Author Guidelines

Instructions for Reviewers – PIT Journal (Privacy, Innovation and Technology)

1. Nature of the Review Process

PIT Journal applies a double-blind peer-review system, under which neither the authors know the identity of the reviewers nor the reviewers know the identity of the authors.

Each manuscript submitted for external review will be evaluated by two specialised reviewers, selected on the basis of their knowledge and experience in the subject matter of the manuscript.

In the event of a negative review, the Editorial Team may, at its discretion, submit the manuscript to a second reviewer for an additional evaluation before reaching a final decision.

2. Purpose of the Review

The review process seeks to:

• Ensure the scientific, methodological and ethical quality of the manuscripts.

• Promote the academic improvement of manuscripts through constructive comments.

• Verify the relevance, originality and clarity of the contributions made.

The review report is intended as a support tool for both the Editorial Board and the authors.

3. Confidentiality

All material received for review is confidential.

Reviewers may not share the manuscript, either in whole or in part, with other persons without the express authorisation of the Editorial Team.

The information contained therein may not be used for personal, academic or commercial purposes prior to publication of the article.

4. Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers shall assess the manuscript on the basis of the following aspects:

1. Originality and relevance

• The manuscript provides new approaches, results or reflections in the fields of privacy, technological innovation or data protection.

• It contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge or regulatory practice.

2. Methodological rigour and clarity of argument

• The objectives and methods are appropriate, coherent and verifiable.

• The conclusions logically follow from the results or analysis presented.

3. Structure and quality of writing

• The text is well organised, clearly written and complies with the formal requirements established by the journal.

4. Ethical and legal aspects

• Data protection regulations and research ethics requirements are respected.

• The use of artificial intelligence, where applicable, is disclosed in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies.

5. Interdisciplinary relevance and applicability

• The manuscript has potential value for the academic community, the public or private sector, and society in general.

5. Structure of the Review Report

The reviewer shall submit the evaluation within the established deadline, generally 15 working days, using the official form or template, which includes:

• General assessment of the manuscript (comments to the Editorial Board).

• Comments for the authors, written in a constructive and respectful tone.

• Final recommendation, choosing one of the following options:

1. Accept without changes.

2. Accept with minor revisions.

3. Revise and resubmit.

4. Reject.

The reviewer may suggest substantive or formal corrections, but the final decision on publication rests with the Editorial Board.

6. Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

The reviewer shall refrain from participating if:

• There is a personal, professional or academic relationship with the authors.

• The reviewer has collaborated with them on recent publications or projects within the last three years.

• The reviewer has financial, ideological or institutional interests that may affect their objectivity.

Any potential conflict must be immediately disclosed to the Editorial Board.

1. Scope and Purpose

PIT Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic publication that disseminates original research in the fields of personal data protection, privacy, law and technology, cybersecurity, digital governance and related disciplines.

Its purpose is to promote critical, interdisciplinary and rigorous analysis of the challenges posed by digital transformation, artificial intelligence and the information society, within the framework of respect for fundamental rights.

The journal is published twice a year.

2. Types of Contributions Accepted

PIT Journal accepts the following types of manuscripts for evaluation:

• Research articles: original results of theoretical, empirical or applied research in the fields of data protection, digital law or emerging technologies.

• Reflection articles: critical analyses of legal, social or technical issues related to privacy and technology.

3. Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through PIT Journal’s OJS platform.

• Articles may be submitted in either Spanish or English.

• Articles must be between 8,000 and 12,000 words in length, including footnotes, tables, references and appendices.

• Files must be submitted in an open format such as Word (.docx), .odt or .rtf. PDF files are not accepted.

• The text must be formatted in Times New Roman, 12-point font, single-spaced. Authors must use the submission template provided by the journal: https://revista.aepd.es/public/assets/RPIT_Plantilla.docx

• A title, an abstract of no more than 200 words and five keywords must be provided in both Spanish and English.

4. Citation Guidelines

PIT Journal follows the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style. All references must be presented rigorously and consistently.

Under this system, when a work is cited, the main bibliographic details of the document are provided in a footnote or endnote. If the same work is cited again later, subsequent notes should contain only an abbreviated form of the reference. Notes are numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear.

The corresponding full bibliographic reference must be included in the bibliography at the end of the document. Bibliographic references are arranged alphabetically and formatted with a hanging indent. When several works by the same author are cited, the author’s name is replaced from the second entry onwards by five consecutive dashes, and the works are arranged by year of publication. Where several works by the same author published in the same year are cited, letters must be added to distinguish them.

Examples of the Notes and Bibliography System

Journal Articles

Article in a print journal. One author

In a footnote or endnote, where appropriate, the specific page being cited must be indicated. In the bibliography, however, the full page range of the article must be provided.

NOTE: Arthur Gielen, “Interpersonal Conflict and Physical Violence”, Social Science and Medicine 39, no. 6 (1994): 783.

SHORTENED NOTE: Gielen, “Interpersonal Conflict and Physical Violence”, 783.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Gielen, Arthur. “Interpersonal Conflict and Physical Violence”. Social Science and Medicine 39, no. 6 (1994): 781–787.

Article in a print journal. Two authors

NOTE: Simon Hodgins and Alan Kratzer, “Obstetric Complications, Parenting, and Risk of Criminal Behavior”, Archives of General Psychiatry 58, no. 8 (2001): 746–752.

SHORTENED NOTE: Hodgins and Kratzer, “Obstetric Complications...”, 750.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hodgins, Simon and Alan Kratzer. “Obstetric Complications, Parenting, and Risk of Criminal Behavior”, Archives of General Psychiatry 58, no. 8 (2001): 746–752.

Article in a print journal. Three authors

NOTE: Sarah Lipsky, Alice Holt and Roberta Easterling, “Police-Reported Intimate Partner Violence during Pregnancy: Who is at Risk?”, Violence and Victims 20, no. 1 (2005): 69–86.

SHORTENED NOTE: Lipsky, Holt and Easterling, “Police-Reported Intimate”, 81.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lipsky, Sarah, Alice Holt and Roberta Easterling. “Police-Reported Intimate Partner Violence during Pregnancy: Who is at Risk?”. Violence and Victims 20, no. 1 (2005): 69–86.

Article in a print journal. Four to ten authors

NOTE: Linda Arseneault et al., “Obstetrical Complications and Violent Delinquency: Testing Two Developmental Pathways”, Child Development 73, no. 2 (2002): 496–508.

SHORTENED NOTE: Arseneault et al., “Obstetrical Complications”, 499.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Arseneault, Linda, Ron Tremblay, Marie Jones, Brendan Boulerice, and Jane Saucier. “Obstetrical Complications and Violent Delinquency: Testing Two Developmental Pathways”. Child Development 73, no. 2 (2002): 496–508.

Article in a print journal. More than ten authors

For more than ten authors, the first seven authors are listed in the bibliography, followed by et al.

NOTE: Henry Apricot et al., “Admissions to Hospital from a Rural Community in Israel”, Nurse Education Today 3, no. 2 (2012): 96–108.

SHORTENED NOTE: Apricot et al., “Admissions to Hospital”, 102–103.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Apricot, Henry, Margaret Smith, Sarah Numan, Kevin Artic, Luis Souza, Isabel Mateos et al., “Admissions to Hospital from a Rural Community in Israel”, Nurse Education Today 3, no. 2 (2012): 96–108.

Article in an electronic journal

For articles consulted online, the DOI, URL or name of the database must be included.

Where there are several authors, the same rules as for print journals apply.

NOTE: Ofelia Calvo Aguilar. “Obstetric Violence Criminalised in Mexico: A Comparative Analysis of Hospital Complaints Filed with the Medical Arbitration Commission.” BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health 46, no. 1 (2020): 38–45. DOI 10.1136/bmjsrh-2018-200224200224.

SHORTENED NOTE: Calvo Aguilar. “Obstetric Violence Criminalised in Mexico...”, 44.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Calvo Aguilar, Ofelia. “Obstetric Violence Criminalised in Mexico: A Comparative Analysis of Hospital Complaints Filed with the Medical Arbitration Commission.” BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health 46, no. 1 (2020): 38–45. DOI 10.1136/bmjsrh-2018-200224200224.

Books

One author

NOTE: Alice Shabot, Amigas, Sisters: We’re being Gaslighted (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2019), 64–66.

SHORTENED NOTE: Shabot, Amigas, Sisters, 64–66.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Shabot, Alice. Amigas, Sisters: We’re being Gaslighted. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2019.

Two or three authors

NOTE: Brian Anderson and Charlotte Smith, The Secrets in Universe (London: Johns & Johns, 1999), 152.

SHORTENED NOTE: Anderson and Smith, Secrets, 152.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Anderson, Brian and Charlotte Smith. The Secrets in Universe. London: Johns & Johns, 1999.

Four or more authors

The same rules as for journal articles with more than one author apply.

Book in Electronic Format

NOTE: Carolina Domenech Belda, La escritura jeroglífica egipcia (Alicante: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, 2004), https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/la-escritura-jeroglfica-egipcia-0/

SHORTENED NOTE: Carolina Domenech Belda, La escritura jeroglífica egipcia...

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Carolina Domenech Belda, La escritura jeroglífica egipcia. Alicante: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, 2004. https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/la-escritura-jeroglfica-egipcia-0/

Book Chapter

The specific pages cited are indicated in the note, while the full page range of the chapter is provided in the bibliography.

NOTE: Margarita Braqui. “Radiografía de un experimento sociológico”, in Feminismo 2.0, ed. Luis Santos, 27–63 (Barcelona: Ínsula, 2020), 52.

SHORTENED NOTE: Braqui. “Radiografía...”, 52.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Braqui, Margarita. “Radiografía de un experimento sociológico”. In Feminismo 2.0, edited by Luis Santos, 27–63. Barcelona: Ínsula, 2020.

Websites

Without a named author

If the website does not indicate a publication or revision date, the date of access must be provided.

NOTE: OVO Chile, accessed 1 April 2020, https://ovochile.cl/

SHORTENED NOTE: OVO Chile

BIBLIOGRAPHY: OVO Chile. Accessed 1 April 2020. https://ovochile.cl/

With a named author

If the website does not indicate a publication or revision date, the date of access must be provided.

NOTE: Carlos Sabín, “No, Wigner no pensaba eso”, Investigación y Ciencia: Cuantos completos, accessed 27 March 2020, https://www.investigacionyciencia.es/blogs/fisica-y-quimica/85/posts/no-wigner-no-pensaba-eso-17931

SHORTENED NOTE: Sabín, “No, Wigner”

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sabín, Carlos. “No, Wigner no pensaba eso.” Investigación y Ciencia: Cuantos completos. Accessed 27 March 2020. https://www.investigacionyciencia.es/blogs/fisica-y-quimica/85/posts/no-wigner-no-pensaba-eso-17931.

Doctoral Theses

NOTE: Felícitas Hernán de la Hoz, “Las fronteras del negacionismo en un ecosistema racionalista. Problemática asociada a las comunidades indígenas” (Doctoral thesis, University of Murcia, 1968), 88–92.

SHORTENED NOTE: Hernán, “Fronteras”, 88–92.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hernán de la Hoz, Felícitas. “Las fronteras del negacionismo en un ecosistema racionalista. Problemática asociada a las comunidades indígenas”. Doctoral thesis. University of Murcia, 1968.

Conference Papers

If the conference paper is available online, the URL must be added at the end of the reference, preceded by a full stop (.) in the bibliography and by a comma (,) when included in a note.

NOTE: Ana Chaparro, “La mirada y la memoria: historia compartida catalanoaragonesa”, paper presented at the 2nd Congress of Aragonese History, Belchite, 15–17 May 1999.

SHORTENED NOTE: Chaparro, “Mirada”, 44.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Chaparro, Ana. “La mirada y la memoria: historia compartida catalanoaragonesa”. Paper presented at the 2nd Congress of Aragonese History, Belchite, 15–17 May 1999.

5. Editorial Process and Peer Review

6. Initial Review

The Editorial Board verifies compliance with the formal and thematic requirements.

7. Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial stage are subjected to double-blind peer review by external experts in the fields of law, technology and data protection.

8. Editorial Decision

On the basis of the reports received, the Editorial Board will decide whether the manuscript is accepted, accepted subject to revisions, or rejected.

9. Editing and Publication

Once accepted, the article will undergo style editing, proofreading and layout prior to final publication.

The period from submission to review and acceptance may range from three to six months, depending on the editorial workflow. The editing and publication process takes place within two to three months following final acceptance.

6. Ethical Principles

• Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original, unpublished and not simultaneously under consideration by other journals.

• All manuscripts will be checked using similarity-detection tools in order to prevent plagiarism.

• Sources of funding, institutional support and potential conflicts of interest must be expressly disclosed.

7. Copyright and Open Access

Authors shall at all times retain the moral rights in their works.

By accepting publication in PIT Journal, authors grant the AEPD a non-exclusive licence for the reproduction, distribution, public communication and digital preservation of their articles in all formats and media necessary to ensure open access.

The journal is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

This means that readers may freely share the articles provided that:

• proper attribution is given to the author or authors;

• no commercial use is made of the work; and

• no modifications are made to the original work.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In accordance with the principles of transparency and academic responsibility, authors must expressly disclose whether they have used AI tools in the preparation of the manuscript:

• Limited use (translation, formal correction): this must be mentioned in a note at the end of the article.

• Substantial use (partial drafting, proposed structure, generation of text fragments or data): this must be expressly disclosed in an Acknowledgements section or AI Use Statement, specifying the tool used and the extent of its contribution. The author or authors shall remain responsible for the critical review, validation and originality of the content.

• Manuscripts generated entirely by AI without proper academic supervision and validation by the author will not be accepted.

Failure to comply with these provisions may result in rejection of the manuscript or, if it has already been published, retraction of the article.

9. Contact

For further information, authors may contact the journal via its institutional email address, rpit@aepd.es, or through the OJS platform.