Objectives and Scope

Ad Limina is a journal fully funded and published by the Xunta de Galicia through Turismo de Galicia – S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo. It is a multilingual publication - accepting and publishing texts in the main official languages of the European Union - and has a clear interdisciplinary and international orientation, enabling it to reach a wide range of researchers of any nationality.

The contents of Ad Limina revolve around two main themes: Santiago and the civilisation of pilgrimage more broadly. The journal promotes the publication of studies traditionally included in most scholarly works on the Camino de Santiago, particularly research on history, art, iconography, literature, archaeology, or liturgy. However, it also seeks to encourage the inclusion of less commonly explored fields such as anthropology, geography, medicine, legislation, landscape studies, or the environment, which in recent years have increasingly become part of this area of study.

By disseminating and covering these various fields, the publication aims to foster Jacobean research across the widest possible range of disciplines, with particular attention given to new lines of investigation.

Ad Limina has an Editorial Board, made up of its Director, and an Editorial Committee comprising members of the International Committee of Experts on the Camino de Santiago, along with a Coordinator appointed by the same Editorial Committee, who acts as the scientific editor of each issue. It also includes an extensive Scientific Committee, composed of well-known specialists of various nationalities, in addition to a large group of external scientific reviewers or referees.

In addition to the rigorous quality control and the requirement that all submitted work be unpublished, Ad Limina adheres to the standards set by relevant scientific bodies to ensure the rigour and scholarly value of its content. These include the publication of abstracts and keywords in English, and the creation of an online portal for the journal.

In this way, Ad Limina commits to complying with and adopting international standards for the evaluation and indexing of academic journals, in order to undergo further quality assessment and appear in leading impact indices such as DOAJ and SCOPUS.

The ultimate aim of the journal is to safeguard the future of Jacobean studies — a cornerstone in the ongoing revival of pilgrimages to Santiago.

In 2020, with the goal of broadening Ad Limina’s thematic diversity and scientific impact, the Editorial Committee launched a series of special issues and monographic sections, each overseen by a guest editor  selected from the proposals received. Since 2023, to ensure full dissemination and openness of these special issues to the academic community, the journal has published a Call for Papers, outlining the general theme of the upcoming volume and inviting all scholars to contribute an article. 

Website Structure and Features

The Ad Limina site is hosted on the official website of the Camino de Santiago in Galicia (www.caminodesantiago.gal), which is managed by the Xunta de Galicia.

The site, which is mobile-responsive, contains all relevant information about the journal. The homepage features the most recent issue prominently, with a carousel to its right displaying previous issues. Clicking on any issue provides access to its table of contents, with each heading acting as a link to the metadata of the corresponding article. All articles (and volumes) are available for download in PDF format.
  

• Publisher: Turismo de Galicia/S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo
• Editorial Board: International Committee of Experts of the Camino de Santiago of the Government of Galicia
• Director: Manuel Antonio Castiñeiras González (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and President of International Committee of Experts of the Camino de Santiago)
• Secretary: Francisco Singul (S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo, Spain)
• Members (International Committee of Experts of the Camino de Santiago of the Government of Galicia): Maria José Azevedo Santos (Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal); Klaus Herbers (Universität Erlangen, Nürnberg, Germany); Adeline Rucquoi (Centre de Recherches Historiques, CNRS-EHESS, France); Alison Stones (University of Pittsburgh, EE.UU); Peter Rückert (Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany); Philippe Picone (Université catholique d’Angers, France); Jacopo Aldighiero Caucci von Saucken (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy); Marco Piccat (Università degli Studi di Trieste, Italy); Paulo Almeida Fernandes (Museu de Lisboa, Portugal); Piotr Roszak (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland); Javier García Turza (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain); Melchor Fernández Fernández (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Renata Cristina de Sousa Nascimento (Universidade Federal de Goiás, Jataí, UFG, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Brasil); Carmen Cardelle de Hartmann (Universität Zürich, Switzerland); Christophe Alcantara  (Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, France); Franciszek Mróz (Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland); Francisco Singul (S. A. Xestión do Plan Xacobeo, Spain); Miguel Taín Guzmán (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Mike Robinson (Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom).
• Scientific Board: Rosanna Bianco (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy); Mercedes Brea (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Wendy Childs (University of Leeds, UK); José Antonio Corriente Córdoba (Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain); José Manuel Díaz de Bustamante (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Renan Frighetto (Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brasil); Josefina Gómez Mendoza (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain); Domingo González Lopo (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); George Greenia (College of William and Mary, Virginia, EE.UU); Ariel Omar Guiance (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina, CONICET, Argentina); Humbert Jacomet (Conservateur du Patrimoine, Conservation Régionale des M.H. d’Auvergne, France); Nikolas Jaspert (Universität Heidelberg, Geramny); Kathleen Jenkins (Institute for Pilgrimage Studies, William & Mary, EE.UU); Gabor Klaniczay (Central European University of Budapest, Hungary); Antonio Martínez Cortizas (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Ian MckIntosh (Indiana University Indianapolis, EE.UU); Juan M. Monterroso Montero (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Antón Pombo Rodríguez (Fraternidad Internacional de Amigos del Camino de Santiago, Spain); Domenico Vetere (Universita degli Studi di Lecce, Italy; Guadalupe Vargas (Universidad de Veracruz, Mexico); Carlos Villanueva (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain).
• Editorial Coordination: Turismo de Galicia (Carmo Iglesias Díaz, Carla Fernández-Refoxo González, Francisco Gómez Souto)

Author Guidelines

The following languages are accepted for publication: German, Spanish, French, Galician, English, Italian and Portuguese. Articles must be submitted to: adlimina@xunta.gal to start the evaluation process. 

Submissions should not exceed 12,000 words (excluding spaces) and may include up to 20 illustrations of graphic material (photographs, plans, maps, etc.). Each article must include the title in its original language, a brief abstract no longer than 20 lines, and a selection of keywords related to its content. These will subsequently be translated by the editor into Spanish, Galician, and English. Each article will be assigned a persistent digital identifier (in the case of Ad Limina, a DOI). The required formatting is Times New Roman, size 12, single line spacing (with size 10 used in footnotes). All supplementary graphic material must be submitted in digital format: JPG/TIF files at 300 dpi.

As for bibliographic references, these may be exported to reference management software and must conform to UNE-ISO 690 standards, for example:

-For a book

Pérez González, C., La iconografía de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Xunta de Galicia, 1999.

-For a book chapter

Pérez González, C., “La iconografía de Santiago”, in El Camino de Santiago. La cultura, Santiago de Compostela, Xunta de Galicia, 1999, pp. 122-132.

-For a chapter in an edited volume

Pérez González, C., “La iconografía de Santiago”, in I. Sánchez Pérez (coord.), El Camino de Santiago. La Cultura, Santiago de Compostela, Xunta de Galicia, 1999, pp. 122-132.

-For a journal article

Pérez González, C., "La iconografía de Santiago", Cuadernos de Estudios, I (1999), pp. 122-132.

Manuscripts should be as clean as possible, preferably with no indentations -  especially not created using the tab key or space bar. Please note that the manuscript will undergo editorial styling, which overrides any stylistic formatting by the author. Titles of works cited within the text should be in italics, as should Latinisms and foreign words. Quotation marks should be reserved for direct quotations only; if the quote is highlighted or indented, it should appear without quotation marks. To emphasise a word, bold may be used so that the typesetter can apply the appropriate style later.

Once accepted, articles will enter the editing process (style correction, typesetting, etc.) before being assigned to the appropriate issue as determined by the Editorial Board, which reserves the right to schedule publications at its discretion. Upon completion of the editorial process, a preliminary layout of the article will be sent to the author(s) for final review and approval. Editing usually takes no longer than two months.

First proofs will be sent to authors for correction and must be returned by the specified deadlines. Second proof corrections will be handled by the Editorial Direction and the Editorial Committee.

In the event that the texts are published, the authors will receive a PDF copy of their edited work and two printed copies of the journal. The reproduction rights for the images (photographs, plans, drawings, etc.) published must be obtained and paid for by the authors of the articles.

Submitted works must be original and unpublished, with clear and accessible writing.

Ad Limina also promotes the use of inclusive language that reflects the diversity of contemporary society and encourages respect for difference. Authors are therefore encouraged to ensure that their texts do not contain stereotypes about minorities, and to avoid derogatory or prejudiced references to people based on their origin, culture, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.

In the case of co-authored articles, the order of authorship in the work will follow two criteria: If the article stems from a project, the principal investigator will be listed first, followed by the other contributors in alphabetical order of their surnames. If the article is the result of a collaboration between equals, the order of authorship will be alphabetical, but a note will specify which part was written by each author.

Authors are encouraged, once the corresponding issue in which they have participated has been published, to contribute to its dissemination - through their own networks, scientific social media platforms, personal or institutional websites, repositories, periodicals with which they regularly collaborate, etc. For its part, the journal undertakes to promote the published works: each issue is officially presented to the media by the Axencia de Turismo de Galicia and publicised through its official pages, social media, and so on. Currently, the entire printed collection of Ad Limina can be found in more than 90 public and university libraries, both nationally and internationally.

Ad Limina also has a digital preservation system. All files, from the first draft of an article to its final PDF version, are preserved by the editorial team through AMTEGA (Axencia para a Modernización Dixital de Galicia), which performs regular incremental and full backups of the entire Xunta de Galicia’s digital network.

In addition, the journal uses DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers).

Evaluation process

Each issue of Ad Limina consists of a monographic section dedicated to a specific theme and a general section titled “New Jacobean Research”. For the monographic section, the Editorial Board will appoint a coordinator for each issue from among its members or invite a Guest Editor of recognised academic standing to oversee the articles in this section and submit the received manuscripts for external evaluation through a double-blind peer review process. This will enable the Board to decide whether or not to publish them.  Similarly, the Editorial Board will receive articles for the general section, which will also be subjected to the double-blind review process. Since 2025, the journal has published two monographic issues per year, each comprising both a monographic and a general section. (From 2010 to 2024, only one issue per year was published.)

The order in which accepted articles are published will generally follow the order of submission and successful evaluation. The first proofs will be sent to the authors for correction and must be returned to the journal within the specified deadlines. Corrections to the second proofs of the monographic section will be carried out by the coordinator in consultation with the Editorial Board, and by the journal secretary for the general section.

Once an article is submitted, the author will be notified of its receipt.

The editors will conduct an initial evaluation of the manuscript based on Ad Limina’s editorial criteria, and the result will be communicated to the author within a maximum of one month. If the manuscript passes this initial evaluation, it will be sent for double-blind peer review, and the result of the second evaluation will be communicated within approximately three months.

The article may be “accepted” (in its original form); “accepted with revisions” (modifications are required, and the article will be accepted once these have been made). In this second case, the author must clearly indicate the changes and resubmit the revised text to the Ad Limina editors within a maximum of three weeks; finally, the article may be “rejected”, either due to insufficient quality or because the subject matter falls outside the scope of the journal. In all cases, the Editorial Board must provide a clear and well-reasoned explanation for its decisions.

The evaluation review process takes approximately four months, after which the author will be informed of the final outcome.

Once the review process is complete, accepted articles will proceed to the editing stage (style correction, layout, etc.) and will then be included in the relevant issue, at the discretion of the Editorial Board. The Board reserves the right to decide in which issue a contribution will appear. Once the editorial process is complete, a preliminary layout of the text will be sent to the author(s) for final review and approval. Editing usually takes no longer than two months. The total time from submission to publication is typically eight months.

Ad Limina does not charge authors any fees for processing or submitting their articles.

Frequency

Ad Limina is a scientific journal aimed at a broad range of researchers interested in Santiago and the civilisation of pilgrimage in general. From 2010 to 2024, it was published annually. Since 2025, two issues are published each year, each containing a monographic section and a general section that includes the headings: “New Jacobean Research”, “Reviews and Bibliography”, and “Obituaries”.

Statistics

Below is statistical information on the average time between submission and publication of articles from the journal's inception in 2010 to the present day. You may consult the data here.

You can also view Ad Limina’s impact index according to the Dialnet metrics (University of La Rioja) via the following link: Dialnet Metrics.

Finally, this link provides access to statistics showing the proportion of male and female authors of articles, both by volume and in total, from the creation of 'Ad Limina' in 2010 up to the present day.

Ethical Declaration

Turismo de Galicia and S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo, as the publishers, are committed to ensuring the rigour and quality of the work submitted, in accordance with an ethical commitment to the academic community. The journal adheres to the Code of Conduct for journal editors established by COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics. In accordance with this code, the publishers will promote editorial independence, uphold privacy and intellectual property rights, maintain the integrity of published content, and ensure timely publication. The Editorial Board is responsible for deciding whether submitted articles should be published, based on the reports of two external reviewers, and, in cases of significant disagreement, a third reviewer. The Board also undertakes to apply consistent criteria when accepting or rejecting submissions, based on originality, relevance, and clarity. Ad Limina, provides a mechanism for appealing editorial decisions via email at: adlimina@xunta.gal

The Editorial Board further undertakes to assess submissions without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin, nationality or citizenship, or political orientation. Ad Limina follows the guidelines of the First Equality Plan of the Xunta de Galicia, which aims to provide a framework for public policy promoting equal opportunities between women and men in Galicia:

The Board and editorial staff will not disclose any information regarding submitted articles to anyone other than the authors and reviewers. Anonymity will be preserved throughout the review process. Corrections, clarifications or apologies will be published when necessary. Quality control may involve occasional consultations with authors, reviewers, and the Editorial Board. 

Authors and Anti-Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is strictly forbidden. If a work is found to have been plagiarised, it will either not be published or, if already published, will be retracted. Authors must guarantee that their article and all associated materials are original and do not infringe copyright. All sources must be correctly cited. They must also ensure they have obtained the necessary permissions to reproduce any images, infographics, illustrations, etc., included in the article. Ultimately, it is the author's responsibility to secure the appropriate permissions.

Authors must also confirm the authorship of all submitted content, both written and visual. If significant contributions have been made by more than one individual, these contributors must be listed as co-authors. Authors are responsible for the content of their manuscript and, if requested by the Board, must clarify the sources or data on which their research is based.

Simultaneous submission of the same article to multiple journals is not permitted. Authors must also disclose any conflicts of interest and indicate sources of research funding or the project to which the article belongs, if applicable.

Should an author identify a significant error in a published article, they must notify the Board so that it may be corrected.

If the Ad Limina Editorial Board identifies any inaccuracies in an article, these will be corrected immediately and the authors will be notified of any proposed amendments. Authors will participate in the editing process and will review the final layout of their article to make any necessary changes. Finally, all complaints or concerns should be submitted to Ad Limina via: adlimina@xunta.gal.

Reviewers

Reviewers will follow the double-blind review process (explained in the “Evaluation Process and Author Guidelines” section). They must adhere to deadlines and, if unable to do so, must inform the Editorial Board in good time. Reviews must be objective, and all reviewed articles are to be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers may suggest additional references if relevant sources have been overlooked by the author. If plagiarism is suspected, they must inform the Board of any similarities with other texts.

Regarding potential conflicts of interest and disclosure, all information obtained during the review process must be treated as confidential and not used for personal benefit.

If a reviewer has a conflict of interest — for example, due to a relationship of collaboration or competition with the author or the author’s institution — they must decline to review the article. Neither the Editorial Board nor the reviewers may use submitted articles in their own research without the express consent of the author.

Artificial Intelligence

Following COPE’s guidelines on authorship and AI tools (COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics), Ad Limina does not permit the use of AI tools to write articles, as these tools do not meet the criteria for authorship and cannot take responsibility for submitted content. If an author uses AI tools in drafting their text, creating images, gathering data, etc., they must clearly state which tools were used. However, the author remains solely responsible for the content of their submission and must respect Ad Limina’s limitations on the use of AI-generated material.

Ad Limina is an open access magazine. Turismo de Galicia and S.A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo make all the numbers published of Ad Limina available to the public and free of charge through the website caminodesantiago.gal. In this way, users can download all the issues of the magazine without asking for prior permission.

Since 2019 Ad Limina is published under a license of use and distribution Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)  . This license facilitates unrestricted access to the contents of the journal, allowing others to distribute, mix, adjust and build from the published work, even for commercial purposes, provided that the authorship of the original creation is acknowledged; that is, it is mandatory to cite its origin in any total or partial reproduction. The purpose of publishing under this license is to encourage the global exchange of knowledge about the Camino de Santiago and Pilgrimages, and thus achieve the widest possible dissemination.

You can consult the informative version and the legal text of the license here

By submitting their article for publication in Ad Limina, authors grant the journal the right to publish it in print and digital format, as well as in any other medium, free of charge. This transfer of usage rights covers all permissions required for the material to be published in the journal. At the same time, the author’s moral and economic rights are fully preserved. Authors may also enter into additional, non-exclusive agreements - commercial or otherwise - to distribute the version of the article published in the journal (for example, by uploading it to an institutional repository or including it in a book), provided that its initial publication in Ad Limina is clearly acknowledged.

Finally, Ad Limina encourages authors to make their articles, whether accepted or already published, available on their personal websites or in open-access institutional or thematic repositories (preferably those federated within the European Open Science Cloud [EOSC]). In all such cases, the article must clearly state that it was published in Ad Limina and include the corresponding DOI.

In line with this policy, Ad Limina permits the pre-print dissemination of articles that have been accepted for publication.

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR), it is informed that the personal data that arrive at our email address, adlimina@xunta.gal, will be treated exclusively for the purposes indicated in accordance with current regulations on the protection of personal data.

Turismo de Galicia - S. A. de Xestión do Plan Xacobeo
Estrada Santiago-Noia, km 3, A Barcia, 15897, Santiago de Compostela
adlimina@xunta.gal

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