Editorial policies

Editorial Policies

Introduction

The integrity of our academic content is of utmost importance. This document outlines the Editorial Policies of the Revista Ciencias y Humanidades (hereafter referred to as "the Journal"). This information is intended for authors, reviewers, members of the Editorial Board, and other interested parties.

We recognize the importance of establishing guidelines for our editorial processes. We are committed to transparency in editorial review processes, double-blind peer review, managing potential conflicts of interest, plagiarism, duplicate publications, research fraud, and other related matters.

Editorial Process

We are committed to editorial independence, ensuring it is not compromised by conflicts of interest, corporate, financial, or political influences. We do not discriminate against authors, editors, or reviewers based on personal characteristics or identity. The Journal’s publication decisions are made by the editorial team, based on independent evaluations conducted through the double-blind peer review method.

The editorial process begins with the submission of the manuscript and annexes through the submission portal (see Submission Portal) and concludes with either (i) the publication of the article or (ii) its rejection at any stage of the process.

As part of the submission process, authors must ensure their submissions include the Commitment and Authorship Certification Declaration form, containing the following information:

  1. Principles and Authorship Certification
  2. Statement on Research Integrity: Ethical principles and consent for research involving human participants.
  3. Originality of the Manuscript: Confirmation of unpublished status, free of ongoing selection processes in other journals.
  4. Content Integrity: Assurance that the manuscript is not duplicated or redundant, and free of plagiarism or research fraud.
  5. Acknowledgment of Sources: Compliance with Publication and Citation Parameters.

Submissions lacking any of these components will be returned to the authors, halting the submission process.

Once the manuscript is submitted, the review process proceeds as follows:

Editorial Review

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal will first be reviewed by the editorial team to ensure they meet initial criteria. If successful, the manuscripts will be checked for plagiarism using CopySpider and Turnitin software (see Plagiarism). After this step, authors will be notified whether their manuscript complies with the Journal’s plagiarism policies, if corrections are required, or if it is rejected.

The Journal strictly prohibits the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in all stages of content production and creation. Manuscripts will be examined to prevent indiscriminate use of AI. While recognizing the technological advancements of AI in automating tasks, the Journal is committed to preserving the integrity and authenticity of its publications. Content generated by AI is deemed incompatible with these principles. The Journal prioritizes human talent, creativity, and critical thinking in content creation and ensures its readers receive quality, rigorously developed material.

Double-Blind Peer Review

For more details on this process, see "Peer Review Process (Double-Blind)." The editorial team will contact potential reviewers with expertise in the manuscript’s subject matter. At least two reviewers will be assigned. Once reviewers accept, the manuscript—stripped of any author-identifying information—will be sent in Word format, along with an evaluation form and the Journal’s Editorial Policies. Reviewers will be given 20 days to complete their evaluations.

After receiving completed evaluations, the editorial team will review them and collectively decide whether to publish or reject the manuscript. Approved articles undergo copy editing, formatting, and design. Authors must review the PDF of their formatted article and report any errors within three business days. After all adjustments are made, the article is scheduled for publication in the agreed volume, released at the beginning of each semester.

Evaluation of Manuscripts by Editorial Team and Board Members

If a manuscript is co-authored by a member of the Journal’s editorial team or board, the process will be handled by a different, uninvolved member. Each editorial team or board member is limited to one authored article per year.

Research Integrity

All research must adhere to the following principles, detailed in the Terms of Reference of the Journal’s calls for submissions:

  • Honesty in all aspects of research.
  • Scrupulous care, reflected in thoroughness and excellence in research practices.
  • Transparency and open communication.
  • Respect and care for research participants.
  • Proper acknowledgment of sources.

The primary obligation of an author is to present an accurate report of their research. Authors must cite and acknowledge publications that were essential to their work’s conception, following the Publication and Citation Parameters.

Information from conversations, interviews, or correspondence requires explicit consent to be published and must be cited according to the Parameters.

Declaration of Ethical Principles for Research Involving Human Participants

Authors must ensure participants’ privacy rights and obtain consent before submitting their research to the Journal. This consent must be included in the Commitment and Authorship Certification Declaration.

Ethical Principles in Peer Review

The Journal conducts its scientific evaluations through the double-blind peer review model. The editorial team is vigilant about identifying potential manipulations in the review process, in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Confidentiality for participants in the peer review process is upheld. Authors and reviewers must adhere to these confidentiality agreements and ensure ethical practices throughout.

Ethical Publishing Practices

  • Articles must provide sufficient detail to allow replication or scrutiny of research findings, methods, or tools.
  • Research articles must explicitly state their funding sources and affiliations with research groups.
  • Fraudulent or inaccurate statements are considered unethical behavior.

Authorship

  • Authors must ensure that their practices align with the following guidelines. Violations may result in penalties for the authors.

  • Co-authors listed on the submitted manuscript must have made significant contributions and should be explicitly mentioned.

  • Participants in the study who do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged as "Contributors" or "Acknowledged Persons."

  • Three types of authorship are considered unacceptable: "ghost authors," with significant contributions left unrecognized (often paid by commercial promoters); "guest authors," without any visible contributions but listed to increase publication chances; and "gift authors," based solely on a brief affiliation with the research.

  • The corresponding author is the person who submits the manuscript and handles correspondence during the publication process. Through the Declaration of Commitments and Authorship Certificate, the corresponding author must confirm permission to act on behalf of all co-authors in all publications related to the manuscript, including supplementary material. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining all relevant documents (e.g., copyright transfer agreement) and keeping co-authors informed throughout the submission, review, and publication process.

  • The corresponding author must ensure compliance with the timeline and deadlines for submitting required files and adherence to ethical practices.

Authorship Certification Letter

Authors must be credited based on their substantial contributions to the research. Minor contributions that do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged in a note. Authors are responsible for determining the order of their names (when there are two or more) in the article. The lead author and the order of authorship should appropriately reflect the contributions of those involved.

Duplicate Publication

Authors must submit an original and unpublished manuscript that has not been submitted to another journal. Submitting a manuscript that fails to meet these criteria is a violation of publication ethics.

Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to different journals constitutes simultaneous publication.

Duplication/multiplication occurs when two or more texts essentially share the same hypothesis, data, discussion, or conclusions. This also includes varying degrees of duplication: literal duplication, partial (substantial) duplication, and duplication through paraphrasing. The category also encompasses changes in language.

Texts available in institutional repositories will not be considered duplicate publications.

If irregularities are suspected, the procedure will involve contacting the author for clarification. Verified cases of duplicate publication will result in manuscript rejection.

We encourage our readers, reviewers, and editors to report any suspected duplicate publication by emailing centrodeestudios@ijr.edu.co with the subject "Possible Duplicate Publication."

Plagiarism

One of the most common forms of publication misconduct occurs when an author intentionally uses someone else’s work without permission, credit, or acknowledgment. Plagiarism can take various forms, including:

  • Data
  • Words and phrases
  • Ideas and concepts
  • Illustrations, graphics, and audiovisual support
  • Published and unpublished documents, including works in progress

Plagiarism severity can vary depending on the number of words, phrases, or paragraphs copied. Paraphrasing is acceptable only if the source is properly cited. For direct quotations, the text must be placed in quotation marks. All content from other sources must be cited, even if rephrased, in compliance with publishing and citation standards. Acknowledging others’ work is an essential part of research ethics (including the work of your advisor or your own previous work). Copying work verbatim, either partially or fully, is not recommended.

We do not tolerate plagiarism in any publication and reserve the right to verify all submissions' authenticity through technological tools such as CopySpider or Turnitin. The editorial team will review the results from these tools to ensure a fair process for authors, considering exceptions (manuscripts in institutional repositories and authorized translations). Manuscripts suspected of partial or complete plagiarism will be subject to the following measures:

  • For 6% or more, the manuscript will be rejected, and the author will be notified of the reason for rejection.
  • For 1% to 6%, the author will be asked to make modifications.

We encourage our readers, reviewers, and editors to report any suspected plagiarism by emailing centrodeestudios@ijr.edu.co with the subject "Possible Plagiarism."

Research Fraud

Research fraud refers to the practice of publishing data or conclusions that were not obtained through experimentation or observation, but rather through invention and manipulation of data.

An article will be rejected if it is discovered to contain fraudulent results. If the article has already been published, an appropriate correction will be made, or a notice will be issued.

Transparency and objectivity are essential in publishing. Therefore, when a researcher, author, editor, or even reviewer has financial or personal interests that may affect their objectivity and influence their actions, they must disclose this to the Journal.

The most common conflicts of interest involve financial relationships, such as intellectual property, patents, fees, consultancies, paid expert testimony, etc.

Undeclared financial interests could undoubtedly lead to a loss of credibility for the Journal, the authors, and science itself. The full disclosure of any relationship that may constitute a conflict, even if the individual believes the situation will not affect their judgment, must be explicitly stated in the Commitment Statement and the Authorship Certificate.

The Journal reserves the right to use the provided information to support editorial decisions. If deemed necessary, the Journal will include the provided information in the publication to ensure a transparent process for readers. Similarly, the Journal may choose not to publish the manuscript if a declared conflict exists.

Retractions, Corrections, and Notices

The Journal will proceed with retractions, corrections, and notices in accordance with COPE’s Retraction Guidelines. If an error by the author or the Journal is discovered after publication, a corrigendum or erratum will be published as appropriate. Retractions are typically reserved for articles containing numerous and severe errors, rendering their results or conclusions unreliable.

The Journal may make minor adjustments to the virtual interface related to the orthographic composition of the articles. Any substantial corrections will be handled according to the current policy.

"Notices" are used to raise awareness of a potential issue related to an article. If further evidence is available, this measure may be replaced by a retraction notice or an exoneration statement, depending on the outcome.

Transparency

The Journal declares its application and compliance with the 16 Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing by COPE in its issues.

Open Access

License

The content of the Journal is free and open, following open-access policies. The Journal operates under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 License (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives), allowing any interested party to download the material and share it with others, as long as authorship is acknowledged. Under no circumstances can the content of the files be altered.

Additionally, along with the digital edition (fully available on the current website), the Journal offers a print edition from the first to the ninth issue. Authors wishing to publish with the Journal must accept the free circulation of knowledge, in accordance with the Creative Commons license.

The Journal Ciencias y Humanidades accepts texts in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French. Moreover, the Journal employs the Chicago Human Adapted Citation Style, available in the Publication and Citation Parameters, and does not charge authors for publication.

Copyright Transfer Agreement / Copyright Announcement

The mechanism used by the Journal to protect intellectual property, both of the author and third parties, regarding plagiarism, forgery, authorship, etc., is the copyright transfer agreement.

Publication Frequency

The Journal is published biannually (January-June / July-December) in digital format, releasing both the articles and the respective table of contents. To be published, each manuscript undergoes the review process, selection process, and final decision.

Digital Preservation Policies

The Ciencias y Humanidades Journal uses the LOCKSS digital preservation system from Stanford University in the United States. This open-source digital preservation service aims to provide and permanently preserve access to the digital content generated by the Journal. Additionally, it allows digital content to be securely shared among participating libraries.

Sponsors

The Journal operates with funding provided by the Corporación Educativa Jorge Robledo (IJR) in Medellín, Colombia, through the Centro de Estudios en Ciencias y Humanidades.

Final Considerations

The Journal will notify authors, reviewers, and editors of any changes to its Editorial Policies. Any concerns and/or intentions to file a complaint will be addressed via email at centrodeestudios@ijr.edu.co.

Abusive behavior toward our teams or other individuals involved in the editorial process will not be tolerated. The Journal reserves the right to take actions such as withdrawing a manuscript submission or rejecting comments from a review form if the author or reviewer displays such behavior.

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