Editorial process

The journal's editorial process comprises two independent phases: evaluation and publication, described below.

1. EVALUATION PHASE

The evaluation phase of the articles consists of the following three procedures:

a) Initial evaluation. All submitted articles are subject to an initial review by the Editorial Committee. At this stage, it is verified that the article complies with the basic requirements of the journal, such as the subject matter, length, correct citation, and compliance with the rules for authors. In addition, specialized Turnitin software is used to detect possible cases of plagiarism. The results of the Turnitin similarity report will be communicated to the authors as part of this procedure and stored in the journal's OJS portal.

The journal accepts only original and unpublished articles. Manuscripts that have been previously published in other journals or media or those that are being evaluated in other editorial processes will not be considered. Likewise, publishing data requires an original analysis that provides new perspectives or results. Articles that pass this initial evaluation are sent to at least three external evaluators, who will independently and anonymously judge their quality. If they do not meet the journal's standards, the author will be informed of the reasons for rejection.

b) Peer review. The review of the articles is carried out through a double-blind process managed by the OJS platform. External expert juries, national and international, evaluate each article in depth, considering aspects such as the topic's relevance, methodological soundness, clarity of exposition, and originality of the contributions. These evaluators provide a verdict and detailed recommendations so the journal's editors and editorial committee can decide. The detailed parameters the juries evaluate can be consulted at the following link.

c) Final decision. The journal editors are responsible for making the final decision on the publication of the articles, considering the evaluations of the expert juries. In the event of discrepancies between the evaluators' opinions, the opinions of other independent juries will be requested. If the controversy persists, the editors and the editorial committee will decide.

The evaluation by juries can result in the following five possible decisions. In all cases, the authors will receive a detailed report with the evaluators' comments to guide their future work.

1) Acceptance. The article meets all the requirements and can be published without modifications.

2) Publishable with changes. Minor adjustments are required to meet the journal's standards. The authors have 15 working days to make the indicated modifications.

3) Resend for review. Substantial modifications are required. The authors have 60 working days to make the changes and resubmit the article for a new evaluation.

4) Forward to another publication. The article does not meet the journal's requirements but could be suitable for another publication.

5) Not publishable. The article does not meet the journal's quality standards and will not be considered for publication.

2. PUBLICATION PHASE

The publication phase of the articles consists of the following three procedures:

a) Proofread. The text is subjected to a stylistic review to ensure the coherence and uniformity of the language. The authors have eight working days to review and approve the corrected version.

b) Layout. The article's final version is prepared, including the layout and design. The authors have eight working days to review and approve the preliminary galley proofs.

c) Declaration of originality and transfer of rights. All authors sign a form declaring the originality of the work and transferring the publication rights to the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution/Recognition-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. The journal reserves the right to review any published article, even after publication, to maintain quality standards.

3. EDITORIAL PROCESS TIMES

The journal has established the following estimated time frames for the editorial process:

a) Initial reception and evaluation. Approximately 15 business days.

b) Evaluation by juries. Approximately 90 business days.

c) Final decision. Approximately 15 business days.

d) Publication. Approximately 30 business days once the publication has been approved.

4. ARTICLE ACCEPTANCE RATE

The following are the consolidated data of articles received, accepted, and rejected by the journal between 2021 and 2024.

a) Year 2024. Volume 19, Issues 1 and 2.
Articles received: 88.
Articles published: 36.
Articles rejected by the juries / editorial committee: 27.
Acceptance rate: 59%.

b) Year 2023. Volume 18, Issues 1 and 2.
Articles received: 101.
Articles published: 36.
Articles rejected by the juries / editorial committee: 65.
Acceptance rate: 36%.

c) Year 2022. Volume 17, Issues 1 and 2.
Articles received: 50.
Articles published: 8.
Articles rejected by the juries / editorial committee: 42.
Acceptance rate: 16%.

d) Year 2021. Volume 16, Issues 1 and 2.
Articles received: 73.
Articles published: 27.
Articles rejected by the juries/editorial committee: 46.
Acceptance rate: 37%.