- About the Journal
Hercegovina. Journal of Cultural Heritage and History (hereinafter referred to as: the Journal) is a scientific journal that publishes unpublished papers in the humanities, in which authors address topics related to Herzegovina, its history, culture, and tradition, as well as those that in any way relate to or have an impact on Herzegovina. The publisher is the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Mostar, Department of History, and the co-publisher is the Croatian Institute of History, Zagreb.
The Journal has both print and electronic editions.
The Journal is indexed in: Central and Eastern European Online Library (CEEOL); EBSCO, European Reference Index for the Humanities and the Social Sciences (ERIH PLUS); Portal of Scientific Journals of the Republic of Croatia (Hrčak), SCOPUS, Slavic Humanities Index (SLAVUS).
- Submission and Receipt of Papers
Papers may be submitted throughout the year by email to one of the Editorial Board’s addresses: hercegovina@ff.sum.ba or casopis.hercegovina@gmail.com.
As a rule, the submission deadline for each annual journal issue is the end of February, however, submissions may be accepted after this deadline in exceptional circumstances.
The Journal publishes scientific papers and, only exceptionally, professional articles. In addition to papers subject to the peer review process, Hercegovina also publishes other contributions: reviews, book reviews, obituaries (in memoriam), announcements, and similar items.
All manuscripts initially undergo editorial evaluation. The Editor-in-Chief may reject a paper if they consider that it does not fit the scope of the Journal, is of poor quality, has not been written in accordance with the Journal’s guidelines, or if the author fails to adhere to ethical standards.
- Peer Review Process and Categorisation of Papers
All papers that have passed the initial editorial evaluation are subject to at least two double-blind reviews, which ensure that the identities of both the author and the reviewers remain anonymous. Before being sent for review, all information indicating the author’s identity is removed from the submitted papers. If an author requests that certain individuals not act as reviewers for their paper, the Editor-in-Chief will consider the arguments and grant the request if it is deemed justified.
Following the receipt of the reviews, papers may be categorised as:
- Original scientific article – characterised by the originality of its conclusions or its presentation of unpublished original results of scientifically conceptualised and conducted research.
- Preliminary communication – contains the initial results of ongoing research, which require rapid publication due to their topicality, but lack a high level of comprehensiveness and grounding.
- Review article – contains a thorough and comprehensive critical overview of a specific issue, but without particular originality of results.
- Professional article – contains knowledge and experience relevant to a specific profession but lacks scientific characteristics.
If the reviews differ regarding the categorisation of the paper, a third reviewer may be requested.
A paper shall be rejected if both reviews are negative, or if one is positive and the other negative, and the Editorial Board judges the objections of the negative review to be clearly argued and scientifically sound. The decision on the final categorisation of the paper is made by the Editor-in-Chief and the members of the Editorial Board.
Following the peer review process, authors will be informed of the reviewers’ evaluations and rationale. In order to improve the quality of the paper, authors are obliged to address the suggestions and comments of the reviewers and the Editorial Board. Alongside the new version of the manuscript (in which all changes made are highlighted), authors are obliged to state whether they have addressed all recommendations, and if not, they must provide a reasoned argument. The deadline for submitting papers sent for minor revisions is two weeks, and for major revisions, three months (in which case there is a possibility that the paper will be published in the following issue). The revised text is sent to the reviewers for inspection only if they have requested it. Articles are published with an indication of the paper’s category. The author has the right to withdraw the paper if they do not agree with its categorisation or with the requested changes to the paper.
Papers which receive a positive evaluation are moved forward in the publishing process (potential revision, copyediting, final categorisation, and author approval).
Following proofreading and typesetting, authors are sent a PDF offprint of their article. If the authors do not respond within ten days, the Editorial Board will assume that they have no further comments and will proceed to send the manuscript to print.
- Formatting of Papers
General Notes: All manuscripts must be submitted exclusively in digital format (in a version of MS Word), using the Times New Roman CE font (font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing for the main text). Footnotes must be placed at the bottom of the page (font size 10 with single line spacing).
If the manuscript contains rare diacritics or special characters, the author is obliged to submit an additional version of the manuscript in which such words are highlighted in yellow.
For manuscripts undergoing the peer review process, authors are obliged to remove all information that could reveal their identity, including details visible within the file properties of the electronic document. When submitting, authors should specify whether any particular information (such as project details, etc.) needs to be included in the article, which will then be added after the paper passes the peer review stage.
In the header on the left-hand side of the first page, the following details must be provided: the author’s first name(s) and surname(s), academic rank, the name and address of the home institution (in both Croatian and English), and the email address (the Editorial Board removes these details prior to sending the manuscript for review).
Length of Papers: The recommended length for scientific papers (including footnotes, tables, charts, and other appendices) is a maximum of 30 standard pages (approx. 54,000 characters with spaces). In exceptional cases, the Editorial Board may decide to publish papers exceeding this length. The preferred length for papers not subject to peer review is four to eight standard pages, and only exceptionally, depending on the type of contribution, may the length be greater.
For book reviews (of books, edited volumes, or journals), it is recommended that the publication date be no older than two years. At the beginning of the review, the basic details of the reviewed work must be provided (e.g. Dijana Pinjuh – Anđelko Vlašić, Tragom Evlije Čelebija kroz Hercegovački sandžak, Srednja Europa, Zagreb, 2023, 290 pp.), and the name of the review’s author should be placed at the end.
Illustrations and Figures: All illustrations and figures must be clearly captioned, including a number, title, and legend, and their size and complexity should be adapted to the journal’s format to ensure all elements remain clearly visible. Figures should be submitted separately from the text in JPG format, with their intended placement and titles clearly marked within the manuscript. The number of illustrations should be proportionate to the length of the manuscript and follow the flow of the text. If illustrations, images, documents, interviews, or similar materials are not the author’s own property, the author is obliged to obtain permission for use from the copyright holder.
Abstracts: All papers subject to the peer review process must include a short abstract at the beginning, five to ten lines in length (150 to 200 words), briefly stating the objectives, methods, and main findings of the paper. They must also include a longer summary in English (15 to 25 lines, 300 to 400 words), which should highlight all the elements essential for understanding the topic and the author’s scientific contribution. Beneath the abstracts, five to seven keywords must be listed, separated by semicolons (;).
- Citation Guidelines
General Notes
Author’s Name and Surname – small caps
“Article Title” – in quotation marks, standard text
Titles of all publications – italics
Ibid. – italics (used when referring to the same author and same work)
Idem – small caps (used when referring to the same author but a different work; naturally, the title of the work must be included)
- cit. – italics (used only in shorter papers and only if referring to a single work by the same author)
If a publication has more than three authors, only the first author is listed, followed by the abbreviation et al. (e.g. Mladen Ančić et al.).
Each new bibliographic item within the same footnote must be separated by a semicolon (;).
When a bibliographic item is cited for the first time, all publication details must be provided; thereafter, it should be cited in an abbreviated form.
Archives:
State Archives in Dubrovnik (hereinafter: DADU), Lettere di Levante, vol. 4, ff. 32r-33v.
Books:
Milko Brković, Srednjovjekovna Bosna i Hum – identitet i kontinuitet, Crkva na kamenu, Mostar, 2nd edn, 2010, pp. 25-27.
Ibid., pp. 30-31.
When the same work is cited again in a different place, an abbreviated form should be used. For example: M. Brković, Srednjovjekovna Bosna i Hum, p. 35.
Journals:
Mladen Ančić, “Miho Barada i mit o Neretvanima”, in: Povijesni prilozi, 41, Zagreb, 2011, p. 35.
Thereafter: M. Ančić, op. cit., p. 39.
Contributions to books or edited volumes:
Ivica Puljić, “Apostolski administrator Trebinjsko-mrkanske biskupije”, in: Željko Majić – Božo Goluža (eds), U vjeri, nadi i ljubavi. Stoljetnica rođenja biskupa Pavla Žanića (1918.-2018.), Crkva na kamenu, Mostar, 2017, pp. 88-90.
Thereafter: I. Puljić, “Apostolski administrator Trebinjsko-mrkanske biskupije”, p. 93.
The Bible:
It is standard practice for biblical books not to be cited in footnotes, but rather in parentheses immediately following the text. For example: “In the beginning was the Word” (Jn 1:1).
Encyclopaedias:
“Neretva”, in: Hrvatska enciklopedija, vol. I, Zagreb, 3rd edn, 2005, pp. 580-590.
Daily Newspapers:
Marko Markić, “Stećci na prostoru Hercegovine”, in: Večernji list, Zagreb, 15. 11. 1999, pp. 14-15.
Interviews:
Mate Matić, “Ovo je sveta zemlja” (interviewed by Petar Bašić), in: Hrvatsko slovo, Zagreb, 24. 3. 2004, pp. 3-4.
Internet Sources:
http://www.znanost.hr – Ana Anić, Etnička slika Bosne i Hercegovine (accessed 15 September 2011).
- Terms and Conditions for Publication and Use of Papers in the Journal
The content of the journal may be used in its entirety free of charge, provided that the original source is adequately cited, the rights of the authors and publishers are respected, and use is for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en).
In accordance with COPE guidelines, responsibility for the research findings within the paper and scientific ethical standards lies solely with the author.
Authors do not receive remuneration, and the Journal does not charge authors any fees for the peer review and publication of papers. Authors of all contributions receive one complimentary copy of the journal issue.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to adapt all contributions to the journal’s guidelines and the standards of the Croatian standard language.