Ethics

This code is based on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Academic Publications of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): http://publicationethics.org. It is intended for editors, reviewers, and authors.

Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of an article in the peer-reviewed journals of the University of Granada is a process of continuous knowledge improvement and a direct reflection of the quality of the work of authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. Therefore, it is important to agree on expected ethical behavior standards for all parties involved in publishing: the author, the journal editor, the reviewer, the publisher, and the society behind the journals owned or sponsored by the institution.

The University of Granada takes its responsibilities in overseeing all stages of publication very seriously and recognizes its ethical and other obligations.

The journal is committed to ensuring that advertising, reprints, or other commercial revenue do not influence editorial decisions. Additionally, the Editorial Board will collaborate with other journals and publishers when communication between them is useful for editorial purposes.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards

Authors of original research reports must provide an accurate description of the work performed, along with an objective analysis of its significance. The underlying data must be represented accurately in the article. The article should contain sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or deliberately inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review articles and professional publications must also be accurate and objective, and editorial opinion pieces must be clearly identified as such.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide raw data related to an article for editorial review and should, in any case, be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable period after publication.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works. If they have used the work or words of others, these must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism takes many forms, from passing off another’s work as one’s own to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s work (without attribution) or claiming research results conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical editorial behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

In general, an author should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical editorial behavior and is unacceptable. In general, an author should not submit a previously published article for consideration in another journal.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have influenced the determination of the nature of the published work. Information obtained privately, such as in conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties, should not be used or disclosed without the explicit written permission of the source. Information obtained during confidential services, such as manuscript reviews or grant applications, should not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in those services.

Authorship of the Article

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the presented study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. When others have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the article and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects

If the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that have any unusual inherent hazards, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript. If the work involves the use of human or animal subjects, the author must ensure that the manuscript contains a statement that all procedures were carried out in accordance with relevant institutional laws and guidelines and that they were approved by the appropriate institutional committees. Authors must include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for human subject experimentation. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be respected.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other conflicts of interest that could be interpreted as influencing the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding sources. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed as soon as possible.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they have an obligation to immediately notify the editor or the journal’s publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the article. If the editor or publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, the author is obliged to retract or correct the article immediately or provide evidence to the editor regarding the accuracy of the original publication.

Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions

The editor of a peer-reviewed journal is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published, often in collaboration with the relevant society (in the case of society-owned or sponsored journals). The validation of the work in question and its importance for researchers and readers should always guide these decisions. The editor may be guided by the journal’s Editorial Board policies and may be constrained by legal requirements such as defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may consult with other editors or reviewers (or society officials) in making this decision.

Fair Play

An editor must evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the author.

Confidentiality

The editor and any editorial staff members must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, or the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the explicit written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Editors should decline to consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers.

Participation and Cooperation in Investigations

An editor must take reasonable steps when ethical complaints have been presented regarding a submitted manuscript or a published article, in collaboration with the publisher or society. These measures will generally include contacting the author of the manuscript or article and giving due consideration to the respective complaint or claims made. This process may also include additional communications with relevant institutions and research bodies. If the complaint is confirmed, a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other relevant action will be published. Every reported act of unethical editorial behavior must be investigated, even if discovered years after publication.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review helps the editor make editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with the author, may also assist the author in improving the manuscript. Peer review is an essential component of formal academic communication and is at the core of the scientific method. The University of Granada believes that all scholars who wish to contribute to publications have an obligation to perform their fair share of reviewing.

Promptness

Any referee selected who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that a prompt review will not be possible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with third parties unless authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly, with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also bring to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published article of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer's own research without the explicit written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions related to the articles.

Editorial Practices for Gender Equality

Teorema is committed to gender policies that promote real equality between women and men in our society. This commitment is reflected in several fundamental actions:

a) Editorial Participation

Teorema values a balanced representation of women and men in its editorial management bodies.

b) Inclusive Language

Authors are encouraged to use inclusive language that reflects the presence and status of women in society and aligns with the principle of gender equality. This includes:

• Replacing the generic masculine with gender-neutral terms where possible.
• Using explanatory phrases when necessary.
• Employing dual-gender formulations when alternatives are not available.

Any manuscript that adheres to the Royal Spanish Academy’s (RAE) language guidelines on this matter is considered acceptable.

c) Sex and Gender in Research

Research reports should avoid stereotypes and gender biases that adopt masculinity as the universal reference, exaggerate biological differences, or naturalize socially constructed differences.

Additionally, research should incorporate sex as a variable, reflecting the gender composition of study samples, analyzing possible differences, and disaggregating results by sex. Authors are encouraged to consult the manual: Gender in Research for further guidance.