Editorial Policy

Section Policies

Social Research Journal uses the Double Blind Review methodology, guaranteeing that each submitted work is managed impartially and under a strict non-binding process, which distinguishes the publication for the preservation of its quality and editorial management.

The journal gives priority to empirical research with theoretical underpinnings that advance the understanding of the phenomenon under study. This includes reports of interventions, evaluative or diagnostic studies that present an innovative theoretical-methodological approach and that cover a broad national, international or comparative spectrum. Reviews, such as state of the art or state of knowledge on a topic, are also accepted. Protocols or preliminary research projects are not accepted. The specific characteristics for the presentation of these proposals can be consulted in the Submissions section.

In addition, the journal follows the publication standards of the American Psychological Association (APA) in its seventh edition and receives articles in electronic format prepared in Microsoft Word. The articles published are aimed at an audience interested in empirical and documentary research in the social sciences and related fields, with relevant and innovative methodological and epistemological perspectives.

Accepted articles

International Social Research Journal will take into account, in order to develop the editorial processes for publication, articles containing scientific research results, theoretical review articles, articles containing retractions or corrections, editorials and book reviews. These must be of an unpublished or original nature, that is, they must not have been previously published in any other format.

The documents must comply with the structures of scientific articles suggested by the journal and must be written in accordance with the publication standards of the American Psychology Association (APA).

  • Scientific and technological research articles: These are academic works that present the results of original studies carried out in the field of science and technology. These articles are designed to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in specific areas through empirical and theoretical research. They also describe original results of completed research and aim to disseminate clearly and precisely, on a regular basis, the results of research carried out on a given area of ​​knowledge.
  • Review articles: Documents resulting from research where the findings of published or unpublished research on a field of science and technology are analyzed, systematized and integrated, in order to account for advances and development trends. They are characterized by presenting a careful bibliographic review. Unlike research articles that present new original findings, review articles focus on the collection, evaluation and synthesis of existing literature.
  • Articles derived from Conferences, Symposia, Congresses: These are articles developed based on the author's participation as a speaker in keynote conferences, symposia and congresses, both national and international.
  • Editorials: These are short reflections on current topics that can introduce the topics addressed in the articles published in the journal.

On the other hand, documents must contain a basic structure with the following elements: title, summary, keywords, introduction, method, results, discussion, conclusions and between 30 to 40 references, preferably citing other articles from scientific journals, which must be cited within the document.

  • Title in English: It should describe the research object and not the objective, therefore it should not begin with a verb. The length should not exceed twelve (12) words. It should describe the content of the article. Avoid beginning with an article or preposition. It should be short, specific and informative.
  • Abstract: It should have a maximum of 200 words, written in the third person and in the past tense. It is suggested that it contain the following structure: Objective (general objective addressed by the article), Methodology developed (Methods, techniques, procedures and sample used for data collection and analysis), Results (main findings found, present them as they were found, without any interpretation and analysis), Conclusions and discussions (summary of the conclusions). Avoid citations, abbreviations and bibliographical references.
  • Keywords: are descriptive terms ordered alphabetically that represent the main content of the article. They should facilitate consultation in databases or thesaurus. They can be compound words separated by a comma (,), a quantity between 3 and 6 keywords is suggested.
  • Name of the Authors: (if you have a standardized signature, include it), institution or institutions to which you are linked (city and country of the institution), role played (Example: professor-researcher), "Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)" code, and email addresses.
  • Acknowledgements and financial support: Include the Acknowledgements and financial support at the end of the article after the references, that is, do not include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise.
  • Introduction: There must be coherence between the title, objective and results stated in the article. The problem, the problem question and the general and specific objectives, the definition of its variables, the limitations, the scope, the justification of the subject and the background are stated with citations in APA Standard, sixth version.
  • Development of the Work: You must make correct use of the language and its grammar. You must keep strict correspondence with the other sections of the work. The internal organization must be coherent and balanced. The empirical information must have the respective source and theoretical reference. The contribution of the authors of the article must be clear. Copyright must be respected.
  • Method/Design: This section should mention the methodological design used to meet the objectives, as well as the materials, tools or resources used for the development of the research. The research paradigm, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sample size. Research method and the way in which the data were analyzed. Also in this section, the participants, who are the actors involved in the research, the size and type of the sample, sampling (probabilistic, non-probabilistic, simple random, statistic, or by cluster), the way in which the sample was selected from the universe, the instruments, which are the research techniques that were applied, the type of instrument, and the description of the field work, should be mentioned. Mention the fundamental reason for choosing the instrument used, describing its validity and reliability; and the procedure, which includes the phases or stages in which the research is developed (from the beginning to its culmination).
  • Results: The results must be clearly presented, taking into account the way they are presented, whether they are analytical, descriptive, evaluative, or comparative. The results can be presented in tables, figures, graphs, maps, and drawings. They must be presented in an orderly and sequential manner, which coincide with the objective proposed for the article. Statistical analysis must consider the level of the different variables involved in the research process. If there are hypotheses, the approval or rejection of the same must be clearly stipulated. The statistical analysis must consider each of the variables addressed, in a technical, qualitative, or quantitative manner.
  • Tables, Charts, and Graphs: The tables must be numbered consecutively. As well as the figures, which must be numbered independently of the tables. Each table or figure must be accompanied by a legend that clearly describes the material. The titles must account for the content of the information. The tables, figures, and photographs must be original by the author(s). If they are modifications or reproductions of another article, they must be accompanied by the corresponding editor's permission. Charts, graphs, tables, images and other elements must be included in the body of the text in an editable format or attached to the original programs in which they were made.
  • Discussion: The style of the discussion is argumentative, with judgments and controversies of the results themselves, with other similar authors according to the bibliographic review, including theoretical and practical implications, there must be theoretical contrast between authors, as well as the contribution of the researcher, urging future recommendations. Finally, the conclusion is given by answering the questions and the objective set, as well as future lines of research.
  • Conclusions: They should not constitute a repetition of the results. The conclusions should be a reflective reworking of the results with a high level of abstraction. It is different from a final reflection. Citations should be avoided.
  • References: it is closely related to the documents cited in the article, that is, only those that were used in its preparation are included. In addition, it must be arranged in strict alphabetical order at the end of the article, always adhering to international APA citation standards and including between 30 and 40 references, preferably citing other articles in scientific journals, which must be cited within the document.
  • Description of the research derivative: This is a brief description of the research project from which the article is derived.

Evaluation and arbitration process

International Social Research Journal submits all its articles to a blind peer review process to ensure the quality and scientific rigor of the manuscripts that are submitted to the publication. The proposal evaluation process consists of two stages:

Stage I: The Editorial Committee conducts an initial review to verify that the proposal meets the basic requirements established, such as the thematic focus, length, citation standards, structure, format and documentation. Subsequently, a member of the Committee conducts a first reading to assess the relevance of the proposal and determine whether it meets the academic quality requirements necessary to move on to the peer review stage. This phase has a maximum duration of 30 days.

Stage II: Proposals that advance to this stage are subject to an academic peer review through a double-blind procedure. Two anonymous referees, specialists in the subject, national and international, review the proposal. If the referees' verdicts are contradictory, a third referee is called upon to make the final decision, and this process can take up to two months.

The decisions issued by the referees regarding publication can be:

  • Accept the article without changes
  • Accept the article with changes in form
  • Accept the article with structural changes
  • Do not accept

The complete evaluation process, in both stages, takes an average of three months and is based on criteria of originality, pertinence, relevance of the findings, handling of specialized theory, methodological rigor, consistency, argumentative clarity and quality of writing.

In any case, the author will be notified of the referees' decision and the acceptance of the article will depend on the author(s) considering and responding to the journal “Social Research Journal” on the suggestions or modifications that the referees propose as soon as possible after notification. In turn, the Editorial Committee reserves the right to introduce the formal modifications necessary to adapt the text to the publication standards, without this implying any alteration of the content, which is the sole responsibility of the authors. It will be the Editorial Committee of Social Research Journal who will ultimately decide on the acceptance and subsequent publication of the articles received.

In turn, in case of approval, they must abide by the observations made by the Editorial Committee and the referees. The authors will have up to 20 calendar days to make the adjustments and send the new version of the work, explicitly indicating the modifications made and/or presenting arguments on those observations that could not be addressed. Subsequently, the galley proof of the article will be created in the layout process that provides the aesthetic appearance of the final document.

The Editorial Committee reserves the final decision on the publication of the proposals and the volume in which they will be included. The authors will be informed of the publication date. During this process, minor style corrections may be made that the journal considers pertinent. Also, the Editorial Team will not consider those articles that do not comply with its editorial policy or its publication standards. In this sense, the editors and the advisory committee of the journal will collectively select the articles that meet the requirements, assigning expert referees according to their lines of research.

Open access policy

Taking into consideration the movements of the international scene and aware of the need for openness of scientific information, the Journal subscribes to the Open Access model in its electronic version. In this sense, Social Research Journal provides immediate open access to all its content, based on the principle that offering free access to research helps a greater global exchange of knowledge. Its objective is to comply with DOAJ's open access regulations.

Copyright

In turn, the journal has a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which allows sharing (copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format) and adapting (remixing, transforming and building upon the material) for non-commercial purposes, giving credit to the authors and the journal. Also, any partial or total reproduction of the contents or images of the publication is authorized, including electronic storage, as long as it is not for profit or for strictly academic uses, invariably citing the source without altering the content and giving author credits.

Copyright of Social Research Journal belongs to Social Research Consulting Group (SRCG).

Article Processing Charges

Social Research Journal does not charge fees for the submission, processing or publication of articles (APC). However, from 2027, fees will be implemented to cover the operating costs associated with the editorial management of the journal. Currently, the journal does not offer financial compensation to editors, authors or reviewers for their contributions in the arduous editorial process and visibility of articles, and all their work is completely ad honorem. In this sense, all costs generated in the editorial management process of the articles are assumed by Social Research Consulting Group (SRCG).

Preservation of digital content

Social Research Journal ensures the digital preservation of all published documents, which remain under the safekeeping of the Editorial Board. The integrity and accessibility of its website and all its contents are guaranteed by TioGlen. In addition, the hosting services of the site, provided by third parties, provide additional support and protection to ensure the continuity and security of the information.

To maintain high standards of security and availability, the journal implements periodic backups and protection measures against cyber threats. In this way, it is ensured that published documents are always accessible to researchers, academics and the general public, thus contributing to free access and dissemination of knowledge in the educational field.

In addition, Social Research Journal is committed to adopting new technologies and recommended practices for digital preservation, ensuring that information and data remain safe and available in the long term. This commitment to digital preservation and security reinforces the journal's mission to be a reliable and accessible resource for the educational community.

Archiving Policies

This journal uses LOCKSS to create a distributed archiving system among collaborating libraries, allowing them to create permanent archives of the journal for preservation and restoration purposes.

Open Journal Systems supports the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system, which guarantees the journal a permanent and secure archive. LOCKSS is an open source program developed by the Stanford University Library, which allows libraries to preserve selected web journals by regularly searching registered journals to collect new published content and archiving it. Each archive is continuously validated against records from other libraries, so that any damaged or lost content can be restored using those records or the journal itself.

Interoperability

Social Research Journal implements the OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) interoperability protocol, thus facilitating the harvesting and distribution of metadata from its contents. This allows the journal to be harvested by other distribution systems and increases its visibility on digital platforms.

Ethical Principles

Social Research Journal adheres to the ethical principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in its Core Principles.

General Rules

  1. Originality and Exclusivity: All academic material, whether an article (research report or essay) or review, must be unpublished and cannot be subject to pending evaluation by another periodical publication or book.
  2. Thematic Appropriateness: All articles submitted for publication must adhere to the thematic scope addressed by the journal.
  3. Final Version: The originals received will be considered the final version. Modifications will only be accepted if the reviewers so request for publication, or at the request of the Editorial Committee.
  4. Acknowledgement of Receipt: The Editorial Committee will acknowledge receipt of all material submitted for publication and of the correspondence sent in each part of the editorial process.
  5. Prior Rejection: The Editorial Committee is authorized to reject texts before the review process if it considers that they do not comply with the minimum standards of quality, format, bibliographic citation, length, writing, subject matter or presentation of documentation.
  6. Editing: The journal reserves the right to edit all material accepted for publication, respecting the work of the authors. The purpose of the modifications is to standardize criteria, adjust formatting details, or clarify content.
  7. Free of charge: Authors do not receive payment for published texts, nor do they pay for their publication.
  8. Declaration of Originality: Authors must sign a Declaration of Originality that is submitted with the proposal and the general information sheet of the authors to begin the evaluation process.
  9. Assignment of Rights: Authors must sign a Letter of Assignment of Rights once their article or review is approved for publication, and submit a copy of an identification document. Instructions for submission and formats will be provided by the Editorial Committee.

 

Evaluation Process

  1. Start of Evaluation: The evaluation process will begin once the Editorial Committee verifies compliance with the editorial standards.
  2. Peer Evaluation: After passing the first stage of evaluation, the articles will be reviewed by academic peers using the double-blind principle.
  3. Notification of Results: The Editorial Committee will inform the authors whose works are accepted for publication immediately after the decision, with an average time of three months.

Unacceptable Behaviors

Social Research Journal considers the following behaviors as unacceptable:

  1. Failure to comply with the deadlines set during the editorial process.
  2. Withdrawing the text when it is already in the process of being reviewed.
  3. Plagiarizing the submitted works.
  4. Making substantial changes to the final version of accepted texts that have not been requested by the reviewers.
  5. Adding or omitting co-authors who do not appear from the initial submission of the article.

These guidelines ensure the integrity and quality of the editorial process, promoting transparency and ethics in academic publishing.

Anti-plagiarism policy

Social Research Journal implements a strict policy for the prevention of plagiarism and reserves the right to review all manuscripts submitted for publication using free anti-plagiarism software (Plagiarism Detector). In this regard, authors are entirely responsible for the content of their contributions and must ensure that they are original and unpublished, since documents containing 15% coincidence with previously published works will be rejected.

This review is based on the criteria established in Turnitin's 10 modalities of unoriginal work:

  1. Cloning: Presenting someone else's work as your own, copied word for word.
  2. Mosaic: Material copied from multiple sources that fit well.
  3. Copy and Paste: Including large passages of text from a single source without modifying them.
  4. Remix: Mixing paraphrased material extracted from multiple sources.
  5. Recycling: Borrowing large passages from your own previous work without including citations.
  6. Reuse: Correctly citing sources, making excessive use of the structure and/or the original terms of the text.
  7. Search and Replacement: Changing key words and expressions without altering the essential content of the sources.
  8. RSS Feed: Correctly citing sources, but hardly including paragraphs of your own creation.
  9. Error 404: Citing non-existent sources or including inaccurate information about sources.
  10. Hybrid: Combining perfectly cited sources with copied fragments without including citations.

If plagiarism practices are detected, the manuscript will be discarded for publication and the Editorial Committee will review the case and, depending on its severity, determine the corresponding sanction. This policy ensures academic integrity and maintains the quality standards of the journal, promoting originality and rigor in the published contributions.

Privacy Statement

International Social Research Journal, through its Editorial Board, assumes the responsibility of collecting, using and protecting personal data in relation to the academic and professional services it offers.

The names, email addresses, institutional affiliations, author identifiers (ORCID), bibliographic records and other data entered in this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes established within it. They will not be provided to third parties. The Editorial Board uses this information solely for academic purposes and undertakes to inform about any changes or updates in the handling of this data.

Declaration of conflicts of interest

Authors should avoid any conflict arising from relationships with commercial institutions or associations that may influence the objectivity of the article. They are expected not to make biased judgments, whether positive or negative, motivated by personal interest, academic competence or intellectual passion.

In the case of Social Research Journal, authors submitting research articles or review articles must ensure that their procedures and methodologies comply with ethical standards of publication. This will be guaranteed by the signing of a document of acceptance or assignment of copyright, as well as an explicit declaration of conflicts of interest at the time of submitting the article for preliminary review. Authors are responsible for avoiding unethical, discriminatory, offensive or aggressive practices in the research that supports the article. Likewise, authors must disclose any conflict of interest related to their work. The person who submits the manuscript for publication will be considered responsible for the work in its entirety and will be the person with whom communication will be maintained during the editorial process.