Author Guidelines
European Journal of Spatial Development (EJSD) is an open access journal providing high-quality scientific contributions to spatial planning, regional development, policy making and governance, from European and EU-related perspectives.
Please read the guidelines below, then login or register to make a submission. Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.
Article types
Research articles: EJSD publishes research articles, ranging in length between 7000 – 10.000 words (excluding abstract and references). Research articles contain a substantial empirical analysis with novel data. Research articles are subject to double-blind peer review.
Review articles: EJSD publishes review articles, ranging in length between 5000 – 7000 words (excluding abstract and references). Review articles do not contain an empirical study but centre around a literature review and theoretical discussion. Review articles are subject to double-blind peer review.
Debate Articles: EJSD publishes debate articles, ranging in length between 2000 – 4000 words. As short opinion pieces, these essays can include standpoints and critical analyses of current spatial development issues, policy debates and planning problems. Debate articles, while likely context-specific in nature, should have international relevance. Debate articles are reviewed by the journal editors.
Special Issues
The Journal welcomes special issue proposals. Please download the template for Special Issue Proposals and send the proposal via email to ejsd_editors@polito.it.
Preparing your manuscript for submission
Download the template (Libreoffice OTT or MS-Word DOTX) of EJSD Journal paper and follow the typesetting instructions, including the following information:
- Title & Subtitle: max 100 characters (not including spaces);
- Name, surname, email, affiliation (University, Department, etc..), ORCID and biography of all the authors;
- Abstract: max 200 words;
- Three to five keywords representing the main content of the article (i.e. Climate change; Urban planning; Coastal cities);
- The length of the article should be according to the type of paper (see above);
- The figures and graphs of the article should have at least a resolution of 150 dpi.
In case of images and graphs subject to copyright, please provide permissions to ejsd_admin@polito.it. Images must be commented by a brief caption;
- Author statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools at the end of the manuscript (see details below);
- Bibliographical references should be ordered alphabetically and formatted according to the APA citation style. See more information below;
- EJSD uses UK English. Please follow the Oxford English Dictionary style guide.
- The manuscript should be sent to a professional language editing by the author/s. Language proficiency is the author's responsibility. EJSD does not process the articles for language editing but will ask the authors to improve the language proficiency as a condition of publication. Manuscripts with poor language quality will be automatically rejected.
Referencing
EJSD uses the APA Formatting and Style guide (7th Edition). Basic rules for most sources include:
- All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation.
- All authors' names should be inverted (i.e., last names should be provided first).
- Authors' first and middle names should be written as initials. For example, the reference entry for a source written by Jane Marie Smith would begin with "Smith, J. M."
- Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work.
- For multiple articles by the same author, or authors listed in the same order, list the entries in chronological order, from earliest to most recent.
- When referring to the titles of books, chapters, articles, reports, webpages, or other sources, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns.
- Present journal titles in full. Capitalize all major words in the titles of journals.
- When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998).
>> Book
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name. DOI (if available)
>> Chapter in edited book
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI (if available)
>> Journal article with digital object identifier (doi):
Autor, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of journal article. Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue number), page-page. DOI
>> Webpage or piece of online content
Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of page. Retrieved from "URL" (Month Day, Year).
If the resource was written by a group or organization, use the name of the group/organization as the author:
Group name. (Year). Title of page. Retrieved from "URL" (Month Day, Year).
If the page's author is not listed, start with the title instead. Additionally, include a retrieval date when the page's content is likely to change over time:
Title of page. (Year). Site name. Retrieved from "URL" (Month Day, Year).
More information on APA Referencing and source-specific guidelines can be found here.
Journal policy on the declaration of use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools
As part of our commitment to transparency and academic integrity, all authors are asked to provide a brief statement describing whether and how artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the preparation of their manuscript. Please include a short statement at the end of your manuscript under the heading "Author statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools", choosing one of the three options:
If AI tools were not used:
“I confirm that no artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the research, analysis, or writing of this manuscript. I also confirm that all references cited in the manuscript are genuine, have been consulted by the author(s), and are not fabricated or generated by AI.”
If AI tools were used in a limited or supportive way:
“I confirm that AI tools were used only in a supportive capacity in the preparation of this manuscript (e.g. language editing, formatting, or idea organization). All substantive arguments, interpretations, and conclusions are the sole work of the author(s), and the author(s) take full responsibility for the content. I also confirm that all references cited are real, have been verified by the author(s), and are not AI-generated or fabricated.”
If AI tools were used more substantially:
“I confirm that AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript in the following ways: [brief description, e.g. language editing, summarizing notes, structuring text, data analysis, production of figures, or assisting with literature organization]. All intellectual contributions, interpretations, and final text were critically reviewed and validated by the author(s), who take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the work. I also confirm that all references cited in the manuscript are authentic, have been checked against original sources, and are not fabricated or generated by AI.”
Authors remain fully responsible for the originality of the manuscript, the accuracy of all information presented, proper citation practices, and compliance with ethical standards. If at any point in the publication process, evidence shows plagiarism, fabricated references, or other misconduct linked to the use of AI, the publication will be withdrawn, and a formal statement will be issued.
Submission
Login or register to make a submission and follow the instructions.
EJSD does not charge any author article processing charges (APC) nor article submission charges.
Submission process
Step 1. Choose the type of article to be submitted (research article/review article/debate article);
Step 2. Upload the typeset paper in .doc format;
Step 3. Fill the metadata section with all information related to all authors (name, surname, email, ORCID, URL, Affiliation, country, biography) and to the article (title, abstract, funding sources, references, keywords).
Step 4. If necessary, upload additional files (such as images, tables, etc..);
Step 5. The corresponding author and co-authors will receive a confirmation e-mail (by OJS platform) and the progress of the submission can be followed through the editorial process by logging in. Please, check the spam folder of your email if you do not receive a confirmation email.
