Etica Editorial

Editorial Ethics

The journal adheres to the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), internationally recognized as benchmarks for integrity, transparency, accountability, and best practices in academic and scientific publishing.

Authorship and Contribution

Authors and reviewers are required to access the journal’s submission and peer-review system using their own credentials. In cases where discrepancies or inconsistencies are detected between the credentials provided and the declared identity of an author or reviewer, a verification process will be initiated. If the identity cannot be clearly and reliably confirmed, the editorial process will be suspended. When such situations are identified after publication, the article may be subject to correction or retraction, as appropriate.

Authorship criteria are described in detail in the author guidelines. Authorship is strictly limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work. Each author must have significantly contributed to the conception or design of the study; the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; the development of software or tools where applicable; or the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript. All authors must have approved the submitted version and agreed to take public responsibility for both their individual contributions and the integrity of the work as a whole.

Individual contributions must be clearly specified within the submission system, using authors’ full names or initials. Contribution statements must accurately identify who designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, drafted the manuscript, and performed critical revisions. All listed authors must have effectively contributed to the final version of the work.

Prior to manuscript submission, the following conditions must be met: authors must properly acknowledge prior scholarly work through appropriate citations; the manuscript must be original and must not have been previously published in any form that contravenes the open access license; the work must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal or publisher; all authors must have approved the submission and consented to the inclusion of their personal and professional information; authors must hold the legal right to submit the manuscript and to grant the journal the right to publish it under an open access license; any third-party material must have the appropriate permissions, which must be provided upon request. All information presented must be accurate, complete, and compliant with current ethical and scientific standards. Data and materials must have been obtained legally and in accordance with applicable national regulations. Authors agree that their names, affiliations, and contact details may be displayed on the journal website and related platforms.

Authorship issues are monitored throughout the editorial process. Any change in authorship, including changes in author order, addition, or removal of authors, requires the written consent of all individuals involved. In cases of authorship disputes, the editorial process will be suspended until the matter is formally resolved.

Research Ethics Statement

All research submitted to the journal must comply with recognized ethical standards 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 provide a detailed explanation of how ethical principles and applicable regulations were respected. Informed consent from human participants is mandatory, unless a duly justified exception applies.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors must declare any financial, professional, or personal interests that could be perceived as influencing the research or the interpretation of its results. Conflict of interest statements must be submitted at the time of manuscript submission. If undeclared conflicts are identified during the review process, the evaluation will be suspended until appropriate clarification is provided. Conflicts identified after publication may result in corrections or, in serious cases, retraction of the article.

Disclosure of Financial Support and Funding Sources

Authors must transparently declare all sources of funding related to the research presented. This information must be included in a dedicated section of the manuscript and should indicate the full name of the funding bodies, grant or project numbers where applicable, and a clear description of the role played by the funders in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions.

If the research did not receive external funding, this must be explicitly stated.

Disclosure of funding sources aims to ensure academic transparency and does not imply any influence on the editorial process. Sage Sphere of Technology, Sciences, Discoveries and Society / Esfera Sabia: Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad does not charge Article Processing Charges (APC) nor receive financial benefits derived from funded projects, and all editorial decisions are made independently and based exclusively on academic, scientific, and ethical criteria.

The omission, concealment, or inaccurate declaration of funding information will be considered a breach of publication ethics.

Acknowledgement of Non-Author Contributions

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in an Acknowledgements section. Such contributions may include technical support, methodological advice, manuscript feedback, or general assistance, without implying responsibility for the article’s content. Authors must obtain explicit consent from individuals named in this section. The acknowledgements should be concise and used only when appropriate.

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 in sufficient detail to allow verification or replication. Authors using publicly available datasets must provide the necessary documentation, including code and scripts, to reproduce the reported analyses. Authors generating original data are expected to deposit the data and relevant materials in a reliable digital repository, unless duly justified ethical or legal restrictions apply. In such cases, authors must explain the limitations and describe the procedure for requesting access.

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. Authors must ensure the protection of participants’ rights, dignity, and confidentiality, as well as the appropriate anonymization of data. Concerns related to ethical compliance will be investigated through structured and proportionate procedures, granting authors the opportunity to respond. Resulting actions may include manuscript rejection, article correction, or notification of the relevant institutions.

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.