Submissions

Author Guidelines

March 31, 2026

Text Formatting Rules

• Submission Language: Portuguese, English, or Spanish (All  submission documents must be in the same language);
• Publication Language: English (If accepted, RBGN oversees language translation/revision)
• Length: 4,000–8,000 words (including references, tables, and figures).
• Paper size: A4 (29.7 × 21 cm).
• Margins: 2.54 cm (1 in.) on all sides.
• File format: Microsoft Word (Windows).
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
• Line spacing: Double-space all text, including headings and the reference list.
• Paragraphs: Left-aligned (ragged right), first-line indent 0.5 in. (1.27 cm). Do not justify the text.
• Headings: Use APA’s five heading levels (format-based hierarchy). Do not number sections/subsections. Bold text is only used for titles and to emphasize a phrase and/or word.
• Foreign words: Use italics for words used as linguistic examples or when a term is not in common usage in the manuscript language.
• In-text citations: Use the author–date system. Include page numbers only for direct quotations (and when otherwise needed to locate content precisely).

 Direct quotations:

- Fewer than 40 words: incorporate into the text with double quotation marks.

- 40+ words: present as a block quotation, indented 0.5 in., without quotation marks (double-spaced).

• Tables and figures: Use APA conventions for numbering, titles, notes, and callouts in text. Tables and Figures must also be provided in editable separate files and must be in black and white. Colored figures are not allowed.
• Notes: RBGN does not use footnotes. If necessary, such comments should be included as endnotes, numbered sequentially in the body of the text and presented at the end of the article before the list of references. The thank you notes, or others that identify the author, may be added to the final version if the article is approved for publication.
• Voice and person: Maintain consistency (first person is acceptable; avoid mixing styles).
• Pagination: Include the number of pages (in Arabic numerals: 1,2,3...) in the upper right corner.
• References: Begin on a new page titled "References" (it cannot be numbered, follow the same formatting as the other sections, in bold). Use double spacing throughout the list and a 1.27 cm (0.5 inch) French indent for each entry, organized alphabetically by the author's last name (and chronologically when applicable), according to the general style and formatting rules available in the APA (7th edition) guidelines.

Textual Structure

• Title: Presented on the title page, centered, bold, in the selected font.
• Body of text: Typically includes Introduction, Literature Review, Method, Results, Discussion/Conclusion, and References (section labels may vary).
• Appendices / research instruments: When required, label as Appendix ( Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.). Each appendix must have a clear title (centered and bold) and must be submitted as a separate file from the main manuscript document.

Based on the criteria for permanence of journals in the Scielo Brasil Collection (2017) and by determination of its Editorial Board, from January 2018, RBGN requires authors to include, as an appendix, the research instruments used in the study, including:

(i) questionnaires

(ii) interview scripts/protocols

(iii) scales

(iv) coding schemes/criteria, among others

The objective of this measure is to contribute to the reproducibility of research.

Authors who do not meet this requirement will have their manuscripts rejected in the format evaluation (preliminary step to desk-review).

Supplementary Documentation

• Authors’ biography It is MANDATORY for authors to send, at the time of submission, as supplementary documentation, the biography of all authors, informing ORCID, name, title, institutional affiliation, city/country of origin and title, following the journal’s template: https://rbgn.fecap.br/RBGN/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/7
• Structured abstract: It is MANDATORY for authors to send, at the time of submission, as supplementary documentation, a structured abstract of the articles in the same language (with a maximum limit of 250 words), following RBGN’s standardized model. The structured abstract must be submitted as a separate file and must not be included in the anonymized manuscript. A template is available; authors should use the guiding questions as support and delete them before submission: https://rbgn.fecap.br/RBGN/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/8

Note. In addition to uploading the structured abstract as a separate file, authors must also paste the abstract into the ScholarOne system. In ScholarOne, the abstract must not include keywords or any additional punctuation (e.g., bullets, numbering). Please use the format below, with each item on a new line:

Purpose –

Theoretical Framework –

Design/methodology/approach –

Findings –

Research, Practical & Social Implications –

Originality/value –

• Open Science Compliance Form (completed and uploaded – see instructions below).
• Optional materials: datasets, code, instruments, and other materials supporting reproducibility, provided in separate files.

Open Science Guidelines

• Read our Open Science Policy https://rbgn.fecap.br/RBGN/openaccess
• Read our Artificial Intelligence Policy https://rbgn.fecap.br/RBGN/artificialintelligencepolicy
• Complete and upload the RBGN Open Science Declaration Form: https://rbgn.fecap.br/RBGN/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/6

Some considerations regarding the form:

- RBGN accepts submissions of manuscripts that have been deposited and/or published on preprint servers (e.g., SciELO Preprints). In such cases, authors must provide the corresponding DOI(s).

- When required, authors must deposit data and/or research materials in a public repository and cite any supplementary files in the manuscript text (see articles published in our archive for examples).

- Even if no AI tools were used, you must select “YES” for the disclosure question, allowing us to state that AI was not involved in your manuscript

Final acceptance is conditional on receipt/verification of data and materials. RBGN asks authors to share in a public data repository all the information necessary to reproduce the submitted research, including information that is only implicit in the article. Such information will only be disclosed together with the eventual definitive publication of the article. The final approval of the articles is conditioned to the receipt and verification of the open data and materials.

Moreover, effective January 2021—and except in cases authorized by the editorial team—authors must share the data and research materials underlying the submission, in accordance with the guidelines below.

1. Data source

• Primary data* : sharing is mandatory.
• Secondary data: sharing is mandatory.
• Re-used data: sharing is mandatory.
• Proprietary data** : when data sharing is not possible, authors must, where feasible, provide the codes/commands needed to access the data from the original source and include the variable names/titles as defined by that source.

* Cases not provided for in these guidelines will be dealt with by the Editor-in-Chief of RBGN, and by the Editorial Board when necessary.

** Examples include subscription databases (e.g., Economática, KLD, Eikon).

In exceptional cases, exemptions may be granted with appropriate justification. When data cannot be shared, authors may be required to submit a dated and signed statement from participants and/or the organizations studied confirming that data sharing is not permitted.

     2. Methodological procedures

• Qualitative studies: provide any models referenced in the text (whether used or only mentioned) and share the commands/scripts and outputs generated in the software used (e.g., do-files and results).
• Quantitative studies: provide research protocols referenced but not fully included in the manuscript (e.g., questionnaires, interview scripts, pre-tests), share outputs from the software used (e.g., NVivo, ATLAS.ti, Stata, R), and report any methodological procedures that are implicit but necessary to reproduce the analysis.

Evaluation Criteria and Process

• The criteria for the evaluation of articles take into account: Relevance, originality, theoretical contribution, clarity, bibliographic adequacy, structure, methodology, and discussion quality.
• The evaluation process of articles submitted to RBGN takes place in the following stages: preliminary check → desk review → double-blind review → decision (accept/revise/reject) → final editorial approval.

- Desk-review: At this stage, the Editor analyzes the scientific format of the manuscript in terms of objectives, theoretical framework, language and methodology, verifying the article's framing within the editorial scope of the journal and the potential contribution of the research. This task is divided between the general editor and the assistant editors, each in their area of expertise. If approved by the editors, the articles are sent to the double blind review.

- Double blind review: the article and other supplementary documents are sent to at least two evaluators with a doctoral degree, who do not have any kind of connection with the authors of the manuscript and who have experience in the topic and/or methods in question, for the due assessment;

- After the work receives the opinions from the double blind review stage, the editor sends the authors the result by e-mail, which may refer to one of the following three situations:

Approval: the article has been accepted for publication and the authors must take the other appropriate measures mentioned in these guidelines for it to be published.

Review: the authors must make the suggested adjustments, or present the appropriate arguments for not proceeding. The authors' versions aimed at meeting the revisions requested by the reviewers should always be accompanied by a respective draft clarifying the changes made and explaining the reasons for those not being met. The deadline for delivery of the revised article is determined by the editor and informed to the authors according to the requested review. After delivery of the revised article, it is again submitted to the referees to verify the changes. The review may involve several rounds until the final approval or rejection of the manuscript is reached.

Rejection: the article was not accepted for publication according to the justification presented by the editor based on the evaluation of the reviewers, who reflect the improvements to be made in the text.

It is up to the Editor, after the opinion of the evaluators, to review and approve the final version of the work.

During the entire editorial process, authors can monitor the status of the evaluation, and may appeal against decisions.