Submission Guidelines

PURE3D invites submissions on a rolling basis and accepts projects which use 3D models as the central component for making a scholarly argument, developing hypotheses, or answering research questions. Projects including but not limited to the fields of heritage, archaeology, history, museology, architecture, anthropology, forensics, and engineering will be considered.

PURE3D uses the Open Journal System to manage submissions and reviews. In order to publish with us, 3D scholarly editions must first undergo three rounds of evaluation:

  1. A concept review completed by our editorial board to assess the aim of the edition and its feasibility, the intended use of the 3D model as the center of the narrative, your target audience, and if your data meets the technical requirements.;
  2. An alpha version review where authors submit a draft of their edition in order to receive feedback and implement changes before completion;
  3. A final review where authors submit their completed edition and receive an open evaluation of their work, including any final suggestions.

See information on the review and publication process and our evaluation guidelines.

To submit a concept proposal, please visit our submission page. If this is your first PURE3D submission under OJS, you will first need to create an account.

A submission must meet the following basic standards for PURE3D publication:

  • The 3D visualization is the central component of the edition which drives the argument or narrative.
  • Complete and clear metadata and a transparent documentation process for creating the 3D edition (i.e. paradata) should be included in the edition (see below for information on what needs to be included).
  • The proposal should outline who the target audience is and the edition should communicate effectively to these users.
  • The textual component should be well-written and present its argument or aim clearly. In order to evaluate the proposal and find appropriate peer-reviewers, we ask that your proposal and 3DSE is written in English; however, we welcome and encourage a translation of your edition into other languages.
  • You must be the copyright holder or have obtained permission to use the materials in your 3DSE.

Technical requirements:

3D models should be submitted along with the proposal in order for the editorial board to check its functionality with the PURE3D viewing and editing software, Voyager Explorer. 3D models can be in the form of digitised objects, structures, landscapes etc. or reconstructed environments in computer graphics. Models can be project-specific or created by a heritage institution, be free from copyright (or copyright is explicitly obtained) and meet the technical requirements below:

  • .gltf/.glb format (Draco Compression is advised for .glb files)
  • Including PBR extensions that conform to the three.js standard: metalness/roughness as its PBR shading model (Please note that Specular/Glossiness not supported by three.js)
  • For single digitised objects, one 4K texture map (in .jpg with 86 compression). For complex scenes, the textures of the various parts should conform to the 1024×1024 texture standard.
  • Model size maximum: 230,000 triangles for all geometry in the scene. This ensures good performance but can be higher if it is a complex object/scene.
  • Essential model information: geometry, texture and normals. Please note that other 3D model elements, e.g., lights, cameras, color vertex information are not needed/cannot be supported.

Metadata and Paradata Requirements:

Metadata is descriptive information about your textual and 3D data. Providing metadata allows your edition to follow the FAIR principles: findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Paradata allows for transparency in your work, and refers to the documentation of your choices and techniques while creating your 3D edition, any manipulations you made to pre-existing models, and any uncertainties apparent in the visualization.

Metadata will be collected separately by the PURE3D team before publication, but paradata should be included within your edition. It is up to you to choose how you would like to include this information. Some authors incorporate it within their narrative, while others may dedicate a specific text to describing this information. Authors may submit their ideas on paradata as part of their proposal and editors will help them to determine how best it can be presented.

Metadata fields that will be collected by us will include information such as:

  • Where and when your edition is focused, the subject (i.e. archaeology), the technology used to create your 3D model (i.e 3D reconstruction, photogrammetry etc.), rights holder and rights license (i.e CC-BY)

Paradata that can be included in the edition:

  • An explanation on how the data was created (techniques or recording systems), choices made in the digitization process, any manipulations made to the 3D model, which sources were used for reconstructions and why, and any uncertainties encountered during the 3D creation. If you are not the original creator of the 3D model, you may still include much of the above information, as well as why this particular model was chosen to represent your narrative.

For examples on how previous authors incorporated paradata into their editions, you may view:

  • Diaconie Weeshuis: this edition used the 3D reconstruction process as its central focus. They discuss the various sources used in order to reconstruct a no longer existing building and the accuracy of the model.
  • 3Düwelsteene: this edition contains an additional tour about structure from motion, the technique used to create the 3D model, and what information was gained from this method.

Citation guidelines: 

We do not require a specific citation style to be used within your editions; however, please be consistent with whichever style you choose.

Submit your concept for a 3DSE!