Declaration of ethics and good practices

MASKANA. ETHICAL DECLARATION AND MALPRACTICE IN THE JOURNAL PUBLICATION (PEMS)

Download PDF

1. Declaration of Ethics and Conduct in Publication (PEMS).

MASKANA is a serial publication that strives to maintain the highest editorial standards. The journal adheres to the Transparency Principles and COPE's Code of Conduct, Ethical Code, and Core Practices, as indicated at https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Case. The Code of Ethics and Malpractice in the Publication of MASKANA (PEMS) supports the cooperative efforts of the editorial board members, authors, reviewers, and editors to generate research publications that are committed and responsible. MASKANA adheres to the principles of the Ethics Code of Universidad de Cuenca, which include: o In  tegrity and honesty in all aspects of research. o Rigor, care, and excellence in conducting research. o Transparency and open communication. o Care and respect for all participants and subjects of research. MASKANA is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). We are committed to promoting best practices in academic research and evaluation.

2. Editorial Team

MASKANA is currently composed of an Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, Director, Editorial Managers, an Editorial Board, and a Scientific Council of recognized experts. Additionally, it has the support of an International Reviewers Board and a Technical Unit. The Editorial Team is made up of recognized experts in the journal's topics. The Editors provide the full names and affiliations of the members, as well as updated contact information on the journal's website. In the Contact section, the email address, phone, and postal address of MASKANA's headquarters are provided for any inquiries.

3. Responsibilities of Authors

3.1. Fees or Charges for Authors

There are no fees or processing charges for manuscripts and/or publication materials.

Publication fees: None.

Submission fees: None.

3.2. Review Policy

Authors are required, for each submitted material, to undergo a peer review process and to follow the publication guidelines.

Authors are obliged to make the requested changes and correct errors. When changes are requested, authors have a specific deadline to submit the modifications. In each case, authors and reviewers will reach an agreement on the deadline, depending on the nature and quantity of the requested changes.

Authors are obligated to issue retractions or corrections of errors.

3.3. Originality and Plagiarism

Only unpublished and original research will be accepted. Those submitting their article to MASKANA must ensure that it is an original document and that no parts or fragments of publications by other authors are appropriated. Additionally, authors must confirm the authenticity of the data provided , assuring the Editorial Team that none of the empirical data has been altered to falsely verify hypotheses. This confirmation will be done through the Cover Letter.

MASKANA shares and echoes the definition of plagiarism from the University of Cambridge (2019). Plagiarism is defined as "Using someone else's ideas, words, data or other material produced without giving them credit." Plagiarism can occur with regard to any type of sources and media, including:

  • Text, illustrations, musical quotations, extended mathematical derivations, computer code, etc.
  • Material downloaded from websites or extracted from manuscripts or other media.
  • Published and unpublished material, including conferences, presentations, and grey literature.

We do not accept plagiarism in our publication under any circumstances, and we reserve the right to check submissions through appropriate plagiarism checking tools. Submissions that show suspicions of plagiarism, in part or in full, will be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, we will follow the guidelines outlined in the section "Guidelines in Case of Retraction or Corrections" of this statement. We encourage our readers and reviewers to report any suspicion of plagiarism, either by contacting the editors or by sending an email to maskana.diuc@ucuenca.edu.ec

MASKANA uses the Turnitin anti-plagiarism system, which examines manuscript similarity rates. Only up to 5% similarity is permitted.

3.4. Repetitive or Multiple Publications

Authors should not attempt to publish the same article or an article with identical or similar results in more than one journal. An article submitted to MASKANA cannot be sent to any other publication during the editorial process (until the final acceptance or rejection notification).

3.5. Sources

Authors must provide a list of references, accurately detailing the sources used in the article and correctly citing the origin of contributions.

3.6. Authorship

Authorship is established considering that all authors have contributed significantly to the work. The order of authors should be assessed in relation to their degree of responsibility, performance, and involvement in the article's creation. The corresponding author is the person responsible for the manuscript and correspondence throughout the editorial process. We request that the corresponding author confirms that they have authority to act on behalf of each co-author in all matters related to the article's publication. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining such agreements and informing co-authors about the manuscript's status during the submission, review, and publication processes. Additionally, the corresponding author acts as the primary contact for any inquiries after the article is published. Authors must have made substantial contributions to the following activities: 1) conception and study design, data acquisition or analysis and interpretation of the same; 2) article writing or critical revisions of key intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be submitted.

Once the blind peer review process begins, changes to the manuscript's authorship will not be accepted. If a change of authors, or the addition or removal of authors, is requested after the evaluation phase, the MASKANA Editorial Team will proceed according to the procedure specified in COPE's Ethical Code. Only in very exceptional cases will the Editorial Team consider the addition, elimination, or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the request is being considered, the publication of the manuscript will be suspended.

3.7. Conflict of Interests

Authors must explicitly declare the absence of conflicts of interest that may have affected the obtained results. To do this, they must accept the guideline included in the checklist for submission preparation, which appears in the Submissions section of the journal's website.

The manuscript will be rejected if conflicts of interest are not declared. If a conflict of interest is discovered after publication, MASKANA will act in accordance with COPE's guidelines.

3.8. References and Funding Sources

Authors must submit a list of references and financial support if requested by the editorial board. All sources of research funding must be indicated, including direct and indirect financial support from organizations and/or projects that have sponsored them.

3.9. Responsibility

Authors accept the intellectual and ethical responsibility for what they have written and presented. Likewise, they must ensure that they have reviewed the most relevant and up-to-date scientific literature on the subject in question.

All authors are required to issue retractions or corrections of errors when they are detected.

3.10. Freedom of Expression and False Statements

Freedom of expression is essential to us as academic editors, but we do not endorse the publication of false statements that harm the reputation of individuals, groups, or organizations.

4. Peer Review Process

4.1. Peer Review Process and Editorial Decision

The article evaluation system used is peer review, which is defined as obtaining advice on individual manuscripts from experts in the field.

MASKANA applies double-blind peer review: reviewers do not know the authors' identities, authors do not know the reviewers' identities, and editors mediate between them. This selection system helps editors make decisions about the proposed manuscripts and allows authors to improve their contributions. MASKANA manages its own database of high-level reviewers, based on the journal's policy on criteria for identifying, selecting, evaluating, refining, and updating the reviewer database.

Reviewers are Ph.D.-level academics who have gained scientific prestige and are chosen based on the relevance of their research lines to the subject area of the manuscript. Reviewers commit to providing an objective, critical, reasonable, and constructive evaluation, contributing with accurate and impartial comments on the scientific quality of the article and pointing out the changes needed to improve its quality.

After evaluating the manuscript, reviewers will submit the corresponding evaluation forms, clearly stating their reasons for accepting or rejecting the manuscript. They will also notify the MASKANA Editorial Team if they detect or suspect cases of duplicate or repetitive publications, conflicts of interest, unreal data, or any other ethical dilemma.

The Editorial Team will act impartially on the decisions made by the reviewers. If a manuscript is accepted by one reviewer and rejected by another, it will be sent to a third reviewer, whose decision will be final.

MASKANA is committed to editorial independence, and in all cases, we strive to prevent this principle from being compromised by conflicts of interest or any other business, financial, or political influence. Our editorial processes reflect this commitment to editorial independence.

We do not discriminate against authors, editors, or reviewers based on their personal characteristics or identity.

We do not tolerate abusive behavior or correspondence towards our staff, or towards other individuals participating in the publication process. If anyone involved in the editorial process engages in such behavior, we have the right to take measures to protect others from this abuse. These measures may include, for example, ceasing to consider a manuscript or challenging abusive comments during peer review.

4.2. Adherence to Review Deadlines

Reviewers commit to conducting the requested review within the maximum deadlines established by the MASKANA Editorial Team, adhering to them rigorously.

If the reviewer does not feel competent to review the assigned manuscript or finds it impossible to complete the review within the specified time, they will immediately notify the Editorial Team.

4.3. Confidentiality

The original manuscripts being reviewed will not present any identifying information about the authors or the institutions to which they belong. The reviewer will examine the work sent to them with absolute confidentiality and will refrain from discussing the document with third parties without clear consent from the MASKANA Editorial Team.

4.4. Objectivity

Peer review will be conducted objectively. Reviewers will not express personal judgments about the authors or the original submissions. They must justify their assessments thoughtfully and submit the evaluation form in accordance with the rules indicated therein, especially if the article is to be rejected. It should be noted that a score below 70 points results in rejection.

4.5. Responsible Research Publication: Reviewer Responsibilities

All reviewers must be aware of and consider the editorial policy and the Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (PEMS).

The MASKANA journal requires potential reviewers to have scientific knowledge or significant work experience in a relevant field. They must have conducted recent research and/or work and acquired expertise recognized by their peers. Potential reviewers must provide personal and professional information that is accurate and provides a fair representation of their experience.

Likewise, reviewers should withdraw if they recognize that they are not qualified to evaluate an assigned manuscript, if they believe their assessment of the material will not be objective, or if they find they have a conflict of interest.

Reviewed articles will be treated confidentially by reviewers and members of the editorial committee.

If reviewers identify relevant published works that have not been cited in the reviewed material, they should point this out. In this regard, the editor may issue a request for correction, if necessary.

Reviewers are asked to identify manuscripts in which research misconduct has occurred or appears to have occurred and to report it to the Editorial Team, which will handle the matter accordingly.

MASKANA follows the model of best ethical practices, based on those established by COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers: https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers

4.6 Disclosure

Information related to the double-blind peer review process may not be used for personal purposes, nor may it be shared with individuals outside the editorial process.

4.7 Reviewers' Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must not have any conflicts of interest. Reviewers must inform the editorial team immediately if they suspect that the original manuscript has undisclosed conflicts of interest.

A reviewer must decline to complete the review if presented with a potential conflict of interest regarding the assigned manuscript. For example:

  • if they collaborate or have collaborated with one or more of the alleged authors
  • if they are a competitor or have a scientific rivalry
  • if they have a dislike for one or more of the alleged authors
  • if they have a close relationship with one or more of the alleged authors and therefore cannot evaluate the manuscript objectively
  • if they may benefit in any way when the work is published or rejected.

5. Publication Ethics 

5.1 Review Process

The Editorial Team of MASKANA ensures the selection of qualified and expert reviewers who will provide a scientific and critical assessment of the original document, avoiding any form of bias, discrimination, or favoritism.

Upon completion of the editorial process, and based on the scientific evaluations of the reviewers, articles of higher quality and greater contribution are selected for publication.

The Editorial Team of MASKANA will take the most reasonable measures to identify and prevent the publication of articles involving research misconduct. In no case will the journal or its editors promote or knowingly allow such unethical conduct to occur. In the event that the Editorial Team of MASKANA becomes aware of any allegations of research misconduct, such allegations will be handled appropriately.

The Editorial Team of MASKANA will not tolerate or promote unethical practices, such as plagiarism, data fabrication, duplication, fragmented publication, or any form of fraud or research misconduct. If such breaches are discovered, they will be evaluated by the members of the Editorial Team, and appropriate actions will be taken.

5.2 Confidentiality

The Editorial Team of MASKANA commits to not disclose any information about the submitted manuscripts, except to the authors, reviewers, or journal editors. Additionally, anonymity of authors and reviewers will be promoted at all times.

5.3 Conflict of Interests

The Editorial Team commits to not using the content of the submitted articles for evaluation in their research without prior consent from the authors. Likewise, any conflict of interest between authors and editors will be avoided.

The editor and members of the editorial management team must immediately inform the Editorial Team if they have any personal conflicts of interest upon receiving an article. In such cases, they will be excluded from the editorial process of the original manuscript.

The submission of original manuscripts by members of the Editorial Team of MASKANA will be restricted.

5.4 Adherence to Publication Timelines

The Editorial Team of MASKANA is committed to adhering to the scheduled timelines for evaluations and the publication of original manuscripts. When a manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors will be contacted with the journal issue number and the date of publication.

5.5 Errors in Published Articles

The Editorial Team of MASKANA is open to making corrections and publishing clarifications, retractions, and apologies if necessary. To do so, the Editorial Team will use the case study provided by COPE as a reference.

In case of suspicions of unethical conduct related to the submission of an original or the publication of an article, the resolutions of the MASKANA Editorial Team will be determined within the framework established by COPE.

Below are listed the most common cases of unethical conduct and the corresponding course of action, linked with reference to COPE:

  1. Suspicions of plagiarism in a received original.
  2. Suspicions of plagiarism in a published article.
  3. Suspicions of duplication in a received original.
  4. Suspicions of duplication in a published article.
  5. Reviewer suspects undisclosed conflict of interest in a received original.
  6. Reader suspects conflict of interest in a published article.
  7. Suspected ethical issue in a received original.
  8. Request to remove authors after publication.
  9. Suspected fabricated data in a published article.
  10. Request to add additional authors prior to publication.
  11. Request to add additional authors after publication.
  12. Request to remove authors, prior to publication.
  13. Request to remove authors after publication.

5.6 Guidelines for Retraction or Corrections

A. Editor's Responsibilities

In the case of misconduct, the journal's editor is responsible for addressing the issue. They may collaborate with the co-editor, members of the editorial board and scientific committee, reviewers, and subject matter experts.

B. Documentation

The issue will be documented as relevant.

All factual details will be documented: who, what, when, where, why.

All corresponding documents, particularly the elements in question, will be retained.

C. Procedure for Authors

The journal's editor will contact the implicated author or publication, whether it is the author submitting to MASKANA or another publication or author. This allows the author an opportunity to respond or comment on the complaint, allegation, or dispute.

D. Timely Corrections

In the event of actual or apparent misconduct, or in the case of necessary corrections, the Editorial Team of MASKANA will handle different cases following the appropriate recommendations from COPE. Great care will be taken to distinguish cases of honest human error from deliberate intent to defraud.

COPE establishes that:

Journal editors should consider the possibility of retracting a publication if they have clear evidence that the results are unreliable, either due to misconduct (e.g., data fabrication) or honest error (e.g., calculation or experimental error). Retraction is also appropriate in cases of redundant publication, plagiarism, and unethical research.

Those responsible for the journals should consider the possibility of issuing an expression of concern if: 1) they have reason to believe there has been research or publication misconduct by the authors, but do not have sufficient evidence, 2) there is evidence that the results are unreliable, but the authors' institution will not investigate the case, 3) they believe an investigation into alleged publication misconduct has not been, or would not be, fair, impartial, or conclusive, 4) or there is an ongoing investigation, but a judgment will not be available for a considerable time.

Journal editors should consider the possibility of publishing a correction if a small portion of an otherwise reliable article turns out to be misleading (especially due to an honest error), or the list of authors/contributors is incorrect (i.e., an author deserving of credit has been omitted or someone who does not meet authorship criteria has been included).

Source: COPE Retraction Guidelines, https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction%20guidelines.pdf

In summary, the Editorial Team of MASKANA will consider the possibility of retracting a publication in cases of misconduct; issuing an expression of concern in cases of inconclusive evidence of misconduct; or issuing a request for correction for a misleading segment.

MASKANA has adopted the best ethical practices found in the section "Responsible Research Publication" from COPE: International Standards for Editors, https://publicationethics.org/files/International%20standard_editors_for%20website_11_Nov_2011.pdf

6. Copyright and Access

6.1 Copyright

Documents published in MASKANA are subject to the following conditions.

Universidad de Cuenca, as the publishing entity, reserves the copyright of the published documents, while also permitting and encouraging their reuse through the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 license. This means that copying, usage, dissemination, transmission, and public display are possible as long as:

  1. Authorship and original sources (publication name, publisher, URL, and DOI) are cited.
  2. They are not used for commercial or profit-making purposes.
  3. The validity and details of this Creative Commons license are referenced.

The full text, metadata, and citations of the articles can be tracked and accessed with permission. Our open social policy also allows for the readability of files and their metadata, enabling interoperability under the open data and open-source protocol OAI-PMH. Both complete publications and their segmented articles are available in PDF and XML formats. Each article published by MASKANA has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

6.2 Reader's Rights

The contents of MASKANA are presented in an open format, and readers have the right to access them for free from the moment of their publication. The journal does not charge the reader.

6.3 Censorship

We will never be complicit in censorship. MASKANA is fully committed to the principle and promotion of freedom of expression. Our goal is to disseminate knowledge to as many people as possible and to serve the academic community of all countries worldwide. MASKANA adheres to COPE's Position Statement on Censorship.

7. Archive

MASKANA, like the electronic journals of Universidad de Cuenca managed through OJS (Open Journal Systems), uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system for digital preservation. The LOCKSS system allows a journal, with the editor's permission, to collect, preserve, and distribute to its users a copy of the materials to which they have subscribed, as well as open access material for preservation and restoration purposes.

Additionally, Universidad de Cuenca has daily automatic backup processes in place to maintain the integrity of the journals and their stored data. These backups are made in different geographical locations to prevent data loss in the event of a serious physical incident.

Finally, MASKANA adheres to databases that act as open-access repositories, preserving the articles in PDF and XML format independently of the journal. For example, the Dialnet database. As a result, there is permanent external support for the journal's articles and greater visibility for them.

For complete information, please refer to the Content Preservation section.

7.1. Author Self-Archiving

Regarding self-archiving, authors may reuse the published articles. This means they can be archived as long as it is not for commercial purposes, and they can be deposited in thematic or institutional repositories.

8. Ownership and Management

Complete information about the ownership and management of MASKANA can be found in the About the Journal section.

MASKANA is owned by the Vice-Rectorate of Research at Universidad de Cuenca and is managed by the same entity, which will always be clearly indicated on the journal's website. The publisher does not use organizational names that could mislead potential authors and editors about the nature of the journal's ownership.

9. Website

MASKANA is a journal managed entirely through OJS (Open Journal Systems). The editor, through the MASKANA journal website (maskana.ucuenca.edu.ec), always demonstrates care in ensuring a high ethical and professional standard. Special attention has been given to the internal management of OJS to ensure the rigor of the evaluation processes is transparent.

In addition to the editorial team responsible for website management, MASKANA has the support of a professional technical team from the Technical Service of Universidad de Cuenca, with whom we have worked to install a current version of the OJS system.

10. Publication Schedule

MASKANA publishes two issues a year on a biannual basis, corresponding to the months of June and December.

The frequency of MASKANA's publication is clearly indicated in the Publication System and Frequency section.

11. Journal Name

MASKANA is the name of the journal. The name MASKANA is and will remain unique and unambiguous, and it will not be easily confused with another publication, nor will it mislead potential authors and readers about the origin of the journal or its association with other journals.