Declaration of ethics

Statement of Ethics and Publishing Practices
This journal is committed to the highest standards of ethics and quality in scientific publishing. We advocate ethical behaviour on the part of all those involved in the publishing process: authors, editors, reviewers and members of the editorial team. Plagiarism and any other practices considered unethical are not tolerated.

Editors' responsibilities

Publication decision: It is up to the editor to decide which submitted manuscripts will be published, taking into account the journal's editorial policies and compliance with legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may consult the editorial board or reviewers when making decisions.

Impartiality: The evaluation of manuscripts must be based exclusively on their scientific merit, regardless of the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality or political convictions of the authors.

Confidentiality: The editor and other members of the editorial team must not divulge any information about submitted manuscripts, except to the authors, reviewers, members of the editorial board and other collaborators directly involved in the editorial process.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest: Unpublished information contained in manuscripts should not be used for personal gain without the explicit written consent of the author(s). The editor should refrain from evaluating manuscripts for which he or she has conflicts of interest arising from personal, professional or institutional relationships.

Participation in research: The editor must take appropriate measures when complaints are made regarding ethical behaviour in submitted manuscripts or articles already published.

Reviewers' responsibilities

Contribution to the editorial decision: Peer review is an essential support for the editor in making editorial decisions, as well as contributing to the improvement of articles by the authors.

Punctuality: Any invited reviewer who feels inadequate to assess the manuscript, or who knows that they will not be able to do so in time, should inform the editor and decline the invitation to review.

Confidentiality: All manuscripts received must be treated as confidential documents and must not be disclosed or discussed with third parties.

Objectivity: The review should be carried out objectively, and comments should be clear, well-founded and constructive.

Acknowledgement of sources: Reviewers should draw attention to relevant references not cited by the authors and notify the editor of any substantial similarities between the manuscript under review and other work of which they are aware.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained during the review process must remain confidential and must not be used for personal gain. Reviewers should refuse to evaluate manuscripts in which there are conflicts of interest, particularly of a professional, personal, institutional or financial nature.

Authors' responsibilities

Reporting standards: Authors must present a rigorous description of the work carried out, as well as an objective analysis of its significance. The underlying data must be presented clearly and in sufficient detail to allow replication.

Originality and plagiarism: Authors must ensure that the work submitted is original. If they use the work or words of other authors, these sources must be duly cited. Plagiarism in any form is considered unethical behaviour and will be rejected.

Multiple or redundant publications: It is not acceptable to submit or publish the same work, or substantially identical versions, in more than one journal, unless clearly justified and with the agreement of the parties involved.

Acknowledgement of sources: The work of other authors must be duly acknowledged and cited. Information obtained in confidence should not be used without the express authorisation of the source.

Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have contributed significantly to the design, execution or interpretation of the study. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation of the data. They must also indicate all sources of funding for the study.

Correction of errors: If an author identifies a relevant error or inaccuracy in a paper that has already been published, they must inform the editor immediately and collaborate in its correction or retraction.

Responsibilities of the Editor

We are committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are not influenced by commercial considerations, such as advertising revenue, reprints or institutional agreements.

This ethics policy follows the recommendations of Elsevier and the guidelines of COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics.