Entreciencias is firmly committed to the highest ethical standards in scientific publishing. This commitment spans all stages of the editorial process, from authorship and peer review to final editing. The journal ensures the originality of manuscripts, promotes transparency at every step of the editorial process, and encourages adherence to best practices in scientific research. To achieve this, we strictly follow the international guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Helsinki Declaration, and other reputable organizations in the academic field.

 

Originality and Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism and Redundancy: The journal considers plagiarism to be the partial or complete copying of content from other authors or from the same author (self-plagiarism) without proper attribution. Manuscripts that include excessive reuse of published data, hypotheses, or results are also considered redundant and are not accepted.
Use of Detection Software: To ensure manuscript originality, all articles are analyzed using iThenticate software from the initial review stage to final formatting. If a high percentage of similarity is detected, the manuscript will be rejected or returned for revision.

Ethics in the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of AI must be clearly identified as a supplement to academic effort, ensuring that the content and analysis are original and validated by the authors. Authors are required to explicitly declare if AI tools were used during the research, writing, or analysis process. In these cases, the following criteria must be met:

1. Transparency: Declare the type, version, and purpose of AI usage in the work (e.g., language models, image creators, chatbots).
2. Originality: Ensure that AI does not compromise the originality of the manuscript. AI should be used as support, not as the primary source of content or analysis.
3. Human Validation: All AI-generated or assisted content must be reviewed and validated by the authors.
4. Ethics in Data: Ensure that data used with AI complies with ethical standards for collection, handling, and privacy.
5. Plagiarism Prevention: Verify that AI-generated content does not inadvertently lead to plagiarism.
6. Bias Mitigation: Take measures to identify and reduce any potential biases introduced by the use of AI in data analysis.

Ethics in Research Involving Humans and Animals
1. Informed Consent: Studies involving human participants must have their informed consent. This must be explicitly mentioned in the manuscript.
2. Confidentiality: The identity and personal data of participants must be protected in accordance with international and local regulations.
3. Research Involving Animals: Animal studies must comply with international ethical care standards, such as the guidelines set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Ethical Responsibilities

Responsibilities of Authors
-Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original and do not contain plagiarized or self-plagiarized content. All sources used must be properly cited.
-Authorship Contribution: All authors must have made significant contributions to the development of the research and the manuscript.
-Data and Results: Data must be accurate, transparent, and verifiable. Fabrication or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.
-Conflicts of Interest: Authors must declare any financial, academic, or personal conflicts of interest that may influence the research outcomes.

Responsibilities of Reviewers
-Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as strictly confidential documents and may not share or discuss them with third parties.
-Objectivity: Reviews must be impartial, well-founded, and based on the manuscript's content.
-Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must refrain from evaluating a manuscript if they have any conflicts of interest with the authors, institutions involved, or the study's content.

Responsibilities of Editors
-Editorial Decisions: Editors are responsible for accepting or rejecting manuscripts based solely on academic merit and alignment with the journal's focus and objectives.
-Impartiality: A fair and objective evaluation of manuscripts is guaranteed, regardless of the authors' origin or any personal or professional circumstances.
-Management of Misconduct: In cases of suspected plagiarism, data manipulation, or improper authorship, investigations will be conducted following COPE guidelines.

Conflict of Interest Declaration
All authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any financial, personal, or institutional conflicts of interest. These declarations will be carefully evaluated to ensure transparency and integrity in the publishing process.

 

Retractions, Corrections, and Misconduct

Retractions
Retractions apply to articles with significant errors that compromise their scientific validity or violate publication ethics. This includes, but is not limited to:

Plagiarism: When an article contains copied content without proper attribution.
Data Falsification or Manipulation: Intentional alteration of data to achieve specific results, invalidating the work's conclusions.
Severe Methodological Errors: Significant flaws in methodology or analysis that make the results unreliable.
Violation of Ethical Policies: For example, lack of informed consent in human research or non-compliance with ethical standards in animal studies.

Retraction Protocol:

1. Internal Investigation: Editors conduct a thorough review of the identified irregularity, following COPE recommendations.
2. Notification: Authors are notified of the potential retraction and given the opportunity to respond or clarify.
3. Formal Statement: If retraction is confirmed, an official retraction statement is published on the journal’s website and linked to the article.
The article is not removed from the archive but clearly marked as "retracted" with reasons for the decision.
4. Transparency: The statement includes investigation details and reasons for retraction to maintain the academic community's trust.

Corrections
When minor errors are identified in a published article that do not affect the main content or conclusions, corrections will be made to ensure scientific record accuracy. These errors usually include:

-Typographical or grammatical errors.
-Omissions in references.
-Errors in author names (e.g., misspelling of a surname).
-Errors in figures or tables, provided they do not alter results or conclusions.

Correction Procedure:

1. Communication with the Author: Authors are informed of the error and, in most cases, asked to approve the correction note before publication.
2. Issuance of a Correction Note: A correction notification is published in the next journal issue or as a supplement in the same issue, explaining the error and providing the correction. This document is directly linked to the affected article to maintain transparency.
3. Maintaining the Article's History: The original article is not removed or directly modified (except in digital formats where the correction may be annotated in the file). This ensures the historical record remains intact.
These measures reflect the journal's commitment to academic integrity and accuracy in the scientific record.

Misconduct
The journal has a zero-tolerance policy for any misconduct that compromises scientific and ethical integrity. This includes:

-Plagiarism: Unauthorized copying or use of others' work.
-Self-Plagiarism: Reuse of substantial parts of previous works by the same author without clear indication.
-Authorship Manipulation: Including authors who did not contribute to the work or excluding legitimate authors.
-Data Fabrication or Falsification: Inventing data or manipulating results to support false conclusions.
-Interference in the Review Process: Attempts to influence editorial decisions or reviewers.

Misconduct Protocol:

1. Receipt of Allegations: Suspected misconduct can be reported by reviewers, editors, or readers. Confidentiality is maintained during the investigation.
2. Initial Investigation: The Editorial Committee and Editors conduct a preliminary review to determine the validity of the allegation.
3. Detailed Evaluation: If the allegation proceeds, a thorough review is conducted, which may involve consulting external experts.
4. Corrective Actions:
If misconduct is confirmed, the article will be retracted or, in minor cases, corrected.
Involved authors may face sanctions, such as being prohibited from submitting future manuscripts to the journal.
5. Collaboration with Institutions: In severe cases, the journal may notify the authors' affiliated institutions to take appropriate measures.
6. Collaboration with External Institutions: When necessary, the journal may collaborate with external institutions to ensure a fair and transparent resolution.

Reference Policies
Our journal follows the guidelines set by:

-Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): https://publicationethics.org
-Helsinki Declaration: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects
-World Association of Medical Editors (WAME): https://www.wame.org

We encourage authors and reviewers to familiarize themselves with these guidelines to ensure their contributions meet the highest international standards.