Arquivos was originally organised into three distinct sections. The first section, titled Parte Doutrinal [Doctrinal Part], consisted of doctrinal content with in-depth articles authored by university professors. The second section, Vária [Various], was informative, gathering notes and documents of historical interest. The final section was a bibliographical segment devoted to critical reviews of works published in Portugal and abroad, relevant to the history of Portuguese culture. Another significant section, consistently included at the end of each volume, was titled Actividades do Centro Cultural Português [Activities of the Portuguese Cultural Centre]. This part summarised the Centre's annual activities— concerts, exhibitions, conferences, publications, and even library movement.

Until 1971, the Parte Doutrinal held greater prominence but gradually lost this preeminence until 1984. During this time, under José de Pina Martins’ direction, the Vária section gained more prominence, particularly in the number of articles published. In 1983, a turning point occurred when the Vária section contained twice as many articles as the Parte Doutrinal, indicating a shift towards more informative content rather than research, which had been the original focus of the publication. However, from 1984 onwards, doctrinal studies gained renewed emphasis, surpassing the Vária section and returning to the original format of 1969, which remained in place until 1993. In 1985, Volume XXI introduced a new section titled Homenagens e Comemorações [Honours and Commemorations]," which became the opening section of the publication. This section featured laudatory texts dedicated to individuals, events, and facts integral to Portuguese culture. It was not included in every subsequent issue but appeared occasionally, depending on the occasion. Regarding the critical reviews section, its consistency varied over time. The first two years saw a high volume of reviews, a number that was never again matched. From the third volume onwards, this section began to decline, disappearing entirely in certain years, such as 1975, 1980, and 1981, and was discontinued after 1990. Considered by several directors to be the weakest section, the reasons for its disappearance seem to be tied to limited contributions from authors, who were reluctant to face criticism from their peers, as well as a lack of space due to the expanding length of the other sections.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | (Pdf)