Procedures

 

 Before starting - information 

 

Manuscript submission requirements

Manuscripts are sent to the journal Nova Geodesia using exclusively the electronic platform. Submissions of manuscripts or correspondence by e-mails are not accepted.

In the process of uploading the manuscript on the electronic journal platform, the authors must complete the metadata fields on the journal platform, once the manuscript has been uploaded) and upload three documents (1. Manuscript; 2. Cover letter. 3. Author Statement; all of these are presented in 'Author Guidelines' section - 'DOCUMENTS TO BE UPLOADED' - and can be downloaded as Word in order to be used).

Before sending the manuscript to Nova Geodesia, it is mandatory that the authors verify the following first conditions:

• The manuscript must be original. It has not been previously published (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review or thesis) and it has not been submitted simultaneously for consideration in another journal.
• All authors had substantial contributions to the work (please revise the criteria for authorship on the ICMJE page) and each author agrees to its publication. They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements and they secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere. 
• The manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the editorial guidelines (Word file) and in addition to the manuscript, there are ready for upload on the e-platform the Author Statement and Cover Letter (as presented in the instructions for authors).
• The norms and ethical principles outlined in the 'Publication Ethics' section are observed

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the imposed items (Submission Preparation Checklist), and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines. 

To make a submission, the authors are invited to use:

• Log in (those who already have an account on the site) 
• Register (those who do not have an account on the site) 

The author assigned as the corresponding author has the responsibility to ensure that all data in the manuscript, including the ethical and scientific conduct of the research, metadata information, the authors and their affiliations, and the individual contributions to the study and the Acknowledgements section are accurate and complete. The corresponding author (or the submitting author) is responsible for ensuring that the manuscript and all metadata are correct.

 

Copyright and Licensing

The manuscripts published in Nova Geodesia journal are licensed and distributed under the terms and conditions of the CC BY International license, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which provides:

• Full and free access to the article for the academic and scientific community.
• Possibility to reuse or reproduce the article by properly quoting the original published version.
• Maximum exposure and capitalization of the work, while ensuring proper credit to the author(s).

 

 © SMTCT  - Nova Geodesia journal is published under the auspices of the Society of Land Measurements and Cadastre from Transylvania (SMTCT).

 

Open Access Policy

Nova Geodesia journal provides open and immediate access to its content, with no Article Processing Charges (APCs) for authors and no subscription fees for readers, supporting a greater global exchange of knowledge and making research available to the public without cost.

After the acceptance of an manuscript, the authors retain the rights to their contribution and grant Nova Geodesia and its publisher (Society of Land Measurements and Cadastre from Transylvania – SMTCT) a non-exclusive license to correct, edit, publish, and distribute the manuscript, as well as store it in different repositories and other online digital platforms. 

Manuscripts submitted for publication must be original. They must not contain any parts, fragments of text, or images from other sources without proper permission. The permission to reproduce any published data is mandatory for all material that either does not fall into the public domain or for which copyright permission does not belong to the author(s) of the submitted manuscript. It is therefore essential that authors understand they cannot include material from other publications without obtaining permission. Before submitting the manuscript for publication, authors are strongly encouraged to obtain all necessary permissions. If there is any doubt regarding copyright, authors should seek permission directly from the copyright holder before submission.

SMTCT encourages the distribution of published material, provided that both the authors and the source (Nova Geodesia) are properly cited.

 

Publishing Process

All publishing procedures, including manuscript submission, peer review, and editorial processes, are managed through the online editorial system provided by OJS (https://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/). This also includes the correspondence between the editor-in-chief, editors, section editors, reviewers, and authors, as well as the complete set of email notifications.

All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous peer-review process, in which each paper is evaluated by at least two international reviewers, who are experts in the scientific topic of the paper. The journal operates a rigorous double-blind peer review process, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other throughout the evaluation.

In the peer-review process, the reviewers are invited to analyse in particular the relevance, soundness, significance, originality, clarity and language of the manuscript. The possible decisions include:

• 1) Accept
• 2) Accept with Minor Revisions
• 2) Accept with Major Revisions
• 3) Invite Re-submission for New Review after Major Revisions
• 5) Reject

The ultimate responsibility for editorial decisions lies with the assigned editor and the editors-in-chief. The appeals of the authors should be directed to the editors-in-chief, who may decide to seek advice from the assigned editors and reviewers.

In addition to scientific value and significance, manuscript acceptance is also subject to applicable legal requirements, including those related to libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism, but also the compliance with ethical norms and the rigours of scientific research.

 

 Roles and Responsibilities 

 

Responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief, Section Editors, and Editors

 

• Editor-in-Chief coordinates the entire publishing process and ensures the proper functionality of all compartments of the journal and the quality of publications.
• Editor-in-Chief, section editors and editors ensure the smooth running of the editorial processes and bear primary responsibility for the scientific quality of the published manuscripts.
• They ensure that manuscript acceptance and publication are based on importance, originality, clarity, and relevance. They also ensure that manuscripts align with the journal’s scope.
• They guarantee the quality of manuscripts and the integrity of the academic record.
• They verify that manuscripts comply with international standards and ethical research guidelines.
• They select suitable reviewers and maintain correspondence with them throughout the peer review process. Preserve the anonymity of reviewers, unless they later decide to disclose their identities.
• The editors are invited to focus on the scientific quality of the manuscripts, as well as on the general style, which should correspond to the good practices in academic publishing. 
• Editors may also assess manuscripts in parallel with reviewers, to help ensure the reliability and consistency of the peer review process. While editors are not expected to provide linguistic or copyediting services, they may contribute to improving the manuscript if time permits.
• When they notice that there are deviations or suspicions either of a scientific nature or from clear and concise academic writing, they must take action to prevent the publication of scientifically flawed or poorly written manuscripts. Any issues are discussed with the Editors-in-Chief and, if necessary, escalated to the editorial board to reach an appropriate resolution.
• They ensure that the needs of both authors and readers are considered throughout the manuscript improvement process. Appropriate measures are taken to accept only adequate manuscripts.
• Editors must avoid any conflict of interest between authors, reviewers, and board members.
• Editors must take action if they suspect misconduct and make every reasonable effort to resolve the issue in accordance with the journal’s ethical policies.

 

Responsibilities of Reviewers

• For each manuscript, reviewers are invited to analyze it and provide their opinion and report. Reviewers must be specialists in the field covered by the manuscript, holding a doctoral degree and enjoying professional and scientific recognition in that field.
• A prompt review process is encouraged, in order to communicate the editorial decision to the authors as quickly as possible and to avoid delaying their work unnecessarily.
• Manuscripts are reviewed by two or three experts, who are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest. Reviewers should not evaluate manuscripts if they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions involved in the manuscript.
• Reviewers are expected to assess whether the manuscript is scientifically sound and coherent, how original or interesting it is, and whether the quality of writing is acceptable.
• They are also encouraged to highlight articles they find particularly significant or valuable. Such articles may be given greater visibility and may even be prioritized for online publication.
• Reviewers must maintain a professional, polite, and constructive tone in their reports. Any report that is disrespectful or uninformative will be disregarded.
• Reports should begin with a very brief summary of the manuscript. This helps the editors and authors determine whether the reviewer understood the subject correctly or if the review is based on a possible misunderstanding.
• Reviewers must focus primarily on the scientific quality of the manuscript, but also consider the overall presentation and writing style, which should align with good practices in academic publishing. If a manuscript requires language editing, reviewers should note this in their report, addressing both the authors and the editor.
• In cases of major disagreement between reviewers, or between authors and reviewers, the editors may use their own judgment or consult the editors-in-chief or a relevant member of the editorial board with expertise in the manuscript’s subject area.
• In a second review round, the reviewer may be asked by the editor to evaluate the revised version of the manuscript in light of the recommendations provided during the first review.
• Other duties of reviewers include:
  • Keeping all information regarding the manuscript confidential and treating it as privileged.
  • Expressing their opinions clearly and professionally, with well-supported arguments.
  • Identifying relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors but could strengthen the research or support its hypotheses.
  • Informing the editors if they notice any substantial similarity or overlap between the submitted manuscript and another work they are familiar with.

• Reviewers are also asked to comment on the originality, structure, results, and relevance of the research. For this purpose, they may choose one or more of the four evaluation approaches described in the section "Peer Review Process", depending on their preference.

 

Responsibilities of Authors

• Authors are required to confirm that their submission complies with all of the journal’s requirements. Submissions may be returned if the uploaded manuscripts do not adhere to these guidelines.
• Authors acknowledge that the journal follows an open access (OA) policy under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which allows unrestricted access to published articles.
• Authors must certify that the manuscript is their original work, that all listed authors have substantially contributed to the development of the research, and that they take full responsibility for their contributions. All co-authors must meet the authorship criteria as defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
• The author responsible for submitting the manuscript (typically the corresponding author), with the agreement of all co-authors, is required to upload the following documents, each approved by all contributors:
  • Full details of all authors (first name, last name, institutional affiliation, and email address). The corresponding author must be clearly indicated.
  • A statement confirming the originality of the manuscript and the contributions of all authors. The submission has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal.
  • Confirmation of awareness and acceptance of the journal’s open access (OA) policy.
  • A list of five potential reviewers from countries other than those of the authors, including their affiliations and email addresses. These individuals must be qualified experts in the manuscript’s topic, capable of providing an independent and relevant evaluation. Any conflict of interest must be avoided. Suggested reviewers may or may not be selected at the editors’ discretion.
  • The manuscript file in Word format, prepared according to the journal’s requirements and using the template provided in the ‘Manuscript Model‘ from the Author Guidelines).
  • A completed cover letter, using the template provided in ‘Cover letter‘ section of the Author Guidelines).
  • The manuscript must follow the scientific structure, formatting style, and technical editing rules established by the journal (see Author Guidelines).
  • The text must be written in correct and appropriate English (British or American spelling, not both), with attention to grammar and clarity.

• Authors must accurately cite all sources used in the manuscript. It is recommended to use recent and reliable academic sources, particularly from peer-reviewed journals.
• Self-citations (of the authors or of the journal) should be avoided, except where strictly necessary for scientific argumentation and when no alternative sources are available.
• Authors are required to participate in the peer-review process and respond to any editorial or reviewer comments aimed at improving the manuscript.
• Upon acceptance, all authors must confirm their agreement with the final version of the manuscript following peer review and confirm their respective contributions.
• Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be listed as authors. Individual contributions must be detailed in a section titled "Authors' Contributions", ending with the statement: “All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
• When necessary, either during peer review or after publication, authors are obligated to correct errors or issue retractions. In such cases, they must immediately notify the assigned editor or the editors-in-chief so that appropriate action can be taken promptly.
• For studies involving human or animal subjects, ethical approval is mandatory. Authors must clearly indicate the ethics committee that granted approval and provide the corresponding ethics approval code. For research involving human participants, a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained must also be included.
• Authors should acknowledge all significant funding sources related to the research. Any support related to manuscript publication should be disclosed, typically in the Acknowledgements section.
• If no specific funding was received, the following statement should be included: “This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”
• Conflicts of interest, defined as situations where personal or institutional interests may interfere with objectivity, must be avoided. Conflicts may arise from employment, financial interests, memberships, or personal relationships.
• Authors must declare any personal or professional circumstances that may be perceived as affecting the objectivity of the research. If no conflict exists, the following statement should be included: “The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to this article.”
• Any involvement of funders in the research process, including study design, data collection, data interpretation, writing, or publication decisions, must be disclosed in the Conflict of Interest section. If the funders had no involvement, the following statement should be used: “The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results”.
• Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria should not be listed as authors, but their contributions should be acknowledged in the manuscript. Please refer to the ICMJE guidelines ("Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors") for further details.

 

● Important requirements:

● Authors are encouraged to prioritize citing sources that include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and to ensure that each reference follows the journal’s citation style. As a general rule, references should be easily identifiable and accessible through major international academic databases.

● Please use recent citations, preferably from the last 2–3 years, in significant proportion, in order to highlight the novelty and relevance of your research.

● Please avoid citing articles previously published in this journal (journal self-citation), as well as your own earlier works (author self-citation). This practice is not permitted by the editorial board, except in special cases where citing previous work is unavoidable (e.g., when a previous publication is necessary for understanding the current manuscript). In such cases, the editors will evaluate the context and ensure compliance with the journal’s ethical requirements and standards of research integrity.

● Authors are expected to be familiar with and adhere to all rules and ethical principles outlined in the 'Publication Ethics' section of the Nova Geodesia journal.

 

Nova Geodesia encourages authors to use ORCiD iD

 

Nova Geodesia strongly encourages all authors to use an ORCID iD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) when submitting manuscripts. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes each researcher from others, even those with similar names. It helps ensure proper attribution of scientific work and facilitates the connection between researchers and their contributions across multiple platforms.

Authors are asked to enter their ORCID iD in the metadata fields during the manuscript submission process on the journal platform. If you do not yet have an ORCID iD, you can easily register for free at https://orcid.org/.

Using an ORCID iD offers several important advantages:

• It ensures accurate author identification across databases and journals;

• It enables automatic linking between your research outputs and professional affiliations;

• It simplifies funding applications, CV creation, and research reporting;

• It improves visibility and recognition of your scientific activity.

Integrating ORCID iDs into the editorial process also contributes to greater transparency and interoperability between publishers, repositories, and indexing services.

"Your ORCID iD is a free, unique, persistent identifier that you own and control - forever. It distinguishes you from every other researcher across disciplines, borders, and time. You can connect your iD with your professional information—affiliations, grants, publications, peer review, and more. You can use your iD to share your information with other systems, ensuring you get recognition for all your contributions, saving you time and hassle, and reducing the risk of errors."

For more information on how to register for your ORCID iD and to learn about its benefits for researchers, please visit: https://info.orcid.org/benefits-for-researchers/