Ethical standards

The Saberes Educativos Journal is edited according to high ethical standards and good practices for the publication of articles. This implies the definition of responsibilities for all actors involved in the editorial process. This includes, but is not limited to, that defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism are not allowed.

Saberes Educativos Magazine is governed by ethical standards inspired by the norms published by COPE (Committee of Publication Ethics).

This code of ethics considers the different stages of publication, being extensive to all the actors involved in the publication process: authors, reviewers and editorial team of the journal.

Procedure of the journal in cases of scientific fraud

The journal understands as scientific fraud the following situations, which will be discussed in detail throughout this code of ethics:

  • Plagiarism, which is considered to occur when ideas previously presented by another have been taken as one's own, without properly acknowledging the authorship of the third party.
  • Self-plagiarism, which is considered to occur when the author reuses, totally or partially, a work of his/her own that has already been published, presenting it as new or original, without indicating the reference to the previous work (1).
  • Falsification or fabrication of data.
  • Obvious omission of key data.
  • Duplicate, redundant or simultaneous publication, which occurs when an author writes about his own research or his own work in two or more articles, from different perspectives, angles or aspects of it, without citing the original. This phenomenon is also known as “text recycling” (2).
  • Relevant conflicts of interest that have not been reported.
  • Defamation of individuals, social groups or institutions.
  • Falsification of information about institutional affiliation, access to funds, scholarships or financing, or other antecedents that attempt to place the work or its authors in a context to which they do not belong.

If plagiarism is detected, the article will be immediately rejected and the responsible author(s) will not be allowed to publish in the journal for a period of three years from the date of notification. At the same time, the editorial team will be obliged to inform both the author of the plagiarism and the author of the plagiarized paper, indicating to the latter the identity of the offender. In certain cases, it may be necessary to inform the institutions to which both authors are attached.

Responsibilities of the editorial team:

-Criteria for publication: the editors will select reviewers qualified to make a versed and critical appraisal of the subjects covered in the manuscripts. The editors will select at least 2 reviewers for each accepted paper, seeking to guarantee the objectivity of the review process. Based on the reports received from the reviewers, the editors will decide whether or not to publish the analyzed papers.

-Confidentiality: the editor and other members of the editorial team undertake to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the articles received for publication. They may not disclose information about them to third parties, unless they are reviewers (current or potential), editorial advisors or editors. Likewise, the identity of authors and reviewers will be kept confidential during the article evaluation process, according to the double-blind model.

-Impartiality and non-discrimination: the editors will analyze the articles that qualify for the peer review process considering, exclusively, their academic and scientific merit. The acceptance or rejection of articles will be totally independent of any type of positive or negative discrimination, whether for reasons of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political ideology, institutional affiliation or other.

-Conflicts of interest: editors undertake not to use content that has been submitted for evaluation, unless they obtain the express consent of the author, which must be recorded in writing, by means of a simple statement. Editors must refrain from making decisions regarding manuscripts that represent or involve conflicts of interest for them, whether such conflict is caused by the contents treated, the authors responsible, their institution of origin, etc. Conflicts of interest may arise in both positive and negative terms (partnership, rivalry, competition, etc.). Any member of the Editorial Team may invoke this clause, thus abstaining from the decision-making process related to the article in question and communicating this in a timely manner to the rest of the Team.

-Punctuality: editors are primarily responsible for meeting the deadlines committed by the journal, both for the acceptance, review and publication of manuscripts. It is their duty to ensure the smooth running of the journal and they are firmly committed to respecting the agreed deadlines.

The editorial team will ensure that each article specifies the role of each of its co-authors in its realization, using the guidelines of Credit Roles Taxonomy (www.credit,niso,org). Each author must explicitly state his/her consent and participation in the full consensus of what is presented, declaring that the manuscript has not been previously presented or published by any of them in other media.

-The editorial team will ensure the functioning of the peer review and double blind refereeing system. All author and peer reviewer information, as well as sensitive data included in manuscripts and evaluation reports, must remain confidential during the editorial process. In this sense, all material received cannot be used by the editors without the explicit consent of the authors and will be protected from unauthorized access by third parties.

Responsibilities of the reviewers:

Reviewers are academics and professionals specialized in different areas of the discipline, privileging a sense of diversity in terms of gender, origin and institutional affiliation. Their names and ORCID are published on the journal's website, considering the review work done the previous year.

-Confidentiality: reviewers undertake to treat all articles received as confidential material. Therefore, its content may not be discussed or shared with third parties by any means. Likewise, the reviews they perform must also be considered confidential and may not be disseminated or shared with third parties.

-Punctuality: reviewers are committed to respecting the stipulated deadlines, recognizing that their work is critical for the correct fulfillment of the entire publication process. Likewise, if the reviewer does not have sufficient knowledge of a topic or believes that he/she will not be able to review a manuscript in time, he/she should inform the editor as soon as possible, rejecting the assigned review.

-Collaboration and assistance for the editorial decision: reviewers are committed to review manuscripts with critical spirit, neatness and honesty, endorsing or not the scientific and literary quality of the manuscripts. They recognize that their evaluations are critical and fundamental for the editor and decision making within the journal.

-Objectivity: reviewers will submit an evaluation report, according to the guidelines provided by the journal. Criticism of the papers must be impartial and the opinions expressed must be based on reasonable and solid arguments. Any personal judgment on the authors will be considered improper and untimely, calling into question the suitability of the reviewer. It is a fundamental part of the reviewers' commitment to alert the editor in case a manuscript or part of it has been published or is in the process of revision in another publication.

-Use of sources: reviewers undertake to indicate pertinent and relevant bibliographic references that have been omitted or forgotten by the author, but which are closely related to the work presented. Likewise, the reviewers undertake to inform the editors if there is overlapping or considerable similarity between the manuscript and other works already published.

-Conflicts of interest: like the editors, reviewers undertake not to use content that has been submitted for evaluation, unless they obtain the express consent of the author, by means of a simple declaration. Reviewers must refrain from evaluating papers that represent or involve conflicts of interest. Likewise, in the event of recognizing authorship of a paper, they must inform the editorial team in a timely manner and refrain from conducting the review.

Responsibilities of the authors:

-Simultaneous, repetitive, redundant publications: authors must undertake not to send the same contribution to different journals simultaneously, even if the work is written in different ways. Nor should they attempt to publish the same subject or the same work on more than one occasion, repeating or duplicating findings and/or contents. The submission of the same work to different journals and the presentation of the same contents in more than one publication constitute ethically reprehensible conduct and will be grounds for rejection of the article.

-Authenticity, plagiarism and self-plagiarism: by submitting their manuscripts, authors attest that the information and data contained in their work are true, and that the results of their research have not been manipulated in order to validate the initial hypotheses. Likewise, they guarantee that their work does not contain fragments belonging to other authors, unless this is duly indicated. Finally, they certify that their manuscripts do not contain fragments that have been previously published and that are of their authorship, unless this is duly indicated. Both plagiarism and self-plagiarism are ethically reprehensible conduct and cause for immediate rejection of any work. Authors are advised to submit their papers to anti-plagiarism software before sending them for publication.

-Authorship: only those persons who have contributed significantly to the design, planning, conceptualization and/or execution of the work can be considered as authors of the work. The main author has the duty to include as co-authors all those who have played a significant role in the development of the work. Likewise, he/she undertakes not to include those who have not been essential in the process. In any case, people who have collaborated with the development of the work may be mentioned as collaborators or contributors. The main author guarantees that the other authors have been ranked according to their contribution to the article, as well as certifies that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the version of the document that has been sent for publication.

-Bibliographical references and other sources: all bibliographical references should be duly cited in the main text and subsequently detailed in the corresponding final section, identifying the author and the work that has served as a reference. Authors should always correctly indicate all the contributions, sources and references that have given body and substance to the article.

-Conflicts of interest: the authors must guarantee that there are no conflicts of interest that could condition the interpretations or results obtained. When conflicts of interest exist, the author should explicitly disclose them in the manuscript, thus warning readers so that they can form their own opinion in this regard.

-Errors in published work: if authors identify relevant errors or inaccuracies in their manuscripts, they should immediately notify the editors and collaborate with the relevant rectification.

-Acknowledgement of funding: when a paper or project has received funding, this should be explicitly mentioned in the document, indicating the source of funding.

-Research methodology: articles that are the result of research should include sufficient details so that other researchers can replicate the research. The authors should make explicit the ethical standards that governed the research and the treatment of the participants. Authors should safeguard the identity of study participants.

-Responsibility: the authors guarantee that they have reviewed the most relevant and current scientific literature on the topics studied. Likewise, they declare that they have taken into account the different theoretical currents that are relevant to their work, ensuring that they have taken them into consideration in a plural and responsible manner.

-All authors must declare their contribution in the manuscripts submitted using the CRediT Roles Taxonomy guidelines. In the case of articles with more than one author, all participants will commit a significant contribution to the definition of the contents and express recognition to those who have contributed to the final result. Information that has been obtained by private means cannot be published without the consent of the corresponding person or institution. The main author has the responsibility to include all co-authors and collaborators and to guarantee that all of them have reviewed and approved the final version of the document, consenting to its submission for publication.

Responsibilities and conflict of interest management

In the editorial process of the Saberes Educativos Journal, a potential conflict of interest is defined as when a member of the editorial process - author, reviewer or editorial team - has relationships with people or activities that may influence his or her judgment or the contents proposed in an inappropriate manner. Some examples of conflicts of interest are: kinship relationships by blood or affinity, close work relationships involving boss or subordination, relationships between teachers and students or between guides and students, sharing topics, sources or objects of research, sources of research funding, or commercial interests that may be benefited or harmed by the published contents.

The Saberes Educativos Journal Editorial Team declares that it is always attentive to the identification of conflicts of interest of its members, authors and reviewers. The member of the Editorial Team who declares a conflict of interest with respect to an article will abstain from participating in the parts of the editorial process involving its evaluation, and will be replaced by another member.

For authors and evaluators, mechanisms for consultation on possible conflicts of interest are included, and the editorial team will maintain an active role in identifying their existence.

If a conflict of interest not previously declared in the instruments provided is detected, the Saberes Educativos Journal reserves the right to reject the article in question, the evaluation performed or apply the protocols foreseen for unethical conduct that may lead to the withdrawal of the article and its public announcement.

Handling of unethical conduct, complaints and appeals

The editorial team will be attentive at all stages of the process for the detection of unethical conduct, its follow-up, investigation and opportunity for appeal. When a third party identifies misconduct and/or unethical action, please report it to the editorial team at sabereseducativos@uchile.cl.

The reporter of unethical conduct must provide verifiable information to initiate an investigation. All reports will remain anonymous. These reports will be seriously considered by the Editorial Committee and will be treated in a similar manner until a corresponding outcome or agreement is reached. Following COPE (Committee of Publication Ethics) guidelines, the editorial team is responsible for:

  1. Choosing the appropriate form of the research, and may request the advice of the Editorial Committee or appoint an academic committee for this purpose.
  2. Notifying whoever has violated the ethical standards of the journal about the alleged facts.
  3. Request relevant data from all parties or informants.
  4. Conduct the research with depth of scope and in absolute confidentiality.
  5. To give the authors the opportunity to make their disclaimers, clarifications and appeals.
  6. Determine the results of the investigation or the validity of the claim with the available data.
  7. If the unethical conduct involves the invalidity of a published article, Saberes Educativos Journal will publish a formal observation in the Announcements and Calls section of the journal's portal https://sabereseducativos.uchile.cl/, with the details of the inappropriate conduct and will remove the work in question from the journal, along with notifying the audience of this action.
  8. If the unethical conduct involves the influence of conflicts of interest in the evaluations or editorial process, Saberes Educativos Journal will repeat the evaluation process with evaluators or members of the editorial team different from those who incurred in unethical conduct.
  9. Depending on the seriousness of the conduct, Saberes Educativos Magazine reserves the right to enforce an embargo on the possibility of publication of the authors, or not to request editorial or evaluation work from the members involved. The duration of these measures may be permanent, or proportional to the seriousness of the misconduct.

Corrections and post-publication discussions

  1. Saberes Educativos is open to receive corrections or clarifications from authors on published articles. Depending on the relevance of the corrections, it is obliged to publish them in the Announcements section and/or to make an addendum to the articles.
  2. Saberes Educativos Journal accepts that authors retract previously published articles, in which case the article will be removed from the platform and such action will be reported with its causes and justifications in the Announcements section.
  3. The Saberes Educativos Journal is willing to disseminate arguments, discussions or clarifications that third parties wish to make on published articles, giving the authors the opportunity to reply or respond in public discussions. These discussions will be published in the Announcements section of the journal.
  4. In the event that, in the judgment of the Editorial Team, the authors cannot sustain the position or results of an article in the face of the discussion raised and made public, the authors will have the opportunity to publish an amendment to it, or to retract its publication.

Good practices of inclusion and non-biased management of human groups

The Saberes Educativos Journal is committed to accurate, unbiased and intersectional research, i.e., sensitive to the complexity and breadth of the contexts covered by the journal. To this end, we request the use of inclusive language free of prejudices associated with race, functional diversity, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs, ideology or socioeconomic status. Therefore, it is not acceptable to provide information about individuals that is irrelevant to the study, as well as to ignore differences and specific characteristics of the subjects when these exist and are relevant.

To avoid stereotypes, the use of labels that designate, stigmatize or discriminate against groups of people is discouraged. It is especially important to avoid negative meaning in expressions and condescending terminology when referring to people with functional diversity. In relation to race, comparisons between groups, essentialisms and references to 'minorities' should be avoided.

The Saberes Educativos Journal recommends the use of non-sexist language in texts submitted for publication, suggesting formulas that make the role of women and non-binary people visible.

Data exchange and reproducibility

The Saberes Educativos Journal encourages authors to make available the data that support the results published in their articles. Data that may compromise the privacy, security and dignity of the subjects or institutions involved, or that for legal or ethical reasons cannot be made public, are excluded. The data for which we promote their public availability include, for example, quantitative data and statistical analyses collected for research, qualitative analysis data and processes, images and figures of our own elaboration, and interviews anonymized or with informed consent for their public availability, among others.

For public availability of these data, the use of data repositories with long-term preservation of files and the use of persistent identifiers is recommended. Some examples of portals and data storage environments are Zenodo, re3data.org, Open Science Framework (OSF) or other data repositories specialized in specific topics. In that sense we encourage authors to direct from their paper the location of processed or raw data, by means of a DOI or a persistent URL, in the final approved version of their paper after peer review. We also encourage that such data be made available under open licenses so that they can be reused.

Although data sharing is not mandatory in our journal, we reserve the right to request confidential access to any primary data necessary to verify results.

Authors will be required to properly cite any publicly available research data in their reference list.

Disclaimer

The opinions and contents of published papers are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal. Upon receipt of the articles, editors and reviewers are free to suggest partial modifications of their content without affecting the sense of the author's arguments. After acceptance of the articles for publication, Saberes Educativos Magazine is free to reproduce the contents for dissemination purposes, duly indicating the authors.

Use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the editorial process

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence technology that can produce various types of content, including text, images, audio and synthetic data. Examples include ChatGPT, NovelAI, Jasper AI, Rytr AI, DALL-E, etc.

Manuscripts will be treated as a confidential document in Saberes Educativos Journal. The editorial team will not upload a manuscript or any part of it into a generative artificial intelligence tool, as this may violate the authors' confidentiality and property rights and, when the article contains personally identifiable information, may violate data privacy rights.

Peer review is at the heart of the scientific ecosystem and Saberes Educativos Journal is committed to the highest standards of integrity in this process. Thus, it is recognized that managing the editorial evaluation of a scientific manuscript involves responsibilities that can only be attributed to human beings. The Editorial Team will not use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies to assist in the evaluation or decision-making process of a manuscript, as critical thinking and original evaluation are necessary for this work and are beyond the scope of this technology and there is a risk that the technology will generate incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions about the manuscript.

Authors may use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process prior to submission, but only to improve the language and readability of their article and with appropriate disclosure, located at the end of the article in a separate section before the reference list. If an author or reviewer is suspected of violating AI policies, they should inform the Editor-in-Chief of the journal.

(1): Extracted from “Editorial ethics and the problem of self-plagiarism”, article written by Ernesto Spinak, published by SciElo in Perspectiva. Accessed on 19/06/18, available at: https://blog.scielo.org/es/2013/11/11/etica-editorial-y-el-problema-del-autoplagio/#.Wylsn1ZKib8.

(2): Extracted from “Plagio y ética en la publicación científica”, article published by Sistema de Bibliotecas de la Universidad de Extremadura, Spain. Retrieved 06/19/18, available at: http://biblioguias.unex.es/c.php?g=572088&p=3944387.