Statement of Editorial Policy
BOOK NOTICE
Subject, Method and Period
The book notices submitted in order to be published in LIBRI: Journal of Epigraphy, Translation and Review should only contain the objective evaluations of the works (monography, manual, biography, catalogue of coins, edited books, thematic books, ancient sources, translation of works in the modern literature and commentaries) within the scope of the Ancient / Late Ancient history and other related field of study.
Not only the selected works to be introduced but the notices written by the reviewer should possess academic and scientific quality. The book notices should be prepared without subjective considerations in a simple, comprehensible and objective style by not adopting an account based on comments. The account should be parallel to the content of the book. Notices should be in 2 or 3 or maximum 4 pages.
The expected work from the writer of the book notice is not an article but a clear evaluation. Thus, footnotes or endnotes should not be used. However; the name of the book/article and the page may be stated in brief (APA citation style) when considered necessary by the author of the notice.
Example:
Modern Literature
(Mitchell 1993, 13; Heinemann 2010, 25)
Ancient Source
(Polyb. IX. 35. 1-4; Diod. XXII. 3. 1-3)
THE CITATION OF THE TAG OF THE BOOK NOTICE
Turkish Copyrighted Works (Book Notice)
The tag of the book notice (author, title, publisher information, number of pages, ISBN, book noticer) needs to be presented in accordance with the principles of journal writing. In line with this, the heading structure which needs to be followed, should be as set out below:
Only the initials of the name / names, as well as the surname in full of the author, should be written in capital letters, and this should be followed by a comma, and the name of the book, in italics, with the first letter of each word in capitals and the remainder of the letters written in small letters. A full stop should be placed at the end. The place where the work was published, followed by a space, and then the year it was published, should be written after the full stop, and another full stop placed after these. Next should be the name of the publishing house, where the work was published, followed by a coma, and then the number of pages. If there are any images, maps, drawings, graphics, etc., in the work, these should be stated in brackets, with the numbers of each also specified. There should be a full stop after the brackets. The tag section should be concluded by stating the ISBN, without any hyphens between the numbers.
The name(s) of the author(s) who are introducing the book should be written immediately underneath the tag. Again, the initials should be in capital letters, with the remainder of the letters written in small letters. The surname should be fully in capital letters and followed by an asterisk. If the author is an academician working at a university, or a doctorate, master’s or bachelor’s degree student at a university, the names of the university, faculty and department, as well as a current e-mail address, GSM number and ORCID number, should also be provided in full.
Lastly, once the author or authors who are introducing the book have arranged the visuals for the covers of the work they are introducing, in a manner where they will be a minimum of 850 pixels and in colour, they should send it to the editor, in jpeg format.
Example:
A. AKÇAY, Yunan ve Roma’da Ölü Kültü. Ankara 2017. Bilgin Kültür Sanat Yayınları, 218 sayfa (141 resim ve 1 harita ile birlikte). ISBN: 9786059636131
Deniz AKDENİZ*
* MA., Akdeniz Üniversitesi, Akdeniz Uygarlıkları Araştırma Enstitüsü, Akdeniz Eskiçağ Araştırmaları Anabilim Dalı, Antalya. araf.akdeniz@gmail.com | ORCID: 0000-0001-7289-9279
Copyrighted Works Translated from a Foreign Language (Book Notice)
The tag of the book notice (author, title, publisher information, number of pages, ISBN, noticer) needs to be presented in accordance with the principles of journal writing. In line with this, the heading structure which needs to be followed, should be as set out below:
Only the initials of the name / names, as well as the surname in full of the author, should be written in capital letters, and this should be followed by a comma, and the name of the book, in italics, with the first letter of each word in capitals and the remainder of the letters written in small letters. A full stop should be placed at the end. The place where the work was published, followed by a space, and then the year it was published, should be written after the full stop, and another full stop placed after these. Next should be the name of the publishing house, where the work was published, followed by a coma, and then the number of pages. If there are any images, maps, drawings, graphics, etc., in the work, these should be stated in brackets, with the numbers of each also specified. There should be a full stop after the brackets. This should be followed by the initials and surname of the translator who has transcribed the book – in small letters, and then a full stop. The tag section should be concluded by stating the ISBN, without any hyphens between the numbers.
The name(s) of the author(s) who are introducing the book should be written immediately underneath the tag. Again, the initials should be in capital letters, with the remainder of the letters written in small letters. The surname should be fully in capital letters and followed by an asterisk. If the author is an academician working at a university, or a doctorate, master’s or bachelor’s degree student at a university, the names of the university, faculty and department, as well as a current e-mail address, GSM number and ORCID number, should also be provided in full.
Lastly, once the author or authors who are introducing the book have arranged the visuals for the covers of the work they are introducing, in a manner where they will be a minimum of 850 pixels and in colour, they should send it to the editor, in jpeg format.
Monography heading and the tag presentation of the person introducing the book:
Example
J. M. SESTIER, Antikçağ’da Korsanlık. Ankara 2017. Doğu Batı Yayınları, 234 sayfa. Çev. O. Adanır. ISBN: 9789752410817
Yaşar İsmet DEMİRÖZ*
* MA., Akdeniz Üniversitesi, Akdeniz Uygarlıkları Araştırma Enstitüsü, Akdeniz Eskiçağ Araştırmaları Anabilim Dalı, Antalya. yasar@eontours.com | 0000-0001-6611-9379
BOOK NOTICES
After the tag of the work has been presented in full, the order needs to be the sections contained within the work, section headings, section sub-headings and any further sub-headings, under the sub-headings, in the contents section. The pages (beginning and end) of all the headings and sub-headings stated in the notice should also be set out in brackets. The other sections, which are not among the chapters, such as the Contents, Preface, Presentation and Thanks (Introduction) and Appendix, Bibliography and Index, Conclusion sections should be presented in a manner which is parallel to the contents. When the notice is being written, what is expected from he author is an assessment of the book and its sections, rather than a summary.
In the event that the notice is being written in a language which differs from the language in which the book was published, each type of heading should first be written in italics, in the language of the notice, followed by the original language in brackets. The pages (beginning and end) of the section should also be provided in square brackets (within the same brackets as the name of the section in the original language). The pages of the section should be set out in square brackets, and the square brackets closed before the brackets.
Example:
Phaselis Tarihçesi (The History of Phaselis [12-49])
The Points which Authors need to pay attention to when writing Book Notices
The comments and analyses of the author of the author of the book notice, about the following areas of the work which is being introduced, is expected: the subject of the book, its purpose, the command and competence of the author in the subject, the target audience of the book, how the subject was dealt with by the author and the accord between headings and content, the methodology used by the author when dealing with the subject, the points which he or she draws attention to, the organisation structure of the book, the list of contents, the chapters, the quality of the drawings, maps and photographs, the consistency of the information – reference notes used, the structure of the bibliography and the sufficiency and validity of the sources used as a reference, as well as, if present, the index and glossary.
BOOK REVIEWS
The most important point which needs to be paid attention to concerning the book / article, which is to be reviewed, is the academic competence of the person who is to review the study, on the relevant subject.
The reviewer is expected to read the book from the point of view of a revisionist, define, scrutinise and question its problematic and put it through the filter of analysis. The review he or she writes should contain opinions which are able to contribute to the author of the book which has been reviewed, as well as its readers. An author, who reviews a book or article, may be either of the same opinion as, or opposed to the opinions set out or claimed in the study. However, she or she must prove every matter and inference which he / she has stated, to readers, with examples. He / She may show the aspects of the book, which may constitute examples of the definitions, information, inferences and judgments set out by the book, as well as the areas which are deficient. However, when doing this, it will be necessary for him/her to support the views he/she puts forward with examples, by referring to similar books and studies, related to the subject matter [written under the same title].
The Points which Authors need to pay attention to when writing Book Reviews
- First of all, there should be an introduction, where the purpose, subject and problematic of the book is discussed and where the reader will be able to form an opinion on the book which has been reviewed.
As what is being presented here is not a book notice, it will not be correct for the reviewer to state all of the sections and sub-headings of the book, one by one. He / She needs to treat the sections and sub-headings as separate parts, and analyse them by comparing them. In other words, it will be better for the review to be shaped around the main argument of the book.
Example:
a) However, when doing this the reviewer should not get stuck in just one area, which he/she deems to be deficient, and concentrate only on that area.
b) It is necessary to move from the general to the specific, from the complete appearance of the work (panoptic), with an integral reading.
- The section where the root idea and construction of the book are dealt with should contain the academic contributions it makes to the discipline it belongs to, as well as possible objections. Emphasis may also be placed on the command and competence of the author, on the subject.
Example:
a) The conclusions reached by the book and its strong and weak points need to be stated. The areas of the matter, which remain in the dark, or which have been left lacking, should be perceived with a critical awareness, and evaluated in line with the opinions of the reviewer.
b) The methodological, conceptual, chronological, orthographic, and mistakes specific to the subject and area [if any], related to the claims set out by the book, should be stated. Further, the points where these mistakes are in conflict with the main theme of the book may also be emphasised.
c) The scientific / academic contribution made by the book to the discipline it is connected to, should be compared with the relevant literature and presented to the reader. In addition to this, views directed at whether all of the data and the key points, which constitute the principal problematic of the book, have been presented in a manner which is consistent with the context, within the book.
- References may be made to the physical content of the book, such as the visual materials and maps which have been used, the tables, list of contents, chapters, sub-headings, footnotes, final notes, bibliography and index and glossary (if any).
Example:
a) Considerations may be made as to whether the list of contents of the book complies with the title.
b) The index may be checked to see whether it is correct or not and an opinion stated as to whether it is at a sufficient level to cover the terms given in the book, or weak in this respect.
c) The information (footnotes, history, bibliography, etc.) given in the book may be verified.
- A series of catchy comments can be made as to whether the content of the book is appropriate for the target audience it is addressing, and the language and tone (rhetoric and semantic structure) it uses.
Example:
a) Comments can be made as to whether the book is well-written.
b) Objective comments can be made as to whether the main theme and problematic of the book has been presented to the reader at a sufficient level.
c) The persons, whom the book will be beneficial for, can be stated.
- The reviewer is expected to analyse the book, by avoiding reductionism and cynicism. He / She is not expected to state his / her own opinions, or how he / she thinks the author should have constructed or written the book.
Example:
a) It should not be overlooked that there is a style of both positive and negative reviews. Reviews are not a mechanism for praise or ridicule.
b) It is not recommended to display prejudice or to verge on areas, which are vigorously opposed, and drag the matter towards an ideological argument.
c) A great deal of citations from the text is not expected. Reviews should be set out in a manner which is short, to the point and easy to understand.
Translations
The purpose of the translations we publish in our journal is to convert the Greek and Latin sources, which are the indispensable focal points of the studies into the ancient and late ancient periods, from their original languages into Turkish, and present them for the use of the different disciplines (archaeology, philology, ancient history, epigraphy, numismatics, etc.), which take an interest in antiquity. It is also to attempt to play a part in an increase in the accumulation of knowledge related to the ancient history, history, geography and archaeology of Anatolia and the Mediterranean Basin. On the other hand, it is aimed that the discipline of philology, which seems to have been forgotten and left to rot in our country, which a handful of idealist academicians are endeavouring to drive and which is extremely important from the cultural point of view, is revived. While doing this, it is necessary to understand the language and literary products of the ancient times, as well as translate them, and where necessary comment on them in a comparative manner (both in a linear and thematic manner). The said translations and commentaries may be published as a separate supplement to the journal, when deemed necessary.
In this way, it is to establish a platform, which will expand over the long term and which is open to the access of academicians and intellectuals, who wish to obtain information concerning the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins and the history of Mesopotamia (with specific reference to Anatolia), as well as the civilisations and cultures which took root and developed in these areas. In other words, it is to make a contribution to the spreading of the notion of acquiring universal knowledge, based on historic knowledge.
About the Translation Policy of the Journal
The impact of translation journals and their sustainability in a manner which sticks in the mind, are so short as to throw cold water on the eagerness of the editors and publishing houses, who wish to undertake these types of work. When the publishing houses which have published translation journals and prehistoric period translations, in Turkish, since the last quarter of the 20th century, are looked at, after an initial glut of translations, which were started with eagerness (and unfortunately, the vast majority of these were transcriptions from the ‘so-called’ original language of ancient resources, which had previously been translated numerous times), it can be seen that they quickly gave up on this. The duplications or re-publications [these can be reproduced] of the works, which had already been translated previously, are lost without having an effect on almost anyone at all. These types of translations decorate the shelves of book sellers, book worms, intellectuals and certain scientists, in line with the existing academic and intellectual trends, for short periods, but display a vicious circle, whereby they are quickly replaced by new transcriptions, which are the repeats of each other.
We would like to underline once again, here, that, our journal is not the product of a momentary enthusiasm or a trend which has become popular in recent times. It is the platform of a group of idealist academicians, who have seen the lack of translations of ancient resources, which are not at a sufficient level in our country, and who have rolled up their sleeves to resolve this, without looking for anything in return. The aim of these academicians is to make a contribution to society and create awareness. Our aim is to convert the ancient resources, which shed a light on the ancient history of Anatolia and the Mediterranean Basin, from their Greek and Latin originals, into Turkish, in two languages. However, the transcriptions of works, which have been previously translated into Turkish, will not be published in our journal.
About the Methods of Translation of the Journal
The –dead/archaic- languages of the ancient times have their own specific characteristics, and due to these, the transfer of ancient resources to modern languages, without losing anything from their meaning and passing through the capsule of time in full, is a utopian endeavour, which requires a lot of hard work and skill.
- Due to conceptual and linguistic difficulties, or in other words, during the process of the informatic transfer of the text and ideas which reflect the scope of the meaning of its own era, from the source culture to the new culture, a freer method may sometimes be implemented, subject to remaining loyal to the strategy of fluidity.
- Instead of endeavouring to translate Greek and Latin statements and concepts into their equivalents in our own vocabulary, the text can be constructed in the form of a sequence of short and independent sentences, in order to write in a more flowing tone. However, these types of free translations, which aim to transfer the harmony and tone in the original language, was likened to women by Gilles Ménage, the sarcastic reviewer of 17th Century France. Ménage alleged that those who are beautiful are not faithful (‘belles infidèles’), while those who are faithful are not beautiful.
- Like those who argue that the text should not have the air of a translation, while being transferred, in a relatively free manner, from one culture to another, a translation which distances it from the original and localises it ‘sensum exprimere de sensu’ [from a translation of the meaning] can be implemented.
- It is also possible to adopt a rule based approach, which focuses on the source – process, by remaining faithful to the text as far as possible ‘verbum pro verbo’ [word for word], in line with the semiotic and structuralist method of resolution, in the face of the famous saying of Cicero, in De Optimo Genere Oratorum (V. 14). While doing this, it is necessary to endeavour not to distance yourself from the structure of the sentences, in order not to overlook the formation of sentences, which are specific to the grammatical structure of Greek and Latin, in a philological manner, while on the other hand maintaining the comprehensibility and fluidity, while remaining faithful to the original spirit of the text. Just as stated by Horatius in Ars Poetica (str. 133-134), a vulgarised approach based on the source text can be exhibited (‘fidus interpres’ [translator who remains loyal to the original].
However, primitive ‘mot à mot’ translation practices, which adhere strictly to the words at the cost of losing meaning, which are a hostage to the text, going as far as to contain the same grammatical mistakes and incorrect information, which are comprised of the characterising adjectives of ‘good, correct, loyal’, and which are unscientific, need to be avoided. Again, as the modern language, syntax and terminology used by translators, even when they endeavour to be objective, is not so, there is no doubt that something always remains missing in the transcriptions of ancient sources. Indeed, when texts are translated, they pull away from the context of the culture, where they have come from, and are adopted to new contexts, by evolving at the degree whereby they have been understood and perceived. In other words, the differences in resonance and association, which are not present in ancient texts, can be connected anachronically to the text, by translators who are endeavouring to reflect the scope of meaning of their own era. As language mirrors the meaning of the culture, of which it is a part, with the clearest possible statement, this leads to extremely serious hermeneutic problems. To put it briefly, when translation based on knowledge is accepted as being an act of understanding, “Each translation is an interpretation; and this does not prejudice the rules you have”, as stated by Roger Munier, in the preface to his work entitled Les fragments d’Héraclite. (Fata Morgana 1991).
The translations published in our journal should be evaluated within the framework of this mentality.
Author and Reviewer Guidelines
Articles submitted to Libri must not have been previously published in another journal or book, nor must they have been submitted for publication elsewhere. Nevertheless, should a previously published work be republished in Libri for specific reasons (corrigendum, addendum, or translation article), it is necessary to obtain permission from the journal or book publisher where it was originally published. This must be stated on the first page of the article.
Article Submission
- The submission of articles should be made via e-mail (libri@akdeniz.edu.tr), with the text written in a Word file. In cases where it is deemed necessary to use special fonts, authors should attach a PDF file as an attachment and send the relevant font file to the journal secretariat via e-mail.
- It is the responsibility of authors to prepare their articles in accordance with the Libri editorial guidelines. They must also ensure that images are displayed correctly within the text and, if necessary, provide them in a separate Word file. Further, authors are required to send their 300 dpi resolution images to libri@akdeniz.edu.tr via e-mail or WeTransfer. If a table is to be included in the text, it should be prepared either as a Word or an Excel file.
- At the stage of submission, the control and commitment form must be filled in and signed by the responsible author and submitted to the journal secretariat in PDF format via e-mail. In the case of articles with more than one author, the article authors’ contribution rates must be specified.
- At the stage of submission, the control and commitment form must be filled in and signed by the responsible author and submitted to the journal secretariat in PDF format via e-mail. In the case of articles with more than one author, the article authors’ contribution rates must be specified.
- If the article is based on a master’s or doctoral thesis or presented at a conference or symposium, this must be stated on the first page of the article, under the author’s affiliation.
- In the event that the article in question constitutes a study that requires ethical committee approval, it is imperative that this approval be obtained prior to the commencement of the research. Furthermore, the requisite permission must be sent to the journal secretariat at the time of submission and must be acknowledged on the first or last page of the article.
- The authors of the articles published in Libri Journal bear the responsibility for the scientific and linguistic integrity of their work. The journal and its editors cannot be held accountable for any issues that may arise. The journal’s studies are open to the public and may be referenced or quoted in any manner, provided that the source is duly cited.
- The journal does not charge a fee for the submission of articles.
Preliminary Assessment
- All articles submitted to Libri Journal for publication are initially reviewed by the editor within the first 10 days of application. This review is conducted with regard to the journal’s purpose, focus and scope, as well as writing principles. In the event that the article is found to contain deficiencies or problems in the text and files, the article is returned to the author with a justified explanation for the remedy of these deficiencies. The author is then asked to upload the article again after the necessary work have been completed. Articles that do not adhere to the established publication principles of Libri are returned to the author for editing.
- The Libri Journal employs iThenticate Similarity Programme to examine articles for instances of plagiarism. The journal does not request any similarity reports from the authors. The journal retains the relevant document of the article with a similarity rate (maximum 15%-20%) for further analysis. Should the similarity rate exceed 20%, the article is returned to the author for revision and reduction to below 20%. Should the revised article fail to meet the specified similarity ratio, it will be rejected.
- Articles that successfully pass the preliminary assessment are included in the refereeing process.
- Articles that do not comply with the stated purpose, scope and writing principles of the journal are automatically rejected.
Referee Process
- In order to prevent conflicts of interest, Libri Journal maintains the anonymity of referees and authors. This is achieved through the application of a double-blind refereeing system. To ensure anonymity during the refereeing process, an anonymous Word file is created, removing any information that might reveal the identity of the authors, such as name, institution, address, ORCID, email, metadata, and thesis name.
- The referees of the articles that pass the preliminary evaluation are appointed by the editor from the referee list of Libri Journal among the academicians who are experts in their field with a doctoral thesis, book, or article on the subject. A minimum of two and a maximum of three referees are appointed for the evaluation of an article.
- Referees will be given 2+2 days to respond to the invitation to evaluate. Those who accept the invitation will be given 15 days to complete their evaluation, starting from the date they accept the invitation.
- Should the referee fail to evaluate the article within the specified period, an additional period of 4 days is given. In the event that the referee does not evaluate the article within this period, the editor will invite a new referee to undertake the evaluation.
- A referee may only see the document a maximum of two times before issuing their final determination. In this context, the timeframe allotted to referees to provide their assessment for a second time is 10 days.
- The decision as to whether the article will be included in the publication programme is made in accordance with the joint decisions of the referees. In this context, the article with two positive opinions is included in the publication programme, while the article with one positive and one negative opinion is sent to a third referee. The evaluation period of the third referee is the same as that for the first two referees, and the opinion of the third referee determines whether the article will be published or not. In order for an article to be published, it must receive at least two positive opinions from referees. An article with two negative opinions is not included in the publication programme and will be rejected by the editor, with any necessary corrections or suggestions being sent to the author.
Referee Contribution
- It is expected that referees will not only complete the questions on the referee form and send it to the journal, but also contribute to the article in terms of problematic, methodological, and literary context (ancient and modern) – if any – concerning recent studies in the field. Reviewers are expected to justify and exemplify any favourable or unfavourable opinion on the article.
- Referee evaluations are expected to be author-friendly in tone. This is because each author has invested a significant amount of time and effort in their scientific work. It is therefore important to treat authors and their work with respect, even if one disagrees with the author’s hypotheses, propositions and outputs or finds flaws. This process should not be taken to the extent of offending the author and minimising what has been written.
- It is expected that the referee will read the article from a revisionist perspective, defining, examining, questioning and analysing its problematic aspects, and explaining to what extent the author’s work contributes to the academic community.
- The referee may point out aspects that exemplify the definitions, information, inferences and judgements of the article or the missing parts. Nevertheless, in order to substantiate his or her arguments, the referee must provide illustrative examples by referring to comparable books and studies concerning the same subject.
Post Evaluation Process
- Following the refereeing process, the author is expected to edit the article in accordance with the referee’s suggestions. Should the author have objections to the referee’s opinions, they are required to submit these to the journal management with justification. The objection and its justification are then forwarded to the relevant blind referee by the editor, and the objection is accepted or rejected according to the joint decision taken.
- Following the completion of the editorial amendments, the article is initially submitted to the journal’s language editor for review. This is followed by a second review by the journal’s proofreader, in accordance with the Libri publication principles.
- Upon completion of the requisite reviews, the author is requested to review the modifications made and edit the final version of the text in accord with Libri publication principles (if deemed necessary).
- Once the edits have been completed by the author, the article is prepared for publication by means of typesetting and layout. Thereafter, the article is subjected to a final editorial review by the editor, and if any amendments are deemed necessary, the author is duly informed, and the final editing is carried out under the author’s supervision.
- Following the editorial review, the article is scheduled for publication.
- Once all articles in the journal have been processed, a pre-publication check file is sent to authors in early June. Authors are asked to make any minor changes, if any, and give their approval for publication. The approval period is a maximum of 4 days, and articles from authors who have not responded within this period are considered approved.
- After the approval period, all articles will be published with assigned DOI numbers on the journal website interactively.