Submissions

Author Guidelines

Instructions for Authors 

1. Scope of the Journal

The CBR – Coimbra Business Review is an international scientific journal with anonymous peer review. It has been published in print since 2016 and, since 2024, also in digital format. 
CBR aims to disseminate pedagogical and scientific activities in the field of Business Sciences, particularly in areas such as Business Management, Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, Data Analysis, Information Technology, Business Communication, Artificial Intelligence, and others. 

1.1 Contributions 

CBR publishes research results in Portuguese and English. 
Authors are fully responsible for ensuring that their contributions are original and unpublished, and that they are not published (in the same or another language) or under review by another publication. 
There are no costs for authors to publish in CBR. 
Contributions may include: 

1. Articles between 5,000 and 6,300 words, including titles, tables, and references. 

1. Partial results of ongoing studies, ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 words, including titles, tables, and references. 

All contributions must strictly adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA 7) Publication Guidelines, submission conditions, and manuscript structure standards. 
Authors may submit contributions between January 1st and August 31st of each year for publication by December of the same year. 

2. Editorial Policy

2.1 Peer Review and Criteria 

The journal’s editorial board is responsible for accepting or rejecting submitted contributions, with the support of an Editorial Committee and a Scientific Committee comprising internal and external reviewers, both national and international. A double-blind peer review system (minimum of two reviewers) is applied. 

Based on the reviewers’ scientific reports, the Editorial Committee decides whether to accept or reject submissions based on the following criteria: 

1. Timeliness and originality. 

1. Relevance and significance: advancement of scientific knowledge. 

1. Scientific reliability and validity: verified methodological quality (articles only). 

1. Organization (logical coherence and formal presentation). 

1. Clarity and correctness of the text. 

2.2 Publication Process 

CBR confirms receipt of submissions and keeps authors informed via email and the platform about the acceptance/rejection process and the editing process, if accepted. Authors can find detailed guidelines for submission, publication, and manuscript structure in Section 3: Publication Standards and Submission Conditions. 

2.2.1 Preliminary Acceptance 

Within 15 days of manuscript submission, the corresponding author will be informed whether the document has passed the preliminary acceptance stage for evaluation by the Scientific Committee. 

If the document: 

1. Contains formatting errors, is outside the journal’s scope, or generally does not meet CBR’s quality criteria, the Editorial Board will reject the manuscript with no option for resubmission. 

1. Has minor errors, it will be returned to the author for correction before the peer review process begins. The corrected document must be resubmitted within one week. The official acceptance date will be the date the revised version is received. 

1. Does not comply with the categories outlined in Section 1.1 or the publication and submission guidelines, the Editorial Committee may request resubmission in a different category, where applicable. 

Following the peer review, a decision will be made to accept or reject the manuscript for publication. If accepted, stylistic changes or revisions to comply with word limits may be requested, while respecting the original content. 

2.2.2 Acceptance and Editing 

Once the preliminary acceptance process is complete, the manuscript will undergo peer review. The peer review process typically takes 8 weeks. Manuscripts requiring changes (minor or major) must be resubmitted within 15 days of receiving the notification. 

Authors will receive anonymous peer review reports to guide the required changes. 
Authors of accepted articles will receive proofs of the final texts in PDF format for correction before final publication. Revised versions must be returned within 3 working days to ensure timely publication. 

3. Publication Standards and Manuscript Structure

The text must follow the guidelines below. In cases not covered, APA standards apply. 

3.1 Text Formatting 

• Page setup: A4 size, 3 cm side margins, 2.5 cm top and bottom margins, 1.5 line spacing. 

• Font: Times New Roman, size 12 for body text and title; size 11 for block quotes and references; size 10 for footnotes (single spacing). 

• Title: Centred, in uppercase and bold, in both Portuguese and English. 

• Paragraph indentation: 1 cm. 

• Text highlights: Use italics instead of bold or underlining. 

• Do not use headers or footers, except for page numbering. 

3.2 Text Structure 

The title, abstract, and keywords must always be provided in both Portuguese and English. Texts written in English must also include a Portuguese version. Automated translation tools are not accepted without post-editing, as linguistic accuracy and style are quality criteria. 

1. Title: Concise but informative, no more than two lines (80 characters including spaces). The editor may request changes if the title does not adequately reflect the content. 

1. Abstract: 200–250 words, concisely describing the research motivation, objective, methodology, main findings, and conclusions, structured as follows: topic justification, objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions. Must be written impersonally. 

1. Keywords: 3–5 keywords in both Portuguese and English. 

1. Introduction: Include the study’s foundation and objective, citing relevant national and international literature. 

1. Materials and Methods: Clearly describe the sample, models, and analysis methods, enabling replication. For original methodologies, explain the rationale and note limitations. 

1. Analysis and Results: Highlight key observations, describe findings objectively, and present significant results. Essential tables or figures should be logically integrated into the text. 

1. Discussion and Conclusions: Relate results to previous studies, summarize key conclusions, and address implications and limitations. Avoid unsupported conclusions. 

1. Contributions and Limitations: Highlight the research’s contributions and limitations, referencing implications for future research and connecting conclusions to study objectives. 

References 

Include only those cited in the text. Indicate DOIs where available. URLs should be shortened (e.g., http://bit.ly/2JkuWs8), centred, and in size 11 font. Footnotes should be avoided and only used when essential, in size 10 font, single-spaced. 

Sections should be separated by a single blank line. 

Examples of Contributions 

• Articles: Original research articles (5,000–6,300 words). 

• Literature Reviews: Comprehensive reviews of recent, relevant topics, with approximately 100 references. 

• Studies: Reports on work-in-progress or preliminary findings of original research.