Código de Ética

Editorial Ethics Policy and Best Practices

Esfera Sabia: Revista Internacional, published by Editorial JOGB, bases its editorial activity on the principles of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical scholarly communication. Accordingly, the journal adopts the Principles and Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as the primary framework governing all stages of its editorial process.

This document outlines the ethical standards, responsibilities, and procedures that regulate the publication of scientific works in the journal.

Principles of Research Integrity

The journal promotes a strong culture of scientific responsibility and rigor and expects submitted and published manuscripts to adhere to the following principles:

Honesty: commitment to intellectual integrity throughout the research and publication process.
Methodological rigor: careful and responsible application of scientific methods.
Transparency: clear reporting of data, methods, sources, and results.
Ethical respect: protection of the rights, dignity, and welfare of human participants, animals, and research subjects.
Academic accountability: willingness to assume responsibility for one’s work and to report practices that contravene ethical standards.

Reporting Ethical Concerns

Any individual who identifies potential ethical concerns or irregularities in a published article may report them directly to the editorial team at:

editorial@jogbeditorial.ec

All reports will be handled confidentially and assessed in accordance with COPE-recommended procedures, ensuring fairness, impartiality, and due process.

Editorial Process and Independence

Editorial autonomy

Esfera Sabia: Revista Internacional guarantees full editorial independence and safeguards its decision-making processes from external influences of a commercial, institutional, or personal nature.

Diversity and non-discrimination

The journal actively promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit, without discrimination of any kind.

Peer-Review Process

Scientific quality is ensured through a double-blind peer-review system, characterized by:

Strict confidentiality throughout the evaluation process.
Objective, constructive, and evidence-based assessments.
Selection of reviewers with appropriate expertise and no conflicts of interest.
Reasonable and transparent editorial timelines.

Authorship and Academic Contributions

Authorship criteria

Unless otherwise specified by disciplinary standards, authorship is attributed to individuals who have made substantial contributions to:

The conception, design, execution, or analysis of the study.
Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
Approval of the final version for publication.
Accountability for the integrity of the published work.

Corresponding author

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating communication with the journal, managing revisions, and addressing post-publication inquiries.

Institutional affiliations

Author affiliations must accurately reflect the institutions where the research was conducted, supported, or approved.

Originality and Prevention of Unethical Practices

Plagiarism

The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, defined as the unauthorized use of ideas, text, data, or results without proper attribution.

Manuscripts showing evidence of plagiarism will be rejected during the initial editorial screening.
If detected after publication, appropriate actions—including corrections or retractions—will be taken in line with COPE guidelines.

Redundant and duplicate publication

Submissions that have been previously published or that substantially overlap with other works without valid academic justification will not be accepted.

Research Involving Humans or Animals

Studies involving human participants or animals must:

Obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee.
Comply with applicable national and international ethical standards.
Adhere to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

For clinical trials, authors must declare funding sources, obtain ethical approval, and register the study in a publicly accessible registry.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

Authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any personal, professional, or financial relationships that could influence the content or interpretation of the work.

In the absence of conflicts: “Conflicts of interest: none.”
When conflicts exist, disclosures must follow the ICMJE recommendations.

Corrections, Retractions, and Editorial Notices

The journal may issue errata, corrigenda, expressions of concern, or retractions when significant errors, inaccuracies, or ethical breaches are identified, in accordance with COPE guidance.

Image Use and Manipulation

Images may be adjusted solely to enhance clarity or presentation, provided that such modifications do not alter, obscure, or misrepresent the original data. Inappropriate image manipulation constitutes a serious ethical violation.

Scientific Misconduct

In cases of suspected data fabrication, falsification, or other forms of misconduct, the journal will initiate a formal investigation and, if warranted, retract the affected publication following COPE procedures.

Transparency and Data Availability

The journal encourages open science practices, including the availability of data, codes, and supporting materials, to facilitate verification, reproducibility, and scholarly transparency.

Ethical Communication and Dissemination

All promotional and dissemination activities are conducted ethically, ensuring that increased visibility of published articles does not compromise editorial independence or the integrity of the academic record.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors

Make publication decisions based solely on scholarly merit and relevance.
Ensure fair, confidential, and timely peer review.
Declare any conflicts of interest.
Refrain from using generative AI tools for editorial decision-making.

Reviewers

Provide objective, respectful, and constructive evaluations.
Maintain strict confidentiality.
Report any ethical concerns or irregularities identified during review.

Authors

Ensure originality, accuracy, and reliability of data.
Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources.
Avoid simultaneous submissions to multiple journals.
Cooperate in post-publication corrections when necessary.
Declare the use of AI tools solely for language or readability enhancement.