About the Journal

Mission

The journal aims to encourage the submission of topics that stimulate debate and further study, emphasizing the operational spirit of Defense and Security Forces and Agencies.

Although initially conceived with a focus on aerospace operations, the journal does not favor any specific approach. Diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives are welcome, provided they fall within the fields of engineering, computer science, or military sciences and offer consistent and significant contributions to the development of the operational domain related to Defense and Security.

Target Audience

The target audience includes professionals, faculty members, researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and enthusiasts—both civilian and military—from the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense, research institutes, universities, security and defense agencies, and other public and private organizations interested in operational matters of Defense and Security.

Journal History

Since the publication of the first National Defense Policy in 1996 and the creation of the Ministry of Defense in 1999, scientific and technological development has gained increasing importance. This is reflected in strategic guidelines and directives aimed at strengthening national defense capabilities and enhancing Brazil's strategic autonomy. In this context, the training and development of human resources is established as paramount to the success of initiatives supporting Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I).

Addressing the constant need for high-level human resource training, an academic cooperation was established in 1998 between the former General Air Command (COMGAR)—now the Preparation Command (COMPREP)—and the Aeronautical Institute of Technology (ITA). This partnership led to the creation of the Specialization Course in Electromagnetic Environment Analysis (CEAAE) and, in 2001, the Graduate Program in Operational Applications (PPGAO). These were innovative graduate education initiatives focused on Defense, leveraging the cross-disciplinary academic excellence of ITA. The goal is to train military personnel to perform analysis, synthesis, evaluation, research, and development of concepts, procedures, and technologies, meeting the operational needs of the Brazilian Air Force Command (COMAER) by generating and mastering knowledge at the operational and tactical levels.

To disseminate the scientific and technological output in this area, the Spectrum magazine was elevated to the category of a scientific journal, while maintaining its operational character and focus. In 2023, management of the journal was transferred to the Aeronautical Institute of Technology (ITA), which outlined short, medium, and long-term management strategies and goals to shape the journal in compliance with both scientific and operational requirements. Key changes included broadening its scope (Operational Applications in Defense Areas) and adopting an electronic format for global dissemination.

The challenge of scientific consolidation is continuous and complex. The ITA editorial team, in partnership with the PPGAO and with support from the academic and operational communities, is committed to the continuous improvement of Spectrum and its growing integration into the national and international scientific community.

Focus and Scope

Spectrum is an open-access, annually published journal dedicated to research, development, technology, and innovation (RDT&I) in engineering, computer science, or military sciences. It focuses on operational applications within military and civilian sectors, defense, security, and crisis and/or disaster management.

Topics of interest include:

  • Flight Safety Systems
  • Design and Analysis of Experiments
  • Optimization and Statistics
  • Simulation
  • Decision Support
  • Logistics Engineering
  • Humanitarian Logistics and Disaster Management
  • Command and Control Systems Engineering
  • Data Integration
  • Cyber Warfare
  • Management of Knowledge
  • Satellite Systems
  • Biological Protection and Bioengineering
  • Chemical Protection
  • Nuclear and Radiological Protection
  • Radio Frequency (RF) Sensors
  • Analysis and Development of Infrared (IR) Sensors
  • Analysis and Prediction of Military Target Signatures
  • Photonic Technology in Radio Frequency (RF) Systems
  • Embedded Systems Integration
  • Sensor Fusion
  • Embedded Software
  • Propulsion
  • Systems Engineering
  • Quantum Cryptography
  • Quantum Computing
  • Quantum Communication

Peer Review Process

The journal employs a DOUBLE-BLIND peer review process, meaning the identities of both the author and the reviewer are concealed until the review and acceptance process is complete. This ensures impartiality and a focus on the quality of the content.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this publication and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Copyright Policy

Authorship: Spectrum stipulates that only individuals who have substantially participated in the core stages of the research should be listed as authors. Merely revising the text or collecting data, for example, is not sufficient for authorship. All individuals listed as authors at the time of submission automatically declare their responsibility under the following terms:

Declaration of Responsibility: "I certify that I have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for its content. I certify that the manuscript represents original work and that it has not been published nor is it currently being considered for publication in another national or international journal, whether in print or electronic format, except as described in the attachment. I attest that, if requested, I will provide or fully cooperate in obtaining and providing data upon which the manuscript is based, for examination by the journal's editorial board."

Copyright Transfer: "I declare that, in the event of the article's acceptance by Spectrum, I agree that its copyright will become the exclusive property of the Aeronautical Institute of Technology (ITA), without payment to either party. Any reproduction, total or partial, in any other medium or means of dissemination, whether print or electronic, is prohibited without prior and necessary authorization. Once such authorization is obtained, I will include due acknowledgment to ITA and the corresponding credits to Spectrum. I declare on my behalf and on behalf of any co-authors that failure to comply with this commitment will subject the infringer to the sanctions and penalties provided for in the Copyright Protection Law (Federal Law No. 9,610 of February 19, 1998)."

Creative Commons License: Spectrum adopts the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. Therefore, after publication, the content is free to be copied and adapted, provided that appropriate credit is given, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. This may be done in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

The material may not be used for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Symposium Publications: Spectrum may invite authors of papers presented at the Symposium on Operational Applications in Defense Areas (SIGE) to publish their work in its original or modified version in the journal. Likewise, authors of articles accepted for publication in Spectrum may be invited to present their work at SIGE. In such cases, the work will be subject to the copyright policies of both Spectrum and SIGE, and it is the responsibility of the interested party to cite either the SIGE Proceedings or Spectrum.

Corrections and Retractions Policy

Additions, Corrections, and Retractions are formal notices used to address substantial issues or correct consequential errors and omissions that arise post-publication.

Articles containing data found to be seriously flawed or erroneous, such that their findings and conclusions are invalidated, may be retracted to ensure the integrity of the scientific record.

A notice may be requested by the author(s) or initiated by the Editor in consultation with the corresponding author. Readers who identify a significant error in a published work should first contact the corresponding author. All corrections and retractions are subject to final approval by the Editor, and minor amendments will not be published.

The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining agreement from all co-authors prior to submitting a request, or must provide evidence that such approval was solicited. The published notice will cite the original article and clearly state the reason for the amendment. Except in extraordinary circumstances, the original article will remain accessible online but will be linked to the correction or retraction notice.