Scope

GI_Forum Journal is an international, peer reviewed Open Access journal that provides a forum for the critical examination of spatial enquiry. It publishes high quality original research across the transdisciplinary field of Geographic Information Science (GIScience), Media Geographies and Geomedia Education. The journal provides a platform for dialogue among GI-Scientists and educators, technologists, social scientists, and critical thinkers in an ongoing effort to advance the field and ultimately contribute to an informed GISociety.

Submissions focus on innovation in education, science, methodology, technologies and communication in the spatial domain and their role towards a more just, ethical, and sustainable science and society. The journal explicitly welcomes contributions that emphasise efforts to address spatially relevant issues from an inter- and transdisciplinary, theoretical as well as empirical perspectives.
GI_Forum Journal is a journal of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

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Submission

You can submit your manuscript here

General Journal Policies

GI_Forum Journal is an international, peer reviewed Open Access journal that provides a forum for the critical examination of spatial enquiry. It publishes high quality original research across the transdisciplinary field of Geographic Information Science (GIScience), Media Geographies and Geomedia Education. The journal provides a platform for dialogue among GI-Scientists and educators, technologists, social scientists, and critical thinkers in an ongoing effort to advance the field and ultimately contribute to an informed GISociety.

Submissions focus on innovation in education, science, methodology, technologies and communication in the spatial domain and their role towards a more just, ethical, and sustainable science and society. The journal explicitly welcomes contributions that emphasize efforts to address spatially relevant issues from an inter- and transdisciplinary, theoretical as well as empirical perspectives. A manuscript can be submitted as a maximum 5000-word paper or a report to accommodate a variety of interdisciplinary contributions and research progress.

GIFJ implements the policy of Open Access publication (cc-by-nd) . A double-blind peer review process through an international team of well-established scientists assures the high quality of publications. Only English language contributions are considered for publication.

Quick Overview

This journal uses the Open Journal System (OJS) to peer review manuscript submissions. A manuscript submission will be considered on the strict condition that

  • the manuscript is your own original work, and does not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published work

  • the manuscript has been submitted only to the GIFJ and is not under consideration or peer review or accepted for publication or in press or published elsewhere

  • all rights for images have been taken care of and secured by the authors

  • the manuscript contains nothing that is abusive, defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal under Austrian law

  • the manuscript is in English language


GIFJ uses adequate technology to check manuscripts for originality. By submitting your manuscript to GIFJ you are agreeing to any necessary originality checks your manuscript may need to undergo during the peer-review and production processes.

If you used AI-generated content, please include the following statement at the end of the manuscript adapted as appropriate:

During the preparation of this manuscript / or part(s) of this manuscript [state which exactly] the author(s) used AI tool(s) [state which exactly] to improve readability and language. After using this/these tool(s), the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

Any author who fails to meet the above conditions will be charged with costs that GIFJ incur for his/her manuscript at the discretion of GIFJ ‘s Editors and Austrian Academy of Sciences Press and will lead to the rejection of the manuscript.

Complete guidelines for preparing and submitting your manuscript to this journal are provided below.

Copyright and authors' rights

To assure the integrity, dissemination, and protection against copyright infringement of published articles, you will be asked to assign to the Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, via an online Publishing Agreement, the copyright on your article. Your article is defined as the final, definitive, and citable Version of Record, and includes the accepted manuscript in its final form, including the abstract, text, bibliography, and all accompanying tables, illustrations, and data.

Reproduction of copyright material

You must obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission for any material in your manuscript for which you do not hold copyright. Such material may be in the form of text, data, table, illustration, photograph, line drawing, audio clip, video clip, film still, and screenshot, and any supplemental material you propose to include. This applies to direct (verbatim or facsimile) reproduction as well as “derivative reproduction”, i.e. where you have created a new figure or table, which derives substantially from a copyrighted source.

You must ensure that appropriate acknowledgement is given to the permission granted to you for reuse by the copyright holder in each figure or table caption. You are solely responsible for any fees, which the copyright holder may charge for reuse.

The reproduction of short extracts of text, excluding poetry and song lyrics, for the purposes of criticism may be possible without formal permission on the basis that the quotation is reproduced accurately, and full attribution is given.

Open Access

GIFJ implements the policy of open access publication (cc-by-nd). Please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ for details.

Austrian Academy of Sciences Press provides free online access –open access– immediately upon publication to anyone, anywhere, at any time. This option is made available once an article has been published.

Publication charges

GIFJ is a non-profit undertaking and therefore asks you to contribute to article processing fees. These are 80€ per published page and are to be paid once the article is published. The costs cover the publishing process including professional language editing, layout, graphics, as well as administration and hosting of published articles. GIFJ articles are abstracted and indexed in various scientific databases.

Authors can apply for a fee waiver in case of documented unavailability of institutional or project funds.

Wordcount notice: We propose a maximum of 5000 words at the initial submission stage, so authors have some room for revision after peer-review, to work on reviewers' and editors' suggestions. That said, please be aware that articles cannot exceed the maximum limit of 7000 words in any case.

Specific Guidelines for Authors

A manuscript can be submitted as either a paper or a report. For example, a report form is recommended for research in progress, a project report or best practice examples. Each paper manuscript will be double-blind reviewed whereas a report manuscript will be reviewed by editors only and cannot be declared as a peer reviewed publication.

Manuscript preparation

  • A typical manuscript for a paper or a report will not exceed 5000 words including tables, references, captions, footnotes, and endnotes.
  • Abstracts of 150-220 words are required for all manuscripts submitted.

  • Each manuscript should have 3 to 5 keywords.

  • Manuscripts prepared for the double-blind review must be anonymised; guidelines are available at the end of this document.

  • Use the current APA style for in-text references and reference list. Guidelines for APA style are available at https://www.apastyle.org/. Examples can be found at the end of this document.

  • Therefore, manuscripts should contain the following:

    • For review: title; abstract; keywords; main text; reference list; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) and figure(s) placed in the correct location in the text including capturing, cross-referencing, and numbering.

    • Manuscript needs to be anonymized for the review process.

    • For publication (final version): title; author(s) and affiliation(s); abstract; keywords; main text; acknowledgment(s); reference list; appendices; table(s) and figure(s) placed in the correct location in the text using manual numbering and crossreferencing.

  • All persons who have a reasonable claim to authorship must be named in the manuscript as coauthors. By acting and identifying as a corresponding author this individual confirms to be authorized by all co-authors to act as an agent on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript including the order of names agreed on by all authors.

  • Biographical notes on contributors are not required for this journal.

  • Please supply all details required by any funding and grant-awarding bodies as an acknowledgement at the end of the final manuscript, in a separate paragraph, as follows:

    • For single agency grants: "This work was supported by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number xxxx]."

    • For multiple agency grants: "This work was supported by the [Funding Agency 1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency 2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency 3] under Grant [number xxxx]."

  • Manuscripts are only accepted in English. British English spelling and punctuation are preferred. Please use double quotation marks (“”).

  • For all manuscripts, non-discriminatory language is mandatory. Sexist or racist terms must not be used.

  • Authors must adhere to International System (SI) units. Units are not italicised.

  • When using a word which is or is asserted to be a proprietary term or trademark, authors must use the symbol ® or TM.

  • Authors must embed equations or graphics/image files within their manuscript.

  • With final submission, the author(s) state that all rights have been obtained for copyrighted material published elsewhere.

Layout Style Guidelines

A manuscript shall be submitted as running text without any further formatting, preferably as a Word (.docx) document. It should include:

  • Abstract: indicate the abstract paragraph with a heading

  • Keywords: provide 3-5 keywords to help readers find your article

  • Headings to a maximum of three levels as follows: 1, 1.1, 1.1.1

  • Tables and figures: Place the tables and figures in the text where these should appear.

    • include permission to use any figures you are reproducing from another source

    • Provide the highest quality figure format possible. Please ensure that all imported scanned material is scanned at an appropriate resolution: 1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour. All graphics/images should be submitted at a resolution of at least 600 dpi.

For the review version of the manuscript:

    • automatic capturing, cross-referencing and numbering is only to be used in the review version of the manuscript

    • anonymity: ensure that your identity and that of your co-authors is not revealed in the text of your article or in your manuscript files when submitting the manuscript for review

For the final version of the manuscript

    • provide all graphics in a separate file in a jpg, png or tiff format

    • maximum width for figures is 17cm

    • include author names, affiliation(s), and acknowledgements

If your article is accepted for publication, it will be copy‐edited and typeset in the correct style for the journal.

Anonymization of your manuscript for double-blind peer review

To ensure that article peer reviewers do not know your identity as author(s) of the manuscript being reviewed, you will need to make sure that you remove any information in your manuscript that could identify you (including footnotes and acknowledgements) and disguise all references to personally identifiable information such as the research institution where your work was carried out.

The following are tips to help you anonymise your manuscript:

  • In text, you can replace any information that would identify the author(s) by substituting words like e.g.: (name deleted to maintain the integrity of the review process).

  • Do not mention a grant awarded to a named person. This information can be added later.

  • Do not add any running headers or footers that would identify authors.

  • Refer to your own references in the third person. For example, write "Black and White (2000) have demonstrated", not "We have previously demonstrated (Black and White, 2000)".

  • Check that all identifiers have been removed from electronic files, for example documents prepared using Microsoft TM Word®. Personal or hidden information is stored in File Properties. These properties include Author, Manager, Company, and Last Saved By. Hidden information includes hidden text, revised text, comments, or field codes, and these can remain in a document even though you cannot see them. If you entered your name or email address when you registered your software, this will be stored as part of the document. Information contained in custom fields that you add to the document, such as an "author" or "owner" field, is not automatically removed. You must edit or remove the custom field to remove that information. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Security tab. Select the Remove personal information from File properties on save check box.

  • Avoid or minimize self-citation. If it is necessary to cite your own work, delete the names of authors and other identifying information and place substitute words in brackets, such as: [name deleted to maintain the integrity of the review process]. In the reference list, you should delete the citation and add it before submitting your final draft.

  • When you submit the final draft of the manuscript for publication, you will need to put back any references to yourself, your institution, grants awarded, etc.

Manuscript submission

Manuscripts must be submitted online via the journal website GI_Forum | Verlag der ÖAW (oeaw.ac.at). Details on the submission process can be found there as well as further information and previous publications.

Authors will be asked to submit a rebuttal during all stages of the review process. A proper rebuttal is mandatory and needs to address all reviewers' comments. Should you need help compiling a rebuttal, please have a look at the following links; they explain the response as well as give good examples:
https://peerj.com/benefits/academic-rebuttal-letters/#rebuttal-letters
https://www.enago.com/academy/five-tips-for-writing-a-good-rebuttal-letter/
http://blogs.nature.com/methagora/2013/09/how-to-write-a-rebuttal-letter.html

APA Style: Sample References and In-Text Citations

Please check the current version of the APA style at https://www.apastyle.org/.

Book
Author, A.A.. (Year of Publication). Title. Publisher City , State: Publisher.
Longley, P., Goodchild, M., Rhind, D., & Maguire, D. (2015). Geographical Information Systems and Science (fourth edition). USA: J. Wiley & Sons Ltd.

eBook
Author, A.A.. (Year of Publication). Title [E-Reader Version]. Retrieved from http://xxxx or doi:xxxx
Smith, M. d., Goodchild, M., & Longley, P. (2011). Geospatial Analysis - A Comprehensive Guide, 3rd edition Retrieved from http://www.spatialanalysisonline.com/output/

Book section or chapter
Author, A.A.. (Year of Publication). Title. In Author A.A. (Ed./Eds.), Title. Publisher City , State: Publisher.
Nyerges, T., McMaster, R., & Couclelis, H. (2011). Geographic Information Systems and Society: A Twenty Year Research Perspective (Chapter 1). In T. Nyerges, H. Couclelis, & R. McMaster (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of GIS and Society: SAGE Publications Ltd

Journal article
Author, A.A.. (Publication Year). Article title. Periodical Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp.
Raubal, M., Winter, S., Temann, S., & Gaisbauer, C. (2007). Time geography for ad-hoc shared-ride trip planning in mobile geosensor networks. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 62(5), 366-381.

Journal article found online (incl. doi or URL)
Author, A.A.. (Publication Year). Article title. Periodical Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp. doi:XX.XXXXX or Retrieved from journal URL
Hackeloeer, A., Klasing, K., Krisp, J. M., & Meng, L. (2014). Georeferencing: a review of methods and applications. Annals of GIS, 20(1), 61-69. doi:10.1080/19475683.2013.868826
Norris, J. (2015). Future Trends in geospatial information management: the five to ten year vision, Second Edition December 2015. Retrieved from http://ggim.un.org/docs/UN-GGIM-Future-trends_Second%20edition.pdf

Webpage with and without author information
Author, A.A.. (Publication Year). Website title. Retrieved from URL.
DoLETA. (2016). Geospatial Technology Competency Model. Retrieved from http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/competency-models/geospatial-technology.aspx
Minor Programmes. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.falw.vu.nl/en/prospective-students/minors/index.aspx

Report
Author, F.M. (Publication Year). Title of report (Report No. XXX), Publisher City, State: Publisher.
Norris, J. (2015). Future Trends in geospatial information management: the five to ten year vision, Second Edition December 2015. Ordnance Survey / United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. Retrieved from http://ggim.un.org/docs/UN-GGIM-Future-trends_Second%20edition.pdf

Blog
Author (Person /Institution/Group). (Publication Year). Title [Blog post]. Retrieved from URL.
Haklay, M. (2015). Geographic Information Science and Citizen Science [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://povesham.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/geographic-information-science-and-citizen-science/

In-text citations (http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/01/writing-in-text-citations-in-apa-style.html)

  • Use author-date system, e.g.

  • (Author, Year)

  • (Author1 & Author2, Year)


Basic in-text citation styles available at: http://library.devry.edu/pdfs/Table_6.1_Basic_Citation_Styles.pdf

For further information check, e.g. APA Blog at http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/

Download Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines (PDF)