The Visual Essay section is conceived as a space to explore the aesthetic, symbolic, and critical dimensions of territory and spatiality through visual languages. Its purpose is to promote the publication of unpublished digital work that engages with contemporary issues of territoriality from an artistic and interdisciplinary perspective.
We invite visual artists, photographers, architects, designers, researchers, and creators interested in experimenting with ways of representing, imagining, or intervening in urban, rural, and border spaces, as well as the social, political, cultural, or environmental tensions that traverse them.
We will accept unpublished digital works—such as photomontages, illustrations, collages, photographic series, animations, or multimedia proposals—accompanied by a brief reflection (300-500 words) that contextualizes the work and explains its connection to the journal’s themes.
Submissions will be evaluated by a committee of experts in art, visual studies, and territorial studies, external to the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, based on their originality, aesthetic quality, and thematic relevance.
This section aims to establish itself as a pluralistic space where artistic creation and critical reflection on space meet and mutually enrich one another.
Evaluation process for original and unpublished manuscripts
All submissions undergo rigorous scrutiny, review, and evaluation by experts. This process consists of four stages:
1. All works are examined by experts on the editorial board to ensure they comply with the journal’s author guidelines and are impeccably executed. All stages are blind.
The following is evaluated:
- Each submission must be accompanied by a letter in free format in which the author(s) explicitly state that the work is original, unpublished, that artificial intelligence has not been used—either partially or entirely—that it has not been exhibited, and that it is not currently under any other arbitration, adjudication, or editorial process. The letter must be signed by the author(s) (the signature must be handwritten). Additionally, each author’s contact information and ORCID must be included.
- The file(s) must be in .jpeg format and completely anonymized.
- A single abstract or reflection on the work of 300 to 500 words (strict limit).
- If there are self-references in the single abstract, these must not be included in the “References” section and, in the body, must be cited as: “(XXXX year page).” If all requirements are met, the self-references will be included in the final version.
- For the “Visual Essay” section: title, subtitle, abstract, and keywords in the original language and their translation into English or Spanish, as applicable.
- Strict word limit for the title (15), subtitle (15), and keywords (3–5).
- Strict control over the translation of the title, subtitle, abstract, and keywords.
- Strict consistency and adherence to the citation system. Espacialidades uses the Chicago style (author-date).
2. Works that comply with the journal’s guidelines for authors and are impeccably executed are sent to the Editorial Committee (composed of experts, academics, and researchers from outside the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) to evaluate their relevance and quality.
The following will be evaluated:
- The suitability of the work in accordance with the call for proposals.
- The quality of the work and its execution.
3. Works that pass the initial stages are sent for double-blind peer review. Espacialidades collaborates with experts, academics, and researchers from outside the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Each work is reviewed by at least two specialists with proven expertise.
The following are evaluated:
- The relevance and significance of the topic in accordance with the journal’s profile.
- Formal elements, strategies, models, and references.
- Originality and novelty in the treatment and approach.
- Image quality.
- Any other aspects that the reviewer considers relevant.
4. Manuscripts that reach the double-blind peer review stage receive one of the following four decisions:
- Accepted without changes.
- Accepted with suggestions.
- Accepted subject to revisions.
- Rejected. Not publishable.
5. Metadata Policy. The metadata included in each published work is used to feed search engines and is included in the DOI (https://www.doi.org/) protocol. This includes:
- Title of the product in Spanish and English
- Full first and last names of authors and co-authors in order of appearance
- ORCID identifiers of authors and co-authors in order of appearance and citation
- Affiliation
- Location of the institution of origin
- Acronym of the institution of origin
- Abstract in English
- Publication date
- Final page number of the item within the published issue
- DOI of the item
- Product URL
- Journal title
- Publisher
- ISSN
- DOI request date
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Results
Espacialidades receives and processes the reviews:
- If the work receives two reviews stating “Accepted without changes,” it proceeds to the typesetting and publication process.
- If the work receives two reviews stating “Accepted with suggestions” or one of these and another stating “Accepted without changes,” it is returned to the author(s) for their consideration and, in any case, to incorporate the suggestions. The work must be returned to Espacialidades for verification of the final version, after which typesetting and publication will proceed.
- If the work receives two reviews stating “Accepted subject to changes” or one of these and another stating “Accepted with suggestions,” or even one stating “Accepted without changes,” it is returned to the author(s) so they may incorporate all changes and, if applicable, evaluate the suggestions. The “Accepted with revisions” decision means that each and every change is mandatory in order to continue with the process. The author(s) is/are free to reject the changes and withdraw their work from the process. Works with all mandatory changes incorporated and, if applicable, with the suggestions evaluated will be returned to Espacialidades for review of the final version and to proceed with layout and publication.
- Works that receive two evaluations of “Rejected. Not publishable” are definitively rejected.
- For the first three cases, if there is a “Rejected. Not publishable” decision, the work is sent to a third reviewer.
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Guidelines for Authors
We accept graphic works, paintings, photographs, collages, illustrations, mixed-media works, and works created using any digital technique or digitized from physical media. Only still images will be accepted.
Works may be digitally created or digital reproductions of physical works. Works generated, in whole or in part, using artificial intelligence tools will not be accepted. Each work must be accompanied by a technical sheet including the title, author, year of creation, technique, and dimensions, as well as a text of up to 500 words.
Espacialidades limits publications by members of the Autonomous Metropolitan University community. For each issue, no more than 30% of the content will come from contributors affiliated with the Autonomous Metropolitan University. Seventy percent of the published articles, reviews, research updates, and visual essays come from researchers outside the Autonomous Metropolitan University.
Espacialidades accepts for review only original and unpublished works. Submissions must strictly comply with the following requirements:
1. The work must consist of one to four images.
2. Each submission must be accompanied by a letter in free format in which the author(s) explicitly state that the work is original, unpublished, and has not been exhibited or published.
3. A certificate of authenticity corresponding to the submitted work.
4. Both documents must be signed by the author(s). Additionally, contact information for each author and co-author must be included.
5. The file of the work must meet the following requirements:
- JPEG format.
- Minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
- RGB color mode
6. Proposals that comply with the journal’s guidelines for Visual Essay submissions and are submitted in impeccable condition are sent for review (by experts, academics, researchers, and artists external to the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) to evaluate their relevance and quality. This stage is blind.
The following are evaluated:
- Originality of the proposal.
- Relevance of the problem posed
- The suitability of the proposal in accordance with the call for submissions.
- Execution and media.
7. The single summary must follow this format:
- Font: Times New Roman or Arial, 12-point.
- Double spacing (2.0).
- Margins: Left, right, top, and bottom 3 cm.
- Alignment of the entire document: Left.
- Page numbers at the bottom of the page, centered and in 12-point font.
- Direct quotations longer than 5 lines should be placed in a separate paragraph with narrower margins, without quotation marks, and in 10-point font.
- Footnotes should be in 10-point font and left-aligned.
- Captions, diagrams, and tables should be aligned with their respective elements and set in 10-point font.
8. The citation format must be Chicago (author-date). If the author uses a reference manager, they must ensure that the “References” section and each citation in the body of the work are converted to “Static Text.”
9. If the abstract includes tables, graphs, or images, these must be submitted as a duplicate in .jpeg format with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
10. The abstract file must be completely anonymized.
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Citation System
All manuscripts submitted for review must use the Chicago-style citation system (author-date). We suggest consulting the Brief Guide to Citations and Bibliographic References in the Chicago Manual of Style.