About the Journal
Studia Africana (ISSN: 1130-5703) is a scientific journal of African Studies and welcomes critical research on the social dynamics in Africa, based on illustrative, qualitative, and quantitative approaches. The journal will encourage innovative contributions from scholars that not only reflect current conceptual thinking but also draw from the continent to question current theoretical and methodological paradigms. With an active editorial and scientific board including academics from various disciplines based in African and international universities, Studia Africana aims to foster an interdisciplinary and global conversation from, with, and about Africa. Articles, book reviews, or essays from established or emerging scholars and researchers wishing to disseminate their research findings through scientific publications will be accepted.
Studia Africana is an electronic journal published biannually (two issues per year) that publishes original academic articles written in Spanish, Catalan, English, French, and Portuguese, related to African Studies and its diasporas from any discipline, as well as unpublished book reviews on these topics. The goal of the journal is to promote the creation, publication, and dissemination of research works by researchers and students specializing in these subjects.
The Studia Africana journal was an initiative of the Centre d'Estudis Africans, where it was founded in 1990, and it was printed annually since then. A total of 23 volumes were published until 2013, when the journal ceased its activity. The journal was revived at the request of the University of Barcelona in 2024, with the publication of a new issue in this second era in 2025. The older volumes are available on this open-access website for consultation and dissemination.
In this new phase, Studia Africana aims to reach a high level of scientific and academic quality, with national and international projection, fulfilling all the requirements of high-quality academic publications.
The Editorial Committee and Scientific Board of Studia Africana are composed of faculty members from Spanish and international universities, with particular prominence given to academics from African universities. Efforts have been made to ensure that both committees include a sufficiently large number of specialists to cover all disciplines. At least 80% of the Editorial Committee is composed of individuals from institutions outside the editorial bodies (the University of Barcelona and the University of Girona). Regarding the Scientific Committee, more than 80% of its members are from outside this university, with more than 50% belonging to foreign institutions. Both committees will ensure the journal's quality.
Peer Review Process (Double Blind)
In the first phase of article submission, works that do not comply with the journal’s formatting requirements and editorial guidelines will be returned to the authors for modification. Articles that meet the format and guidelines will undergo a double-blind review process: initially, the Editorial Committee will select the submitted works, assessing whether they meet the quality standards required for academic publications and if the topic aligns with the journal's scope. In the second phase, articles that pass the initial selection will be anonymously reviewed by two experts in the relevant field through the double-blind system.
To maintain anonymity, authors must avoid citing themselves in the first person and ensure that all documents are anonymized. If the reviews produce conflicting evaluations, the Editorial Committee will request a third report and will make a final decision regarding the article's publication. The Editorial Committee’s decision will be final. The journal will aim to expedite the review process, expecting a response within six months from the submission date. Authors should not submit their article to other journals while awaiting the evaluation results.
Once both reviews are positive, the article will be sent back to the author to apply the suggested modifications. Authors will have a maximum deadline to return the corrected articles, along with a report listing the changes made according to the evaluation suggestions.
The evaluation process is described in more detail in the "Submissions" section.
Publication Frequency
Studia Africana is a semi-annual publication with two issues per year: July and December.
Code of Ethical Conduct
The journal will adhere to the Ethical Code and Good Practices of the University of Barcelona and the Code of Good Research Practices and is committed to the principles set forth by the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE). This guide outlines the ethical procedures for authors, editorial committees, and reviewers.
- Authors
Authors must commit to conducting their research ethically and responsibly. Their works should be original and unpublished, avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and the multiple publication of the same work. Proper citations to sources must be provided, and the invention, distortion, or manipulation of data should be avoided. Failure to comply with these aspects may result in public disqualification of the articles.
Likewise, information extracted from debates and forums with others cannot be used without permission. Regarding images and graphics, authors must always provide authorship and express permission for reproduction.
Authors must refrain from submitting articles that are currently under review by other journals. Once submitted to the journal, the original articles cannot be sent to another journal or publisher until the evaluation process is complete.
- Editorial Committee
The members of the Editorial Committee must ensure the quality of the publications, avoid malpractice, and work to streamline the publication timelines.
It is the responsibility of the Editorial Committee to manage the evaluation process of submitted texts impartially, respecting different viewpoints. Committee members must maintain confidentiality regarding the articles and their contents until publication. They must not use any information extracted for their own research purposes.
The Editorial Committee will consider, at the authors' request, the exclusion of certain individuals from the evaluation of a work, provided that the reasons are justified. However, this will not be obligatory for the committee.
The editorial committees will also recognize the work of the reviewers, issuing credentials and certificates when necessary after successfully completing their tasks.
The Editorial Committee must aim to avoid research malpractice. If minor misuses are noticed in a received manuscript, the author will be invited to correct it, and it will be rejected if substantial parts are affected.
If malpractice is identified after the article is published, the Editorial Committee will seek clarifications from the author, and after evaluating the explanations, will take further action. If only part of the work contains errors, it may be resolved through a published erratum. If malpractice affects a substantial portion of the article, it must be publicly discredited.
- Reviewers
If reviewers have any relationship with the authors of the text they are reviewing, they must refrain from participating in the process.
Their work must be completely confidential, both during the review process and afterward. Reviewers may not use the evaluated content for personal benefit and must respect the opinions and intellectual stance of the authors, judging the works objectively and impartially, showing respect, constructively correcting possible errors, and providing suggestions for improvement regarding the content, formal presentation, writing, and bibliography used in the articles.
If any malpractice is detected in the reviewed work, the reviewers must notify the Editorial Committee so that the appropriate decision can be made.
Reviewers must submit their reports within the agreed time frame. If they are unable to complete the task on time or do not consider themselves qualified to evaluate the work, they must inform the Editorial Committee as soon as possible. Although flexible, the maximum period for evaluating an article is one month from the receipt of the text by the reviewer.
Plagiarism Detection Policy
The journal will ensure compliance with good research practices according to the University of Barcelona’s codes of conduct, avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and multiple publications. If reviewers or the editorial committee find any cases of malpractice, a procedure for evaluation will be established. Additionally, all received articles will be submitted to a plagiarism detection tool, and action will be taken if any malpractice is detected.
Good Editorial Practices in Gender Equality
Studia Africana will promote gender equality, ensuring that the percentages of women and men involved in its various committees are balanced. The journal will also strive for gender parity among evaluators of the works. The journal includes the full names of the authors of the works it publishes.
In line with the principle of gender equality, the journal uses inclusive and non-sexist language and encourages its use by authors. It is recommended to replace generic masculine terms with other non-discriminatory terms (such as collective nouns or adjectives without gender markers), avoid expressions that perpetuate gender stereotypes, and use strategies to achieve as inclusive language as possible, following the guidelines set by the United Nations for gender-inclusive language.
Research works will seek to avoid gender biases that use the masculine as the universal reference. In this regard, it is advisable to consult the manual Gender in Research by the European Community and, where applicable, report on sex in research involving people, presenting disaggregated results by sex.
Open Access Policy
This journal is committed to open access to knowledge and its free dissemination, fostering the exchange of knowledge between the Global North and South.
All articles published in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Authors will retain ownership of their works and may publish their articles, after acceptance and publication in Studia Africana, in other media or in institutional or thematic open access repositories without needing to seek permission, as long as they indicate that they were previously published in Studia Africana. In order to expand the readership, the journal encourages authors to share their works in open access repositories and on scientific social media.
Funding Sources Disclosure Policy
If the articles are the result of research that has received any type of public or private funding, the author must explicitly declare it in the submission by filling out the corresponding field in the metadata section. Once the article passes the evaluation, a footnote will be added after its title indicating whether it has received funding or was part of a research project.
