Ethical Policy

Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales is committed to publishing content that upholds high academic standards, contributes meaningfully to knowledge, and remains accessible to all readers. To achieve these goals, our editorial processes must be public, transparent, and trustworthy. We also establish clear ethical guidelines for authors, reviewers, the editorial team, and Universidad de los Andes as the publisher. In many respects, Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales follows the ethical guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM) as detailed in the document “International Ethical Principles for Scholarly Publication.”

Authors 

Guidelines for reporting research results

• Accurately and correctly report the work conducted during the research and provide an objective explanation of its relevance.
• Disclose all sources of research funding and the affiliated group or institution.
• Faithfully represent the data on which the research is based in the article.
• Carefully describe and document the methodology employed, including any assumptions and statements that create uncertainty (ambiguity, vagueness, etc.).
• Include sufficient information and references to allow the research to be replicated by others.
• Ensure that reviews or debate documents are precise, correct, and objective.
• Do not include personal criticisms in the text. In cases of disagreement, the discussion should be strictly academic.
• Including false or inaccurate statements in the articles is unethical and unacceptable.
• Report the use of artificial intelligence tools and how they were utilized.

Access to research data

If requested by the journal, authors must provide the data supporting their articles for editorial review. This may include informed consent forms, image use authorizations, ethics committee approvals, and other pertinent documents.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism can manifest in several ways, including presenting another author's work as one's own, copying or paraphrasing significant portions of someone else's work without proper attribution, and misappropriating research results developed by others. Additionally, self-plagiarism, which involves reusing one's own previously published texts without appropriate citation or presenting them as new, is equally unethical. Any form of plagiarism is a serious ethical violation and is considered unacceptable.

The journal declares that all the articles it receives are submitted to a plagiarism detection test. If the software detects a high degree of similarity or some information without the corresponding citation, the journal will contact the author requesting comments in this regard. The final decision on accepting or rejecting the article will be made by the editor, taking into account the author's comments.

Originality and source attribution

Authors must ensure that the work they submit to the journal is original and unpublished. All sources used must be properly cited and referenced. Authors should cite publications that have influenced their research and place the article within the context of its academic field.

For oral sources, unless explicit permission has been granted (in writing or by other means), information obtained from private conversations cannot be included in the articles.

Authors must also secure permission to include images, figures, graphics, photographs, maps, or similar items that belong to other individuals or institutions. Authors are responsible for the proper use and citation of these materials in the publication.

Submitting the same article to multiple journals

Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously or to a journal where it already has editorial commitments is an ethical violation and, therefore, unacceptable.

Authorship

An author is defined as someone who has made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, interpretation, and writing of the article. All individuals who have made a significant contribution should be listed as co-authors. For articles with two or more authors, the specific contributions of each author must be clearly indicated.

Acknowledgment notes can be included in the articles to give credit to individuals who contributed to the preparation of the article (e.g., external reviewers, language editors, etc.).

Authors should carefully consider the inclusion and order of authors before submitting the manuscript to the journal. Only in exceptional cases will the editor allow changes to the author list. Any changes to the original list must be approved by all authors of the manuscript.

Authors collectively assume responsibility for the article. Each author must ensure that any questions regarding the validity or accuracy of the text are appropriately reviewed and resolved.

Risks and research involving humans or animals

Authors must clearly specify any risks associated with the use of equipment, procedures, or chemicals in their research.

For studies involving humans or animals, authors must state in the manuscript that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines, and that these procedures received approval from the appropriate institutional review board. The manuscript must also confirm that informed consent was obtained from all human subjects. The privacy rights of individuals involved in the research must always be respected.

For research involving minors or individuals with disabilities, written informed consent must be obtained from their legal guardians.

Corrections and retractions

If authors identify a significant error or inaccuracy in their published article, they must promptly inform the journal and actively cooperate to correct or retract the article as needed.

Editorial team

Decisions on publishing content

The editorial team makes the final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript. This decision is based on the recommendations from the evaluation process and the editorial review, considering criteria such as quality, significance, relevance, originality, and contribution to the field.

Errata, retractions, and corrections

The editorial team promptly addresses any requests for retraction, correction, claims, or clarifications submitted to the journal.

When the editorial team has evidence of falsified or incorrect information in published content, they are responsible for making the necessary corrections or clarifications and announcing them on the Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales website. In cases where the content has significant issues, it will be retracted, and the retraction will be publicly announced on the website.

Peer review

The editorial team must ensure that the peer review process is conducted fairly, objectively, and promptly. To achieve this:

• Articles must be evaluated by at least two academic peers. If necessary, the editorial team may seek a third evaluation or consult a member of the editorial board to make a decision regarding the publication of the article.
• Conflicts of interest that may arise during the evaluation process must be avoided.
• Evaluators will be selected based on their academic background, expertise, and contributions to the subject area being reviewed.
• The anonymity of both authors and reviewers must be maintained throughout the evaluation process.
• Reviewers proposed by the author may be considered, provided impartial arbitration can be ensured. The editorial team will also consider any potential conflicts of interest identified by the author.

Editorial decision-making

The editorial review of manuscripts must focus solely on the content and ideas presented, without regard to the authors' race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, citizenship, or political affiliation.

The editorial team must not use information from manuscripts under review or selection for their own research until the content has been officially published.

Journal metrics

The editorial team must not attempt to artificially boost the rankings or performance indicators of the Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales through the manipulation of metrics. It is unethical and unacceptable to request that authors cite journal content or include it in their manuscript references without legitimate academic justification. Likewise, it is inappropriate to ask authors to reference articles by the editors in their manuscripts.

Conflict of interest

Los miembros del equipo editorial no pueden participar de la toma de decisiones sobre contenidos de su autoría, ni de contenidos escritos por familiares, colegas u otros miembros del equipo editorial. Cualquier contenido de este tipo debe someterse a todos los procesos editoriales de la revista; asimismo, el miembro del equipo en cuestión debe quedar excluido de la gestión del proceso de evaluación y la toma de decisión sobre la publicación.

Responsibility for published content

Editorial team members must not participate in decision-making for content they have authored, or content authored by family members, colleagues, or other members of the editorial team. Such content must undergo the full editorial process of the journal, and the involved team member must be excluded from managing the evaluation process and making publication decisions.

Preservation of published content

The editorial team is responsible for ensuring the conservation and preservation of all published content.

Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decision-Making

Reviews should provide comprehensive and constructive feedback to help the editorial team make informed decisions about manuscripts. They can also assist authors in improving their articles. Peer review is a crucial component for the dissemination of knowledge and lies at the heart of the scientific method upheld by reputable journals.

Commitment to the review process

If a specialist invited to review a manuscript feels unable to provide an evaluation due to the content being outside their area of expertise or due to time constraints, they should promptly withdraw and notify the editorial team. Upon accepting the review, the reviewer commits not to use the content of the manuscript for personal or third-party benefit until the text is published.

Standards of objectivity

Reviews must be conducted with honesty, objectivity, and without personal bias. Personal criticism of the author is always inappropriate. Reviewers should provide clear, well-reasoned arguments and respect the intellectual stance of the manuscript's author.

Conflict of interest

Reviewers must notify the editorial team if they identify any personal or professional conflict of interest that could influence their assessment of the article.

Careful treatment of the literature

Reviewers should identify relevant published works on the topic that have not been cited in the manuscript. If reviewers notice that an observation or argument in the manuscript has already been published elsewhere, they should inform the editorial team and cite the original source. Additionally, reviewers should point out any substantial similarities between the manuscript and other published works they are aware of.

Publisher

Editorial Independence

The publisher must uphold the principle of editorial independence, ensuring that the decision to publish or not publish content rests solely with the editorial team.

Published content

If the university becomes aware of credible evidence that content published by Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales contains errors, it must coordinate with the editorial team to promptly issue a correction, retraction, or clarification as appropriate.

Institutional endorsement in publications

As the publisher, the university plays a supportive role and ensures that best editorial practices are implemented and adhered to.

Preservation of published content

The university is responsible for ensuring the conservation and preservation of its publications by providing technological support that safeguards both current and future content.