Editorial best practices

EDITORIAL BEST PRACTICES

The journal Advocatus adopts and promotes editorial best practices aligned with international standards, especially with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), in order to guarantee academic integrity, transparency in editorial processes and the scientific quality of publications.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDITORS

- Make editorial decisions regarding the acceptance, revision or rejection of manuscripts based on their scientific quality, originality, thematic relevance and the reports of peer reviewers.
- Ensure that the selection, evaluation and publication process is carried out impartially, objectively and without discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, beliefs, origin or institutional affiliation.
- Select suitable reviewers, ensuring their academic competence, independence and absence of conflicts of interest, maintaining the confidentiality of manuscripts and the editorial process, protecting the identity of authors and reviewers within the peer review system.
- Verify the authorship and originality of manuscripts, preventing and detecting improper practices such as plagiarism, self-plagiarism, citation manipulation, fabrication or falsification of data.
- Diligently manage conflicts of interest and ethical complaints, ensuring objective investigation processes, the right of authors to respond and the preservation of associated documentation.
- Ensure that published content does not include false, misleading or defamatory information affecting individuals or organizations, adopting the corresponding institutional measures when necessary.

Advocatus adheres to the guideline “Responsible research publication: international standards for editors”, adopted at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity–Singapore, also published by COPE.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE REVIEWERS

- Contribute to the editorial process through critical, objective and well-founded evaluation of manuscripts, aimed at supporting editorial decision-making and improving the academic quality of texts.
- Evaluate manuscripts with academic rigor, considering criteria such as originality, thematic relevance, methodological soundness, argumentative coherence and contribution to knowledge.
- Comply with the deadlines established for delivering evaluation reports, informing the editor in a timely manner if unable to complete the review.
- Maintain absolute confidentiality of manuscripts and information received during the editorial process, refraining from disclosing, using, retaining or reproducing the content without express authorization.
- Promptly declare any conflict of interest of a personal, academic, institutional or financial nature that may affect the impartiality of the evaluation, and refrain from participating when appropriate.
- Act with impartiality, objectivity and respect, avoiding personal judgments about the authors and supporting observations with clear and verifiable academic arguments.
- Identify and inform the editor of possible cases of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, misuse of sources or any other editorial malpractice.
- Follow the instructions provided by the journal for the preparation and submission of evaluation reports.
- Refrain from using information obtained through the evaluation process for personal, academic or professional benefit.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORS

- Ensure that the manuscript is original, unpublished and is not under evaluation nor has it been accepted for publication in another journal.
- Present research results clearly, truthfully and completely, without falsification, improper data manipulation or distortion of information. Any form of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication or misuse of information must be avoided, in accordance with principles of academic integrity.
- Properly cite all sources used and obtain the necessary permissions for the use of materials protected by copyright.
- Ensure that authorship accurately reflects the real contributions of those involved in the research, avoiding the inclusion of authors without significant contribution or the omission of relevant participants.
- Explicitly declare any conflict of interest that may influence the interpretation or presentation of results.
- Report sources of research funding or, if applicable, declare the absence of external funding.
- Promptly notify the editor of any significant error identified in the manuscript or in a published article, and cooperate in its correction, clarification or retraction when necessary.
- Diligently and respectfully address the observations arising from the peer review process, making the requested corrections or justifying their non-inclusion.
- Comply with all editorial guidelines and formal requirements established by the journal for the submission and publication of manuscripts.

Advocatus promotes an enriching and diverse academic debate; however, responsibility for the content of published articles lies exclusively with the authors. The positions and statements presented are the result of an academic and research exercise and do not necessarily represent the official position of Universidad Libre or other participating institutions.

ANTI-PLAGIARISM POLICY

The journal Advocatus ensures the academic integrity of its publications through the systematic verification of the originality of all submitted manuscripts. For this purpose, all texts are analyzed using the similarity detection tool Turnitin. The similarity index must not exceed 20%, excluding properly cited references and quotations; manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be rejected or returned to the authors for revision.

Regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools, the journal requires that their use be declared by the authors when applicable. Furthermore, the manuscript must reflect original intellectual contribution; texts that show improper use of such tools compromising academic quality, rigor or authorship will be rejected.

The journal considers plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, fabrication or falsification of data and any other unethical conduct as serious offenses. Accordingly, the editorial team will take all necessary measures to prevent and detect such practices. If misconduct is confirmed, the manuscript will be rejected. If detected after publication, the article will be corrected, retracted or withdrawn as appropriate.

When misconduct is suspected, the manuscript will be suspended from the editorial process and the author will be notified to respond within a maximum of ten (10) business days. Based on the response, the editor will make a reasoned decision, which may be reviewed by the Editorial Committee, ensuring due process.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Measures will be implemented to ensure that personal data provided by authors, reviewers and users through the editorial platform are used exclusively for the management of the editorial process. The information will be treated confidentially and will not be shared with third parties unrelated to these purposes, except when required by law or for indexing and interoperability in academic systems.