Editorial Ethics

Editorial Ethics

The journal is governed by the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which are internationally recognized as a reference framework for academic integrity, editorial transparency, institutional responsibility, and the promotion of best practices in scholarly communication. These principles guide all stages of the editorial process in a transversal manner, from manuscript submission to publication and post-publication oversight, ensuring independent, ethically grounded decisions consistent with contemporary standards of academic publishing.

Authorship and Contribution

Authors and reviewers are required to manage all submissions and evaluations exclusively through the journal’s editorial management system. In cases where inconsistencies, discrepancies, or indications of identity misrepresentation are detected between registered credentials and the declared identity of an author or reviewer, formal verification mechanisms will be initiated. If the identity cannot be clearly and reliably confirmed through documented evidence, the editorial process will be suspended. When such situations are identified after publication, the article may be subject to correction, an expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the severity of the case.

Authorship criteria are defined in the Author Guidelines and are aligned with internationally accepted standards of scientific publishing. Authorship is strictly limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work. Each author must have significantly contributed to at least one of the following stages: conception or design of the study; acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; development of software, models, or tools where applicable; drafting of the manuscript or critical revision with substantial intellectual content. All authors must approve the submitted version of the manuscript and assume public responsibility for both their individual contributions and the overall integrity of the work.

Individual contributions must be explicitly declared during the submission process, using the full names or initials of the authors. These statements must clearly specify each author’s role in the study design, data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, and critical revisions. The inclusion of individuals as authors who have not made effective contributions to the final version of the work constitutes a breach of editorial ethics.

Prior to manuscript submission, authors must meet the following conditions: appropriately acknowledge prior scholarly work through relevant citations; ensure the originality of the manuscript and confirm that it has not been previously published or is not under simultaneous consideration by another journal; obtain the explicit approval of all authors for submission; and hold the necessary legal rights to submit the manuscript and grant the journal the right to publish it under an open access license. Any third-party material must be accompanied by the appropriate permissions, which may be requested by the journal. All information presented must be accurate, complete, and consistent with current scientific and ethical standards, and all data and materials must have been obtained in accordance with applicable legal regulations. Authors agree that their names, institutional affiliations, and contact information may be displayed on the journal’s website and on academic indexing and dissemination platforms.

Authorship-related matters are monitored throughout all stages of the editorial process. Any changes after submission—including alterations in authorship order, addition, or removal of authors—require the written consent of all individuals involved. In the event of unresolved authorship disputes, the editorial process will be suspended until a formal resolution is reached.

Research Ethics Statement

All research submitted for consideration must comply with recognized ethical principles applicable to the relevant discipline. Manuscripts involving human participants or animals must explicitly state, in the Methods section, the approval granted by a competent ethics committee or institutional review board. Where no formal ethical review process exists, authors must justify this circumstance and provide a detailed description of the safeguards adopted to ensure compliance with relevant ethical and regulatory principles. Informed consent from human participants is mandatory, except in cases where a duly justified and documented exemption applies.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors are required to transparently disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as potentially influencing the research or the interpretation of its results. Declarations of conflicts of interest must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission. The identification of undisclosed conflicts during the review process will result in a temporary suspension of the evaluation until appropriate clarification is provided. Conflicts identified after publication may lead to corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions, depending on the nature and severity of the case.

Disclosure of Financial Support and Funding Sources

Authors must fully and transparently disclose all sources of funding related to the submitted research. This information must include the official names of funding bodies, grant or project numbers where applicable, and a clear description of the role of the funders in the study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript preparation, or publication-related decisions.

When the research has not received external funding, this must be explicitly stated. The disclosure of funding sources serves to ensure academic transparency and does not imply any influence on the editorial process. The journal does not charge article processing fees (APCs) and does not derive financial benefit from funded projects; all editorial decisions are made independently and are based solely on academic, scientific, and ethical criteria. The omission, concealment, or inaccurate declaration of funding information will be considered a violation of publication ethics.

Acknowledgements of Non-Author Contributions

Individuals who have contributed to the work without meeting the criteria for authorship must be acknowledged in an Acknowledgements section. Such contributions may include technical assistance, methodological advice, language editing, or academic feedback, without implying responsibility for the content of the article. The inclusion of names in this section requires the prior and explicit consent of the individuals concerned. Acknowledgements must be concise and limited to genuine and relevant contributions.

Data and Reproducibility

The journal actively promotes transparency, openness, and reproducibility in scientific research. Manuscripts will only be considered for publication when data, methods, materials, and analytical procedures are described with sufficient detail to allow verification or replication. Authors using publicly available datasets must provide the necessary documentation, code, and scripts to reproduce the reported analyses. Authors generating original data are expected to deposit the data and associated materials in reliable digital repositories, unless duly justified ethical or legal restrictions apply. In such cases, authors must explain the limitations and describe the procedures for requesting access to the data.

Ethical Oversight

All submitted research must comply with the ethical, legal, and regulatory frameworks in force in the country where the study was conducted, with particular attention to research involving vulnerable populations or contexts. Authors must ensure the protection of participants’ rights, dignity, and confidentiality, as well as the appropriate anonymization of data. Any concerns related to ethical compliance will be assessed through formal, transparent, and proportionate procedures, providing authors with the opportunity to respond. Resulting actions may include manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, or notification of the relevant institutions, as appropriate.

Preprints

Authors are permitted to disseminate preliminary versions of their manuscripts (preprints) through personal websites, institutional repositories, or non-commercial preprint servers. The dissemination of preprints is not considered prior publication and does not preclude subsequent evaluation of the manuscript by the journal. Authors retain copyright over these versions and are required to update the preprint record by including a link to the final published version once it becomes available.

Profile and Responsibilities

Reviewer Profile

Reviewers are researchers and professionals with demonstrated expertise in the subject areas covered by the journal. They are expected to hold advanced academic qualifications and relevant scientific experience, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and active engagement in the academic community. Their work is governed by principles of independence, objectivity, and confidentiality, and they must not have conflicts of interest with the authors, affiliated institutions, or the outcomes of the manuscript under review.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are responsible for:

• Critically, impartially, and constructively evaluating manuscripts based solely on their academic quality, methodological rigor, originality, and scientific relevance.
• Strictly maintaining the confidentiality of the content under review and refraining from disclosing or using the evaluated information for personal benefit or that of third parties.
• Promptly declaring any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could compromise their impartiality.
• Submitting clear, respectful, and well-reasoned review reports within the established deadlines.
• Identifying potential ethical concerns, including plagiarism, data manipulation, redundant publication, or other questionable practices.
• Refraining from the use of generative artificial intelligence tools to draft review reports or to perform substantive evaluations of the manuscript.
• Contributing to the improvement of the manuscript through technical, methodological, and conceptual recommendations, without assuming editorial or authorship roles.

Authors

Authors are responsible for:

• Ensuring that the manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under simultaneous consideration by another journal.
• Confirming that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria and have approved the final version of the manuscript.
• Fully, accurately, and truthfully declaring authorship contributions using the CRediT taxonomy in the appropriate section.
• Safeguarding the accuracy, integrity, and traceability of the data, methods, and results presented.
• Complying with applicable ethical standards for research, including ethical approvals and informed consent when required.
• Transparently declaring conflicts of interest and sources of funding.
• Obtaining the necessary permissions for the use of third-party materials.
• Responding to editorial and reviewer comments in a timely, well-founded, and respectful manner.
• Assuming full responsibility for the content of the article, including cases in which automated or artificial intelligence tools have been used as technical support.
• Cooperating with the journal in the event that corrections, clarifications, or post-publication actions are required.

Editors and Editorial Board

Editors and members of the Editorial Board are academics with recognized scientific standing and editorial experience in the journal’s fields of specialization. Their work is grounded in academic independence, professional integrity, and a commitment to the excellence of the scholarly record.

The Editorial Board advises on editorial policy, thematic scope, and the academic strategy of the journal, and actively contributes to the strengthening of its scientific and ethical standards.

Responsibilities of the Editors and the Editorial Board

Editors and the Editorial Board are responsible for:

• Ensuring a fair, rigorous, and transparent peer review process.
• Making editorial decisions based exclusively on the scientific quality, originality, and academic relevance of manuscripts.
• Appointing qualified reviewers, preventing conflicts of interest, and ensuring independent evaluations.
• Protecting the confidentiality of authors and reviewers throughout the editorial process.
• Overseeing compliance with ethical policies, scientific integrity, and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
• Acting diligently in response to suspected misconduct, applying clear, proportionate, and documented procedures.
• Managing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary.
• Preserving editorial independence from commercial, institutional, or personal interests.
• Promoting the continuous improvement of the journal and strengthening the academic community that supports it.

Allegations of Misconduct

Reports of alleged scientific or editorial misconduct are handled with confidentiality, diligence, and fairness, in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards and the principles promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Each case is assessed individually, taking into account its nature, severity, and context. The parties involved are granted a reasonable opportunity to provide explanations, responses, or supporting documentation. When misconduct is confirmed, the journal will implement appropriate editorial actions, which may include manuscript rejection, the issuance of corrections or expressions of concern, article retraction, and, when warranted, notification of the relevant institutions.

Communications related to potential cases of misconduct must be formally submitted to: editorial@jogbeditorial.ec

Complaints

Complaints related to editorial decisions, peer review procedures, or the conduct of editors, reviewers, or journal staff are taken seriously and reviewed in a transparent and impartial manner. Complaints are assessed independently and in accordance with established ethical guidelines. When a complaint is substantiated, appropriate corrective actions will be implemented to improve editorial processes and safeguard the integrity of the journal.

Formal complaints should be addressed to: editorial@jogbeditorial.ec

Permanence, Retractions, Post-Publication Debates, and Corrections

Published articles constitute the official scholarly record and are not modified after publication except under exceptional and well-justified circumstances. When necessary to preserve the accuracy and reliability of the scientific record, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions, following established ethical procedures. Retracted articles remain accessible and are clearly identified with an explanatory notice stating the reasons for the retraction.

The journal encourages post-publication academic discussion. Comments, replies, or debates may be considered for publication following editorial assessment and, when appropriate, peer review. Substantiated concerns raised after publication may result in editorial actions aimed at preserving the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record.