About the Journal

» Approach and Scope
» Journal and structure
» Disciplines and Thematic Areas
» Periodicity
» Type of Documents
» Target Audience
» Indexing of Estudios Fronterizos
» Academic Publishing Units
» Publishing Institution
» History of the Journal
» About this Publication System

Approach and Scope

Estudios Fronterizos (REF) is a peer-reviewed (double-blind) journal. It is currently published exclusively in electronic format under a Rolling pass model and diamond open access. The REF aims to serve as a forum for the dissemination and discussion of knowledge generated regarding borders in general, international borders, and border and cross-border regions and phenomena around the world.

Journal and Structure

Estudios Fronterizos publishes one volume per year and is divided into two sections: a general section featuring articles, which is a permanent feature, and, eventually, a thematic section (dossier) organized at the initiative of the editor or members of the Editorial Board, who propose opening a discussion on a specific topic, or at the suggestion of recognized academic experts in fields related to the journal.

Disciplines and Thematic Areas

Given the multidisciplinary nature of border studies, the documents that are published involve disciplinary or interdisciplinary approaches from sociology, anthropology, history, geography, economics, demography, political science and international relations. The REF also presents a platform for various theoretical and methodological approaches. For an article to fit into the thematic line of the journal and in the border studies, it is necessary that the analysis being developed addresses the particularities or relationships that the boundary variable has on the studied problem.
The following thematic areas are among the subject matter of the journal: a) theoretical approaches and methodological proposals for border studies; b) mobility and migration, especially of vulnerable populations; c) demography and population policies; d) development, economic integration, industry, employment, trade and tourism; e) historical construction and transformation of border regions; f) sociocultural processes, daily life and border experiences; g) binational and cross-border cooperation, governance and paradiplomacy; h) public policies and border security; i) border cities, metropolization, regional development, infrastructure, and urbanization process; j) environmental aspects and sustainability of the border regions; and k) border spaces and territories.

Periodicity

Since 2018, Estudios Fronterizos has adopted a model of continuous publication (rolling pass), the articles approved and ready to be published are added to an annual volume, being incorporated into the general section of articles or the thematic section as appropriate. As articles are approved, we will aim to publish an average of two articles per month.

Type of Documents

The REF publishes high-quality academic papers presenting original research articles, case studies, theoretical analyses, or methodological proposals. It only occasionally publishes review articles that are relevant to the thematic areas of the border studies.

Original research article: An unpublished paper that presents in detail the results of empirical research projects, whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods. The structure of the article must include at least the following sections: introduction, theoretical framework, methodology, results and discussion, and conclusions.

Case study: An in-depth and detailed analysis of a specific phenomenon, community, institution, or social group that helps illustrate complex issues and draw lessons applicable to similar contexts.

Theoretical reflection article: A document that presents the author’s original analytical or interpretive research findings, drawing on theoretical sources and principles to propose new approaches or stimulate debate.

<palign="justify">Methodological Proposal: A document that presents a design, adaptation, or innovation in the methods, techniques, or tools used to collect, analyze, and apply research data in the field of border studies.

Review article: A critical analysis that evaluates, synthesizes, and summarizes the published scientific literature on a specific topic in the field of border studies. Its purpose is to highlight current advances, trends, or gaps in knowledge.

Target Audience

The REF is aimed primarily at an audience of researchers and professors specialized in teaching and research in the fields of social sciences and humanities and to undergraduate and graduate students in these same areas of study.

Academic Publishing Units

Estudios Fronterizos is a publication of the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, in which ten Academic Units (AUs) located in the Mexicali, Tijuana and Ensenada campuses of this university participate collaboratively. The directors of the AU are members of the Board of Directors, whose main function is to promote and manage the institutional sustainability of the journal’s projects.

History of the Journal

The first edition of the journal Estudios Fronterizos (REF) was published in 1983, edited by the Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales of the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC). Its first period concluded in 1997 with 40 issues published. In the year 2000, the REF began a new era, and with it the journal also inaugurated its online publication, providing full-text articles in PDF format on the Internet. As of 2004, Estudios Fronterizos was restructured such that the nine academic units (AUs) of the UABC were incorporated, and one more was added, leading to the participation of ten AUs to date. As part of this restructuring, and with institutional support, a project was proposed to increase the scientific and editorial quality of the publication, efforts that were reflected in its acceptance in 2007 in the Índice de Revistas Mexicanas de Ciencia y Tecnología (Index of Mexican Journals of Scientific Research) of Conacyt and its ratification in 2012. In 2017, it was evaluated as an International Competition journal in the new Sistema de Clasificación de Revistas de Ciencia y Tecnología (System for Classification of Science and Technology Journals) of Conacyt. The accreditation and acceptance into other important databases and regional and global scientific information systems, such as Sicelo Citation Index-Clarivate Analytics, Redalyc, Catálogo Latindex, Emerging Sources Citation Index, WoS-Clarivate Analytics, ERIH-PLUS, Dialnet, REDIB, and EBSCO, among others, have been added throughout its trajectory..

In 2015, a project was conducted so that the online version complied with the international standards of digital publication. In 2015, its publication was implemented on the Open Journal System publishing platform, and bilingual content publication was also initiated. The REF maintained its publication in printed and digital format until vol. 17, no. 33 of 2016, when the decision was taken to continue publishing exclusively in digital format for the purpose of enhancing the possibilities of digital publication.

The REF publishes full-text articles in both Spanish and English in PDF, HTML, EPUB and XML JATS formats. In 2018, the REF adopted a new model of continuous publication, where the articles will be structured in annual volumes, and the articles will be published once approved and edited, streamlining the process of scientific communication. In order to improve accessibility for people with visual impairments, the publication of articles in audio format was introduced in 2023. As an added benefit, the audio-article format expands the reading options available to the journal’s users.

After more than 35 years of publication, the REF has made an important contribution to the field of border studies, with empirical, theoretical and methodological proposals for the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary study of border regions in Ibero-America.

About this Publication System

This journal uses Open Journal Systems 3.3, which is an open access journal manager and software developed, financed and distributed free of charge by the Public Knowledge Project subject to the GNU General Public License.