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3rd Editorial Meeting – October 09, 2020
Introduction
The committee responsible for Bras-J met online on Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 2 pm (Berlin time) to discuss the next steps to the first publication of the journal and general matters BRaS. The meeting was conducted by Matheus Zago and Giovanna Imbernon was in charge of the minutes. Professor Doctor Thomas Kestler, Matheus Zago, Cláudia Pires, Anna Bennech, Thais Cavalcanti, Lucas Fraga, and Eric Nogueira also attended the meeting.
The meeting started with a general discussion on the tasks assigned in the previous meeting (on September 25th) and proceeded to discuss the following agenda:
- Draft and Layout of BRaS-J Webpage
- Sections and Submission Policies
- Invitations to the Editorial Board
- General Information on BRaS
Draft and Layout of BRaS-J Webpage
The first topic discussed was a layout of BRaS-J webpage designed and presented by Matheus Zago. The matter in question was the information available for the public, its disposition on the menu, translation of all texts, and other structural characteristics. Some of the information was previously discussed by e-mail between Anna Bennech and Matheus Hebling but it was not discussed during the meeting due to Matheus Hebling absence. Giovanna Imbernon asked about how the webpage will be linked to the submission platform and Matheus Zago replied that this will be decided later on when the group has all the descriptions ready.
Still regarding the structure, Eric Nogueira asked if there will be a link to the Blog on BRaS-J webpage and Giovanna Imbernon added that if so, it will need easy access to the submission section on the Blog.
On the layout, Matheus Zago explained briefly how it will work, the internal system for submission, and queried the group about their previous experiences with this platform and what they thought about adopting it as BRaS-J process for submissions. Regarding the home page, Eric Nogueira and Anna Bennech commented that it should include more information on BRaS initiatives and better describe how BRaS-J objectives are linked to the mission of the organization.
On more specific aspects, Matheus Zago pointed out the importance of having on the main page BRaS-J latest publications and Anna Bennech agreed to say that information as the editorial line, periodicity, objectives, and language, should also be easy to access.
Professor Doctor Thomas Kestler presented the group with some examples of how BRaS-J could organize its information and referred to academic journals with similar purposes. He pointed out how those organizations display their information. Anna Bennech also presented the group with some examples of websites.
Matheus Zago commented on the amount of information on the Homepage, indicating that having too much information there could difficult reading, i.e., it has to be clear and easy to access. He also observed that sidebars could help to display the information and to have less information in the central column.
For last, Professor Doctor Thomas Kestler pointed out reminded that he has to approve the project and layout before it is going online.
Sections and Submission Policies
Some notes on BRaS-J sections division were made by Matheus Zago and the members present the group with the work that has been done individually. Anna Bennech presented the group with remarks on her text.
Professor Doctor Thomas Kestler commented on the presentations and questioned the group about the structure of this five main areas saying adding the term “Studies” to the name of each section could lead to some misinterpretation and, consequently, limit not only their work but also the submission of interesting works to BRaS-J. Also, he indicated that the decisions on which section the article would be published concern only the people responsible for Desk Review and Editors. On this subject, Eric Nogueira pointed out that having this division set at the submission page would pose some obstacles to authors willing to publish an article. Similarly, Matheus Zago agreed with the aforementioned opinions and both, Matheus Zago and Professor Doctor Thomas Kestler, think adding keywords to the text and the submission area on the website would make this process easier.
Questions regarding how the board should treat submissions that could not be assessed due to their themes were raised, i.e. if the journal does not have anyone available or any expert on the field to evaluate the article. On this, Professor Doctor Thomas Kestler indicated inviting as many experts in different areas as the group can so the problem can be avoided.
After the discussion on the division of BRaS-J, the board voted between the following options: a. keeping the structure with five main areas; or b. keeping the structure with the five main areas internally and opening free submissions for authors. After voting, five members voted in favor of the second option (b), and the decision was registered. The description of each one of the five main areas of BRaS-J will be presented on November 6th, 2020.
Invitations to the Editorial Board
Aiming at structuring how the Editorial Board will function, the members discussed practical aspects of the invitations. Professor Thomas Kestler suggested the group make a list of possible invitations and later, the groups can decide whether or not It will be necessary to open a call for experts in specific fields. He also suggested offering the members invited to submit an article to be published on BRaS-J in exchange for the evaluation done.
Anna Bennech and other members questioned the selection criteria but the group decided to first call the editors so they can decide how it will be set regarding, representation, proportionality, etc.
After the decisions, a document for contributions was created and all members have access thought this link
A page about this document has also been created in the knowledge bank (Composition of the Editorial Board)
General Information
The last part of the meeting was focused on presenting the group two general matters:
Anna Bennech updated the group on the news about BRaS-J layout and the work together with the designer. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
Giovanna Imbernon gave some information on the status of the Partnership with Boletim Lua Nova. She summarized the discussion previously carried out by Matheus Hebling and her in a specific meeting on October 2nd, 2020. The agreement between the two organizations will be translated and signed by both parties within the next few days.
After all the aforementioned subjects the next meeting was scheduled for October 23rd, 2020.
