Author guidelines
1. REQUIRED FORMATS
Cover
Manuscript
2. STYLE GUIDE
a) Word limit. Submitted articles must have a minimum length of 6,000 words and a maximum of 8,000 (not including abstract or references).
b) Font and size. Text, tables, and illustrations must be presented in 12-point Times New Roman font.
c) Line spacing. The text must have a line spacing of 1.5.
d) References. The journal uses the APA referencing system in its 7th edition.
e) Headings. Three different levels of titles are considered:
1) First level: header aligned to the left, in bold, with an initial capital letter, 14-point font.
2) Second level: header aligned to the left, in bold, with an initial capital letter, 12-point font.
3) Third level: paragraph heading, bold, italics, initial capital, 12-point font.
f) Explanatory notes. Footnotes should be used sparingly and only to provide brief, essential explanations that complement the main text but are not vital to understanding the argument.
g) Abbreviations. They should be used sparingly, using the internationally approved nomenclature of the respective discipline. These should be defined the first time they appear in the text and always used thereafter to refer to the respective term. They should not appear at the beginning of a sentence nor in the title, and their use should be avoided in the abstract.
h) Equations. If the article includes equations, these should be aligned to the left of the margin and numbered consecutively within each section. It is recommended to use a specialized equation editor such as LaTeX, MathType, or the editors integrated in Microsoft Word to ensure the correct display of mathematical symbols. The meaning of each symbol used in the equations must be clearly explained in the text.
i) Tables and figures. They must be prepared according to APA standards (7th edition) and sent in editable format. They must be numbered consecutively and mentioned in the text. Each figure must include a concise, clear legend in 10-point Times New Roman font. The legend must be explanatory without referring the reader to other text parts. All abbreviations and acronyms used in the legends must be explained. If tables or figures from different sources are used, they must be copied faithfully from the original and the source cited according to APA standards. If the tables or figures are of their elaboration, the phrase "Source: own elaboration" must be included at the end of the legend.
j) Images, maps, and illustrations. All images must have a minimum resolution of 600 dpi and be presented in color. Maps must include a legend, cardinal point,s, and scale when appropriate. Illustrations subject to copyright restrictions require explicit legal permission, which must be attached to the declaration of originality and assignment of rights form.
3. PREPARATION OF SUBMISSION
a) Use of formats. All submissions consist of two separate files in the original language of the article (Spanish or English) and can be downloaded from the following links: cover page and manuscript. They must be sent only through the Open Journal System (OJS) platform, complying with the journal's style guide.
b) Cover page. This file, available at the following link, must be prepared in Microsoft Word, letter size, with 2.54 cm margins, and must contain the following information:
1) Author information. Full names of all authors (maximum four), institutional affiliations (university or organization to which they belong), institutional email addresses (excluding commercial services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc.), and individual ORCID codes. Each author must have a separate, visible, and updated ORCID code; if they do not, they can generate one using the following link. Each author must summarize his or her academic background and research interests (maximum 50 words).
2) Type. The type of article must be specified.
3) Declaration of conflicts of interest. Authors must declare if conflicts of interest may influence the results or publication of the article, whether due to personal, work, or financial relationships. A conflict of interest arises when it biases or influences the conclusions, results, or any aspect of the research or compromises the copyright or editorial decision. For more information, consult the journal's ethics and quality guidelines at the following link.
4) Funding. The source of funding that supported the research must be indicated, including the reference code if applicable.
5) Academic acknowledgments (optional). Acknowledgments to sponsoring institutions, collaborators, reviewers, translators, and any other support received for the research may be included.
c) Manuscript. This file, available at the following link, must be prepared in Microsoft Word, letter size, with 2.54 cm margins, and must contain the following information:
1) Title. It must have a maximum of 15 words and describe the central theme of the article and the approach used strikingly.
2) Abstract. It must have a maximum of 150 words and clearly and concisely present the article's main points. This must include, at a minimum, the general objective of the research, the methodology used, the most relevant results, and the main conclusions.
3) Keywords. A maximum of five keywords, in alphabetical order and separated by semicolons, that accurately describe the content of the article. These keywords must be relevant, specific, and preferably included in the UNESCO thesaurus, available at the following link.
4) Introduction. This section must contextualize the research, presenting the study problem and its relevance. The main research question must be stated, and the importance of addressing it must be justified.
5) Theoretical framework. The theoretical framework supporting the research must be developed in this section. The main theories and concepts related to the topic should be reviewed, and how they relate to the research question should be established.
6) Methodology. This section should describe the research design, the selected population or sample, the data collection instruments used, and the procedure followed for data analysis. Approval by the ethics committee of the participating institutions should be included, if applicable.
7) Results. This section presents the achievements obtained in the research. Tables, graphs, or figures should be used to illustrate the results clearly and concisely.
8) Discussion. This section interprets the results obtained, relating them to the theoretical framework and the research question. The implications of the results, both theoretical and practical, should be discussed. In addition, the study's limitations should be identified, and future lines of research should be proposed.
9) Conclusions. The main conclusions reached in the research should be summarized. The study's contribution to existing knowledge in the area should be highlighted.
10) References. A complete list of all sources cited in the text must be included, following APA style in its 7th edition.
c) Additional considerations
1) Quotations. Quotations of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double quotation marks (“ ”). If a quotation is included within another, single quotation marks (‘ ’) are used. Omissions in the text are indicated by ellipses in parentheses (...). Quotations of more than 40 words should be presented in a separate paragraph, indented five spaces, in 11-point font, and without quotation marks.
2) Foreign languages. Words and phrases in foreign languages should be italicized. If necessary, a translation may be included in parentheses.
3) Figures and tables. All figures and tables should be numbered and have a descriptive title. They should be included in the text and referenced in the text.
4) Anonymity. The manuscript must be anonymous to ensure a fair and impartial peer review process. Authors should remove identifying information, such as name, institution affiliation, or other personal references. This includes removing personal acknowledgments and any details that might reveal the author's identity.
