Guidelines for Authors

Instructions for authors

before submitting a manuscript to revista universitas (león), it is highly recommended to review our scope,  Section Policy to ensure that all formatting and stylistic details comply with the journal’s requirements. this will prevent unnecessary delays caused by formatting and style corrections requested at the beginning of the evaluation process. our journal publishes articles in spanish and english and follows the apa 7th edition guidelines for bibliographic references. authors must ensure that their manuscripts adhere to these standards. when submitting a manuscript, all authors must include their ORCID number and full institutional affiliation (without abbreviations and followed by the country) in the metadata.

All articles submitted for publication in Universita (León) must meet the following standards:

  • originality: the work must be entirely original, unpublished, and not previously published in whole or in part in any other publication, except under justified circumstances. authors must complete an originality statement (available at the end of these guidelines).
  • methodological consistency: the research must use valid methods and techniques appropriate to the field.
  • significance: the topic must contribute valuable insights to the agricultural, economic, and educational sciences.
  • impact: the work should be relevant to a broad audience, including both academics and practitioners.
  • clear and concise writing: the manuscript must be well-structured, avoiding jargon and local expressions.
  • equations: must be written using an equation editor, centered, and consecutively numbered in parentheses. variables, constants, and greek or latin letters in equations must be italicized.
  • figures and tables:
    • all figures and tables must be referenced in the text.
    • figure titles, numbering, descriptions, and sources (if applicable) must be placed below the figure in arial, size 10.
    • table titles and numbering should be above the table, while sources should be below the table, aligned to the left, in arial, size 10.
  • units and symbols: must follow the international system of units (si).

Manuscript processing times

once submitted, manuscripts will follow the processing timeline below:

a) submission confirmation (5 days): within five days, authors will receive an email confirming receipt of their manuscript. if no confirmation is received, authors should contact the editorial team immediately. the email will also confirm whether metadata requirements (orcid, institutional affiliations) have been met. all manuscripts will be screened using plagiarism detection software.

b) editorial review (15 days): the editorial committee will decide whether to assign an academic editor and peer reviewers.

c) peer review (25 days): authors will receive reviewer comments within 25 days.

d) author revisions (10-15 days): authors have 10-15 days (up to day 35) to revise their manuscript, address reviewer comments, and submit a rebuttal letter detailing the modifications made.

e) final evaluation (10 days): a second review or final decision will be communicated within 10 days (by day 40).

f) acceptance/rejection notification (40 days): authors will be informed of the final decision within 40 days.

g) publication (10-15 days): once accepted, the article will be published within 10-15 days, making the entire process approximately 45-55 days.

for any inquiries regarding manuscripts, please contact conrado ronaldo quiroz medina at universitas@ac.unanleon.edu.ni.

the journal does not charge article processing charges (APC), allowing authors to publish valuable research at no cost.

TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS (SECTION POLICIES)

Contributions to be published in Universitas (león) must be written in times new roman, size 11, with 1.5 line spacing (excluding tables and figures). margins must be 3 cm at the top, 2 cm at the bottom, 2.5 cm on the left, and 2 cm on the right.

Each page must be numbered at the bottom right corner, and line numbers must restart at 1 on each page.

Section titles (abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions, acknowledgments, and references) must be written in lowercase, with an initial capital letter, bolded, and left-aligned (times new roman, size 11).

Instructions for writing qualitative research

content:

  • title: must be concise and clearly reflect the article’s content. written in spanish and english.
  • authors: full names of all authors must be included. the main author(s) should be marked with an asterisk in superscript. for each author, their academic unit, department, laboratory, research center, and faculty must be specified. for faculty members, the orcid number should also be included. the main author(s) must provide an email address. written in spanish and english.
  • abstract: maximum 250 words, summarizing the justification, objectives, study subject, methodology, results, and conclusions. written in spanish and english.
  • keywords: select 3 to 5 keywords to facilitate indexing in scientific publication databases. written in spanish and english.
  • introduction: should relate the research objective, identifying the problem, significance, scope, supporting literature, and research objectives. must reference recent and relevant scientific literature, preferably from indexed journals. written in spanish and english.
  • methodological design, materials, and methods: must explain the qualitative research approach, study subjects, methods, techniques, and ethical considerations.
  • results and discussion: present research findings, highlighting cause-effect relationships, theoretical implications, and comparisons with published research. tables and figures must be numbered consecutively using arabic numerals and without image frames.
  • conclusions: summarize findings, contributions, and implications of the research.
  • references: preferably cite scientific journal articles, using apa 7th edition referencing style.

Writing guidelines - quantitative research

content:

title: should be concise and clearly convey the content of the article. it must be written in spanish and english.
authors: full names of all authors must be provided. the main author(s) should be marked with an asterisk in superscript. for each author, their academic unit, administration, laboratory, research center, and faculty must be specified. faculty members must also include their orcid number.

the main author(s) must include an email address. this information must be in spanish and english.

Writing guidelines - documentary research

content:

title: should be concise and clearly reflect the content of the essay.
authors: full names of all authors must be provided. the main author(s) should be marked with an asterisk in superscript. for each author, their academic unit, administration, laboratory, research center, and faculty must be specified. faculty members must also include their orcid number.

the main author(s) must include an email address.

a summary of up to 250 words must be included. it must be written in spanish and english.
keywords: select 3 to 5 keywords to facilitate the inclusion of the article in scientific publication databases. written in spanish and english.
introduction: presents the introductory ideas of the documentary review, outlining the author's purpose or objective and the logical structure of the document.
development: this section, freely organized by the author, presents the content necessary to achieve the proposed objectives. it must be based on relevant sources such as books, journals, interviews, internet sources, databases, and others. the content must be paraphrased, including direct and indirect citations, emphasizing the author or content.
conclusion: presents the main findings or reflections from the documentary review.
references: should preferably include scientific journal articles. books should be cited only when relevant to the topic. references must follow apa 7th edition guidelines.

written presentation format: manuscripts must be submitted using the corresponding template (experimental or theoretical).

  • font: times new roman, size 11, single-spaced, letter-sized paper (8 ½ x 11 inches or 21.59 x 27.94 cm) with 2.5 cm margins on all sides.
  • paragraph alignment: single column, fully justified.
  • tables and figures: must be editable, without background color, using pastel tones.

a summary of up to 250 words must be included, concisely presenting the justification, objectives, study subject, methodology, results, and conclusions. written in spanish and english.
keywords: select 3 to 5 keywords to facilitate indexing in scientific publication databases. written in spanish and english.
introduction: should relate the research objective, identifying the problem, significance, scope, supporting literature, and research objectives. must reference recent and relevant scientific literature, preferably from indexed journals.
methodological design, materials, and methods: must explain the experimental design and methodology, including the study subject, experimental site, materials, equipment, methods, techniques, etc.
results and discussion: present research findings, highlighting cause-effect relationships, theoretical implications, and comparisons with published research. tables and figures must be numbered consecutively using arabic numerals and without image frames.
conclusions: summarize findings, contributions, and implications of the research.
references: preferably cite scientific journal articles. books should only be cited if relevant to the topic. references must follow apa 7th edition guidelines.

written presentation format: manuscripts must be submitted using the corresponding template (experimental or theoretical).

  • font: times new roman, size 11, single-spaced, letter-sized paper (8 ½ x 11 inches or 21.59 x 27.94 cm) with 2.5 cm margins on all sides.
  • paragraph alignment: single column, fully justified.
  • tables and figures: must be editable, without background color, using pastel tones.

Writing guidelines - essay

content:

title: should be concise and clearly reflect the content of the essay.
authors: full names of all authors must be provided. the main author(s) should be marked with an asterisk in superscript. for each author, their academic unit, administration, laboratory, research center, and faculty must be specified. faculty members must also include their orcid number.
the main author(s) must include an email address.
a summary of up to 250 words must be included. it must be written in spanish and english.
keywords: select 3 to 5 keywords to facilitate indexing in scientific publication databases. written in spanish and english.
introduction: presents the introductory ideas of the essay, outlining the thesis, purpose, or objective and the logical structure of the document.
development: discusses the central thesis, presenting a basic theoretical framework to support the argument. preferably, paragraphs should be short to maintain readability and engagement. this section must demonstrate organizational and argumentative skills, using books, journals, interviews, internet sources, databases, and other sources.

  • expository paragraphs should introduce original ideas.
  • argumentative paragraphs should analyze parts, compare and contrast, discuss similarities and differences, examine causes and effects, and analyze attitudes, phenomena, origins, consequences, and historical evolution.
    conclusion: presents the main conclusions, summarizing the author’s contributions or reflections.
    references: should preferably include scientific journal articles. books should be cited only when relevant to the topic. references must follow apa 7th edition guidelines.

written presentation format: manuscripts must be submitted using the corresponding template (experimental or theoretical).

  • font: times new roman, size 11, single-spaced, letter-sized paper (8 ½ x 11 inches or 21.59 x 27.94 cm) with 2.5 cm margins on all sides.
  • paragraph alignment: single column, fully justified.
  • tables and figures: must be editable, without background color, using pastel tones.

General observations

in the original document, figures and tables must use international system of units (si). additionally, figures must be submitted separately in their original software format to allow modifications if necessary. if photographs are included, they must be high-resolution scans and submitted separately in electronic format.

  • figure titles: written in bold, with only the first letter capitalized.
  • bar and pie charts: must use clearly distinguishable textures instead of solid colors.
  • line graphs: must use different symbols for each dataset.
  • table titles: written in bold, with only the first letter capitalized. tables must not exceed one page and should not have vertical lines. only three horizontal lines are allowed:
    • one at the top
    • one between the column headers
    • one at the bottom

all citations in the text must match the references. citation format follows apa 7th edition. examples:

  • if cited at the beginning or within a sentence: winter (2002) or lindsay & cox (2001).
  • if cited at the end of a sentence: (winter, 2002) or (lindsay & cox, 2001).
  • if there are more than two authors: tovar et al. (2002) or (tovar et al., 2002).
  • for organizations: fao (2002) or (fao, 2002).

Citation format according to APA 7th edition

journal articles. citations must follow APA 7th edition guidelines and be listed in alphabetical order. if a lead author appears in multiple articles in the same year, distinguish them with letters (a, b, c, etc.).

  1. write the first author’s last name in full, followed by a comma and the initials of their given names with a period. for two authors, use the conjunction "and" (or its equivalent in the language of the work). for more than two authors, separate them with semicolons, and place "and" before the last author. if citing an organization, write the full name followed by its abbreviation in parentheses.

  2. year of publication (in parentheses, followed by a period).

  3. article title (followed by a period).

  4. journal name in italics, followed by a comma.

  5. volume number, issue number in parentheses, followed by a comma, then the page range (e.g., 8(43), 763-775).

  6. add the doi at the end. if there is no doi, include the url.

example:

real baca, c. i., & paibas amador, k. o. (2023). reactivation of two strains of the nuclear polyhedrosis virus vpnhz1991 for managing the corn earworm (helicoverpa zea). revista iberoamericana de bioeconomía y cambio climático, 9(18), 2193–2201. https://doi.org/10.5377/ribcc.v9i18.17547

serial publications, books, and book chapters

examples of books

printed book
lastname, n. (year). title of the work. publisher.

online book
lastname, n., & lastname, n. (year). title of the book. publisher. doi or url.

book with an editor
lastname, n. (ed.). (year). title of the work. publisher.

examples of book chapters

lastname, a., & lastname, b. (year). chapter title. in n. lastname (ed.), title of the book (pp. xx-xx). publisher.

lastname, a., & lastname, b. (year). chapter title. in n. lastname & b. lastname (eds.), title of the book (pp. xx-xx). publisher. http://www.url.com

lastname, a., & lastname, b. (year). chapter title. in n. lastname (ed.), title of the book (pp. xx-xx). publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxxxxxx

example:

zúniga-gonzález, c. a., lópez, m. r., icabalceta-mairena, j. l., vivas-viachica, e. a., & blanco-orozco, n. v. (2024). study of the efficiency and productivity of the productive paths of the bioeconomy in the cnu universities. in sabri boubaker & thanh ngo (ed.), handbook on data envelopment analysis in business, finance, and sustainability: recent trends and developments (pp. 221-250). world scientific. https://doi.org/10.1142/9781800615786_0007

example of thesis or dissertation:

lastname, n. (year). title of the thesis [undergraduate or graduate thesis], name of the institution granting the degree. database or repository name. url.

varela sánchez, r. e., & hernández duarte, s. j. (2023). characterization of native bees in different agroecosystems in two seasons of the year, campus agropecuario unan-león 2022. (undergraduate thesis in tropical agroecology engineering), universidad nacional autónoma de nicaragua, león. unan-león institutional repository. http://riul.unanleon.edu.ni:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/9679

originality statement format

declaration of originality of the written work

title of the work: __________________________________________________________________________________________________

this document certifies that the undersigned author(s) is (are) the original creator(s) of the submitted work, which is being proposed for possible publication in revista universitas (león), edited by the research department of the universidad nacional autónoma de nicaragua, león. furthermore, i (we) confirm that the content presented is the result of my (our) direct intellectual contribution and that, in its current form and content, it is not simultaneously submitted to any other editorial outlet for potential publication.

the author(s) of the submitted work acknowledge(s) that revista universitas (león) requires a double-blind peer review process as part of its editorial policies. additionally, the results of this evaluation are final and non-appealable.

i (we) guarantee that all data and references to previously published materials are properly credited and included in the bibliography and citations. in cases requiring authorization, i (we) confirm having the necessary permissions from the respective copyright holders. consequently, i (we) declare that all submitted materials are free from copyright claims, and i (we) assume full legal responsibility for any disputes related to intellectual property rights, exonerating revista universitas (león), its directors, and editors from any liability.

if the submitted work is approved for publication, as the author(s) and copyright holder(s), i (we) grant unlimited authorization to revista universitas (león) to include the work in the corresponding issue, following corrections and editing. the journal may reproduce, distribute, display, and communicate the work nationally and internationally through electronic media, the internet, or any other known or future medium.

to certify the above, this declaration is signed on the ______ day of the month of _________________, in the year ________, in the city of ___________________.

author(s) signature(s):

full name
email
phone number

submission templates: ensure that these documents are included in your submission.

[1] Cover of Authors

[2] Manuscript wihtout authors and line continuos

[3] Original statement where all authors sign-

[4] commiitment letter from correspondece author

Here you can find all the templates for it

Templates Universitas (León)