Submissions

Author Guidelines

About the Journal

Aktualu rytoj / Relevant Tomorrow (eISSN 2669-2899) is an international peer-reviewed Diamond Open Access periodical journal published by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania since 2021. The journal promotes interdisciplinary research and scholarly dialogue within the social sciences and humanities.

The journal welcomes contributions addressing topics such as:

§  media and information literacy;

§  security of the information environment;

§  communication and information sciences;

§  digitisation and digital publishing;

§  library and information science;

§  bibliography and documentary heritage;

§  reading research;

§  cultural history and Lithuanian studies.

The journal also publishes scholarly book reviews, review essays, and annotations relevant to its subject areas.

 

Publication Model

The journal follows the Diamond Open Access model. Neither submission fees nor article processing charges (APCs) are imposed on authors. All published content is freely available to readers immediately upon publication.

The journal publishes one volume per year and follows a continuous publication model. Accepted articles are published online as soon as editorial and production processes have been completed. Thematic issues may also be published. 

More information about the thematic issues can be found in the Guidelines for Thematic Issues.  

Languages

Manuscripts are accepted in:

§  English or

§  Lithuanian.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the language used in the submission meets academic publishing standards.

Types of Submissions

The journal primarily considers:

§  original research articles;

§  theoretical studies;

§  methodological contributions;

§  interdisciplinary scholarly analyses;

§  review articles;

§  book reviews and review essays.

 Other types of submissions may be considered following consultation with the Editorial Board of the journal.

Peer Review

All research submissions undergo double-blind peer review.

Author’s or reviewer’s identity remains concealed throughout the evaluation process. Manuscripts are normally reviewed by at least two independent experts with relevant disciplinary expertise.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to decline manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope or do not meet basic scholarly and ethical standards before external review.

Author Information

Authors must provide the following information during submission:

§  full name;

§  institutional affiliation;

§  email address;

§  ORCID iD; and

§  short bio (maximum length is 110 words).

Authors are also encouraged to provide the ROR identifier of their institution where available.
In case of multiple authorship, one author must be designated as the corresponding author responsible for communication throughout the editorial process.

Contributor Roles

For multi-authored manuscripts, a contributor statement must be provided.

The journal recommends describing author contributions according to the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework. Contributions may include conceptualization, methodology, software development, investigation, formal analysis, writing, reviewing, editing, supervision, project administration, funding acquisition, and other relevant activities. CRediT criteria reference: CRediT_Taxonomy_Terms_and_Definitions_list.  

Example: Author Contributions

Jane Smith: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, writing—original draft.
John Brown: Data curation, formal analysis, writing—review and editing.

Anonymous Review Requirements

Because the journal uses a double-blind review process, information that could identify the authors must be removed from one of the submitted manuscripts.

Author(s) must remove:

§  name(s) and affiliation(s);

§  acknowledgements;

§  funding information that could reveal author(s) identity;

§  references to personal websites or profiles;

§  identifying information in document properties and file metadata.

Any information that could allow reviewers to identify the author(s) should be omitted.

Preparing the Manuscript

Manuscripts should be submitted in editable document formats such as:

§  Microsoft Word (preferably 2007 XML format DOCX) or

§  OpenDocument Text (OpenOffice ODT).

Manuscript Structure

The manuscript should normally contain the following elements:

§  Title;

§  Abstract;

§  Keywords;

§  Introduction;

§  Main text;

§  Conclusions;

§  Acknowledgements (if applicable);

§  Funding Statement (if applicable);

§  Conflict of Interest Statement;

§  Data Availability Statement (if applicable);

§  Ethics Statement (if applicable);

§  References or Bibliography;

§  Appendices or Supplementary Materials (if applicable).

 The organisation of the main text may vary according to disciplinary traditions and research methods.

Title

Titles should clearly state the content and purpose of the manuscript. They should be concise, informative, and avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

Abstract

Each manuscript must contain an abstract written in the language of the article.
      The abstract should briefly explain:

§  the purpose of the study;

§  the methods used;

§  the main conclusions.

The abstract should be understandable as a standalone text and should not contain references, footnotes, citations, figures, or unexplained abbreviations. The recommended maximum length is 200 words.

Keywords

Authors should provide between three and seven keywords.

Keywords should:

§  reflect the principal themes of the manuscript;

§  support discoverability and indexing;

§  be separated by semicolons.

Length / Limits

Manuscripts should normally correspond to the scope and depth of the study presented. Authors are encouraged to consult the journal template when preparing their submission. A typical paper for this journal should be no more than 40 000 characters (including spaces), including the abstract, tables, references, figure captions, and endnotes. Longer manuscripts may be considered, when justified by the nature of the research.

Formatting

Authors should prepare manuscripts using:

§  Times New Roman, 12-point font;

§  1.5 or double line spacing;

§  approximately 2.5 cm margins.

 Headings and subheadings should be applied consistently throughout the manuscript.

Headings

First-level headings (e.g. Introduction, Conclusions) should be in bold, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Second-level headings should be in bold italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns. Third-level headings should be in italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns. Fourth-level headings should be avoided. If their use is justified, fourth-level headings should be in bold italics, at the beginning of a paragraph. The text follows immediately after a full stop (full point) or other punctuation mark.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should complement the text rather than duplicate information already presented.

All tables and figures must:

§  be numbered consecutively;

§  be cited in the text;

§  include descriptive titles or captions;

§  explain abbreviations where necessary.

 Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted materials. Images and graphics should be submitted in publication-quality formats.

Accessibility

The journal supports accessible scholarly communication.

Authors should provide concise descriptions of figures, illustrations, diagrams, and complex tables to assist readers who use assistive technologies.

Descriptions should explain the essential information conveyed by the visual element and may be included for editorial and production purposes.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal data, or human biological material must include an Ethics Statement.

Where applicable, manuscripts should indicate:

§  the approving ethics committee or review board;

§  approval details or reference numbers;

§  informed consent procedures.

 Submissions lacking required ethical information may be returned to the authors before review.

Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement immediately before the references section.
The statement should indicate:

§  where supporting data may be accessed;

§  whether the data is openly available;

§  any restrictions affecting data access.

 Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets, code, or other research materials in trusted repositories and to provide persistent identifiers whenever possible.

Funding Information

All sources of financial support must be disclosed.

Funding statements should identify:

§  funding organisations;

§  grant or project numbers, where applicable.

 If no external funding was received, authors may explicitly state this.

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors must disclose any relationships, activities, or interests that may be perceived as influencing their research or its interpretation.

Where no competing interests exist, author(s) should state: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Citations and References

Authors must follow the citation and reference style specified in the journal manuscript template.

References should:

§  be accurate and complete;

§  include DOI links, where available;

§  contain persistent identifiers whenever possible;

§  correspond exactly to sources cited in the manuscript;

§  references to literature and sources should be given at the bottom of the page following the examples below:

 

– a monograph:

 

Norkus, Z. An Unproclaimed Empire: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania: From the Wiewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires. London: Routledge, 2018, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315162720.

 

When citing the same monograph for a second, third, etc., time:

Norkus, Z. An Unproclaimed Empire: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania: From the Wiewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires, p. xxx.

 

– an article published in a journal or book:

 

Norkus, Z.; Morkevičius, V.; Markevičiūtė, J. From Warfare to Welfare States? Social and Military Spending in the Baltic States 1918–1940. Scandinavian Economic History Review, 2021, Vol. 69, No. 1, p. 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1080/03585522.2020.1716060.

 

Norkus, Z. Long Waves and Changes in the Structure of the Capitalist World System. In: Global Inequalities in World-Systems Perspective: Theoretical Debates and Methodological Innovations / Eds. M. Boatca, A. Komlosy, H.-H. Nolte. London: Routledge, 2018. p. 78–93.

 

When citing the article from a journal or book for a second, third, etc., time:

 

Norkus, Z. Long Waves and Changes in the Structure of the Capitalist World System, p. xxx.

 

– electronic (online) document / text / article:

 

Barrow, G. The Voice of ‘Prime Evil.’ BBC News, 28 October 1998. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/truth_and_reconciliation/143668.stm [accessed 1 March 2026].

 

International Conference “Memory Institutions and the State.” Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, 22 October 2024. Retrieved from https://www.lnb.lt/en/news/12290-international-conference-memory-institutions-and-the-state [accessed 1 March 2026].

 

– archival document:

 

Juozo Tumo laiškas Augustinui Liepiniui, Kaunas, 16-08-1931, In: Vilniaus universiteto bibliotekos Rankraščių skyrius (hereinafter—VUB RS), f. 1, b. F600, l. 10.

 

§  At the end of the manuscript, a bibliography list should be provided, with the entries listed in alphabetical order according to the last name of the first author or the editor of each work following the examples below:

 

– monograph:

 

Norkus, Zenonas. An Unproclaimed Empire: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania: From the Wiewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires.  London: Routledge, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315162720 

 

– article published in a book or journal:

 

Norkus, Zenonas; Morkevičius, Vaidas; Markevičiūtė, Jurgita. From Warfare to Welfare States? Social and Military Spending in the Baltic States 1918–1940. Scandinavian Economic History Review, 2021, Vol. 69, No. 1, p. 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/03585522.2020.1716060

 

Norkus, Zenonas. Long Waves and Changes in the Structure of the Capitalist World System. In: Global Inequalities in World-Systems Perspective: Theoretical Debates and Methodological Innovations / Eds. Manuela Boatca, Andrea Komlosy, Hans-Heinrich Nolte. London: Routledge, 2018. p. 78–93.

 

– electronic (online) document / text / article:

 

Barrow, Greg. The Voice of ‘Prime Evil.’ BBC News, 28 October 1998. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/truth_and_reconciliation/143668.stm [accessed 1 March 2026].

 

International Conference “Memory Institutions and the State.” Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, 22 October 2024. Retrieved from https://www.lnb.lt/en/news/12290-international-conference-memory-institutions-and-the-state [accessed 1 March 2026].

 

Authors are encouraged to verify all bibliographic information before submission.

 

Visibility and Indexing

Published articles receive Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) through Crossref registration.

The journal is indexed in several scholarly discovery services, including:

§  DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals);

§  Lituanistika;

§  Google Scholar;

§  OpenAlex.

Copyright

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that they have read and accepted the journal’s Copyright Notice and publication conditions as described in the Journal Policy.

Privacy

Personal information provided during submission and publication will be used solely for editorial, production, and publishing purposes. The journal will not disclose such information for unrelated purposes.

Before Submission

Authors are encouraged to verify that:

§  the manuscript fits the journal’s scope;

§  one of the submitted manuscripts has been anonymized for double-blind peer review;

§  all author metadata have been entered correctly;

§  ORCID information has been provided;

§  short bio (maximum length is 110 words);

§  ethical approvals and participant consent information have been included, where necessary;

§  funding and conflict of interest declarations have been provided;

§  data availability information has been included, where applicable;

§  references have been checked for completeness and accuracy;

§  permissions have been obtained for any third-party material.

Submission Procedure

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system. In order to submit the text, registration (or logging in for registered authors) is required on the journal’s Website (the links Register and Log in). Before completing submission, authors should ensure that all required files, declarations, metadata, and supplementary materials have been uploaded. Incomplete submissions will be returned for correction prior to editorial assessment. If you have questions regarding the preparation and submission of manuscripts, write at Relevant.Tomorrow@lnb.lt or Darius.Ziemelis@lnb.lt.