Aims
Horizons for Sustainability (ISSN: 2501-8000; ISSN-L: 2501-8000) is an international and cross-disciplinary, open access journal of environmental, cultural, economic and social sustainability. As a peer-reviewed and semiannually journal, Horizons for Sustainability publishes reviews, regular research papers and communications.
We know that the actual global civilization is not sustainable. So, we — the humanity — have to change our ways of being, working, living, developing towards sustainable horizons and so to profoundly transform ourselves, in order to make in time the transition towards a knowledge-based sustainable new global civilization.
"Horizons for Sustainability" promotes, supports and develops, within the complexity paradigm, the transdisciplinary research, the integrative design and the participative open innovation, that contribute and sustain this challenging transition.
No publication fees!
Open Access
Horizons for Sustainability is an Open Access Journal.
All articles published in Horizons for Sustainability are freely available online immediately upon publication. This journal is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Scope
The journal covers, but is not limited to, the following thematic areas:
- Environmental sustainability and ecology
- Cultural heritage and sustainable development
- Economic models for sustainable growth
- Social innovation and community resilience
- Art, creativity and sustainability
- Transdisciplinary and integrative research methodologies
- Education for sustainable development
- Climate change and mitigation strategies
- Urban and rural sustainability
- Knowledge-based society and open innovation
Publisher
Published by „Academia Brâncuși" Publishing, Universitatea Constantin Brâncuși din Târgu Jiu, Romania.
- Albu Liviu Lucian, Professor PhD, Institute of Economic Prognosis, member of the Romanian Academy, Romania
- Andrei Marga, Professor PhD, „Constantin Brâncuși" University of Târgu-Jiu, Romania
- Aniela Bălăcescu, Professor PhD, „Constantin Brancusi" University of Târgu-Jiu, Romania
- Biriș Sorin-Ștefan, Full Professor, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania
- Božica Slavković Mirić, PhD, Senior Research Associate, The Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade
- Comarlă Adriana, Lecturer PhD Eng., "Constantin Brâncuși" University of Târgu Jiu, Romania
- Covaliu Mierla Cristina, Professor, National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania
- Cornel Sigmirean, Scientific Researcher I PhD, "George Șincai" Socio-Uman Research Institute of the Romanian Academy, Târgu-Mureș, Romania
- Dumitru Miron, Professor PhD, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
- Dumitru Otovescu, Professor PhD, University of Craiova, Romania
- Ecobici Nicolae, Associate Professor PhD, "Constantin Brâncuși" University of Târgu Jiu, Romania
- Elena Toma, PhD, Associate Professor, Hyperion University of Bucharest, Romania
- Enache Tușa, University Lecturer PhD Habil., University "Ovidius" of Constanța, Romania
- George Niculescu, Professor PhD, „Constantin Brâncuși" University of Târgu-Jiu, Romania
- Ion Ghizdeanu, Research Professor, National Commission of Prognosis and Romanian Academy, Romania
- Krastin Yordanov, Associate Professor PhD Eng., Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria
- Lucian-Ion Medar, Professor PhD, „Constantin Brâncuși" University of Târgu-Jiu, Romania
- Melina Rokai, PhD, University of Belgrade, Serbia
- Mileva Nevena, Assistant Professor PhD Eng., Technical University of Varna, Bulgaria
- Natalia Grădinaru, Coordinating Scientific Researcher PhD, Institute of Cultural Heritage, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
- Olivia Cioboiu, PhD, Biologist – Curator, The Oltenia Museum of Craiova, Natural Sciences Department, Romania
- Petre Găștescu, PhD, Docent University Professor, Hyperion University of Bucharest, Romania
- Svetlana Procop, Coordinating Scientific Researcher PhD, Institute of Cultural Heritage, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
- Tătaru Doina, Researcher PhD, Centre for Industrial Economics of Services, Romanian Academy, Romania
- Timmerberg Josef, Professor Dr. Ing., Jade University UAS Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- Vera Goseva, PhD, University Professor, „S.S. Cyril and Methodius" University, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Statement
Authors submitting manuscripts to Horizons for Sustainability confirm that:
- The work is original and has not been published elsewhere, nor is it under review at another journal.
- All authors have read and approved the manuscript and its submission.
- The manuscript does not infringe any copyright, and all necessary permissions have been obtained.
- The research involving human participants, human data or human tissue complies with applicable ethical standards.
- The authors accept the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License upon acceptance.
Submission
All manuscripts must be submitted electronically. Authors should prepare their manuscript according to the template below and send it via email or the online submission form.
All documents will be sent to icdi.ucb@gmail.com
The manuscript should include:
- Title of the paper
- Names and affiliations of all authors
- Corresponding author email and ORCID (if available)
- Abstract (150–250 words)
- Keywords (5–8 terms)
- Full manuscript text following the template structure
- References formatted in accordance with the journal style
Template
Please use the official article template when preparing your manuscript. Manuscripts that do not conform to the template may be returned to the authors before review.
Language
Manuscripts are accepted in English. Romanian translations are welcome as a supplementary version. The title, abstract, and keywords must be provided in English.
Review Timeline
Upon receipt, manuscripts are assessed for scope and format compliance, then sent to two independent referees. Authors can typically expect an initial decision within 8–12 weeks of submission.
Purpose of Peer Review
Peer review is a very important stage in the academic publishing process: it is the core of the entire system. It serves two key purposes: it acts as a filter to ensure that only quality research is published, and it helps improve the quality of the submitted research.
Conducting the Review
Peer review is conducted confidentially; the article you are asked to review must not be shared with third parties. Set aside 2–3 hours to complete the review.
Typically you will assess the article based on the following aspects:
1. Originality
- Is the article sufficiently novel and interesting to justify publication?
- Is the research important? Does the article meet the journal's standards?
2. Structure
- Is the article clearly presented, with all key components present (abstract, keywords, introduction, methodology, results, conclusion, references)?
- Title: Does it clearly describe the content?
- Abstract: Does it reflect the content adequately?
- Introduction: Does it present the research problem and general approach?
- Methodology: Is it appropriate and clearly explained?
- Results: Are they presented logically and analyzed correctly?
- Conclusion: Do the claims relate logically to the results?
- Figures and Tables: Are they essential, well-designed, and consistent?
3. Previous Research
- If the article builds on previous research, are those works properly cited?
- Are there any important works that were omitted? Are the references accurate?
4. Language
If the article contains numerous spelling or grammar mistakes, you are not expected to correct the language — inform the editor of the poor quality and allow them to decide.
5. Ethical Issues
- Plagiarism: Notify the editor and cite the suspected sources.
- Fraud: Explain your reasoning if results may be fraudulent.
- Other ethical concerns: Confidentiality, permissions, treatment of humans/animals.
Submitting the Report
Once you have completed your evaluation, write and submit your report. Be constructive and respectful; explain and justify your opinion. Your final recommendation should fall into one of the categories: Rejection, Acceptance without revisions, or Acceptance with revisions (minor or major).
Operational Review Form — Key Sections
- Title — clarity and relevance
- Abstract — informativeness and overview
- Introduction — context and objectives
- Materials and Methods — validity and credibility
- Research/Investigation and Results — clarity and currency of literature
- Conclusions — logical consistency, avoidance of bias
- References — accuracy and currency
- Tables, Graphs and Figures — completeness and proper labeling
- General Comments — topic importance, grammar, credibility of data
Evaluation of Papers
All manuscripts are reviewed by members of the editorial board. The documents that fall under the theme of the journal are evaluated by two independent scientific referees, who have agreed to review the documents and send the answer to the Editor-in-Chief. The identity of the evaluators is not disclosed to the authors.
The reviewers give the Editor-in-Chief the review form that includes comments on the scientific content of the work and the possibility to publish it. The editor-in-chief summarizes the evaluators' observations to communicate them to the author.
Taking into account the opinions of all reviewers, the editor-in-chief decides on the acceptance / revision / rejection of the paper.
Review Stages
Submission
The author submits the manuscript to the editorial office. The editorial team performs an initial screening to verify scope and basic formatting requirements.
Editorial Assessment
The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the manuscript for suitability. Papers not meeting scope or quality thresholds may be returned without external review.
Double-Blind Peer Review
Suitable manuscripts are sent to two independent referees. The identity of both authors and reviewers is kept confidential throughout the process.
Editorial Decision
Based on the reviewers' reports, the Editor-in-Chief decides: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Comments are communicated to the corresponding author.
Revision
If requested, authors prepare a revised version addressing the reviewers' comments, with a point-by-point response letter.
Publication
Accepted manuscripts are copy-edited, typeset, and published in the next available issue. A DOI is assigned and the article is made freely available online.
Horizons for Sustainability is indexed and abstracted in the following international databases and catalogues:
Journal Identifiers
ISSN (Print): 2501-8000
ISSN-L: 2501-8000
Publisher: „Academia Brâncuși" Publishing, Târgu Jiu, Romania
Articles published in the journal Horizons for Sustainability may be partially or fully reproduced, provided that the source is properly cited. The journal is open-access and free of charge.
Copyright Protection
The authors of the manuscript agree that, if the manuscript is accepted for publication in Horizons for Sustainability, the copyright will be protected under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of articles from this journal without seeking permission from the author or publisher, provided that the following conditions are met:
- The name(s) of the author(s), the title of the article, the fact that the article is published in Horizons for Sustainability, and the cited page(s) must be clearly mentioned;
- The material must be reproduced exactly as it appears when quoted, used, discussed, or duplicated;
- Copyright must not be infringed in any way.
Author Rights
Authors retain the copyright of their work published in Horizons for Sustainability. They may reproduce the published version of their article in any medium, provided that the source is properly cited and the Creative Commons license terms are respected.
No Publication Fees
Horizons for Sustainability operates on an open-access model with no article processing charges (APCs) and no submission fees.