Publication Ethics Guidelines
The Journal adheres to the guidelines set out in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This document contains a set of principles and recommendations that guide the work of academic and scientific journal editors in managing and maintaining ethical and professional standards in research publishing. It also establishes specific guidelines regarding the responsibilities and expectations of both authors and reviewers (see https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf).
I. Ethical standards for authors
A. Originality, citations, plagiarism, and the use of AI
Authors must ensure that their work is unpublished and original, and that it has not been previously published in any other journal, book, or digital platform. By submitting their work to the Journal, authors are deemed to accept the Journal’s Editorial Guidelines.
Authors must also ensure that they properly cite all sources and references used in their work, in accordance with the Journal’s editorial guidelines, and must avoid plagiarism in any form. Citations must be accurate and complete, and all references used must appear in the list at the end of the manuscript under References. Any use of Artificial Intelligence tools must be expressly declared by the authors, with sufficient detail.
For the purposes of manuscript review and evaluation, the following will be considered:
Plagiarism
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Copying text word-for-word from a source without using quotation marks or without properly citing the original source.
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Rewriting text from another source with slightly different wording while keeping the original meaning, without citing the source.
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Combining phrases and sentences from multiple sources, mixing them with the author’s own text, without properly citing the original sources.
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Reusing one’s own previously published or presented work without citing it or informing that it has been used before.
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Using quotations from a secondary source as if the primary source had been consulted directly.
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Presenting another person’s ideas, theories, data, or arguments as one’s own, without giving credit to the original author.
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Working with other authors and/or collaborators but presenting the final work as if it were sole-authored, without acknowledging the contribution of those authors and/or collaborators.
Improper use of AI
The use of AI tools will be considered improper when more than 10% of the total content of an article has been generated through this resource.
B. Authorship, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and funding sources
Individuals who have made a significant contribution to the work submitted to the Journal must be listed as authors, while minor contributions should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section. The Editorial Board relies on the truthfulness, authenticity, and accuracy of the content provided by authors, who are fully responsible for the statements and data presented to the Journal.
Authors are required to disclose any financial, personal, or other conflicts of interest that could influence the objectivity of their work. Likewise, they must clearly declare the funding sources that supported the research and the development of the manuscript.
C. Manuscript review process
Authors must fully cooperate with the manuscript review process, responding within the required timeframes and providing any additional information requested by the Journal’s Editorial Team. If a manuscript is accepted conditional upon revisions, authors must complete them diligently and within the deadlines established.
If authors discover serious errors in their manuscript at any stage of the evaluation process, including after publication, they must inform the Editorial Team as soon as possible and cooperate with the editors to address the situation.
Communication between authors and the Journal’s Editorial Team will take place through the Journal’s portal on the Academic Journals Platform of the University of Concepción, and, failing that, via the official email address: revistadacc@udec.cl.
II. Ethical standards for editors
Editors must adhere faithfully to the Journal’s editorial processes, promoting and ensuring compliance with ethical standards in the selection and publication of submitted manuscripts.
A. Manuscript selection
During the admissibility stage and throughout the entire evaluation process, the Editorial Team shall assess manuscripts solely on the basis of the academic and scientific merit of the material provided, compliance with the Editorial Guidelines, and alignment with the Journal’s scope.
In this process, the Editorial Team shall refrain from any form of arbitrary discrimination against authors, particularly on grounds such as race or ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, ideology or political opinion, religion or belief, trade union membership or participation in professional organizations (or lack thereof), sex, gender, maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, parentage, personal appearance, illness or disability, or any other arbitrary category.
Members of the Editorial Team are required to recuse themselves from participating in the editorial process of any manuscript in which they consider they may have a conflict of interest.
Likewise, the Editorial Team must inform the Journal’s Director of any manuscript for which there is a well-founded suspicion of academic plagiarism in any form, as well as improper use of AI. To determine this, the Editorial Team will rely on analyses carried out by its members, peer reviewers, and the Compilatio software.
Manuscripts deemed admissible will be evaluated through an external double-blind peer-review process, ensuring the selection of sufficiently qualified reviewers capable of providing an objective and well-informed assessment of the manuscript, while always safeguarding the anonymity and confidentiality of both authors and reviewers.
B. Communication between the Editorial Team and authors
Editors are responsible for informing authors whether their manuscripts have been selected, accepted subject to revisions, or rejected, in accordance with the timeframes established by the Journal.
Editors are also authorized to make editorial changes on their own initiative, or to request from authors of accepted manuscripts any modifications necessary to ensure compliance with the Journal’s editorial guidelines.
Through the online platform, the Editorial Team shall maintain ongoing communication with authors and reviewers, clarifying any questions or concerns that may arise during the selection, evaluation, and publication process.
Finally, the Editorial Team shall publish any post-publication corrections, clarifications, or retractions that may be necessary.
C. Confidentiality of information
Members of the Editorial Team must safeguard the confidentiality of information provided by authors, whether in manuscripts that are accepted or not published. The use or reproduction of the content of any submitted manuscript without the author’s consent is strictly prohibited.
III. Ethical standards for reviewers
Selected manuscripts will be assessed through a double-blind peer-review process. This is understood as the evaluation conducted by two individual experts in the field addressed by the manuscript, who do not know the identity of the author(s). For these purposes, the Journal’s blind reviewers shall be academics whom the Editorial Team deems appropriate for the subject matter of the manuscript.
Reviewers should only agree to review manuscripts within their area of sufficient knowledge and competence, applying objective and critical criteria in their assessment. Accordingly, they must decline to review manuscripts that fall outside their expertise or where there are potential conflicts of interest.
During the evaluation process, reviewers must inform the Editorial Team if they detect any form of plagiarism in the manuscript, as well as any subsequent inability to submit their reviews within the requested timeframe.
Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript throughout the process. Dissemination of the manuscript or discussion with third parties unrelated to the evaluation is strictly prohibited. Likewise, even after publication, reviewers must keep confidential the fact that they reviewed the manuscript, without prejudice to any recognition the Journal may give to reviewers.
Finally, reviewers are prohibited from using the assigned manuscripts and their content for personal purposes.
Privacy statement
The use of names and email addresses provided by authors to this Journal will be limited exclusively to the purposes stated herein and will not be shared with third parties, nor used for any purposes other than those pertaining to the editorial and publication process.
Editorial line statement
The opinions and viewpoints expressed in published articles are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Journal, its Editorial Board, or the Center for Law, Environment and Climate Change of the University of Concepción. We encourage diversity of thought and academic debate, and we believe that respectful engagement with different perspectives is essential for the advancement of knowledge and the understanding of law.
