Código de Ética

Statement of Principles

Apuntes de Economía y Sociedad is committed to integrity, transparency, impartiality, confidentiality, accountability, and respect throughout the editorial process. These principles apply to authors, the Editor-in-Chief, the editorial team, reviewers, and all other individuals involved in the evaluation and publication of manuscripts.

The Journal’s editorial practices are guided by the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

Research articles, review articles, academic essays, and other contributions designated by the Journal are subject to editorial assessment and, where applicable, double-anonymous peer review. Editorial decisions shall be based on the academic quality, relevance, methodological rigor, originality, and integrity of each manuscript.

Responsibilities of Authors

Integrity and accuracy

Authors must present the research process, methods, analyses, and results accurately, transparently, and in sufficient detail to enable their evaluation. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation, deliberate omission, or misrepresentation of data, procedures, sources, or results constitutes a breach of research integrity.

Originality, similarity, and plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must appropriately acknowledge all ideas, data, words, images, and materials obtained from other sources. Plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, unacknowledged text reuse, and the presentation of another person’s work as one’s own are unacceptable.

The Journal may use similarity-detection tools and editorial review to identify relevant textual overlap. Similarity reports shall be interpreted qualitatively, considering properly identified quotations and references, commonly used methodological expressions, unavoidable coincidences, and the nature of the sources. A numerical similarity score alone neither proves nor rules out plagiarism.

Concurrent and redundant publication

A manuscript must not be submitted simultaneously to another journal or publication venue. Authors must also refrain from publishing substantially the same research in more than one primary publication without appropriate justification, disclosure, citation, and editorial authorization.

When a manuscript is derived from a thesis, institutional report, conference paper, event proceedings, repository, or another previous academic output, this circumstance must be declared. The submitted manuscript must constitute a clearly differentiated contribution that complies with the Journal’s editorial requirements.

Research data, materials, and reproducibility

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, integrity, organization, and appropriate preservation of the data and materials supporting their research. The manuscript must provide sufficient methodological information to allow the procedures, analyses, and findings to be understood and, where applicable, verified or reproduced.

The Journal may request access to supporting data, calculation procedures, instruments, codes, protocols, or other materials when necessary for editorial assessment or peer review, subject to applicable ethical, legal, contractual, confidentiality, and personal-data protection restrictions.

Authorship and contributions

Authorship must be limited to individuals who made substantive contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the study; approved the final version; and agreed to be accountable for their contributions.

The contributions of each author must be identified using the CRediT taxonomy. Contributions that do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged, provided that the persons concerned have authorized their inclusion.

Guest, honorary, gift, or ghost authorship is unacceptable. The corresponding author must ensure that all listed authors have reviewed and approved the submitted version and any subsequent modifications.

Acknowledgment of sources and permissions

Authors must properly cite the publications and sources that informed the research. Data, images, tables, instruments, or other protected materials may only be reproduced or adapted when their use is permitted and appropriately acknowledged.

Privately obtained information, including personal communications, confidential documents, or unpublished materials, may not be used without the appropriate authorization.

Ethical research, participants, and privacy

Research involving human participants, personal data, communities, organizations, animals, or sensitive information must comply with the applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements. When appropriate, authors must report approval by the relevant ethics body and the procedures used to obtain informed consent.

Information that could unjustifiably reveal the identity of participants or compromise their privacy, dignity, security, or rights must not be published.

Conflicts of interest and funding

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationship that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the research or its interpretation.

All sources of funding and institutional or external support must be identified, together with the funder’s role, if any, in the design, execution, analysis, writing, or decision to submit the manuscript.

Use of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools may not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the content, approve the final version, disclose conflicts of interest, or enter into publication agreements.

Any relevant use of artificial intelligence in the preparation, processing, analysis, translation, or editing of a manuscript must be transparently disclosed in the section specified by the Journal. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, proper attribution, and confidentiality of all submitted content.

Authors must not enter confidential information, personal data, unpublished third-party material, or protected content into artificial intelligence systems when doing so could compromise privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, or other rights.

Significant errors in submitted or published work

When authors identify a significant error or inaccuracy in a submitted or published manuscript, they must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate in its correction, clarification, or withdrawal, as appropriate.

Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Team

Editorial independence and publication decisions

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for directing the editorial process and making publication decisions based on the manuscript’s academic merit, relevance, integrity, peer-review reports, authors’ responses, and the Journal’s editorial policies.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of commercial, personal, institutional, or other interests unrelated to the academic evaluation of the manuscript.

Impartiality and non-discrimination

Manuscripts shall be assessed without discrimination based on gender, age, disability, ethnic or social origin, nationality, religion, political views, institutional affiliation, geographic location, sexual orientation, or any other condition unrelated to their academic quality and relevance.

Confidentiality

The Editor-in-Chief and members of the editorial team must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, authors’ personal information, reviewers’ identities, evaluation reports, correspondence, and any other information generated during the editorial process.

Unpublished information or ideas obtained through manuscript handling may not be used for personal benefit or for unrelated research without the express authorization of the authors.

Conflicts of interest

Editors must declare any conflict of interest that could affect, or appear to affect, their impartiality. When such a conflict exists, the manuscript must be assigned to another qualified member of the editorial team who is not involved in the matter.

Integrity of peer review

The editorial team must select reviewers with relevant expertise and no disqualifying conflicts of interest. It must safeguard the double-anonymous nature of the evaluation, avoid inappropriate influence on reviewers, and ensure that editorial decisions are supported by reasoned academic assessment.

Integrity of the scholarly record

The editorial team must act when it becomes aware of possible errors, ethical breaches, manipulation, or misconduct affecting a submitted or published work. Concerns shall be examined impartially, confidentially, proportionately, and with an appropriate opportunity for the parties involved to respond.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer review supports editorial decision-making and contributes to improving the academic quality, clarity, rigor, and relevance of manuscripts. Reviewers must provide sufficiently reasoned observations and recommendations.

Competence and timeliness

A person invited to review a manuscript must decline the invitation when the subject lies outside their area of expertise or when they cannot complete the evaluation within the established period. Any circumstance that may delay the review must be communicated promptly to the editorial team.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, reproduce, discuss, retain, or use the manuscript or its contents for purposes unrelated to the evaluation without prior authorization from the Journal.

Manuscript content must not be uploaded to external artificial intelligence tools or other systems that could compromise confidentiality, intellectual property, or unpublished research data.

Objectivity and respectful assessment

Reviews must be objective, constructive, clear, respectful, and based on academic considerations. Personal criticism, offensive remarks, unsupported judgments, or requests for irrelevant citations are inappropriate.

Identification of integrity concerns

Reviewers must notify the editorial team of any substantial similarity, omitted citation, methodological inconsistency, possible data fabrication or manipulation, ethical concern, or other relevant issue identified during the evaluation. Such concerns must be supported by specific information whenever possible.

Data and reproducibility

When relevant to the type of study, reviewers should assess whether the methods, data description, analyses, and supporting materials are sufficiently clear and consistent to allow the findings to be understood, evaluated, and potentially reproduced.

Conflicts of interest

Reviewers must disclose any personal, professional, academic, financial, or institutional conflict that could affect their judgment. When impartial evaluation cannot be ensured, they must decline the review.

Research and Publication Misconduct

Research and publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

• Plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, or unacknowledged text reuse.
• Fabrication, falsification, omission, or manipulation of data, images, methods, or results.
• Simultaneous submission or redundant publication.
• Inappropriate attribution, omission, addition, or alteration of authorship.
• Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest or sources of funding.
• Manipulation or interference with the peer-review process.
• Improper use of confidential information obtained during editorial review.
• Undisclosed or irresponsible use of artificial intelligence tools.
• Violation of ethical requirements relating to participants, personal data, animals, communities, or protected materials.
• Any other practice that compromises the reliability, transparency, or integrity of the scholarly record.

Procedure for Addressing Suspected Breaches

Allegations or indications of possible misconduct shall be examined confidentially, impartially, proportionately, and on the basis of the available evidence. The persons concerned shall be given an appropriate opportunity to provide explanations, documentation, or responses before a final editorial decision is made.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the case, the Journal may:

• Request clarifications, documents, data, or supporting materials.
• Return the manuscript for correction or additional verification.
• Suspend the editorial process while the matter is examined.
• Reject or withdraw the manuscript.
• Correct the published record.
• Issue a correction, erratum, expression of concern, or retraction.
• Communicate the case to the relevant institution when justified by the evidence and the seriousness of the matter.

Editorial measures shall be based on the evidence and circumstances of each case and shall seek to protect the integrity and traceability of the scholarly record.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

Honest errors that do not invalidate the central findings of a publication may be addressed through a correction or erratum linked to the original document.

An expression of concern may be issued when there are well-founded doubts regarding the integrity or reliability of a publication but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to reach a definitive conclusion.

A publication may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings are unreliable, that serious ethical or legal breaches have occurred, that plagiarism or redundant publication is present, or that the peer-review or publication process was manipulated.

Post-publication notices shall clearly identify the affected article, explain the reason for the editorial action, remain accessible, and preserve the traceability of the published record.