About the Journal

About the Journal

In Medias Res is a peer-reviewed academic journal accepting manuscripts for publication that approach theoretical and practical issues related to freedom of speech and of the press, as well as media regulation and rules of public sphere with a scientific demand. In Medias Res is supported by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority and it is currently published by ORAC Publishing House.

ISSN print: 2063-6253

ISSN online: 2786-152X

The journal is published biannually in July and December.

In Medias Res is indexed by

  • CEEOL CEEOL
  • CrossRef
  • Dimensions
  • DOAJ
  • ERIH Plus
  • Google Scholar
  • HeinOnline
  • Index Copernicus (Journals Master List)
  • ROAD
  • Sherpa Romeo
  • WorldCat

Aims and Scope

Although discussions on freedom of speech and the press started several hundred years ago in Hungary as well, meaningful discourse on their role and necessary boundaries in the modern world could only begin – for obvious reasons – after the political change in 1989. The editors of the journal are lawyers and other researchers dealing with theoretical and practical issues concerning this field, trying to form their opinion on specific questions according to value-based rules and morally founded but sometimes contradictory arguments, believing – every now and then – that legal regulation, the modus operandi of the media, or even our perception of the democratic public sphere may well be influenced by these opinions and debates.

The rapid developments in society, technology and also the media world, as well as the arising new constitutional challenges all call for a continuous reframing of the basic questions and old answers related to freedom of speech and of the press. Hence, there is a need to publish and maintain journals where scholars and researchers can expound substantiated and mature standpoints on the functioning and rules of the public sphere, where debates can take place and where new generations and university students can taste all the excitement and beauty of this field, too. A journal is also a crucible for different approaches and cultures. The field of freedom of speech and freedom of the press does not have a local or regional scope out of necessity; as such besides analysing the traditions and unique legal system characteristics of nation states, a journal should also focus on European and even global discourses. For this very reason we aim to publish international academic literature in our journal by translating papers on current topics into Hungarian and presenting new monographs and we also rely on the helpful advice of our international editorial committee.

Our journal is committed to democratic values, state sovereignty, protecting national traditions, freedom of the media, human dignity and protecting private property and the common achievements of European constitutionalism. An academic journal is required to provide space for meaningful discourse according to the aforementioned values, without bias, in line with the clear criteria of a learned approach. Accordingly, our journal represents an open forum where the academic community and the general audience interested in the topics examined can find noteworthy or even debate-provoking thoughts. The editorial staff of the journal decides on publishing the papers submitted by the authors exclusively on the basis of academic criteria, using a double-blind peer review.

The Journal considers only previously unpublished manuscripts which present original and sound research. All published articles are subject to a double-blind peer review process.

Peer Review Process

The editors will not review manuscripts that are currently under review for publication or that have been published in another English/Hungarian language journal. However, manuscripts based on previous research reports, or articles in non-English/Hungarian language journals will be considered. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements. Papers are then reviewed anonymously by at least two reviewers who are experts in the given field and are neither personally, nor institutionally associated with the author(s).

The decision to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript is governed by the following rules:

  • If both reviews are favourable, the final decision on acceptance is taken by the editors.
  • If both reviews suggest revisions, the author is invited to revise and resubmit the manuscript which is then assigned to a third reviewer.
  • If both reviews are unfavourable, the final decision on rejection is taken by the editors.
  • If the reviewers fail to reach a consensus, the editors either assign a third reviewer, or put the article forward to an editorial decision on acceptance, or rejection.

Publication Ethics

In Medias Res is committed to adhere to the guidelines and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information published. Any infringements of professional ethical codes, such as cases of plagiarism, the fraudulent use of data, and bogus claims of authorship are taken very seriously by the editors who apply a principle of zero tolerance.

Allegations of misconduct

In Medias Res applies COPE flowcharts to resolve cases of suspected misconduct.

Appeals

Complaints and appeals against the editors, editorial board, or the publisher are taken very seriously and are investigated by the Editor-in-Chief.

Authorship

The list of authors should accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and how. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria:

  1. Have made substantial contributions to research, or acquisition or analysis of data.
  2. Been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it and participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for it.
  3. Given final approval of the version to be published.
  4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Prior to submitting the article all authors should agree on the order in which their names will be listed in the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. If the authors have no conflict of interest to declare, they must also state this at the time of submission.

Fees and charges

The journal does not charge any fee or charge for manuscript processing or publishing materials.

Funding

Authors should list all funding sources, including third-party sources and supporting grants, in their initial footnote.

Intellectual property rights

Authors are required to obtain permission to reproduce any proprietary text, illustrations, tables, or other material, including data, audio, video, film stills and screenshots, and any other supplementary material that is submitted to In Medias Res.

Post-publication discussion

Post-publication discussions are to be conducted via e-mails addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.

Responsibilities

Editors

Editors are expected to assist the Editor-in-Chief in selecting the reviewers and organising the review process. They correspond with authors and reviewers, overview reviews and make recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief. Editors are responsible for the plagiarism check of submitted manuscripts.

Editorial Board

The Editorial Board is a body of recognised scholars who make suggestions for the editorial policy by directing the editors’ attention to new research possibilities, by introducing new contributors, and with a general support for conducting reviews.

Reviewers

Reviewers must treat papers submitted to their consideration as confidential information and knowledge gained from reviewing submissions may not be used for their personal gain. They should assess the quality of the manuscript objectively, following the standards of the given discipline. Reviewers are encouraged to report any suspicion of questionable research and writing practices to the editors. To maintain the objectivity of the review process, reviewers must declare any potential conflict of interest. Reviewers are expected to comply with the Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

Authors

It is the authors’ responsibility to submit manuscripts that fully comply with the journal’s style guide. Authors must declare that their manuscript is an original work, which is not being considered for publication in other academic journals and books. In the case of co-authorship, the corresponding author must confirm that the publication of the manuscript is approved by all authors. If relevant, authors are asked to indicate research funding as well.

Archiving

This journal utilises the REAL-J system of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration.

Copyright notice

Authors agree to retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Ownership

In Medias Res is supported by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority and it is currently published by ORAC Publishing House.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.