Ethical Standards

Ethical Considerations

The Revista Gobierno y Administración Pública (Journal of Government and Public Administration), based on the guidelines proposed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in its Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors [http://publicationethics.org/], establishes the need to define the criteria and procedures to be followed in the relationships and scientific publications of a periodic nature, as well as the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors, to ensure the respect of the rights and duties of each actor involved in the publication process.

A. Regarding Authors:

Authors declare the originality of their work, ensuring that it does not replicate or represent any part of another author's work without proper citation. Similarly, authors declare that no section of the manuscript is a reproduction of other works authored by them.

By submitting their document, each author declares that the work is strictly original and has not been submitted for evaluation to any other journal or publication. Furthermore, to avoid interference with the double-blind evaluation process, the article should not be posted or published on any publicly accessible website.

Upon submission, authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could undermine trust in the review, selection, and publication processes of the journal. A conflict of interest is defined as the existence of any relationship (e.g., familial, academic rivalry, financial, etc.) that compromises the transparency and impartiality of judgments and procedures.

The declared authorship upon submission acknowledges the intellectual creation and execution in the writing of the article. In the case of collective authorship involving multiple authors, it is assumed that each author has contributed to one or more parts of the manuscript, and the authorship is attributed to all individuals submitting the document. Authors are expected to ensure and acknowledge the contributions of anyone who has significantly contributed to the research or any part of it, as well as secure their approval and consent for the final version of the work for publication.

All works must properly acknowledge publications that have influenced the research and argumentation process, citing the original sources in the references and bibliography. Additionally, authors must not use information obtained privately through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with colleagues in the field unless they have explicit written permission from the information source and the information was provided in the context of academic advice.

Intellectual property rights to the works remain with the authors. The publication of the work in Gobierno y Administración Pública grants the journal the right to publish and disseminate the work by any means or information system deemed necessary. Articles may be reproduced as long as the original source is cited.

Plagiarism Policy

By submitting their work, each author declares the manuscript to be strictly original and confirms that it has not been submitted for evaluation to any other journal.

Authors must declare the originality of the work and confirm that it does not reproduce any part of another author's work without proper citation.

Submitted manuscripts will be checked for plagiarism using the Compilatio plagiarism detection tool. Works that do not meet originality standards will be rejected.

Conflict of Interest Declaration

Both reviewers and editors must declare any potential conflicts of interest by sending an email to the journal’s address. A conflict of interest is understood as a situation where any relationship (e.g., familial, academic rivalry, financial, or otherwise) undermines the transparency and impartiality of judgments and procedures. Authors must sign a Commitment Letter declaring the absence of conflicts of interest, which is submitted along with the manuscript.

B. Regarding Reviewers:

Reviewers commit to maintaining the confidentiality of the articles submitted for their consideration and guarantee that they have no conflicts of interest regarding them. A conflict of interest is understood as a situation where any relationship (e.g., familial, academic rivalry, financial, or otherwise) undermines the transparency and impartiality of judgments and procedures.

If, for any reason, a reviewer becomes aware of the author’s identity, they commit to returning the article without evaluating it. Likewise, reviewers agree to treat the assigned material with total confidentiality and are strictly prohibited from discussing it with third parties.

Reviewers commit to applying the criteria and making decisions in a rational and impartial manner.

Reviewers may only accept the evaluation if they consider themselves to have the appropriate expertise and/or knowledge of the subject matter and feel capable of delivering the report within the stipulated deadlines.

Reviewers must not use the assigned work until it has been published, especially in cases where they could benefit or harm someone, whether an individual or an organization.

If a reviewer has been involved in any of the stages of conception or development of the evaluated work, they must decline the review.

If any ethical irregularity is detected, such as clear similarities with already published works or improbable data, the reviewer must notify the editors.

Reviewers must remember that peer review is a collaborative process within academia, aiming to be fair and respectful of the efforts researchers make in the search for and dissemination of new knowledge.

C. Regarding Editors:

Editors must ensure the quality of the material published.

Editors must defend the right to freedom of expression.

Editors must protect the confidentiality and integrity of academic records.

Editors must be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when necessary.

In relation to readers, the editorial team will always provide complete information regarding the origin of publications, funding sources, the role of sponsors or financial backers, and financial sponsors of the articles. Additionally, editorial policy, editorial criteria, and indexing categories will be made public.

In relation to authors, editors will take the necessary steps to ensure the quality of the materials published, specifying, when applicable, the objectives and standards for the different sections in which the content is organized. Decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts will be based solely on their relevance, originality, clarity, and alignment with the journal's editorial focus.

The journal’s website will inform authors about manuscript preparation requirements, the evaluation procedures, review guidelines, response timelines, appeal mechanisms, copyright handling, and conflict of interest resolution. Any changes in the editorial board will not affect manuscripts already accepted for publication prior to those changes.

D. Regarding the Journal:

Gobierno y Administración Pública is committed to upholding the principles stated in this document and guarantees impartiality and the involvement of competent and rigorous reviewers.

The order of publication of scientific articles, academic essays, public experiences, book reviews, and documents in the field, as well as bibliographic comments, will be determined at the discretion of the editor-in-chief, editor, and editorial board, ensuring consistency within the respective issue.

The journal will avoid intervening in the order of receipt of contributions from authors or the evaluation conducted by reviewers.