About the Journal

Estoa. Journal of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Cuenca, is a scientific publication edited by the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Cuenca, published biannually and open access. It is peer-reviewed (double-blind), ensuring an objective, impartial, and transparent review process. This allows the publication to be included in leading international databases, repositories, and indexes.

The journal's main objective is to disseminate knowledge generated in the fields of architectural education, architectural design, construction and energy efficiency, urbanism and territorial planning, and built heritage conservation. That is, all fields ranging from the architectural to the urban scale. Estoa accepts articles resulting from original and unpublished research, in both Spanish and English. It is aimed at researchers, academics, and professionals within the journal's area of specialization.

Estoa is published under the diamond open access model, which means we do not charge article processing charges (APCs) to authors or subscription fees to readers. We believe that scientific knowledge should circulate freely, without economic barriers, under the umbrella of Open Science. This commitment to equity in the dissemination of knowledge allows researchers from all regions and institutional contexts to publish based solely on the quality and relevance of their work, and not on their financial capacity or institutional backing.

Estoa is published in an electronic version (e-ISSN: 1390-9274), with each article additionally identified by a DOI (Digital Object Identifier).

Estoa. Journal of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Cuenca, maintains a permanent open call for papers. The editorial process begins once the author has submitted the required documents in the requested format through its digital content manager, Open Journal Systems, at the following link: https://estoa.ucuenca.edu.ec. Authors must have registered beforehand and must include their ORCID identifier. If they do not have this personal identifier, they can obtain one at http://orcid.org. Original manuscripts sent via email or any other interface will not be accepted.

All works must be original, the product of completed or ongoing research, and adhere to the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). Estoa accepts original research papers, review papers (critical reviews), case studies, and methodological papers. Papers must have a minimum length of 5,000 words and a maximum of 7,000 words, including notes, abstract, bibliography, and illustrative elements.

Original research article: is the scientific article that presents the latest research findings in detail. These can be partial or final results obtained from research projects.

Review article (critical review): is the scientific article that systematizes the state of the art of a topic within the journal's scope in order to discuss certain variables and report on their development.

Case study: is the scientific article that describes the observed results of a specific case study.

Methodological article: is the scientific article that proposes new methodologies, discussions or validations (critical analysis), and in-depth examinations or modifications of existing methods.

The original documents received, upon passing the initial relevance screening, are sent for external peer review. The editorial team assigns blind peer specialists in the subject matter from a constantly updated reviewer database, which includes international researchers holding a doctoral degree (PhD).

The double-blind peer review system is a process that maintains the anonymity of both reviewers (peers) and authors. This process determines if the article's content meets the sufficient quality standards for publication. The outcome includes the following possibilities: approved for publication, approved with requested corrections, or rejection of the manuscript. In the event that the reviewer assigned by the editor is unable to perform the review, they may suggest an alternative reviewer. This person may be considered provided they comply with the Policy on criteria for the identification, selection, evaluation, purging, and updating of the Estoa journal's reviewer database.

Authors can track all the aforementioned stages after submitting their manuscript through the Open Journal Systems, which is operated by the journal. The reviewers' decision is final and cannot be appealed. Estoa does not charge authors any submission fees or article processing charges (APCs).

Estoa journal publishes two issues per year, on a biannual basis, corresponding to the periods January–June and July–December. Since April 2026, it has adopted a continuous publication model. This allows for the immediate dissemination of articles once they have successfully completed the editorial process, enhancing the timeliness, visibility, and circulation of scientific knowledge.