content and archiving it. Each archive is continuously validated against copies held by other libraries. If content becomes corrupted or lost, these copies are used for restoration.
Additionally, institutional archiving is performed, with daily backups to ensure the preservation and security of all published content.
4. 14. Dissemination Policy – Websites and Social Media
The Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia is committed to widely disseminating published research to the academic community, professionals, and society at large. Our dissemination strategy includes the following actions:
Monthly Mailing: A monthly newsletter is sent with newly published articles to authors, researchers, and reviewers registered with the journal. This newsletter aims to keep our community informed and engaged with the latest contributions to the field of Human Rights.
Outreach to Civil Society: To reach a broader audience and promote public understanding of research, the journal publishes accessible summaries of studies on the social media channels of Editora Unijuí. The texts are presented clearly and understandably to ensure that anyone, regardless of expertise, can appreciate the impact of the research. This outreach is conducted via Instagram® at @editoraunijui.
Through these strategies, the Revista Direitos Humanos e Democracia aims not only to enhance the academic and professional visibility of its articles but also to contribute to public education and engagement with science and research in the field of Human Rights.
4. 15. Privacy Policy
The names and contact information provided to this journal will be used exclusively for services related to the publication and will not be shared for other purposes or with third parties.
Last updated: October 29, 2025.
