About the Journal

Focus, Scope and Objectives

Rivista di Psicopatologia Forense, Medicina Legale, Criminologia, periodico quadrimestrale a carattere scientifico della Università degli Studi di Roma "Sapienza".

This journal was founded in the 60s under the direction of Prof. Franco Granone of the University of Turin, remembered as the first neuropsychiatrist who gave an academic and scientific body to clinical hypnosis with its "Hypnosis Treaty" published by UTET. The first name given to the journal, published for the types of Minerva Medica, was "Rassegna di Ipnosi e Medicina Psicosomatica". By the will of all the members of the Italian Center for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis of Turin, in 1974 the Journal changed its title in "Rassegna di Psicoterapia, Ipnosi, Stati di Coscienza". However, at the departure of the Director of Minerva Medica Dr. Tommaso Oliaro, the journal, as well as other journals, suffered the unpleasant deletion due to lack of funds. It was on that date that my teacher of Hypnosis, the same Franco Granone, asked me to take care of the journal so that it could be republished and, in my transfer (May 1988) from the University of Bari to the University of Rome "Sapienza", I proceeded with the due timescales for the formalizations to submit the journal to the same Sapienza University of Rome, with a first moment of transition at the Roman University Editions. But very soon, the Senate Academic and the Board of Directors of Sapienza University of Rome, resolved to become "owned" by the same University and, also as a quarterly periodical, was registered in Rome changing entirely the title, as it was directed by my person at the time Holder of the Chair of Forensic Psychopathology. The title became "Rassegna di psicoterapie, Ipnosi, Medicina Psicosomatica, Psicopatologia Forense". This title continued to exist until, in the physiological passage to another Director, further formalizations including the Sapienza Board of Directors, resolved, on 30 October 2017, to definitively change its name as "Rivista di Psicopatologia forense, Medicina Legale, Criminologia" with Director Prof. Natale Mario Di Luca, head of the Legal Medicine Section of the Department of Anatomical Sciences, Histology, Legal Medicine and of the Locomotor System of Sapienza University of Rome. The Evaluation Committee of the New Journal decided to delegate the professors who appear in the cover page of the new issue, each with the respective task, and I accepted the position of Responsible Coordinator and Scientific Director of the Journal. The advisory committee has been chosen among the most prestigious signatures of the best-known Italian and foreign universities. Obviously, a section will still be reserved for memory duty to Clinical Hypnosis. I wish to this journal, now become historic for its birth and its evolution, the best of luck.

Peer review process

Peer review is applied to all research articles and the majority of other article types published in PAGEPress journals. This usually entails at least two independent, expert peer reviewers.

Policy

All submissions to PAGEPress journals are first checked for completeness (criteria for desk reject are available in the Guide for Authors) before being sent to an Editor, who decides whether they are suitable for peer review. If an Editor is on the author list or has a competing interest in a particular manuscript, another member of the Editorial Board will be assigned to oversee peer review. When making a decision, Editors will consider the peer-reviewed reports, but they will not be bound by the opinions or recommendations contained in them. A single peer reviewer's or the Editor's concern may result in the manuscript being rejected. Peer review reports are sent to authors along with the editorial decision on their manuscript.

PAGEPress journals use one of two types of peer review:

  • Single-blind: the reviewers know the names of the authors, but the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript.
  • Double-blind: the reviewers do not know the authors’ names, and the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript.

Selection

Peer reviewer selection is critical to the publication process. A variety of factors influence it, including expertise, reputation, specific recommendations, conflicts of interest, and previous performance. All of these qualities are highly desirable: speed, thoroughness, sound reasoning, and collegiality.

When two independent peer reviewers cannot be obtained, the Editor may act as a second reviewer or make a decision based on only one report. If acting as a second reviewer, the editor must have sufficient knowledge in the area and sign the review to ensure transparency in the peer review process.

Before accepting an invitation to review a manuscript, potential peer reviewers should notify the Editor of any potential conflicts of interest. Editors' and peer reviewers' communications contain confidential information that should not be shared with third parties.

PAGEPress journals are committed to making editorial decisions and publishing them as soon as possible, and we believe that an efficient editorial process benefits both our authors and the research community as a whole. As a result, we ask reviewers to respond within the agreed-upon time frame. If reviewers anticipate a delay, we ask that they notify us so that we can keep the authors updated and, if necessary, find alternative solutions.

Diversity and equity

PAGEPress is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strives for demographic diversity among peer reviewers. When inviting peer reviewers, editors are bly encouraged to consider geographical regions, gender identities, racial/ethnic groups, and other groups.

Misconduct

False or misleading information, such as identity theft and suggesting fake peer-reviewers, will result in the manuscript being rejected, further investigation in accordance with PAGEPress' misconduct policy (https://www.pagepress.org/site/plagiarism_misconduct), and notification to the authors' institutions/employers. PAGEPress journals follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance about peer reviewer fraud/falsification.

Guidance

The primary goal of peer review is to provide the Editor with the information needed to make a fair, evidence-based decision that adheres to the journal's editorial criteria. Review reports should also assist authors in revising their paper so that it can be accepted for publication. Reports that include a recommendation to reject the paper should explain the major flaws in the research; this will help the authors prepare their manuscript for possible re-submission (if allowed by the Editor) or submission to a different journal.

A quick guide to reviewing is available here

Before submitting a report, reviewers should ask themselves the following questions:

  • How would you react if you received this report?
  • Do you find the tone offensive?
  • Is it polite and professional?
  • Do the authors or their competitors receive any unnecessary personal or antagonistic remarks?

Please keep in mind that any offensive language in your report may be removed by the Editor.

Publication Frequency

All papers are published as soon as they have been accepted, by adding them to the "current" volume's Table of Contents.

Article Processing Charge

Open Access publishing does have its costs. However, as a promotional activity, all articles accepted for publication in Psicopatologia Forense, Medicina Legale, Criminologia will be published completely exempt from any charge.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the PKP Preservation Network, the Global LOCKSS Network and Portico to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration.

Pre- and post-prints

PAGEPress allows and encourages authors to deposit both their pre- and post-prints in Open-Access institutional archives or repositories. The primary benefit of pre- and post-print self-archiving is reaching a larger audience which enhances the visibility and impact of your research.