Editorial Policy

The Journal of Rural Economics and Sociology (RESR, in Portuguese) is maintained by the Brazilian Society of Economics, Business and Rural Sociology (Sober, in Portuguese) for over 30 years, evaluating texts in areas of Economics, Sociology and Rural Management.

RESR evaluates only unpublished articles that are a product of scientific research, written in Portuguese or English, about aspects that regard the evolution, problems, current situation, trends and changes in agriculture, agroindustry and rural issues. Articles about other aspects will evaluated by the editorial board.

To guarantee quality, plurality and amplitude of scientific contributions released on RESR, selected articles must have the following characteristics:

• Place the problem in relation to the highest level of the knowledge of areas that Sober involves;
• Must be based on approved scientific methodology;
• Present analysis and discussion of results based on theoretical and/or empirical references;
• Contribute to scientific, technological and applied knowledge;
• Represent a relevant improvement to advances of science and areas that this journal involves;
• Contribute for the improvement of public policies and management forms of institutions and public and private organizations.

Because of that, articles focused on literature review must contain a new and deep vision about a relevant subject, showing new ways to read, to refer and/or concepts. Application tests of methodologies developed in other articles will only be accepted for evaluation if present relevant contributions for the knowledge and a deep discussion of data contribution for the literature about economics, management and rural sociology.

RESR’s methodological approach involves several methods of research and analysis that can be used in scientific articles submitted to this journal, such as exploratory research, field research, case study, qualitative analysis or using quantitative and econometric methodologies. The choice of the best methodology implies a good understanding and description of obtained data. Texts cannot focus only on describing data; results must be adequately discussed in regard of its contributions for the understanding of reality and the theoretical improvement of economics, management and rural sociology areas.

The editorial process of RESR has two steps. In the first one, texts submitted through the electronic system of this journal will be evaluated by the editor and the editorial board regarding formal aspects. Then, its compatibility with the editorial line of the journal is verified. In case the article does not meet these requirements, the article will be rejected and returned to authors. In exceptional cases, editors may return the article to authors and suggest small changes to adjust the paper to the editorial.

The second step involves accepting the article for evaluation by two referees in a blind review system (online). Referees must analyze texts using the following criteria: text quality, scientific structure, adequate description of theory and methodology, contextualization of the research problem, data exposure, analysis of results and quality of conclusions. The evaluation process also takes into account contributions of the texts for the research area, the treatment of theoretical and empirical implications and the indication of a research agenda. After this, authors will be communicated of the editorial decision by e-mail.

The RESR editorial board chooses texts that will be included in each journal edition, taking into account: initial submission data, plurality of institutions of first authors, plurality of subjects (except in themed cases) and existance of international articles.

The editorial board, editorial committee, editorial council and the director council of Sober may decide, in specific cases, by the publication of themed or complementary editions. Moreover, they can suggest to authors of relevant articles to submit them for analysis, following all rules described.

RESR is not responsible for opinions, ideas, concepts and positioning presented on texts, because they are author’s entire responsibility.

Examples of research areas that are considered for evaluation on this journal: economics and agribusiness management; project management and operations in agribusiness; structures and management models in agribusiness; management of supply chains and demand in agribusiness; trading, markets and prices; macroeconomic policies and agribusiness; international trades and internationalization of agribusiness companies; agriculture, environment and sustainable development; structure and dynamics of agro-food systems and agroindustrial chains; family farming and rurality; territorial development; social issues; science, research and technology in agriculture and agribusiness; institutions and social development in agribusiness and evolution and structure of agriculture in Brazil.

REGULATION FOR SPECIAL EDITIONS (EE)

The Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural publishes four issues annually that value the plurality of themes and areas of research. However, at certain times, supplementary special numbers may be published, as the Editors, the Committee and the Editorial Board of the RESR must ensure the advancement and scientific debate in the areas in which the RESR operates. In this sense, RESR may issue call notices for special issues or group articles approved with the same theme for publication in the same volume. Special numbers must have the following thematic characteristics:

1. Disseminate articles derived from the theses and dissertations awarded by Sober;

2. Rescuing a relevant research topic by promoting the debate on it and encouraging new advances;

3. Develop a critical review of the state of the art of a given theme;

4. Systematize the debate of several authors on a theme, methodology or theory, proposing a research agenda;

5. Point out the need for exploratory research and the systematization of a research agenda on a given topic, sector dynamics, among others.

In these cases, the Editorial Office will follow the following rules for the preparation of special issues:

1. The Editor and the Committee may decide to group texts of the same theme and that have been submitted individually, in the same supplementary volume .;

2. The RESR Editor opens an invitation for interested members (individuals or groups) to make a proposal for Special Editions;

2.1 The acceptance of proposals presupposes that the proposers are willing to coordinate the evaluation and editing process, and will be associate editors of the special issue;

3. Once a proposal is accepted, a wide dissemination (call) is made to potential interested parties, which include:

3.1 Clarification that the articles are submitted to the same review standard as the rest of the RESR;

3.2 Deadline for submission of abstracts with article proposals;

3.3 Deadline for pre-selection;

3.4 Deadline for sending complete articles;

3.5 Indication that the complete articles submitted:

3.5.1 May or may not be accepted

3.5.2 Not all acceptances will be included in the EE, but they can compose other numbers (as it depends on the quantity of accepted)

4. Accepted articles may be part of Congress panels or of a specific event.

REGULATION ON SUBMISSION OF DEBATE TEXTS, REVISIONS AND NEW SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL PATHWAYS

The Editor, the Committee and the Editorial Board of the RESR must ensure the advancement and scientific debate in the areas in which the RESR operates. In this sense, they can encourage the submission of critical texts and discussion of works already published in the RESR, consolidations and theoretical and methodological advances in the general field of economics, administration, extension and rural sociology. RESR intends, with this initiative, to stimulate new works and present others that will be produced at the request of the magazine's Editorial Board.

Texts that are sent at the initiative of the authors and that dialogue with texts already published will also be accepted.

1. Rules for the presentation of texts:

* The author (s) must (in addition) send, in addition to the text, a justification, presenting the reasons that motivated them to submit it and informing if it is a revision, update of a already published text, criticism or new proposal for a theoretical-methodological advance;

* In justification, the authors must identify themselves, presenting name, title and institutional affiliation, thus assuming responsibility for their proposals, ideas and opinions issued;

* When the editorial board makes an invitation for a text to be submitted, the evaluation will be carried out by the RSER Editorial Board.

2. Evaluation of texts:

* Texts that meet the requirements of standards for presentation will be analyzed;

* The committee will be responsible for appointing a rapporteur, an expert in the text area;

* The text will be submitted to electronic publishing;

* The committee will deliberate on omitted cases.

STANDARDS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ACADEMIC REVIEWS

The Editors, Council and Committee Editorials of the RESR understand that a review must be prepared based on a thorough reading of the text, and the author must highlight the essential contributions of the work, being impartial and respectful in their criticisms and comments, and true to the thought of the reviewed author.

The review should include:

The complete reference of the book reviewed, always preceding the text itself;
full name of the reviewer, his title and institutional affiliation;
titles are optional;
the evaluation issued seeks to balance positive and negative aspects of the publication;
the book object of the academic review tends to be of a non-fictional nature;
part of the text of the review is composed of a descriptive synthesis of the organization of the book or the theme developed in it;
the review should not exceed three pages;
the reviewer should not include bibliographical references in the review, although he may quote works to support the argument.
Rhetorical movement of the review:

Presentation and initial evaluation of the book.

Evaluation of the book (comparison with other works by the author or other specialists);

Final recommendation on the book;

The general organization of the book and / or;

The subject of each part is specified and / or;

Specific parts of the book are evaluated;

The book is recommended or;

Book with restrictions or

The book is not recommended.

Elaboration of the review itself:

What is the book about?
How is the subject addressed?
For what purposes?
Who is it addressed to? Will the reader find it useful?
Who wrote it?
Does the book have any special features?
What prior knowledge is required to understand it?
Is the treatment given to the topic comprehensive?
Was the book written in an interesting and pleasant way?
Were the illustrations well chosen?
Was the book well organized?
What results from comparing this work with similar works (if any) and with other works by the same author?

Conclusion:

The review is of great importance in the scientific community, as a contributor to the development of knowledge, since it compiles information on published bibliographies issuing a judgment of value, which helps in the choice of reading.
One of the most important and indispensable factors in the preparation of a review comes to be the professional ethics of the reviewer.