Ethics guidelines and good editorial practices

The Editorial Committee of HArtes journal, edited and published by the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro through the Faculty of Arts, is committed to adhering to and maintaining ethical principles throughout the editorial process, which includes the biannual publication of each issue. Likewise, transparency is ensured throughout all phases of the process, and authors will be provided with the relevant details to inform them of the status of their manuscripts submitted for publication. Furthermore, it is guaranteed that the evaluation and review will be carried out without any distinction of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, institutional affiliation, nationality or any other personal characteristic of the author(s) of a submitted text.

In addition, the responsibility involved in producing academic publications with high quality standards is recognized. That is why we assume the obligation to correct, publish, and disseminate original texts that contribute to enriching knowledge of the arts and humanities. The rigorous handling of manuscripts also includes plagiarism detection, which is performed using the Turnitin software and is subject to the Anti-Plagiarism Policy. All submissions will comply with our Editorial Policies.

The duties and responsibilities of all persons involved in the publication of the content of the HArtes journal are set out below.

 

Ethics of the managing directors

The management is responsible for ensuring the journal's quality and academic prestige, following the editorial management processes to publish the issues in the corresponding month (January or July). The administrators are responsible for promoting internal dialogue with the Editorial Committee to seek ways to improve the editorial practice and the characteristics of the journal. Likewise, they should always propose solutions agreed upon with the Editorial Committee to address any controversies or problems that may arise. Moreover, they must conduct themselves with impartiality and confidentiality at all times, as they are responsible for making the final decision to accept or reject submissions, taking into account the opinions and observations made by the Editorial Committee and the Advisory Board.

It is the responsibility of the administrators to ensure compliance with current Editorial Policies and to guarantee the confidentiality of the data provided by the authors and reviewers. In addition, they are committed to carefully selecting reviewers and ensuring that they collaborate with prestigious academic profiles and experts in the subject matter addressed by the text to be reviewed. In this regard, the administrators have the obligation to declare and avoid the existence of conflicts of interest during the reception of the originals, as well as when inviting reviewers.

The directors have the power and duty to represent the journal in academic forums. Besides, they are responsible for disseminating the issues to increase the journal's visibility and create links with other institutions with which collaborative work can be carried out.

 

Ethics of the editors

Editors are responsible for guaranteeing the optimal and timely coordination of the editorial process, including the receipt of texts, their review, copyediting, formatting, editing, publication, and dissemination, ensuring compliance at all times with APA 7th Edition Standards, Submission Guidelines, Editorial Policies, and publication dates. On the other hand, they are committed to confirming that the submitted texts are relevant, of high quality, and pertinent to the disciplinary theme of the HArtes journal, in addition to providing a clear exposition of the written ideas.

Likewise, editors must review contributions using Turnitin's anti-plagiarism software and proceed in accordance with the Arbitration and Publication Policy and the Anti-Plagiarism Policy. This way, they will ensure that the texts are original and unpublished before submitting them for review.

When submitting manuscripts for double-blind peer review, the editors will be responsible for finding the right profiles for the task. Additionally, they must safeguard confidentiality by keeping the identities of the authors and reviewers anonymous. They will also be responsible for communicating with everyone involved during the editorial process.

 

Ethics of the Editorial Committee and the Advisory Board

The Editorial Committee and Advisory Board members are responsible for assisting the editorial directors in strengthening the editorial management and academic quality of the HArtes journal. Moreover, they must contribute to the publication's recognition in the regional, national, and international academic community. Likewise, it is their duty to promote the issues to increase their visibility and to encourage researchers to contribute texts or review manuscripts.

 

Ethics of the authors

Authors must register on the HArtes journal's OJS platform and submit their work in compliance with the Submission Guidelines and APA 7th Edition Standards. In addition, they commit to submit quality work, guaranteeing that it is original and that the text has not been published, compromised, or undergoing any editorial or publication process in any other medium, whether print or digital. A manuscript cannot be considered original if it is a fragment of an already published work or if clear signs of self-plagiarism are detected. If the text contains direct quotes and/or paraphrases of works by the same author(s), these should be brief and not cover more than 15% of the text.

Authors are required to support their critical articles and essays with truthful, reliable, updated, and relevant sources for the disciplinary fields in which their texts are written. Furthermore, all quotes and paraphrases must be properly identified according to APA 7th Edition Standards, always adding the resources consulted in the References section, adhering to the same standards. Plagiarism is inappropriate and unethical, which means that if any text incurs this bad practice and is identified before, during, or after the editing and publishing process, the work will be rejected or retracted, as appropriate.

The authors are solely responsible for what is stated, supported and expressed in their writings. Besides, they must ensure that their contributions do not include illegal material or copyrighted works for which they do not have the express and official consent for publication from the copyright holder(s).

When submitting a submission, those responsible for the text are aware that modifications and adjustments to their original material may be requested. For this reason, they are committed to making the appropriate changes suggested, both in the review and in the style correction, to ensure the best possible text. At the end of the editing process, the authors, without exception, give their approval along with the signed Declaration of Originality, Responsibility of Authorship, Conflict of Interest, and Transfer of Property Rights (provided by HArtes journal) and an official document to ratify the information. For more information about the use of documents and data, please refer to the Privacy Statement and the Copyright Policy and Terms of Publication.

Authors are encouraged to post their work, after publication, on their personal pages, institutional repositories, and academic networks.

 

Ethics of the reviewers

By accepting the invitation to review a manuscript, reviewers receive the trust of HArtes journal and acquire the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the content of the assigned work. The provided document may not be shared or discussed with other experts without authorization from the Editorial Board. Furthermore, the assessment should only be issued if there are no conflicts of interest. If this situation arises, it must be disclosed immediately so that it can be reassigned. On the other hand, If the assessment cannot be completed, all physical or digital copies of the submitted file must be deleted.

In an act of academic solidarity, reviewers must promptly confirm their interest and availability (or refusal) to undertake the assigned task. By accepting the review, they commit to submitting their assessment within a maximum of 30 days.

It is essential that the evaluation be carried out thoroughly, with a complete and careful reading. Reviewers are responsible for critically, honestly, and unbiasedly evaluating research quality and thematic relevance. Likewise, they must warn the Editorial Committee about any unethical conduct or anomalies they find in the manuscript.

The reasons for accepting or rejecting a text must be supported objectively, with clear evaluations and with the aim of improving the text. The decision must be accompanied by the manuscript evaluation form automatically provided by the HArtes journal. This report must be answered and include comments that clarify the text's weaknesses and strengths. It is also possible to attach a file where the work has been directly intervened, in addition to indicating essential resources that the author has not considered.

It is imperative that no unpublished material revealed in a manuscript be used for personal gain without the written consent of the author. The information obtained through the double-blind peer review process must be kept confidential and not used for personal purposes.

 

Ethics of the readers

In their research and dissemination work, readers have the right to quote and paraphrase the content of HArtes journal, always adhering to the required citation standards, that is, giving due credit to the people involved in the production of the extracted material. Sharing and printing of this material is permitted, provided that the appropriate rights are acknowledged. The material may not be used for commercial purposes.