The Department of Urban and Regional Planning publishes the journal Cuadernos de Investigación Urbanística (Ci[ur]) since 1993, to publicize research work conducted in the areas of urban planning, regional planning, the environment, sustainable planning, and landscape design. Its objective is to disseminate this work. The preferred language is Spanish, although articles in English, French, Italian, and Portuguese are also welcome.
Focus and scope
Presentation
The Cuadernos de Investigación Urbanística (Ci[ur]) journal has been bimonthly published since 1993 by the Department of Urbanism and Regional Planning at the School of Architecture of Madrid, with the purpose of disseminating research works conducted in the fields of Urbanism, Territorial Planning, the Environment, Sustainable Planning, and Landscape. Its objective is to spread these research contributions. The preferred language for publication is Spanish, although articles in English, French, Italian, and Portuguese are also accepted.
The journal does not follow the conventional format of a publication that includes articles by different authors, which typically address partial aspects of each research topic. While such articles are suitable for the rapid dissemination of knowledge, they are often limited in depth due to their brevity. Instead, Ci[ur] publishes extensive research reports that occupy the entirety of each issue. This format allows, especially for novice researchers, to have access to the most relevant aspects of the work and to understand in detail the process behind its development.
The physical production of Cuadernos de Investigación Urbanística is managed by the Department of Urbanism and Regional Planning at the School of Architecture of Madrid. Authors are not required to pay any fees for publishing their work. Intellectual property rights are respected, as the entire research work remains the property of the author, with permission granted by the public or private entity that funded the research. Partial reproduction is permitted under the conditions set forth by intellectual property legislation, provided the author is cited and permission is obtained from them beforehand.
To ensure the quality of the works published, all submissions undergo a peer review process conducted by experts from the Scientific Committee of the Red de Cuadernos de Investigación Urbanística (RCi[ur]). Any university that requests membership and is accepted by the Department of Urbanism and Territorial Planning at the Polytechnic University of Madrid can join this network. The sole requirement is the appointment of at least one expert from that university to serve on the journal's Scientific Committee, responsible for evaluating the submitted works for quality assurance. Universities within the RC network have the right to publish doctoral theses related to Urbanism, Territorial Planning, the Environment, Sustainable Planning, and Landscape, under the conditions outlined in the “Publish a Paper” section.
Organization of the Journal
Ci[ur] is managed by a Director, an Editorial Board, an Advisory Board, and a Scientific Committee.
The Director is responsible for the overall management of the journal, calling meetings of the Advisory Board when necessary, and presiding over them. They handle institutional relations and legal representation for Ci[ur]. Additionally, the Director may convene and preside over the Editorial Board in exceptional cases or when issues must be addressed separately from routine editorial tasks. The Director is also responsible for submitting manuscripts to the Scientific Committee reviewers and communicating their evaluations to the Editorial Board.
With the assistance of the reports from the Scientific Committee, the Editorial Board decides on which manuscripts to publish and their order of publication. The Editorial Board also manages the journal's finances and presents an annual report detailing relations with the network members, published issues, and economic management. The Editorial Board is led by a Director, who is responsible for making decisions in accordance with the Board's guidance. The Director also convenes meetings, presides over them, and organizes the journal's operations. The Editorial Director is assisted by a Managing Editor, who handles the material work of preparing each issue according to the Director's instructions, attends Editorial Board meetings with a voice but without a vote, and records the minutes.
The Advisory Board is a consultative body for Ci[ur]. Its members meet when the Department requires guidance on the general progress of the journal or when issues arise that need their input. The Director convenes and chairs these meetings and is responsible for transmitting their conclusions to the Department.
The Scientific Committee is composed of individuals appointed by each university within the Ci[ur] network (with at least one representative from each university). Its main task is to evaluate the submissions sent by the Director of the journal, based on the reviewer’s expertise. The evaluations are conducted anonymously and through a peer review process.
