Author Guidelines

1. About RBIE

The Brazilian Journal of Computers in Education — Revista Brasileira de Informática na Educação (RBIE) — is an interdisciplinary journal maintained by the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC), through the Special Committee on Computers in Education (CEIE), dedicated to scientific dissemination in Computers in Education and Computer Science Education.

Scope. RBIE aims to disseminate tools, methods, and practices that support the effective use of technology in the educational process. Research in Computers in Education refers to the use of technological artifacts as mediators of teaching and learning processes and to their impacts; Computer Science Education, in turn, focuses on improving the teaching and learning of Computing as a science. Both areas are welcomed by the journal.

Open access and fee policy. RBIE is an open-access journal and does not charge submission fees, article processing charges (APC), or any fees for authors or readers. The journal is classified as Qualis A3 by CAPES (2021–2024 period).

2. Accepted types of contribution

RBIE publishes research works in different formats, including:

• Completed scientific works, with experiments, case studies, or well-grounded experience reports.
• Ongoing research with innovative ideas and consistent preliminary results.
• Systematic reviews and mappings (surveys) with a critical view of the state of the art.
• Essays, position papers, and tutorials with an in-depth exploration of a topic.

Requirement for secondary studies. Systematic reviews and mappings must include RBIE and the SBC-OpenLib (SOL) library among the databases consulted; otherwise, coverage of Brazilian scientific output in the field is compromised.

3. Submission languages

RBIE accepts manuscripts in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. The chosen language determines the number of abstracts required (see item 6) and must be maintained consistently throughout the manuscript. Do not change the language option set in the template's \documentclass command.

4. Article template and submission format

As of 2026, RBIE adopts a new article template, available exclusively in LaTeX (class rbie2026), for use on Overleaf or in a local installation. The template is trilingual (Portuguese, English, and Spanish) and already incorporates, within the document itself, methodological and formatting guidance for the various types of research in the field.

4.1 Compilation engine

The document must be compiled with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX. On Overleaf, set this under Menu > Settings > Compiler. The class does not work fully with pdfLaTeX (the fontawesome package icons and the Unicode fonts — TeX Gyre Termes and Roboto — are not rendered correctly). Do not add the inputenc package: UTF-8 is already native.

4.2 Where to obtain the template

The LaTeX template package brings together, in a single download, the .tex files for the article and the cover letter in the three languages, the rbie2026.cls class, the refs.bib reference file, and the bibliography styles:

• LaTeX templates (article and cover letter): download the LaTeX package.
• Article template as PDF (already-compiled reference): view as PDF.

To compile, open the package on Overleaf (or in a local installation) and select the article .tex file in your chosen language: main-pt.tex (Portuguese), main-en.tex (English), or main-es.tex (Spanish). Compile with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX (see item 4.1).

A video tutorial on using Overleaf/LaTeX is available at: Overleaf/LaTeX video tutorial.

4.3 About the Word version

At this stage, RBIE supports only the LaTeX/Overleaf template. There is no officially supported Word (.docx) version. Authors with little LaTeX experience can rely on the video tutorial and on the ready-made examples in the template itself (tables, full-width figures, code listings, equations, etc.), which cover most formatting needs.

4.4 Transition rule

Articles already accepted under the old template remain in that format until publication. All new submissions must use the new template (rbie2026).

4.5 Submission file format

The file submitted for review must be a PDF generated from the template, duly anonymized (see item 7).

4.6 PDF accessibility

The rbie2026 template is already configured to generate a more accessible PDF, in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the guidance of SBC's Committee for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (CIDE). To preserve this accessibility:

• Keep the structural tagging and the language definition already enabled by the \DocumentMetadata command at the beginning of each main-*.tex file.
• Fill in the \pdftitle and \pdfauthor metadata in plain text (no LaTeX commands, colors, or dashes), since the screen reader announces the document title instead of the file name.
• Ensure adequate contrast, do not convey information by color alone, and describe the essential content of figures in the text or caption.
• Compile with XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX on TeX Live 2024 or later (current Overleaf meets this) and validate the accessibility of the final PDF before submitting.

5. Manuscript organization and length

The manuscript must contain between 10 and 20 pages, excluding the supplementary declarations, references, and appendices/annexes. The margins and page setup (A4, two columns) are already defined in the template and must not be changed.

Section organization is not rigid, but the template recommends the typical structure of a scientific article, adapted to the type of research:

• Introduction: context, problem and gap, objective and research questions, contributions, and (optionally) the organization of the article.
• Related work: literature selection criteria, thematic organization, and explicit differentiation of the present work.
• Methodology: for primary research, design, participants, instruments, procedures, and data analysis; for systematic reviews/mappings, the protocol (RQs, search string, databases, inclusion/exclusion criteria, selection, extraction, and synthesis), applying the SEGRESS checklist.
• Analysis and discussion of results: results organized by research question, with complete statistical reporting (including effect size) and interpretation in light of the literature.
• Research limitations: the taxonomy of internal, external, construct, and conclusion validity is recommended.
• Open science and availability of materials (see item 11).
• Conclusion and future work: revisiting the problem, synthesis of results, pedagogical implications, and future directions.

6. Abstract and keywords

The abstract must contain between 150 and 300 words, be self-contained, and preferably adopt the IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). Do not include citations in the abstract, except in special cases (an update, continuation, or refutation of a specific study). Provide 3 to 10 keywords, separated by semicolons and with an initial capital letter.

Required abstract languages (according to the article's main language):

• Articles in Portuguese: abstract and keywords in Portuguese, followed by the English (abstract) and Spanish (resumen) versions, in this order.
• Articles in Spanish: abstract in Spanish (native) and the English version (abstract), with the respective keywords.
• Articles in English: only the abstract in English (native); abstracts in Portuguese or Spanish are not required.

7. Preparing for anonymous review

RBIE uses double-anonymous peer review. In the version submitted for review, all information that could identify authorship must be removed. Check, at a minimum:

• Authors and affiliations: comment out the authorship block in the template and replace names and affiliations with "Omitted for review".
• Acknowledgements and funding: remove sections and mentions of funders, grant numbers, and identifiable projects.
• Location of experiments: do not mention the city; cite the state/region only if relevant to the merit.
• Own platforms and systems: use generic names (e.g., "the platform adopted").
• Links and repositories: anonymize supplementary materials (e.g., Anonymous GitHub).
• Self-citations: use "[omitted for review]" instead of expressions such as "as we showed in [X]".
• PDF metadata: remove metadata that reveal author, institution, or software (e.g., exiftool --all= file.pdf).
• Figures and screenshots: remove logos, usernames, e-mails, and other identifying elements.

Exceptions: award-winning or invited articles may be exempt from anonymization, as directed by the editors. After acceptance, restore all information in the final version (see item 16).

8. Citations and references

RBIE adopts the APA 7th edition style, already configured in the apalike-sol.bst style (do not change it). In LaTeX, citations are managed by the natbib package in author-year format with bracket delimiters. Add the entries in the refs.bib file.

• Every work cited must appear in the reference list, and vice versa; do not include uncited references.
• Order the references alphabetically by the first author's surname and, for works by the same author(s), by year (from oldest to most recent).
• For three or more authors, use "Surname et al. [Year]" already in the first citation.
• Include the DOI whenever available (https://doi.org/…); in its absence, use a stable access URL. Avoid secondary sources (apud), unstable URLs, and preprints presented as published articles.
• Record the references in the original language of the work and list all authors (do not abbreviate the list with "et al." in the reference section).

9. Non-textual elements

Tables, figures, equations, code listings, algorithms, and boxes must follow three general rules: every element must be discussed in the text; the reference precedes the element; and the reference is written with an initial capital letter (e.g., Table 1, Figure 2), except for equations, whose number goes in parentheses — Equation (6).

• Tables: caption above; the tabularray package is recommended; no vertical rules; comma as the decimal separator (articles in Portuguese); identify units in the header and the source of the data.
• Figures: caption below; prefer vector formats (PDF, SVG, EPS); photographs/screenshots in raster at a minimum of 300 dpi; avoid 3D effects and pie charts for four or more categories.
• Code and algorithms: use the minted (code) and algorithm/algpseudocode (pseudocode) packages, already loaded by the class; caption below; include only the necessary excerpt.
• Equations: number those that are referenced; define all variables; use \eqref{} to cite them.

When commenting on a non-textual element, go beyond "see Figure X": announce, orient, observe, and explain what the element shows for the article's argument.

10. Research ethics

Manuscripts must explicitly state how ethical concerns were addressed, including approval by a Research Ethics Committee (CEP) where applicable. RBIE subscribes to the SBC Code of Conduct.

Research involving human beings must observe the Brazilian legal framework — Law No. 14,874/2024 and Decree No. 12,651/2025, CNS Resolutions No. 466/2012 and No. 510/2016 (insofar as they do not conflict with the new framework), and the LGPD (Law No. 13,709/2018) — in addition to the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) for minors.

Photographs of participants. Publishing images that identify people requires specific free and informed consent for image use, retained by the authors and available for verification. For those under 18, consent is given by legal guardians (ECA, art. 17), and the child's assent is recommended. When there is no consent, anonymize the image. A declaration that consent and CEP approval were obtained is mandatory for publication. Regardless of this proviso, we strongly recommend NOT using images of participants in submissions to RBIE; the editorial team/reviewers will make the final decision on whether they remain in the article.

11. Open science and reproducibility

RBIE encourages open science practices, aligned with the UNESCO recommendations and the FAIR principles. At the submission stage, make artifacts available in anonymized repositories and omit/anonymize pre-registrations. In the final version, provide, in the "Availability of data and materials" section:

• Research data in an open repository with a permanent DOI (e.g., Zenodo, OSF).
• Source code and scripts in a public repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab), with an explicit open license.
• Research instruments, intervention materials, and, where applicable, reproducible environments (Docker, Conda, Jupyter).

Sensitive data from human participants must not be made publicly available without proper ethical treatment and compliance with the LGPD.

Fair science and diversity. RBIE recommends that research acknowledge the contributions of underrepresented groups in science — not only in the related work section, but also in the theories and methods adopted — and that authors critically examine references, contexts, and methods, avoiding gender, race, ethnicity, class, or disability biases.

12. Mandatory supplementary declarations

At the end of the manuscript, in the Supplementary Declarations section, include:

• Author contributions Mandatory: describe each person's contribution using the CRediT taxonomy.
• Conflicts of interest Mandatory: declare the existence or absence of conflicts.
• Availability of data and materials Mandatory: state where the resources can be accessed or justify why they cannot be shared.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) usage declaration Mandatory: in accordance with the SBC Code of Conduct, explicitly declare the use of generative AI tools (writing, revision, data analysis, translation, generation of figures/tables/scripts, etc.) or state that none were used. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, and their use does not relieve the authors of responsibility.
• Acknowledgements and funding Optional and other relevant information (desirable), such as awards and the origin of an extended version.

13. Cover letter

Every manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter, submitted as a PDF. The cover letter template is also part of the RBIE template package, as a LaTeX file (coverletter-pt.tex, with English and Spanish versions), and must be compiled with XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX. The letter must contain: the presentation of the work and the confirmation of originality; the intersection with Computers in Education and/or Computer Science Education; the contribution and novelty; the authorship declaration following the CRediT taxonomy; the conflict-of-interest declaration; the availability of data and materials (open science); the AI usage declaration; and other relevant information (for example, Research Ethics Committee approval or an indication of an extended version). For extended articles or special issues, include the pertinent information (see item 14).

Downloads and compilation:

• LaTeX templates (article and cover letter): download the LaTeX package.
• Cover letter template as PDF (already-compiled reference): view as PDF.

To compile, select the cover letter .tex file in your chosen language: coverletter-pt.tex (Portuguese), coverletter-en.tex (English), or coverletter-es.tex (Spanish), with XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX.

14. Extended articles

Manuscripts that extend works previously published in conferences must:

1. Include at least 30% new material (about 50% recommended) compared to the original work.
2. Explicitly cite the original work, indicating that it is an extended version.
3. Avoid verbatim copying of blocks of text, rewriting the content.
4. Highlight the original contributions, explaining the extensions made.
5. Provide the PDF of the original work as a supplementary document.

15. Peer review process

RBIE uses double-anonymous peer review. Each manuscript is, as a rule, evaluated by three independent experts, who assess the relevance of the problem, scientific soundness and coherence, originality, clarity of presentation, and significance of the work. Editorial decisions are based on these reports, with consultation of the Editorial Board when necessary.

16. After acceptance: final version

Once the manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author must submit the final editable version, with all authorship information restored: full name (without abbreviations), each author's ORCID, indication of the corresponding author, affiliation, and e-mail. Also restore acknowledgements, funding, and complete references, and finalize the supplementary declarations. Submitting the final revised and editable version is a condition for the start of copyediting.

17. License and copyright

Articles published in RBIE are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. Deposit in repositories and dissemination of the published version are permitted, with proper credit to RBIE.

18. Submission checklist

Before submitting, confirm that:

• The work is original and unpublished and is not under review elsewhere.
• The manuscript uses the new LaTeX template (rbie2026) and was compiled with XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX.
• The submission file is a PDF, 10 to 20 pages long (excluding declarations, references, and appendices).
• All authorship identification has been removed from the text and the PDF metadata.
• The abstracts and keywords meet the main language requirement and the 150–300 word limit.
• All authors have an ORCID and have consented to the submission.
• The references follow the APA 7 style (natbib/apalike-sol) and include DOI/URL where available.
• Ethical concerns have been addressed (CEP/consent), where applicable.
• The cover letter (PDF) has been written, including CRediT authorship and the conflict-of-interest declaration.
• The mandatory supplementary declarations (CRediT, conflicts, data availability, AI use) are present.
• Systematic reviews/mappings included RBIE and SOL among the databases consulted.

19. Contact

Questions about the submission process, the template, or the editorial workflow may be directed to the RBIE editorial team through the journal's system on SBC-OpenLib (SOL) or by e-mail at revista.rbie@gmail.com.

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