Synesis publishes original papers that address science, technology, ethics and policy – both singularly, and in intersection. The journal welcomes submissions from those in these fields who seek to form intellectual bridges within and between the disciplines, and in so doing develop insight to the important issues, questions, problems and possible solutions that engage science and technology as a social force. Papers may address any area of science, technology, ethics and policy, and may be empirical studies, speculative or concept theses, and/or reviews. As well, commentaries to extant papers, themes, or activities in the respective fields are welcome.
Synesis follows a double−blind reviewing procedure. Each submitted manuscript will be reviewed by (at least) two anonymous peer rewiewers. These reviews will help the co-editors reach a final decision about whether a manuscript should be accepted for publication. Page charges and publication fees are not levied upon authors. Authors intending to write review papers should first inquire with the Editor-in-Chief to discuss focus, and ascertain level of interest; all inquiries and submissions should be sent to editorial@synesisjournal.com.
The time taken to reach a final decision depends on whether reviewers request revisions, and how quickly authors are able to respond. The ultimate responsibility for any decision lies with the Editor-in-Chief, to whom any appeals against rejection should be addressed. Once an article is accepted, it is published in Synesis as a formatted PDF file.
Instructions for Authors
Manuscripts must be submitted by one of the authors of the manuscript via email to: editorial@synesisjournal.com. The submitting author takes responsibility for the article during submission and peer review.
Submissions should include these attachments: 1) a brief cover letter stating the names, titles, and contact information of all authors, indicating the corresponding author, that the work is original and has not been submitted elsewhere, and acknowledgment of copyright transfer. 2) the manuscript text, including an abstract (not to exceed 250 words), 3-4 keywords, references, acknowledgements, and competing interests statement. Manuscripts should be between 2500-5000 words of text for empirical studies or speculative theses; 5000-10,000 words of text for reviews, and 1500-3000 words of text for commentaries. The following word processor file formats are acceptable for the main manuscript document: Microsoft Word and Rich Text Format (RTF).
3) If applicable, figures and tables must be submitted as separate file attachments (Figures must be submitted as image files. Appropriate image formats: jpeg, gif, ppt, png). Please note the position of the figures/tables in text - for example: "Table 1 goes here" or "Figure 1 goes here" - Please do not include the figures in the text file.
Referencing should conform to Vancouver referencing style (also known as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors style). Click here for examples of Vancouver style on the National Library of Medicine website.To cite within the text, please use a number enclosed in round brackets, eg. (1) or (12), placed in the text of the manuscript, indicates the relevant reference. Citations are numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text and each citation corresponds to a numbered reference containing publication information about the source cited in the reference list. Once a source has been cited, the same number is used in all subsequent references. When using EndNote bibliographic software, please use the following output style - Vancouver.
For an editable sample manuscript format file in Word click here
Any manuscripts submitted to the journal must not have been published or be under consideration by any other journal. The journal considers publication of manuscripts that are translations of work originally published in another language. In this case, inquiry must first be made to the Editor-in-Chief, and expressed written consent of the foreign journal in which the work was published must be provided. As well, it must be explicitly stated in both the abstract and acknolwedgments section of the manuscript that said work is a translation of a previously published paper, appearing in Synesis with permission of the original foreign journal. All authors are required to ensure that no material submitted in a manuscript infringes existing copyrights, or the rights of a third party.
Submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have read and agreed to its content, and that any experimental research that is reported in the manuscript has been performed with the approval of an institutional review, as required. Research on humans must be in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration, and any animal research must follow internationally recognized guidelines. A statement to this effect must appear in the manuscript, including the name of the body which gave approval, with a reference number where appropriate. Informed consent must also be documented. Manuscripts may be rejected if the editorial office considers that the research has not been carried out within an ethical framework.
The publisher of Synesis, Potomac Institute Press, has a legal responsibility to ensure that its journals do not publish material that infringes copyright, or that includes libellous or defamatory content. If, on review, your manuscript is perceived to contain potentially libellous content, the journal Editors and publisher will work with authors to ensure an appropriate outcome is reached.
Generic drug and device names should be used. When proprietary brands are used, include the brand names in parentheses.
We ask authors to indicate competing interests as a separate section of the manuscript, to follow the Acknowledgements. Where an author gives no competing interests, the listing will read 'The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests'.
Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, the author is be asked to sign an author responsibility, financial disclosure and copyright transfer agreement. Except in cases of US governmental employees, the copyright transfer agreement transfers copyright to the Potomac Institute Press. No published material may be reproduced, distributed, or published elsewhere, in print or electronic form, without the written permission of the journal.
