Ethical policy and best practices

Propuestas Educativas ensures that the editorial team and the reviewers, as well as the authors, adhere to the required ethical guidelines throughout the publication process. To achieve this, it relies on the following international standards: the Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the International Standards for Editors and Authors established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The guidelines are directed towards authors, reviewers, and editors:

Author commitments

• Multiple publications: Authors should not replicate their findings in multiple scientific journals or any other type of publication, regardless of whether these are academic or not. The simultaneous submission of the same contribution to multiple scientific journals is considered ethically inappropriate.
• Veracity and accuracy of information: Authors submitting their work to Propuestas Educativas guarantee the originality of their contributions and confirm that they have not been previously published in any other source. They also certify that they have not included excerpts from other authors' works nor altered empirical data to support their hypotheses.
• Conflict of interest and disclosure: Authors must make an explicit declaration if they have no conflicts of interest that could impact the results or interpretations of their work. They should also disclose any funding provided by agencies or projects that supported the research.
• Attribution, citation, and references: Authors must always ensure that they include appropriate references to the sources and contributions mentioned in their article.
• Authorship participation: Authors commit to listing individuals who have made substantial scientific and intellectual contributions to the conception, planning, interpretation of results, and writing of the work. Furthermore, they should determine the order of authorship based on their degree of responsibility and contribution.
• Availability and preservation: If deemed appropriate by the Editorial Board, authors must provide access to the sources or data used in their research. This data should remain available for a reasonable period after publication and potentially be accessible.
• Correction of errors in published articles: If an author detects a substantial error or inaccuracy in their published article, they must immediately notify the journal editors and provide the necessary information to correct the error via a footnote, without altering the original version of the article.
• Responsibility: Authors are the only responsible for the content of the articles published in Propuestas Educativas. They are also expected to conduct a thorough review of the most recent and relevant scientific literature related to the topic addressed, considering diverse perspectives and bodies of knowledge.

Reviewer commitments

• Participation in editorial decision-making: Peer review plays a crucial role in assisting editors in making decisions regarding submitted articles. It also provides authors with the opportunity to enhance the quality of their work before potential publication. Reviewers commit to conducting a critical, honest, and constructive evaluation, free from favoritism, based on their expertise and competence regarding both scientific merit and writing quality.
• Adherence to review deadlines: If a reviewer feels he does not have the necessary expertise to evaluate the topic or cannot meet the established review period, he must immediately notify the editors. Reviewers commit to completing their reviews as promptly as possible, ensuring adherence to submission deadlines. Propuestas Educativas applies strict restrictions regarding the retention of pending manuscripts, considering the authors and their work.
• Confidentiality: Each manuscript assigned to reviewers must be handled with complete confidentiality. Consequently, reviewers must not share the content with unauthorized individuals without the explicit permission of the editors.
• Impartiality and objectivity: Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts impartially and objectively, based on scientific and academic merit. They should not allow personal favoritisms or preconceived notions to influence their review.
• Recognition of missing references: Reviewers commit to accurately identifying relevant bibliographical citations that the author may have omitted. Furthermore, they must notify the editors if they find similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under review and other previously published works.
• Anonymity: To ensure impartiality, objectivity, and transparency in the review process, the anonymity of authors is preserved prior to their submission for peer review. If, at any point, the identity of the authors, their institutional affiliations, or any other information that could reveal their identity are known, the reviewer is obligated to immediately inform the editors.
• Plagiarism: If reviewers have concerns about the potential substantial reproduction of an article in relation to previously published works, they must inform the editors and provide a detailed reference to the earlier work whenever possible. The journal employs plagiarism and self-plagiarism detection systems, such as Turnitin, as a mandatory measure for both reviewers and editors.
• Fraud: If any uncertainty arises, whether significant or minor, regarding the authenticity or accuracy of the results presented in an article, it is crucial to report this to the editors.

Commitments of the editors

• Transparency: Editors must provide clear and comprehensive information regarding the journal’s editorial policies, including peer review processes, selection criteria, and ethical guidelines to be followed by authors and reviewers.
• Selection of qualified reviewers: Editors ensure that they select highly qualified reviewers who are experts in the relevant scientific field to provide a critical and expert evaluation of the work, minimizing partiality to the greatest extent possible. In Propuestas Educativas, two reviewers are elected for each manuscript, promoting greater objectivity in the review process.
• Impartiality and fairness: Editors must make editorial decisions that are impartial and equitable, based on the academic and scientific merit of the submissions, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, or any factors unrelated to the quality of the research.
• Confidentiality: Editors and staff commit not to disclosing information related to submitted articles to anyone other than the author, reviewers, and editors. The confidentiality of manuscripts, authors, and reviewers is guaranteed, thereby preserving the intellectual integrity of the entire process.
• Avoiding conflicts of interest: Editors must disclose and manage any conflicts of interest that may influence their editorial decisions, such as personal or professional relationships with authors, reviewers, or institutions related to submitted works.
• Compliance with deadlines: Editors take full responsibility for ensuring that the established deadlines for reviews and the publication of accepted articles are met. This is aimed at achieving a prompt dissemination of results. The published deadlines include a maximum of 75 days for evaluation or rejection from the reception of the manuscript in the Review Platform and a maximum of 120 days from the initiation of the scientific peer review process.