Submissions

Author Guidelines

Manuscripts Papers submitted to the BSL should be formatted using the \(\texttt{BSLstyle}\) \(\LaTeX\) class with the \(\texttt{manuscript}\) option loaded, which can be downloaded from here. All prospective authors should read the "Instructions for authors" file included in the style files folder and follow the guidelines included there. Abstract and keywords are compulsory parts of each submission as they will be used in the BSL online search tools. Mind that an abstract should contain no references and the list of keywords should consist of at least 3 items. It is also recommended that each author who has an ORCID number provides it in the \(\texttt{.tex}\) source file. Authors who are unable to comply with these requirements should contact the Editorial Office in advance. 

Paper Length There is no fixed limit imposed on the length of submitted papers, however one can expect that for shorter papers, up to 18 pages long, the Editorial Board will be able to reduce the time needed for the reviewing process. 

Footnotes should be avoided as much as possible, however it is not disallowed to use them if necessary.

Bibliography should be formatted using \(B{\scriptsize IB}\TeX\) and the \(\texttt{BSLbibstyle}\) bibliography style (to be found in the style files folder). It is essential that to each bibliography item a plain DOI number (i.e., not a full link) is attached whenever applicable. If a submitted paper is accepted for publication, the author(s) should provide the bibliography file in the \(\texttt{.bib}\) format among other source files. For more details on bibliography processing the authors are referred to the "Instructions for authors". Authors unfamiliar with \(B{\scriptsize IB}\TeX\) are advised to familiarize themselves with this short tutorial or video tutorial on managing bibliographies with \(B{\scriptsize IB}\TeX\).

Affiliation and mailing addresses of all the authors should be included in the \(\texttt{\Affiliation}\) and \(\texttt{\AuthorEmail}\) fields, respectively, in the source \(\texttt{.tex}\) file.

Submission When the manuscript is ready, it should be submitted through our editorial platform, using the the Make a Submission button. If the paper is meant to be included in a special issue, the appropriate section name should be selected before submitting it. If the paper is regular, the authors can indicate the editor they would like to supervise the editorial process or leave this decision to the Editorial Office by leaving the "Comments for the Editor" section blank. For the duration of the whole editorial process of the manuscript it must not be submitted for review to any other venue.

Publication Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication and the galley proof has been revised by the authors, the article is assigned a DOI and published in its final form. The article is immediately included in the issue that is currently open for the relevant quarterly publication period and appears with final pagination. Each issue remains open throughout the quarter, during which newly accepted articles are published on a rolling basis. At the end of the quarter, the issue is closed and published online as a complete volume. Authors are notified upon publication of their article.

Copyright permission It is the authors' responsibility to obtain the necessary copyright permission from the copyright owner(s) of the submitted paper or extended abstract to publish the submitted material in the BSL.

In a nuthshell, the editrorial process consists of the following steps:

1. The authors prepare their submission in \(\LaTeX\) using the \(\texttt{BSLstyle}\) style files in accordance with the guidelines included in the "Instructions for authors" file.

2. When the manuscript is ready, the authors submit it through the journal's editorial platform, using the Make a Submission button. At this stage only a pdf file with the manuscript is required (without source files). All metadata fields for the paper, including the title, abstract, keywords, funding agencies (if applicable), and the data of all contributing authors should be filled at this point. The metadata introduced to the editorial system must be consistent with the appropriate sections of the submitted paper.

3. If the paper is submitted to a special issue, the authors should choose the appropriate section name to assign the submission to this issue. If the paper is submitted to a regular issue, the authors may suggest an editor they would like to see their submission through the editorial process by putting an appropriate comment in the "Comments for the Editor" field. Information about our Editorial Committee can be found here. If the authors leave this field empty, the Editorial Office will assign an editor to the paper based on their area of expertise.

4. After the reviewing stage the authors may be asked to revise their paper in accordance with the reviewers' remarks. In such a case, they should upload a revised version to the journal's editorial platform and attach a cover letter in which they explain how they addressed the reviewers' comments.

5. When the paper is finally accepted for publication, the authors will be asked to provide all source files which are necessary for compilation, including the main \(\texttt{.tex}\) file and the external \(\texttt{.bib}\) file with the bibliography.

6. After receiving all source files for the paper the Editorial Office will prepare an article proof which will then be made available to the authors through the editorial platform. In the notification, the authors will be asked to revise the proof and send their corrections within 10 days. At this stage only minor changes can be made concerning, e.g., typos, errors in typsetting etc. No substantial modifications of the contents of the paper are allowed. The authors will also be requested to fill, sign and send the Declaration of the Author.

7. Upon receipt of the revised galley proofs, the Declaration of the Author, and all required copyright permissions, the paper will, within 14 days, be assigned a DOI and published in its final form in the issue that is currently open, with final pagination.

8. The authors will receive a notification upon publication of their article.