Prometheus

Prometheus is an international, multidisciplinary journal publishing papers on innovation, by which we mean the production, introduction and diffusion of change. Prometheus publishes critical papers, those that express – and justify – opinions on innovation issues. We are particularly attracted to papers that challenge prevailing views. We encourage debate. From a core interest in technological change and the information required to bring it about, the journal's scope has expanded to cover:
 

Cover Credit: Laconian cup with the punishment of Atlas and Prometheus. Vatican, Gregorian Museum of the Etruscan Art. © 2009. Photo Scala, Florence

Submission
Papers should not be so technical or specialised that they cannot be appreciated by a readership that includes academics, practitioners and policy makers and excludes no one. Please submit your article to the general editor, as an email attachment, identifying the Prometheus editor considered most appropriate to handle the submission.

Peer Review Procedures

Research Papers. Submissions are acknowledged immediately and are then screened by the general editor to ensure they are suited to the journal. Those judged suitable are then allocated to an editor, who will select appropriate referees. Prometheus uses a single blind system of peer review: referees are anonymous but know the identity of authors. This system is used because expert referees are likely to be able to identify authors anyway. Referees are increasingly choosing to sacrifice their anonymity so they may correspond directly with authors. The role of the referee is to advise the editor: decisions about acceptance and revision are the responsibility of the editor.

Special Issues. Prometheus occasionally devotes a whole issue to a single theme, often consisting of papers from a conference, but also invites proposals for independent thematic issues on specific topics. In such cases, an organiser familiar with the papers and their authors works as guest editor in collaboration with a Prometheus editor. This helps ensure a balance between coverage of the theme and peer review of individual papers. Peer review of special issue papers follows the same procedure as peer review of research papers and is just as rigorous.

Book Reviews and Review Essays. Prometheus is proud to continue its tradition of reviewing the literature in the fields it covers. The value of a review lies largely in the opinion expressed and peer review is not appropriate.

Debates. From time to time, Prometheus organises debates on contentious issues. As a critical journal, Prometheus takes seriously its responsibility to encourage critical thought and writing. Its debates allow academics a degree of latitude in the expression of their opinions without the constraints of traditional academic format.

Prometheus debates focus on a proposition paper, the topic and author of which are selected by an editor. The editor then invites informed individuals to respond to the proposition paper. A balanced range of views is sought. The identity of the respondents is known only to the editor during the peer review process. Peer review of the proposition paper and the responses is by Prometheus editors. The whole debate issue - proposition paper and responses - is published at the same time: what the community thinks of the proposition paper is revealed to the author only when the responses are published alongside. The author of the proposition paper has a right of reply. 

Publishing Ethics