History and Mission

Synesis is an academic journal of philosophy, published by the Catholic University of Petrópolis since 2009. Its mission is to disseminate original research that contributes to national and international philosophical debate through rigorous argumentation, conceptual precision and critical engagement with the relevant literature.

Aims and Scope

The journal welcomes articles in the different areas of philosophy, including the history of philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, aesthetics, political and social philosophy, philosophy of religion, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and philosophy of science.

Studies engaging with other disciplines will be considered when they address a clearly defined philosophical question and develop a substantive contribution to philosophy. The research problem, argumentation and conclusions must demonstrate that contribution.

Editorial assessment considers originality, philosophical relevance, consistency of argumentation, appropriateness of the methodological approach, quality of references and compliance with the journal’s guidelines. Merely mentioning philosophers or philosophical concepts does not establish conformity with the journal’s scope.

Fees and publication costs

All articles published in Synesis are immediately available through open access, free of charge for reading, study and download, without subscriptions or embargoes. Sharing must comply with the license indicated in the article.

The articles are published under the terms of a Creative Commons license, identified on the publication page of the article, and attributed immediately on the date of publication. 

The journal charges no submission, evaluation or publication fees.

Authors may obtain language or formatting assistance at their own expense and risk. The journal is not responsible for fees charged by those services and does not guarantee acceptance.

Submission by authors

A manuscript must be submitted by one of its authors or coauthors through their own OJS account, with the agreement of all coauthors. Submissions by third parties who are not authors are not permitted, even when authorized. The named CRediT contribution statement must be submitted separately from the anonymized manuscript during review, in accordance with the authorship, contributions and submission policy (CRediT).

Peer review process

Double-anonymous review involves at least two independent reviewers after editorial screening. Similarity reports require contextual human assessment and do not determine automatic rejection. Identities are restricted to the editorial team and are not communicated between authors and reviewers, although they may be inferred. The interval of 30–60 days is an estimate, not a guarantee; seven days is a reference only for simple adjustments. The editor communicates applicable deadlines, considers justified extension requests and decides based on the reports and authors’ responses.

Articles by editors and board members are handled independently, with author recusal from decisions on their own work. Thematic collections follow the same requirements as regular submissions under editorial supervision. Conflicting reports receive reasoned assessment and may require clarification, revisions or an additional report, without automatic voting.

Consult the full peer-review policy.

Open Access Policy

This journal offers immediate open access to its content, following the principle that making scientific knowledge freely available to the public provides greater worldwide democratization of knowledge.

The Catholic University of Petrópolis (UCP), a nonprofit community institution responsible for publishing the journal, contributes financial and personnel resources to sustain this model.

Authorship and qualification requirements

The journal accepts articles by authors holding a completed doctorate (PhD) and by doctoral students. Authors without these qualifications may publish in coauthorship with at least one doctorate holder or doctoral student. Every article must therefore include at least one doctorate holder or doctoral student among its authors. Participation by a supervisor is not mandatory in itself; all coauthors must meet the contribution and responsibility criteria set out in the journal’s ethics policy.

Publication frequency

Since 2023, Synesis has published quarterly, with four issues per year: January–March, April–June, July–September and October–December.