Contributing to the Atlas

The Atlas Editorial Board

The Caribbean Atlas Editorial Board plays a central role in ensuring the scientific and editorial quality of published articles. Composed of researchers, teacher-researchers, and recognized experts in their respective fields—all with in-depth knowledge of the Greater Caribbean—this committee ensures methodological rigor, the relevance of analyses, and the originality of authors' contributions. The diversity of its members allows the Caribbean Atlas to foster a plural and critical vision of the Caribbean as a whole.

Members of the Editorial Board

• Monique Bégot Honorary School Inspector, Academy of Martinique – Geographer
• Pascal Buléon Emeritus Research Director, CNRS – Geographer
• Jean-Pierre Chardon Honorary Rector, Academy of Guadeloupe – Geographer
• Patrice Roth Professor "agrégé" of Geography, Academy of Martinique – Geographer
• Anne Péné-Annette Senior Lecturer - Martinique Pole, University of the Antilles – Geographer
• Colette Ranely Vergé-Dépré Professor, INSPE, Martinique Pole, University of the Antilles – Geographer
• Catalina Toro-Perez Professor, University of Bogotá (Colombia) – Geographer, Architect, Urban Planner
• Frédérique Turbout Research Engineer, MRSH, University of Caen Normandy – Geographer

The Atlas also relies on external reviewers, specialists in their fields, who may be called upon depending on the themes addressed.

Evaluation Process

• Double-blind peer review
• Minimum of two reviews per article
• Average response time: 30 days
• Main criteria:
  • Scientific and methodological quality
  • Originality of the contribution
  • Clarity of argumentation
  • Relevance to the editorial line

The Editorial Board is committed to ensuring the independence of evaluations and the confidentiality of exchanges with authors. It also adheres to ethical standards and the rules of scientific publishing.

Guidelines for Authors

Respecting the Editorial Cycle

Writing & Editing Articles

Articles are written and edited directly via (Atlas Publication Tool) the online platform, where authors can input their text and add various graphic documents (maps, diagrams, photographs) at their disposal.

Each author is assigned a specific account, ensuring secure access to their article.

This account is generated by the CERTIC-MRSH team upon request to the same team (frederique.loew-turbout@unicaen.fr, arnaud.daret@unicaen.fr). Access is granted via the Renater Federation and the author’s institutional affiliation or through a predefined access method agreed upon with the CERTIC team.

Authors can only access articles of which they are the author or co-author. They may return to their document, complete it, or make corrections as needed and at any time before the final validation phase by the Editorial Board and the Editorial Direction.

Article Corrections

Once the author notifies the Editorial Direction that their writing is complete, the document is sent to the Editorial Board for evaluation. The Board may suggest corrections or additions if necessary. Once the article is finalized and corrected by the author, it is published online by the Editorial Direction, which holds the validation and publication rights for the articles.

Inserting Articles into the Digital Atlas

Each article must be assigned to a specific theme, defined in collaboration with the Atlas’s Editorial and Scientific Direction. The author will choose a short title and, if necessary, a subtitle.

Each article must also be associated with concepts or keywords from a thesaurus provided by the Atlas team. This allows the document to be indexed in the Atlas’s editing system and later searched via a dedicated search engine. Authors may also add new concepts to the existing thesaurus if they wish. New concepts are then considered as candidates and must be validated by the Scientific Direction.

Throughout the article, whenever the author deems it necessary, they can select anchors and link them to new concepts. This feature is essential for the proper functioning of the Atlas and, above all, for the reader. It allows readers, while reading an article, to click on a linked word or "anchor" that directs them to additional information and new studies in the Atlas. It does not matter whether these supplements exist or whether articles on the subject referenced by the linked word or "anchor" are already available; the link will become active once an article on the topic is added to the Atlas. This approach allows authors to focus on their own content without worrying about the entire Atlas. Links between studies are built automatically over time.

Formatting Articles

Document Formatting

The editing tool provided to authors via the digital Atlas platform handles document formatting. Through this tool, authors will find—similar to their preferred word processor—features that allow them to specify heading levels, footnotes, bibliographic references, and titles, sources, and authors for figures, maps, and/or images. (See below for details on this specific point.)

Article Length

The digital Atlas platform eliminates concerns about formatting and document size. Articles can therefore be long, though they should not be excessive. They must remain readable in a scrolling screen format. If they are too long (more than 15 printed pages), they must be divided into multiple articles, in consultation with the Editorial Direction.

Maps, Pictures, Diagrams, and Figures

The Editorial Team pays particular attention to these various forms of illustrations. All graphic representations (maps, photographs, diagrams, figures, etc.) must be original. No copies or images may be used without explicit mention and permission from their author.
Additionally, any photographs or images whose usage rights are not free and clearly stated must be avoided. It is therefore preferable to use personal images (personal photographs) or to ask the Editorial Team if they have photographs available to illustrate an article.

Regarding cartography, the Editorial Team will be particularly vigilant about the maps created by the authors.
Authors are required to follow the rules of cartographic semiology (title, legend, scale, orientation) and use appropriate symbols. A specific Pantone color palette for the Atlas is available to authors to ensure consistency with the colorimetric choices and design retained by the Editorial Direction. Maps must be legible, clean, and complete, adhering to the rules of classical cartography (title, legend, scale, orientation, sources). The Editorial Team reserves the right to modify authors' cartographic work, after consulting with them, to harmonize graphic charters and representation methods in the Atlas. Like articles, maps may be subject to correction requests.

Maps must be legible, clean, and complete, adhering to the rules of classical cartography (title, legend, scale, orientation, sources). The Editorial Team reserves the right to modify authors' cartographic work, after consulting with them, to harmonize graphic charters and representation methods in the Atlas. Like articles, maps may be subject to correction requests. The entire digital Atlas must remain coherent and harmonious—this has been the key to its success for 30 years. Each author is free to create their own maps using the software or tools of their choice. However, maps must be produced in avector-based format (svg, ai, ink)(SVG, AI, INK) to allow for potential adjustments during editing by the Editorial Team and to ensure compatibility with the Atlas’s display standards (including the ability to zoom in on illustrations.

To this end, all illustrations must be enlarged or designed based on an A0 format (1189 mm x 841 mm)If this condition is not met, there is a risk that the illustration cannot be zoomed in on, resulting in a loss of legibility. The Editorial Team reserves the right to refuse such illustrations.

The Editorial Team will not be responsible for cartographic work. Authors must ensure this work is completed efficiently to avoid imposing excessive workloads on the Editorial Team.

Formats and Base Maps

When using a GIS (Geographic Information System), authors are required to use royalty-free and free shapefiles. National publishers are numerous, and if an author cannot find a suitable base map, they may request assistance from the Editorial Team, within the limits of its resources.

The choice of projections and coordinate systems remains at the authors' discretion. However, they must be specified when submitting to the Editorial Team.

All figures, maps, photographs, or diagrams must include the author’s name, source(s), date of creation, projection system, and, where applicable, the usage rights granted to the Atlas by the author.
Example: Author: First Name Last Name, Affiliated Institution, Year of Creation.

Storing Illustrations

Illustrations, maps, images, diagrams, etc., will be inserted into a secure media library. This dedicated media library for the Atlas will store all illustrations present in the Atlas. Each author will provide their illustrations to the Editorial Team, complete with the specific metadata requested by the Team.
The Editorial Team will be responsible for indexing the illustrations in the media library according to its classification system. Authors will have access to their illustrations to integrate them into their articles. Each illustration will be assigned a permanent link (ARK link) to ensure it can be identified and archived indefinitely.

Finally, the author will define each illustration (map, photo, diagram, graph) with a few keywords or concepts, either by using the Atlas’s thesaurus (provided by the Editorial Team and enriched by the authors themselves) or by introducing new terms they deem useful for describing the illustration in question. These concepts will allow future readers to search not only the textual content of the Atlas but also its graphic content.

Given the processing chain described above, it is necessary to submit all iconographic materials to the Editorial Team before beginning the article entry phase in the Atlas.

Usage Rights for Iconography Maps, photographs, images, diagrams, etc., published in the Atlas are freely accessible. Authors must be aware of this.

For any use or reuse of the freely accessible iconography in the Atlas, a request must be submitted to the Editorial Team, which will then seek the author’s permission. Any use of the iconography must include a credit stating the author, the source (i.e., Caribbean Atlas, University of Caen Normandy), and the publication date (mentioned at the beginning of the article on the Atlas website). Without explicit mention of this information, the Atlas publisher—namely, the University of Caen Normandy and its authors—will be entitled to take legal action against the user to enforce their copyright. Under Article L. 122-4 of the French Intellectual Property Code, it should be noted that "any full or partial reproduction or representation made without the consent of the author or their successors in title or assigns is prohibited.

The same applies to translation, adaptation, transformation, arrangement, or reproduction by any art or process.".
Plagiarism constitutes a form of fraud that may be subject to disciplinary action. It may also be prosecuted as a copyright infringement under Articles L335-2 and following of the French Intellectual Property Code.

Use of Statistical Data

Any mention or use of statistical data, particularly in tabular form, must be accompanied by the source, publisher, and date.
Example: Data from the General Population Census, INSEE, 2022.

Bibliographic References

Bibliographic references must be listed at the end of the article in accordance with current bibliographic standards.

For any questions regarding the editing or use/reuse of iconographic sources, please contact the Editorial Direction at: frederique.loew-turbout@unicaen.fr