ETHICAL PRINCIPLES IN RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION

In today's world, where so many possibilities are available in the field of knowledge, the quality and rigour that must be demanded of a research journal cannot be separated from a series of ethical principles that, within the publication process, affect editing, assessment and authorship. In this regard, Caplletra is committed to the code of ethics by which it is governed and which, based on the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), is outlined below.

Editor Responsibilities

  • To ensure the quality of the journal's content by guaranteeing, through external peer review, that the works represent a significant advance in knowledge within the area to which they belong and that they follow the basic principles of all research articles.

  • To guarantee the acceptance or rejection of works on the sole basis of the academic value of the text and not on any other criterion that may discriminate personally or professionally against the author. 

  • To supply external reviewers with a standard evaluation form that allows them to assess papers according to criteria of originality, relevance to the field of knowledge, methodological rigour and formal presentation.

  • To resolve conflicts related to unethical behaviour that come to the attention of the journal's editorial staff.

  • To guarantee, through the use of specific programmes for the prevention of plagiarism and redundant or duplicate publication (an article or work that is substantially the same as another that has previously been published), that the works are original and have not been previously published.  If Caplletra, at any point in the editing process, detects any kind of practice that would contravene this ethical principle, the work will be automatically rejected.

  • To preserve the anonymity of authors and reviewers throughout the editorial process.
  • To maintain an updated list of external reviewers, specialists in the different fields of knowledge of the journal, including their name and institutional identification, e-mail address, area of specialisation and a record of reviews requested and carried out.

  • To express appreciation and recognition of the work carried out by external reviewers. Upon request, Caplletra will issue certificates to reviewers for the reviews conducted.

  • To give authors the opportunity to appeal editorial decisions. Complaints should be addressed to the Executive Board of the journal. The Reviewing Board will endeavour to resolve the conflict and reply in a timely manner.

  • To be willing to issue corrections, clarifications or apologies when necessary.

  • To resolve conflicts related to unethical behaviour that come to the attention of the editorial staff of the journal.

Reviewer responsibilities

  • To accept the review only if they believe they have sufficient expertise to carry it out.

  • To judge, as specialists, whether the articles they assess are of the required quality to be published in the journal.

  • To assess the manuscripts objectively and to withdraw from the review if they consider that, due to any conflict of interest (academic or personal), they are unable to issue a report on the work in a neutral and objective manner.

  • To review manuscripts in a constructive manner, respecting the intellectual and academic capacity of the author.

  • To ensure that articles include the most relevant bibliographical references on the subject.

  • To refrain from discussing the work under review or using the data provided prior to the publication of the text.

  • To respect the anonymity of the review process, committing to confidentiality during and after the process.

  • To notify the editorial team if they detect content in the articles that is substantially similar to that of previously published works.

  • To commit to delivering the assessment report by the date set by the editorial team.

Author responsibilities

  • To guarantee that the article is an original work that has not been previously published in any other medium or language, or submitted to any other publication.
  • To indicate if the study has received any funding.

  • To ensure that all—and only—in-text references are included in the final bibliography.

  • To include, in the final version of the article, any changes that have been deemed necessary from the review, in order for the article to be published in the journal.

  • To ensure that they have the necessary permissions to use any complementary material to the text (images, tables, graphs, etc.) and to provide these to the editorial team when necessary. 

Dealing with unethical behaviour

  • Any individual may report unethical behaviour to the Reviewing Board, provided it is substantiated by evidence, which will be analysed by the journal.  The author in question shall be the first to have the opportunity to respond to the allegations made. If their response is not satisfactory, the Reviewing Board will resolve the problem either in consultation with specialists in the field or by any other means it deems apropiadament.