Policies

PUBLICATION AND AUTHORSHIP

Luna Azul Journal is a peer-reviewed academic publication that publishes articles addressing environmental or ecological topics, whether they pertain to scientific research or technological development, original reflections, or reviews. The works, reflections, analyses, and reviews may come from any discipline or field of knowledge.

Luna Azul Journal does not accept previously published material; therefore, all submitted articles must be original and unpublished. Furthermore, while the article is under review, authors agree not to submit it to any other journal or publication. Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions to reproduce portions of material (text, tables, or figures) from other publications and for correctly citing their sources. If the author of an article wishes to subsequently include it in another publication, the journal where it is published must clearly indicate the details of the original publication, following prior authorization requested from the Editor of Luna Azul Journal.

For its part, the journal reserves the rights to print and reproduce the material in whole or in part, as well as the right to accept or reject it. Likewise, it reserves the right to make any editorial modifications it deems appropriate. In such cases, the author will receive written recommendations from the Editor. If the author accepts them, they must submit the article with the suggested revisions by the deadlines set by the journal to ensure the editing process proceeds smoothly.

GUIDE TO PEER REVIEW

The evaluation of articles published by Luna Azul Journal follows the double-blind principle and uses the criteria of originality, relevance, methodological rigor, quality of the text’s structure, rigor in the treatment of the topic, and formal quality of the writing. Peer reviewers (two per article) must hold a master’s or doctoral degree, work at institutions other than those of the authors, and have an H-index of at least 2.

The peer review is recorded on a form (see template) that includes a quantitative score for each aspect and its corresponding qualitative justification; it also includes a final overall assessment recommending whether or not the article should be published.

The first column of the form specifies the item to be evaluated; the second column lists the maximum score for each item; the third column provides space to enter the assigned score; and the fourth column is for the justification of the assigned score.

In the evaluation, the peer reviewer must explicitly state their declaration of conflict of interest, as well as their stance on confidentiality and plagiarism.

In order to improve the journal’s quality, visibility, and academic recognition, peer reviewers must attach their CV (see template), which must include their ORCID code and a link to their Google Scholar profile.

The journal’s editor will issue a review certificate upon receiving the report and will send it to the corresponding reviewer via email.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Each article received undergoes a review and selection process. The Editor is responsible for the initial review and selection of submissions to ensure they meet the journal’s requirements. Subsequently, the Editorial Board accepts or rejects the manuscripts based on scientific quality, alignment with the journal’s subject areas, and the timeliness of the results. Additionally, the Editor or the Editorial Board may request revisions and make recommendations deemed necessary to bring the manuscript into compliance with the journal’s guidelines. Following this review, the article will undergo a double-blind peer review by two external academic reviewers not affiliated with the authors’ institutions; these reviewers will issue a recommendation, which may be: a) accepted without changes, b) accepted subject to minor changes and does not require further review, c) not publishable in the journal. In the event that the reviewers’ opinions give rise to disputes, these will be resolved initially by the Editor or, if necessary, a third review will be requested from an academic peer.

Anonymity is required for both authors and reviewers during the review process. Similarly, the results of this review will be communicated to the author via email so that they may make the necessary revisions requested by the reviewers. Upon receipt of the article with the corrections made, the Editor will verify compliance with the reviewers’ suggestions and analyze the justifications for any that were not taken into account. Once this phase is approved, the article will be sent back to the author, if necessary, to make any required adjustments. The review and acceptance process for submitted material can take an average of six months; furthermore, receipt of the article does not imply automatic approval and publication.

AUTHORSHIP POLICY

The Journal only accepts articles with a maximum of five authors. The list of authors must include only those individuals who have made an intellectual contribution to the development of the work. Having assisted in data collection, provided consultation, or participated in a technical aspect are not, in and of themselves, sufficient criteria to be listed as an author. In general, to be listed as an author, the following requirements must be met:

• Having participated in the conception and execution of the work that resulted in the article in question.

• Have participated in the drafting of the text and in any revisions thereof.

• To have approved the version that will ultimately be published.

The Journal declines any responsibility for potential conflicts arising from the authorship of the works published.

The Luna Azul Journal adheres to the guidelines of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) (http://publicationethics.org/files/u2/New_Code.pdf).

TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHT

The authors’ “Declaration of Commitment” form, duly signed by each author, must be submitted along with the article.

The views and opinions expressed by the authors in the articles and communications published in the journal are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the criteria or policies of the Editorial Committee, Luna Azul Journal, or the institution that publishes it.

PUBLICATION RIGHTS

If the document is accepted for publication, the reproduction rights will belong to the University of Caldas. As mentioned, each article must be accompanied by the authors’ Declaration of Commitment form, which specifies that the work is unpublished and states that the reproduction rights are the exclusive property of the journal, in addition to other aspects explicitly outlined in the document, such as the prohibition against simultaneous submission for publication in another journal. Furthermore, the author is responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions to reproduce any material protected by copyright and must clearly specify which table, figure, or text will be cited, along with the complete bibliographic reference.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The Luna Azul Journal expects authors to disclose any commercial association that could pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Given the nature of the articles that may be published in the journal, conflicting interests may arise that could affect impartiality in editorial decisions or toward authors; therefore, each author must make an effort to identify them.

In this regard, authors must state, at the end of the article, whether or not a conflict of interest exists and what it is, as well as the source of funding for the research that gave rise to the article.

ARTICLE RETRACTION POLICY

Regarding the possibility of retracting publications included in the Luna Azul Journal—which consists of the possibility of invalidating or annulling, in whole or in part, what was previously stated or included in any issue of the journal—the University of Caldas establishes the following policy.

The Luna Azul Journal strictly adheres to the guidelines provided by COPE regarding the grounds for retraction of articles published therein; accordingly, the general grounds for retraction of publications shall be:

• Failure to comply with requirements in the editorial process.

• Proven falsification of information upon which the editorial process was based.

• Verification of poor editorial practices on the part of the authors.

• Failure to comply with the ethical principles that should have been observed.

• Deliberately including imprecise or inaccurate information.

ARTICLE RETRACTION POLICY

Retraction, as the act of withdrawing, reducing, or renouncing something, expresses the right of the author of a work or article to express their intention to disavow or renounce what was previously stated or recorded. It is manifested in practice, and to the extent possible for the author, by making this known to their readers through the same medium by which the article or work being renounced was originally published. Retraction is a personal act, stemming from the author’s autonomy of will and their processes of thought and reflection.

PROCEDURE FOR WITHDRAWAL AND RETRACTION

In cases of retraction and withdrawal where the intent is to invalidate or annul, in whole or in part, what was previously stated or included in an issue of the Journal, as well as to withdraw or renounce a published work, article, or opinion, the author or a third party with demonstrated legal interest who intends to make use of this policy must send a written communication to the Journal’s Editor (see format); in which, acting in their capacity as author or providing evidence of their legal interest in the request, as applicable, they shall present the arguments and provide the necessary evidence to request the retraction, specifying its scope. In cases of retraction, the author shall submit the retraction notice to be included for consideration by the Editor and the Editorial Board.

Following the above, and once the submitted documents have been verified—or after confirming the author’s status in the case of a retraction—within a period not exceeding 10 business days, the Editor will present the case to the Editorial Board; who will deliberate and decide by vote, by a simple majority (half plus one), on the request; if accepted, it will be processed within a period of no more than 30 business days.

There shall be no right of appeal against the decision; however, the applicant or another person with a legitimate interest in the matter may resubmit the request for retraction or retraction, as the case may be, and provide or improve upon the evidence previously submitted. Any member of the Editorial Committee may request and initiate the procedure for re r retraction. In the case of retraction, only the authors or rights holders may submit the request.

Once a decision has been made regarding the appropriateness of the retraction or withdrawal, as the case may be, it will be published in the next issue of the Luna Azul Journal, provided that it is still editorially feasible; otherwise, it will be included in the following edition. In cases of withdrawal, the note provided by the author will be included.

PROCEDURE FOR REPRODUCTION

For the duplication of texts, which consists of the possibility of copying or reproducing, verbatim, one or more times, a piece of content or literary work onto a new medium (digital or any other format), Luna Azul Journal follows the following general procedure: All editorial material for which duplication has been requested or authorized shall be prefaced with a caption that clearly identifies it as a duplicate and distinguishes it from the original.

To carry out this type of reproduction, the applicant must complete the internal duplication request form and submit it to the journal’s email address (see form). The form must be completed by the person responsible for the procedure, even when the journal itself determines the need for duplication.

PROCEDURE FOR INCLUDING ERRATA

For publications in the Luna Azul Journal, the errata is to be understood as the standard method of editing and subsequent correction of any article, through which all errors detected in an issue of the journal are corrected. For this procedure, it should be noted that if only part of the article contains an error, it may be corrected subsequently through an editorial note or an errata.

In the event that an author or any third party, including the journal’s staff, discovers a serious error in the publication, this must be communicated in writing and in detail to the Editorial Board so that it may be corrected via the “errata.”

To carry out this type of correction to the editorial material, once the occurrence of the error and the solution have been determined, the errata will be included on one of the opening pages of the next issue of the journal, provided that this is still editorially feasible; otherwise, it will be included in the following issue.

PROCEDURE REGARDING ORIGINALITY AND PLAGIARISM

For the purposes of this policy, originality must be considered from two perspectives: first, as the certainty that the work originates from the person claiming to be its author; second, that the work is novel and distinct from others created previously. The concept of plagiarism also refers to the work or article being distinct from copies, forgeries, or unauthorized derivatives, or the unauthorized or inappropriate use of fragments from other works.

It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure the originality of the articles submitted to the journal, as well as the accuracy of the data and results included therein, clearly and concisely stating that the content is original and has not been copied, invented, distorted, or manipulated.

Plagiarism or the unauthorized use of content belonging to others or third parties, in all its forms, is completely rejected by Luna Azul Journal; similarly, multiple or redundant publication is considered a serious ethical violation. The journal uses Turnitin software, which generates a percentage of matches with other publications in the field.

Authors shall refrain from submitting to Revista Luna Azul texts that have been simultaneously submitted for consideration to another journal; it is permissible to publish content that expands upon previously published or pending work, provided that the source text is properly cited.

As with retraction cases, in instances of proven plagiarism or unauthorized use of third-party content, the complainant must submit a written statement to the Editor outlining the arguments and providing the necessary evidence to support the complaint. Following the above, and once the submitted documents have been verified within a period not exceeding 10 business days, the Editor will present the case to the Editorial Board, which will determine whether the alleged incident actually occurred; furthermore, the Board will notify the relevant authorities or the parties involved, as appropriate.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST INVOLVING REVIEWERS

It is the responsibility of the reviewers of the Luna Azul Journal to declare any conflicts of interest that may arise in relation to the works submitted for their consideration.

A conflict of interest arises when, regarding a work submitted for review by a reviewer or members of the editorial team, there is a direct personal or professional relationship of enmity with the author, or a relationship of any kind with the research that gave rise to the work; or a profound moral or ethical conflict with the subject matter under review. In general, members of the editorial team and reviewers must refrain from reviewing works when they find themselves in any of these or similar situations.

The journal’s editorial team will refrain from selecting reviewers whom they know to be, or who may be, affected by any of the aforementioned situations.

REVIEWERS’ CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT

Without exception, anyone conducting an evaluation or review of a work submitted to the Journal must treat it as strictly confidential until its publication; therefore, they may not disclose any aspect of its content or their personal opinions throughout the entire review process and until publication is complete.

It is clear that, under no circumstances, may the information under consideration be made public or used; nor may details, arguments, or interpretations contained in the text under review be disclosed, either for one’s own benefit or that of third parties. Only in special and duly justified cases may one seek the advice of experts in the field, a circumstance that must be reported to the Journal.

ETHICAL ASPECTS

Where relevant, an explanation of the procedures followed in the research shall be included to ensure compliance with the ethical principles and standards of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki and subsequent revisions.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

This journal provides free access to its content through its website (http://lunazul.ucaldas.edu.co/), based on the principle that making research results available free of charge contributes to a greater exchange of knowledge on a global level.

The journal's web content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) License

This license allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even for commercial purposes, provided that you are credited as the author of the original creation.

PRIVACY STATEMENT

Luna Azul Journal authorizes the photocopying of articles and texts for academic or internal institutional purposes with proper citation of the source. The names and email addresses provided to this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes stated by the journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other person.

DOI SYSTEM

The journal’s articles adhere to the DOI system, which establishes a technical and social infrastructure for the registration and use of identifiers for use in digital networks.