PORTUSplus – published by RETE, International Association for the Collaboration between Ports and Cities – is an open-access journal, peer reviewed and indexed, dedicated to the study of themes regarding the relationship between port and cities and urban waterfronts with a multidisciplinary approach.
The Journal publishes and promotes scientific products and investigations – original works, studies experimental or theoretical, research results, etc. – concerning different fields of interest and from around the world.
The objective is to encourage the dissemination of knowledge and stimulate the international debate, promoting an systemic and holistic approach in the investigation and application, also exploring the interaction between policies and practices in the process.
More information <Aims and Scope>
Promoting the communication and development of scientific research, which plays an increasingly relevant role in our society, PORTUSplus invites scholars and researchers, experts and professionals to respond to the Call for papers “Research Themes”, submitting original works and research results in the different disciplines that are inherent to the topics described below.
Themes of Interest
The topics addressed in the papers may concern the plurality of dynamics involved in the evolution of urban waterfronts and contemporary port cities, from the point of view of different scientific-disciplinary approaches (economic, social, city-planning, cultural, etc.). In particular, the proposals should concern an issue related to the thematic areas specified below:
- HISTORY OF PORT CITIES
- ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
- CONTEMPORARY PORT CITIES AND NEW PORT-CITY RELATION MODELS
- FUTURE SCENARIOS: PLANNING AND PERSPECTIVE
- RESTRUCTURING URBAN-PORT WATERFRONTS
- ARCHITECTURE AND PORT CITY LANDSCAPE
- URBAN-PORT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
- CULTURE AND IDENTITY
- PORT CITY DIDACTICS
- COMMUNICATION RESOURCES AND TOOLS
- INFRASTRUCTURES, TRANSPORT, INTERMODALITY, LOGISTICS
- PORT, CITY AND TERRITORY
- Others (Special Issues)
More information <Section Policies>
Process of Paper Submission
PORTUSplus publishes exclusively papers that have not been published previously and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere, rigorous, well-written, high-quality, high-impact papers, with findings of basic/experimental research and development, as well as applications and innovative practices to generate discussions and new prospects.
Participation in the selection for publication in PORTUSplus Journal (https://portusplus.org/) can be requested by responding to the “Call for papers” before the established deadline and following the instructions for the online “Submission Step by Step”.
More information <Online Submission> and <Submission Preparation Checklist>
Acceptance of papers is based on originality and importance of observations and investigations, works quality and evidence validity, presentation clarity, and relevance both for readership and for fields of interest of the Journal.
More information <Editorial Guidelines> and <Information for Authors>
Language
Articles must be submitted exclusively in English (American English, translated or revised by a native speaker or professional in translation). If deemed appropriate by the Author(s), the same work may also be presented eventually in a second language among those admitted by the Journal (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish).
Deadline for Paper Submission
As regards the Paper Submission phase, the deadline is indicated on the Home Page of the Journal’s website, as well as in the specific section “New announcements”: https://portusplus.org/index.php/pp/announcement/.
The works deemed suitable and in line with the standards of the Journal are subjected to a double-blind peer review process (neither the Authors nor the Reviewers know the identity of each other) to avoid bias in the evaluation.
Any submissions received after the deadline are subsequently reviewed for possible inclusion in the following 2026 issue of PORTUSplus.
More information < Publication Schedule>
Peer Review Process
The papers are subjected to evaluation through an anonymous procedure by at least two members of the Panel of Reviewers, composed by prestigious academics and experts from different disciplines (urban planners, architects, engineers, geographers, historians, sociologists, etc.), with the collaboration of Scientific Advisory Board and Editorial Board members.
The contributions are evaluated on the basis of specific criteria (originality of approach and methodology; scientific-academic level; quality and clarity of contents; completeness and order of presentation; importance in the disciplinary sector; scope of application of the results; contribution to the international debate, illustrations, references; etc.), making use of the expertise and experience of the Reviewers in thematic fields of interest to the Journal.
More information <Peer Review Process> and <Information for Reviewers>
Publication of Selected Papers
In accordance with the recommendations of the Reviewers, the papers will be selected by the Editors and published on PORTUSplus with the ISSN code (2039-6422), the International Standard Serial Number which uniquely identifies a serial publication.
The articles will be published, after completion of the peer review and editing process, as part of a single issue of the Journal, with the relevant table of contents. The papers will be progressively available on the Journal’s website (https://portusplus.org).
Open Access
All articles published on PORTUSplus are made freely and permanently accessible via the internet, immediately after publication, without restrictions, charges and embargo period. The articles are available to a wide audience and internationally, based on the principle that open access supports a greater exchange of knowledge and experience.
More information <Open Access Policy> and <Charges Policy>
License
All articles published in the PORTUSplus are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND) which allows an restricted use of the works: copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of the work, not instead derivative works and remixes based on it (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Any of the above conditions may be waived only with the permission of the Author(s) and Publisher.
More information <Copyright Information>
As regards the papers submitted to the Journal, the Author(s) represents and warrants that contents, figures, tables and all other materials produced have been created and processed personally, and/or do not in any way violate the existing copyrights, or any third party rights.
More information <Copyright Notice and Transfer Agreement>
Transparency and Ethical Integrity
PORTUSplus complies with the principles of transparency and best practices in academic publishing at all stages of the publication process.
During the entire editorial process, the Journal follows the recommendations and policies suggested by the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE (https://publicationethics.org), also encouraging the Authors to pursue the international standards for publications of scholarly research.
More information <Publications Ethics and Malpractices> and <Conflicts of Interest>
Journal Policies
The Journal makes all its policies available on the website, which include detailed information on submission, editorial processes, guidelines for different users, copyright, etc. All parties involved in the activities and production process are introduced and informed around their rights and responsibilities to ensure a smooth and ethical publishing process.
More information <Policies> and <Roles and Responsibilities in Publishing>
More Information
For further details you can consult the Journal’s website at the following link:
https://portusplus.org/index.php/pp/announcement/
Principal Contact
For submission of the paper and related further information, please direct requests and questions to the Principal Contact of PORTUSplus.
E-mail address: journal@portusplus.org