17 July 2025
Bilbao Campus
The University of Deusto's Cuadernos Deusto de Derechos Humanos collection has been granted the renewal of the Academic Publishing Quality Seal (CEA-APQ) in the 2025 call. After a rigorous renewal process, it has successfully met all the quality indicators in information accuracy, editorial policy, publishing processes, reputation, and prestige required in the evaluation. In the 2025 call, eleven collections have received the seal, seven of which obtained it for the first time, and four have renewed it. All have been recognised for their scientific and editorial quality, both for the evaluated period and for the next five years, as confirmed by the final resolution dated 15 July 2025. https://www.aneca.es/web/guest/-/el-sello-cea-apq-reconoce-la-calidad-de-once-colecciones-en-2025
The CEA-APQ Seal, which certifies scientific quality, is awarded to collections that meet specific criteria. Among these, the informational quality of the collection is assessed, considering various aspects related to communication, dissemination, and accessibility, such as collection identification, inclusion of metadata, and reviews in scientific journals. Similarly, the quality of the editorial policy is evaluated based on the definition of each collection’s editorial policy, as well as the recognition and prestige of the collection’s director and scientific committee. The quality of editorial processes is demonstrated through the availability of detailed submission guidelines, the information about the manuscript selection process, and clear communication regarding the acceptance or rejection of submitted works. Finally, the reputation and prestige of the collection are assessed based on the regular publication of works by authors external to the publishing institution, its ability to attract original submissions from international authors, as well as the citations and reviews it receives.
Since its first call in 2017, the CEA-APQ Seal has been recognised as an indicator of publication quality for the assessment of research activity merits. This recognition is explicitly stated in the evaluation criteria of the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI) and in the evaluation criteria of ANECA for the ACADEMIA programme, both updated in November 2019. The creation and development of the Academic Publishing Quality (CEA-APQ) Seal has been led by UNE, which coordinates the initiative in collaboration with ANECA and FECYT.
It is an important recognition of scientific quality, as to date—after the ninth CEA-APQ call—only 75 collections have been awarded the seal. This distinction highlights best practices in Spanish academic publishing, promotes and encourages quality in scholarly publishing, and serves as a quality benchmark for research evaluation agencies and the academic community.
The Cuadernos Deusto de Derechos Humanos series is a periodical publication of the Pedro Arrupe Human Rights Institute at the University of Deusto, established in 1998. From its inception in 1998 until 2015, the collection was lead by Professor of Public International Law Felipe Gómez Isa, with the invaluable collaboration of the esteemed Ethics professor Xabier Etxeberria. In a second stage, from 2016 to June 2023, the collection was led by Professor of Philosophy Cristina de la Cruz Ayuso. During this period, the it was awarded the Academic Publishing Quality Seal for the first time in 2020, along with the internationality distinction. Currently, since the 2023–2024 academic year, the Cuadernos are under the direction of Professor of Philosophy of Law Encarnación La Spina. Under her leadership, the collection has secured the renewal of the Academic Publishing Quality Seal in the 2025 call, which will remain valid until 2030, allowing it to continue being a benchmark in human rights research publishing. https://sites.google.com/deusto.es/cuadernosdeustoddhh/home
