About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Verba Hispanica is an internationally renowned scientific journal of linguistics and literature, in which recognized local and foreign experts publish original discussions in the Romance languages of the Iberian Peninsula (Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Galician). It is the only scientific journal in Slovenia in which are represented scientific achievements in the field of linguistics, literature and culture of the Iberoromanic and Latin American worlds. It has been annually published since 1991.

The journal has a multi-partite design. The introductory part is devoted to the presentation of the tematic issue. The central part (LINGÜÍSTICA, LITERATURA) is intended for original scientific articles in the field of linguistics and literature. In the third part (RESEÑAS) are published reviews of the latest scientific and professional publications.

Peer Review Process

All received contributions are reviewed according to the principle of double-blind peer review. Relevance of each article is assessed by two reviewers. The final decision for the publication is adopted by the editorial board. Reviewers will elaborate a review according to the guidelines of the review form for each received contribution, in which they accurately describe the reasons for the publication, further revision or rejection of the estimated contribution. Throughout the entire peer review process anonymity of both, authors and evaluators, is guaranteed. The reviews of papers should be submitted no later than three months after the receipt of the original text, except in unforeseeable circumstances.

Publication Frequency

Verba Hispanica is published one issue per year. 

Open Access Policy

This is a diamond open-access journal which means that all content is freely available online without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access. The journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public promotes a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Article Processing Charges

The journal Verba Hispanica does not charge authors or any third party for publication. Both submission and processing of manuscripts, and publication of articles are free of charge. There are no fees for publishing materials. There are no: "article processing charges" (APCs), "article submission charges", "membership fees" or "language editing fees". We do not charge authors for having colour photos or extra pages in their articles. There are no hidden costs whatsoever.

Abstracting and Indexing

The articles of Verba Hispanica are indexed/reviewed in the following databases/resources:

  • COBISS.si
  • dLib.si
  • BL Bibliographie Linguistique
  • MLA International Bibliography
  • ERIH PLUS
  • DOAJ
  • Asian Science Citation Index (ASCI)
  • CNKI
  • Dialnet
  •  
  • Latindex Catálogo 2.0
  • Sherpa Romeo

Journal History

Verba Hispanica is an annual journal published by the Department of Spanish Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana and has been published regularly since 1991. The birth of the journal was a result of hard work of an enthusiastic group of Spanish teachers led by prof. dr. Mitja Skubic, director of the magazine, and Spanish teacher Matías Escalera Cordero, secretary of the magazine, with the financial support of the Embassy of Spain and the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana. The first drafting committee consisted of professors Branka Kalenic Ramšak, Jasmina Markič, Juan Carlos Oven, Juan Octavio Zrimec Prenz and Nubia Zrimec.

The journal is devoted to topics in the field of linguistics and Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Galician literature (articles are published in the languages of the Iberian Peninsula) and has an annual circulation of 300 to 400. The first issue of the magazine consisted of five sections: Literature, Linguistics, Varia (section devoted to other topics: historical, cultural, translational, etc.), They Are The Future (section dedicated to the publication of student work) and Reviews. It is noteworthy to mention the photo of historic value which follows the editorial in the first issue: it was taken in 1965 in Bled, Slovenia, and represents a group of important figures: Chilean poet Pablo Neruda; Guatemalan writer and poet Miguel Ángel Asturias, Slovenian writer Ciril Kosmač, and Argentinian professor and writer Juan Octavio Prenz. From the second issue (1992) a special section is devoted to the presentation of Slovenian writers who have been translated into several languages of the Iberian Peninsula.

The journal Verba Hispanica has expanded its network exchanges with renowned international journals; today there are more then 40 (see annex). Authors who have published their unpublished papers in the journal are researchers and professors from different universities and research centers in Slovenia and around the world, to mention only some: Bernardo Atxaga, Ángel Bassanta, Manuel Casado Velarde, Elena de Miguel, Humberto Hernández, Dieter Messner, Gonzalo Navajas, Clara Nunes Correia, Ludovik Osterc, Julio Rodríguez Puértolas, Juan Octavio Prenz, Alfredo Saldaña, Mitja Skubic, Stanislav Zimic and many others.

From the first issue in 1991 to number XIX the cover is illustrated by a caricature by Franco Juri in which Don Quixote and Sancho Panza ride the dragon of Ljubljana. The color of the magazine was violet untill issue No. X and red untill No. XIX. Number XX (2012) was published on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Hispanic studies in Slovenia and 20 years since the first publication of Verba Hispanica in 1991. With this issue Verba Hispanica acquires a new image: a rich binding with a sleek cover bearing the title of the journal, and the back cover in marbled paper based on the tradition of Spansih marbling. Its typography gains a Hispanic character, as the journal is printed in Espinosa Nova, a font based on the type used by Antonio de Espinosa, the most important Mexican printer of the sixteenth century and most likely the first punchcutter anywhere on the American continent (1551). The author of the digitalized version of Espinosa Nova is the current Mexican typographer Cristóbal Henestrosa.