About the Journal
Focus and Scope
I Quaderni di Arda is an Italian open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to Tolkien Studies. It publishes original research on Tolkien's works, literary theory, and mythopoeia, the Inklings, and the genres of myth and fantasy. It does not publish fiction and fan fiction. The journal promotes interdisciplinary and methodologically rigorous approaches capable of addressing the open, interconnected, and constantly evolving nature of contemporary culture.
Peer-Review Process
All scholarly articles submitted to I Quaderni di Arda undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Each submission is initially assessed by the Editorial Board to determine whether it falls within the journal’s scholarly scope, meets its academic and editorial standards, and is suitable for external review. Manuscripts that successfully pass this preliminary assessment are sent to two independent anonymous reviewers, who receive an anonymised version of the text. Reviewers assess submissions on the basis of their originality, scholarly relevance, methodological soundness, argumentative coherence, accuracy, and overall quality. They are invited to make one of the following recommendations:
• Accepted;
• Minor revisions required;
• Major revisions required;
• Rejected.
The final decision rests with the Editorial Board and is based on the reviewers’ reports. Where the two reports substantially conflict—for example, where one reviewer recommends acceptance or minor revisions and the other recommends rejection—the Editorial Board will normally seek a third independent review. The third report will contribute to the final decision. Where one reviewer recommends major revisions and the other recommends rejection, the manuscript will normally be rejected. In cases not covered by these provisions, the Editorial Board will determine the most appropriate outcome after considering the substance of both reports. Authors invited to revise their manuscripts must submit a new version together with a detailed response explaining how the reviewers’ comments have been addressed. Where further assessment is deemed necessary, revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers.
Open Access Policy
I Quaderni di Arda provides immediate and unrestricted open access to all its published content. The journal is founded on the principle that making scholarly research freely available supports the circulation of knowledge, encourages academic dialogue, and contributes to a wider global exchange of ideas. Readers may access the journal’s content without subscription or registration fees.
Publication Fees
I Quaderni di Arda does not charge submission fees, publication fees, or article processing charges (APCs). Authors are not required to make any payment at any stage of the submission, review, or publication process.
Publication Frequency
The journal normally publishes one volume per year.
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
I Quaderni di Arda is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity and editorial transparency. Editors, reviewers, and authors are expected to observe the ethical principles set out below throughout the submission, review, and publication process.
Duties of the Editors
Publication Decisions
The editors are responsible for deciding whether a submitted manuscript should be accepted for publication. Their decision is based on the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, and methodological soundness of the submission, as well as on the reports provided by the reviewers. Where necessary to reach a properly informed decision, the editors may consult reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, or other specialists.
Fair and Impartial Assessment
Manuscripts are evaluated solely on the basis of their scholarly content and relevance to the journal’s scope. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by the author’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, citizenship, institutional affiliation, or political views.
Confidentiality
The editors and all members of the journal’s staff must treat submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information concerning a submission may be disclosed only to the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, and the publisher, where appropriate. Manuscripts and related correspondence must not be shared with unauthorised third parties.
Conflicts of Interest and Use of Unpublished Material
Editors must not use unpublished information, arguments, data, or interpretations contained in a submitted manuscript for their own research without the author’s explicit written consent. An editor who has a personal, professional, financial, or academic conflict of interest in relation to a submission must withdraw from the editorial process. Responsibility for the manuscript will then be assigned to another suitably qualified editor.
Academic Integrity and Corrective Action
Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, duplicate publication, undeclared conflicts of interest, or other forms of research misconduct, the editors will investigate the matter carefully and impartially. Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may reject the manuscript, publish a correction, issue an expression of concern, or retract the article, depending on the nature and seriousness of the case.
Duties of Reviewers
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Peer review assists the editors in reaching informed editorial decisions and helps authors improve the quality, clarity, and scholarly rigour of their work. Reviewers should provide constructive, detailed, and evidence-based comments that allow both the editors and the authors to understand the reasons for their recommendations.
Promptness
A reviewer who does not possess the necessary expertise to assess a manuscript, or who is unable to complete the review within the agreed timeframe, must inform the Editorial Board promptly and decline the assignment. Reviewers should not accept assignments that they cannot complete with due care and within a reasonable period.
Confidentiality
All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not disclose, discuss, circulate, or reproduce the manuscript, in whole or in part, without the explicit authorisation of the editors. This obligation also applies to any supplementary materials and correspondence connected with the review process.
Objectivity and Scholarly Conduct
Reviews must be conducted objectively and respectfully, in accordance with appropriate scholarly and methodological standards. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. Reviewers must express their assessments clearly and support their conclusions with reasoned arguments and, where appropriate, relevant evidence. Reviewers are required to complete the evaluation form provided by the Editorial Board and to explain the basis of their recommendation.
Identification of Relevant Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been adequately acknowledged or discussed by the author. They should also provide sufficiently precise bibliographical information to allow the author and editors to identify the sources concerned. Reviewers must also inform the editors of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published or unpublished work of which they are aware.
Conflicts of Interest and Use of Information
Information, arguments, interpretations, and data obtained during the review process must be treated as confidential and must not be used for personal, professional, or academic advantage. Reviewers must decline to assess manuscripts in relation to which they have a conflict of interest arising from personal relationships, professional collaboration, institutional affiliation, academic competition, financial interests, or any other circumstance that could compromise—or reasonably appear to compromise—their impartiality.
Duties of Authors
Accuracy and Scholarly Integrity
Authors must present an accurate, coherent, and verifiable account of their research. Claims, interpretations, and conclusions should be supported by appropriate evidence and by a clearly stated methodology. The deliberate inclusion of false, fabricated, falsified, or misleading information constitutes unethical conduct and is unacceptable. Access to and retention of research materials Where appropriate, authors may be asked to provide access to the sources, data, or other materials on which their research is based. Authors should retain such materials for a reasonable period after publication and, where legal, ethical, and contractual conditions permit, make them available for verification or for legitimate scholarly research.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their submissions are original in every respect. All sources, quotations, ideas, arguments, data, and materials derived from the work of others must be accurately identified and appropriately cited. Any contribution made by another person must be explicitly acknowledged. Plagiarism in any form—including the unauthorised reproduction of text, ideas, data, images, or arguments—is unacceptable. The Editorial Board and reviewers are responsible for identifying possible instances of plagiarism or improper attribution. To verify the originality of submitted manuscripts, the journal may use plagiarism-detection software, online resources, bibliographical databases, and the scholarly expertise of its editors and reviewers. All submissions may be subject to plagiarism screening before publication. Where plagiarism is identified during the evaluation process, the manuscript will be rejected. Where plagiarism or another serious breach of academic integrity is discovered after publication, the journal may retract the article. The retraction will be clearly identified and accompanied by a notice explaining the reasons for the decision.
Multiple, Redundant, and Concurrent Publication
Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to I Quaderni di Arda and another journal or publication venue. A manuscript must not reproduce substantially the same research, argument, or results already published elsewhere unless the previous publication is clearly disclosed and the new submission constitutes a demonstrably original and substantial contribution. The publication of the same or substantially similar work in more than one academic venue without appropriate disclosure is considered unethical.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Authors must provide complete and accurate references for all sources and scholarly contributions cited or otherwise used in the manuscript. Publications that have significantly influenced the research, methodology, argument, or interpretation presented in the article must be appropriately acknowledged.
Authorship and Acknowledgements
Authorship must be limited to those who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, organisation, execution, interpretation, or writing of the research. All individuals who have made a substantial contribution must be listed as co-authors. Individuals who have contributed to specific aspects of the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately. In the case of co-authored submissions, the corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:
• all individuals who qualify as authors are correctly identified;
• no person who does not qualify as an author is included;
• all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript;
• all co-authors have agreed to its submission and publication.
Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal conflict of interest that might have influenced—or might reasonably be perceived as having influenced—the research, its results, or its interpretation. Authors must also identify all sources of financial support and any institutions, organisations, or funded projects connected with the research presented in the article. Where no conflict of interest exists, authors should provide an explicit declaration to that effect.
Errors in Published Articles
Where an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article, they must inform the editors promptly and provide all the information required to correct the scholarly record. The author must cooperate with the journal in issuing a correction or, where the error seriously compromises the validity or reliability of the article, in retracting the publication.
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