About the Journal
Mission and Scope
Finisterra – Revista Portuguesa de Geografia is an open access, peer-reviewed journal whose mission is to promote and disseminate scientific research and updates in the fields of Geography and related sciences. It publishes original theoretical and empirical works in a variety of formats (research articles, review articles, commentaries, book reviews, among others) dedicated to Physical and Human Geography, Landscape Studies, Environmental Risks and Change, Urban and Regional Studies, Development, Regional and Local Planning, Land Use Planning, Spatial Modelling, and Geographic Information Science.
Founded in 1966 by Orlando Ribeiro, Finisterra is one of the oldest continuously published scientific journals in Portugal. Since its inception, it has been a non-commercial publication of the Centro de Estudos Geográficos of the University of Lisbon (currently integrated into the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of this university), and does not charge publication fees.
Finisterra follows a rigorous and transparent quality control policy. Manuscript submissions are made through the journal platform hosted on RCAAP – Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal, where the entire peer review process is managed. Scientific evaluation is overseen by the Director, Deputy Director, the Executive Editorial Board, and at least two anonymous peer reviewers. Since 2024, the editing and formatting of accepted texts have been professionalised.
Although committed to advancing geographic knowledge in Portuguese, Finisterra is an international journal, engaging with contemporary debates and state-of-the-art research in territorial sciences. The journal has no specific regional focus but pays particular attention to the Lusophone and Ibero-American worlds.
Finisterra encourages multilingualism. It accepts articles in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish. All articles include an English version of titles, abstracts, keywords, as well as figure and table captions.
The journal’s visual identity was renewed in 2003. Since then, its covers have been illustrated by visual artist Pedro Calapez, reinterpreting the armillary sphere from the original 1960s Finisterra logo.
Until 2013, Finisterra was published only in print, with two issues per year. In 2016, it transitioned from biannual to triannual publication.
With its inclusion in RCAAP in 2013, the journal also became available digitally and obtained an electronic ISSN, while providing open access to all issues from the first volume onward. Articles were initially published in PDF format and, since 2021, also in HTML.
As of 2024, Finisterra publishes articles continuously, making them available online and in an Ahead of Print version once peer review is concluded and manuscripts are accepted for publication. All articles since the first 1966 volume are digitised and freely accessible online.
The journal is actively working to reduce manuscript review time and accelerate the publication process, without compromising quality.
- Average time to first decision (e.g., immediate editor rejection or first reviewer invitation): 3 weeks
- Total review time (submission to acceptance): 20 weeks
- Time between acceptance and publication: 3 weeks
- Rejection rate (2022–2024): 67% (47% at first decision; 20% after peer review)
Indexing and Metrics
Finisterra is indexed in the following scientific databases: Clarivate / Web of Science (Emerging Sources Citation Index – ESCI); SCOPUS; SciELO Citation Index e SciELO – Scientific Electronic Library; SCImago Journal Rank; WebQualis (Capes); ERIH PLUS (European Reference Index for the Humanities and the Social Sciences); EBSCO (Academic Search Complete); DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals); Latindex (Sistema Regional de Información en Línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal); Dialnet; REDIB (Red Iberoamericana de Innovación y Conocimiento Científico); Sherpa/ROMEO (Journals database).
- Journal Citation Indicator Web of Science (JCI): 0.14 (2023)
- SCOPUS CiteScore: 1.8 (2023)
- SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): 0.25 (2023)
- CAPES: A1 in the field of Geography
Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate and free open access to its content, based on the principle that making scientific knowledge freely available promotes greater democratisation of knowledge, recognition, and visibility for Geography.
Journal Details
ISSN (print): 0430-5027
ISSN (online): 2182-2905
Legal deposit no.: 1956/83
ICS: 124607
Frequency: Triannual (January–April, May–August, September–December)
Ownership: Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território, Universidade de Lisboa
Funding
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