Ethical policy and best practices | Franz Tamayo

Ethical policy and best practices

Franz Tamayo Journal will ensure that both the editorial team and the reviewers, along with the authors, follow the required ethical guidelines throughout the publication process. To achieve this, the journal relies on the following international standards: the Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the International Standards for Editors and Authors established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The guidelines are directed towards authors, reviewers, and editors:

Author commitments

Multiple publications: Authors must not replicate their results in multiple scientific journals or any other type of publication, regardless of whether these are academic or not. The simultaneous submission of the same contribution to multiple scientific journals is considered ethically inappropriate.
Veracity and accuracy of information: Authors submitting their work to Franz Tamayo Journal guarantee the originality of their contributions and that they have not been previously published in any other source. They also certify that they have not included excerpts from other authors' works nor altered empirical data to support their hypotheses.
Conflict of interest and disclosure: Authors must provide an explicit statement if they have no conflicts of interest that could impact the results or interpretations of their work. They must also disclose any funding received from agencies or projects that supported the research.
Attribution, citation, and references: Authors must always ensure that they include appropriate references to the sources and contributions they mention in their article.
Authorship participation: Authors commit to listing individuals who have made substantial scientific and intellectual contributions to the conception, planning, interpretation of results, and writing of the work. They must also determine the order of authorship based on their level of responsibility and contribution.
Availability and preservation: If deemed appropriate by the Editorial Board, authors must provide access to the sources or data used in their research. These data should remain available for a reasonable time after publication and potentially be accessible.
Correction of errors in published articles: If an author detects a substantial error or inaccuracy in their published article, they must immediately notify the journal's editors and provide the necessary information to correct the error through a footnote, without altering the original version of the article.
Responsibility: Authors are the only responsible for the content of the articles published in Franz Tamayo. They are also expected to conduct a thorough review of the most recent and relevant scientific literature related to the topic addressed, considering diverse perspectives and forms of knowledge.

Reviewer commitments

Participation in editorial decision-making: Peer review plays an essential role in supporting editors in making decisions regarding submitted articles. It also provides authors the opportunity to improve the quality of their work before possible publication. Reviewers commit to conducting a critical, honest, and constructive evaluation, free from favoritism, based on scientific merit and writing quality, drawing on their expertise and competence.
Adherence to review deadlines: If a reviewer feels he/she does not have the necessary expertise to evaluate the topic or cannot meet the established review period, he/she must promptly notify the editors. Reviewers commit to completing their reviews as quickly as possible, ensuring compliance with submission deadlines. Franz Tamayo Journal applies strict restrictions regarding the retention of pending manuscripts, in consideration of authors and their work.
Confidentiality: Each manuscript assigned to reviewers must be handled with complete confidentiality. Therefore, reviewers must not share the content with outsiders without the explicit authorization of the editors.
Impartiality and objectivity: Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts impartially and objectively, based on scientific and academic merit. They must not allow personal favoritisms or preconceived notions to influence their review.
Recognition of missing references: Reviewers commit to accurately identifying bibliographic citations of relevant works that the author may have omitted. Additionally, they must notify the editors if they find similarities or overlaps between the manuscript under review and other previously published works.
Anonymity: To ensure impartiality, objectivity, and transparency in the review process, the anonymity of authors is preserved before their works are sent for peer review. If authors´ identity, institutional affiliations, or any other information that could compromise the document confidentiality are known, the reviewer should inform editors immediately.
Plagiarism: If a reviewer is concerned about the possible substantial reproduction of an article in relation to previous works, he/she must inform the editors and provide a detailed reference to the prior work whenever possible. The journal makes mandatory use of plagiarism detection systems, such as Turnitin, by both reviewers and editors.
Fraud: If any uncertainty arises, whether significant or minor, regarding the authenticity or accuracy of the results presented in an article, it is essential to inform the editors about it.

Editor commitments:

Transparency: Editors must provide clear and comprehensive information about the journal's editorial policies, including peer review processes, selection criteria, and ethical guidelines to be followed by authors and reviewers.
Selection of qualified reviewers: Editors ensure that they select highly qualified reviewers who are experts in the relevant scientific field to provide critical and expert evaluations of the work, minimizing any potential favoritism. At Franz Tamayo, two reviewers are assigned for each submission, which guarantees greater objectivity in the review process.
Impartiality and fairness: Editors must make impartial and fair editorial decisions based on the academic and scientific merit of the submissions, without discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, or other factors unrelated to the quality of the research.
Confidentiality: Editors and their team commit not to disclosing information related to articles submitted to the journal to anyone other than the authors, reviewers, and editors. The confidentiality of manuscripts, authors, and reviewers is guaranteed, thus preserving the intellectual integrity of the entire process.
Avoiding conflicts of interest: Editors must disclose and manage any conflicts of interest that may influence their editorial decisions, such as personal or professional relationships with authors, reviewers, or institutions related to the submitted works.
Compliance with deadlines: Editors take full responsibility for ensuring that the established deadlines for the review and publication of accepted articles are met. This aims to achieve a rapid dissemination of results. The published deadlines include a maximum of 75 days for evaluation or rejection from the reception of the manuscript in the Review Platform, and a maximum of 120 days from the beginning of the scientific peer review process.