Submissions
Author Guidelines
Summary of the publication process
Before reading the detailed guidelines, the main editorial steps are summarised below.
1. Preparation
Prepare the manuscript with the journal template and check the submission checklist.
2. Submission
Send the prepared document through the journal website.
3. Editorial screening
Preliminary assessment by the journal editors.
4. External review
Double-blind peer review by two specialists.
5. Decision
Acceptance, revisions, new review round or rejection.
6. Revision
Author revisions when requested.
7. Publication
Final validation, final layout and open-access publication.
PART I — EDITORIAL POLICIES OF THE JOURNAL
1. Scope and scientific orientation
The journal receives contributions that fall, explicitly or implicitly, within issues related to the Piagetian tradition, whether with the aim of deepening them, discussing them, putting them to the test, or rereading them in light of contemporary research. Particular encouragement is given to works that articulate perspectives drawn from different disciplines, provided that they maintain theoretical coherence and conceptual rigor.
In general terms, priority is given to contributions that engage in dialogue with one or more of the following axes:
- Epistemology: models of knowledge, genesis of concepts, scientific normativity, relations between disciplines.
- Developmental psychology: processes, structures, and dynamics of human development; interaction, socialization, and practice.
- History of knowledge: constitution, transformation, and historical circulation of scientific knowledge.
- Education and learning: learning and intervention processes, educational and pedagogical devices; didactic, clinical, or institutional approaches.
2. Languages of publication
Episteme accepts manuscripts written in three languages: French, English, and Spanish.
3. Types of contributions accepted
3.1. Scientific articles
Episteme receives original scientific articles of a theoretical or empirical nature, related to the scope of the journal.
- Theoretical articles: conceptual developments, historical or epistemological analyses, critical discussions, argumentative reviews, and framework proposals.
- Empirical articles: qualitative, quantitative, or mixed studies; clinical or intervention research (where applicable); analyses of documentary or archival corpora with explicit methodology.
Length
- Between 6,000 and 8,000 words, excluding bibliographic references.
- If the manuscript exceeds 8,000 words, prior consultation with the journal’s editors is recommended.
Publication modalities
- Online first: accepted articles are published individually as soon as the editorial process is completed.
- Special thematic issues (special issues): dossiers coordinated by invited editors, under the supervision of the editorial team.
For special thematic issues, authors are encouraged to contact directly the editor responsible for the issue in question.
3.2. Commentaries and discussions (Invited Commentaries)
Episteme publishes, on an occasional basis, critical commentaries in response to articles selected as “target articles.”
- Publication exclusively by invitation of the editorial team.
- Spontaneous discussions are not accepted.
- Maximum length of 2,500 words, excluding references, unless expressly indicated by the editors.
- Written in French, English, or Spanish.
4. Originality and submission conditions
Submission of a manuscript implies that:
- the work has not been previously published, either in whole or in substantial part;
- it is not under simultaneous evaluation by another journal or publisher;
- all listed authors approve the submission;
- the order of authorship has been agreed upon in advance.
Any reuse of previously published materials (tables, figures, extended excerpts, data, or appendices) must be transparently indicated and appropriately justified.
Brief quotations and reuses falling under the right of quotation are accepted when they are clearly identified, properly referenced, and compliant with applicable rights. Prior dissemination as a preprint, working paper, or institutional deposit does not automatically exclude a submission, provided that it is declared at the time of submission and does not correspond to a peer-reviewed publication already issued in its final form.
5. Policy on translations
As a general rule, Episteme does not accept translations of texts that have already been published, regardless of the original language or the previous publication venue.
On an exceptional basis, the editorial team may consider the publication of translations of historical texts, manuscripts, or other documents of particular scientific relevance when their unavailability, difficult access, or singularity justifies their dissemination, and always subject to specific editorial evaluation.
6. Editorial process and peer review
6.1. Preliminary editorial evaluation
All submissions undergo an initial editorial review aimed at verifying their relevance to the journal’s scope, the clarity of the problem addressed, and compliance with minimum formal requirements.
At this stage, the editorial team may reject a submission or request adjustments prior to external peer review.
6.2. Double-blind peer review
Manuscripts that pass the preliminary editorial evaluation are sent for peer review through a double-blind process.
- Authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.
- Reviewers do not know the identity of the authors.
6.3. Signed review (optional)
Reviewers may choose to remain anonymous or to voluntarily sign their review report.
6.4. Evaluation criteria
Episteme applies a double-blind peer review process based on criteria of scientific quality, conceptual clarity, originality, and relevance to the field.
Peer review is conceived as a process of critical dialogue within the scientific community, oriented toward the strengthening of arguments rather than as a mere mechanism of selection.
The detailed article evaluation criteria are available on the journal’s website: https://oap.unige.ch/journals/epia/grille-evaluation
6.5. Ethics, scientific integrity, and institutional standards
Episteme is governed by principles of scientific integrity and by internationally recognized ethical standards, in particular the guidelines and regulations in force at the University of Geneva (UNIGE).
Authors are encouraged to consult the UNIGE guidelines on scientific integrity and, where applicable, the standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Where applicable, manuscripts must indicate approval by a competent ethics committee, as well as the procedures used for informed consent and data protection.
6.6. Conflicts of interest
Authors must declare any financial or non-financial interest that could be perceived as potentially influencing the content of the manuscript.
- In the absence of conflicts of interest, this must be explicitly stated.
- Members of the editorial team who participate as authors are subject to the same evaluation criteria as other submissions and will not take part in the editorial process of their own manuscripts.
6.7. Use of artificial intelligence tools
Generative AI tools do not meet criteria for authorship.
- Their use must be declared when they have contributed in a substantive way to the preparation of the manuscript.
- Use for superficial stylistic or grammatical correction does not require declaration, under full human responsibility for the final content.
6.8. Open access and license
Episteme is an immediate open-access journal.
- No article processing charges or publication fees (APCs) are applied.
- There are no embargoes.
- There are no access costs for readers.
Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0), within a Diamond Open Access model.
License deed: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en
PART II — AUTHOR GUIDELINES
7. Authorship and responsibility
Authorship entails shared responsibility for the content of the work.
- The order of authorship must have been agreed upon in advance by all authors.
- In manuscripts with more than one author, a corresponding author shall be designated, responsible for communication with the journal and for transmitting editorial information to the rest of the author team.
8. Formal preparation of the manuscript
Length of manuscripts
- Scientific articles: between 6,000 and 8,000 words, excluding bibliographic references.
- Commentaries and discussions: up to 2,500 words, excluding references, unless expressly indicated by the editors.
- If the indicated limits are exceeded, prior consultation with the journal’s editors is recommended.
Format and presentation
Formatting templates are available on the journal’s website: https://oap.unige.ch/journals/epia/templates
- Submission exclusively in Word format (.docx).
- Page numbering should not be included.
- Use of a standard font (for example, Arial 11) and 1.5 line spacing.
Abstract and keywords
- Abstract of between 150 and 250 words.
- Between 4 and 6 keywords.
Figures and tables
- Must be cited in the text and numbered consecutively.
- All figures must always include a title or descriptive caption.
9. Bibliographic references
Bibliographic references must conform to APA format (6th or 7th edition), with one edition applied consistently throughout the manuscript and without mixing the two styles.
- The reference list must include only works cited in the text.
- Each reference must include the DOI of the resource whenever one exists.
9.1. Data, materials, and corpora
When the nature of the work requires it, authors are encouraged to clearly describe the conditions of access to the data, materials, documentary corpora, or empirical sources used.
- In empirical research, authors should indicate, where applicable, whether the data can be consulted, under what conditions, and with what restrictions.
- In work based on archives, manuscripts, or historical corpora, authors are encouraged to specify the location, state of preservation, and conditions of access to the sources.
10. Manuscript submission
Manuscripts are submitted exclusively through the journal’s web platform: https://oap.unige.ch/journals/epia
Submissions by email are not accepted.
11. Contact
For general editorial inquiries, the journal may be contacted through the following generic address:
For proposals or inquiries related to special thematic issues, authors are encouraged to contact directly the editor responsible for the issue concerned.
Mentioned resources
Submission Preparation Checklist
All submissions must meet the following requirements.
- The submission has not been previously published and is not currently under consideration by another journal. If necessary, an explanation has been provided in the “Comments to the Editor” field.
- The submission file is in Microsoft Word (.docx) format and has been formatted using the provided article template, unless another format has been agreed in advance with the editorial team.
- The manuscript includes an abstract of 150 to 250 words and between 4 and 6 keywords.
- The length of the manuscript complies with the journal’s requirements for the type of contribution submitted.
- The manuscript complies with the formal, stylistic, and bibliographic requirements described in the publication guide and the Author guidelines.
- References follow APA style (6th or 7th edition), with one of the two editions applied consistently throughout the manuscript and without mixing criteria from both editions; the final reference list includes only works cited in the text.
- Where available, DOIs have been provided for bibliographic references.
Copyright Notice
Articles published in Episteme. Journal of the Jean Piaget Center are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). The journal operates under the Diamond Open Access model.
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.
