Statement of ethics and best practices

Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas adheres to the ethical standards and publication codes of conduct established by the COPE. https://publicationethics.org/guidance

Editorial Committee Commitment

The Editorial Committee adheres to high ethical standards in scientific publishing, guided by the following principles:

  • Ensuring the quality and scientific rigor of published material.
  • Respecting freedom of expression and maintaining academic integrity.
  • Publishing corrections, clarifications, and apologies when necessary.
  • Making editorial decisions exclusively based on content quality and relevance, without economic or political influence.

Transparency in the Editorial Process

  • Authors have access to clear, up-to-date guidelines on manuscript preparation, submission, and the peer-review process.
  • Editorial decisions are final, except in cases of detected irregularities or exceptional circumstances.
  • Reviewers receive specific guidance on their responsibilities, and their anonymity is always protected through a double-blind review system.

Editorial Independence: The journal upholds academic independence and universal access to knowledge, operating under an open-access model that ensures the free availability of its content for non-profit purposes. This reinforces its commitment to scientific quality and equitable knowledge dissemination.

Bioethical Aspects
Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Cuenca requires all scientific articles to comply with national and international bioethics standards for research and publication, including the guidelines established in the Declaration of Helsinki and the Singapore Statement.

Publication Requirements
- Authors must provide evidence of ethical approval for their research projects, issued by a Bioethics Committee recognized by the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador or the corresponding body in international manuscripts. This requirement applies to research involving:

  • Human subjects, including observational studies, clinical trials, and medical record reviews.
  • Animals, in compliance with international ethical standards for their use in research.
  • Manuscripts must explicitly detail:
  • The procedures used to obtain informed consent from participants.
  • The guarantees of confidentiality and respect for the rights of research subjects.
  • The articulation with applicable ethical principles in health research.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

The journal rejects any form of scientific misconduct, including data falsification, duplicate publication, plagiarism, or undeclared conflicts of interest. If ethical irregularities are detected, the manuscript will be rejected, and legal action will be taken if necessary.

Compliance with these principles reinforces the journal’s commitment to scientific integrity, human rights, and the promotion of ethical and responsible science.