Ethical Standards for Publication

Ethical Standards of Publication

The journal Humanities, Technology and Education (HUTECEDU) actively promotes the adoption of exemplary editorial practices based on international ethical standards in academic publishing. We align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, as well as the ethical guidelines of Academy Publisher and Elsevier.

Consequently, we encourage maximum rigor in all stages of the editorial process, demanding an impeccable ethical behavior from all stakeholders involved: authors, reviewers, editors and the editorial team.

Each manuscript received in HUTECEDU is evaluated exclusively on its scientific merit, originality and contribution to the field of study. To ensure process integrity, good editorial practices are implemented at each stage, including a systematic review for plagiarism using the Turnitin software.

Any manuscript submitted for evaluation must meet the following criteria:

A.Authorship consent: All authors must have given their explicit consent for the submission and eventual publication of the article.

B.Originality: The work must be original, not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted to evaluation in another journal.

C.Reproduction permission: The article must not include copyrighted material without proper authorization. In case of using third party content, you must have the necessary permissions to reproduce it both in print and digital format.

D.Citations and references: All information derived from previous investigations must be correctly quoted. If the article includes analysis or reviews of already published proposals, these should be appropriately referenced.

E.Editorial archive: The manuscripts submitted will be kept in the archives of the journal and will be considered valid publications only if they meet all the established requirements.

F.Impartiality of the review committee: Members of the review committee should have no professional, academic or personal ties to the authors of the articles they evaluate, thus ensuring the fairness of the process.

INTEGRITY OF RESEARCH

1.1. Inappropriate Conduct in Research: includes practices such as fabrication, forgery or plagiarism at any stage of the scientific process: from proposal formulation to peer review and disclosure of results. When such conduct is suspected or detected, the Editorial Committee will initiate a formal investigation, in coordination with the author’s affiliated institution, employer, sponsoring entity or competent national authority, in order to ensure the integrity of the academic process.

1.2. Irregularity report: to be submitted both by identified persons and anonymously. However, in order to be investigated they must be supported by clear, concrete and verifiable evidence. The Journal undertakes to treat all complaints with confidentiality, impartiality and in accordance with the ethical principles established by international bodies such as COPE.

1.3. Fabrication/Falsification and Manipulation of Images: it is recognized that certain modifications may be necessary for scientific presentation purposes. However, all editing must be done in an ethical and transparent manner. The essential characteristics of the image should not be altered, and any adjustment in brightness or contrast should be applied uniformly without distorting the data. The original images should be kept and accompany any edited version intended for publication. In addition, the construction of figures from different components is not permitted unless clearly indicated by dividing lines and justified in the corresponding legend. Any non-linear cutoff, deletion or adjustment should also be duly noted.

1.4. Plagiarism: understood as the copying, appropriation or misuse of ideas, texts, data, graphics or any intellectual content of third parties without the corresponding recognition, is strictly prohibited. The Journal of Humanities, Technology and Education (HUTECEDU) applies a rigorous plagiarism detection process in all manuscripts received, using specialized tools to ensure the originality of contributions and preserve academic integrity.

1.5. Duplicate and Redundant Data Publication: Authors should refrain from presenting as original those results that have already been previously published. Reediting or re-use of data is only allowed when done in full transparency and with due citation of the original source. Abstracts or posters presented at congresses, results disclosed in scientific meetings, data stored in repositories without interpretative analysis, and theses and dissertations filed with academic institutions are not considered to be improper duplications.

1.6. Text Recycling: only accepted in contexts where partial results of previous research are presented to a different audience, and whenever new approaches, discussions and conclusions are developed. In these cases, authors should ensure that the content is not a simple repetition of previous work and should clearly state the relationship between both publications, avoiding any form of self-plagiarism or unwarranted redundancy.

1.7. Simultaneous Submission: Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is an unacceptable practice in academia. Authors should refrain from sending their work to multiple publications at the same time. If the HUTECEDU Editorial Board detects this situation, the manuscript will be automatically rejected and not considered for publication.

1.8. Duplication of information published in other languages:As for the duplication of content published in other languages, it is provided that translations of previously published articles -without substantial the analysis or conclusions will not be accepted for publication in the journal. This measure aims to avoid editorial redundancy and guarantee the originality of the contents disseminated, regardless of language.

1.9. Sanctions: Sanctions for ethical violations are applied with seriousness and proportionality, after a careful evaluation by the Editorial Committee. As a first step, a public retraction of the article concerned shall be issued. In the most serious cases, the institution of affiliation of the author or authors involved shall be notified. The magazine also reserves the right to refuse future contributions from those responsible for the infringement.

 

2. Editorial Standards and Processes
2.1. Authorship: The authorship must accurately reflect the scientific, technical or intellectual contribution of each collaborator. The order of authors must be agreed in advance and justified by the level of participation in the work. All authors must sign a statement of responsibility including their specific contribution. Those contributors who do not meet the formal criteria of authorship should be recognized in the acknowledgments section, always with their consent. The submission of the approval report of the Institutional Ethics Committee is mandatory. In addition, all communications relating to the manuscript will be addressed to all authors.

2.2. Authorship Disputes: In case of disputes or suspicions about the attribution of authorship, the Editorial Committee will initially communicate with the author of correspondence. If necessary, he may contact the other co-authors for additional information to clarify the situation.

2.3. Funding: All sources of funding, as well as their specific roles in the development of the study, should be clearly stated in the acknowledgements section. In the absence of funding, this situation should be explicitly stated. Other forms of support, such as technical or editorial assistance, should also be mentioned.

2.4. Peer review: HUTECEDU uses the double-blind peer review system for all scientific manuscripts. Editorial or institutional contributions are not subject to external review. The entire process is carried out under strict confidentiality. Reviewers should declare any conflict of interest before accepting a review, especially if they have recent links with the authors, whether academic, institutional or competitive.

2.5. Publication Times: The journal is committed to ensuring a timely evaluation of manuscripts, promoting an efficient review and avoiding unjustified delays in the editorial process.

2.6. Participation of Editors as Authors: Editors, members of the Editorial Committee or the Advisory Committee that submit manuscripts to the journal may not participate in decisions related to their own works. In these cases, an alternative editorial procedure will be applied which is clearly defined and communicated to the readers.

2.7. Conflict of Interest: Authors, reviewers and editors should disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect the objectivity of the editorial process. This includes financial, personal, institutional, political or religious interests. Authors should detail all sources of funding, as well as any economic relationship or intellectual property that may affect the interpretation of the results.

2.8. Slander and Defamation: The Advisory Committee is responsible for reviewing manuscripts and review reports to avoid defamatory expressions or incorrect representations that may have legal consequences. The use of offensive language is strictly prohibited and will be the responsibility of the author any such content.

2.9. Editorial independence: Although the HUTECEDU magazine is funded and edited by the University of Pamplona, this institutional relationship does not influence editorial decisions, which are made with complete independence and following objective academic criteria.

2.10. Academic Debate: The journal promotes academic exchange and constructive criticism of published works. Letters or comments that discuss specific articles will be shared with their respective authors, who can issue a response. Where possible, both will be published together. The author may express if he considers a correspondence constructive, but he has no power to censor it.

2.11. Appeals: Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions when there is a valid basis or new relevant information. The Editorial Board will assess the appeal and may request additional opinions from reviewers before issuing a final decision. Appeals shall only amend previous decisions if justified evidence is presented.

2.12. Corrections: Both authors and readers are responsible for reporting errors detected in published articles. Corrections will be published in a timely manner, and if errors significantly compromise the validity of the results, a retraction shall be considered to be issued. All authors involved must cooperate with the publication of corrections or retractions as appropriate.

2.13. Retractions and Expressions of Concern: The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for issuing errata, retractions and expressions of concern. A retraction shall be issued when errors compromise the scientific integrity of the article, or in cases of fraud, plagiarism or other serious wrongdoing. In these cases, the original article will be replaced by a document detailing the reasons for withdrawal.

2.14. Removal of Articles:The removal of previously published articles is only contemplated in exceptional situations, such as legal infringements, defamation, copyright violations or fraudulent data. In such cases, an official statement shall be issued stating the reason for withdrawal.

2.15. Data protection: The HUTECEDU magazine complies with current legislation on personal data protection, guaranteeing the proper treatment and confidentiality of information provided by authors, reviewers and readers.

3. Handling of Complaints, Grievances and Appeals

The HUTECEDU Journal guarantees the receipt and confidential management of complaints, complaints and appeals related to the editorial or investigative process, through the e-mail: revista.humanidades@unipamplona.edu.co. All communications will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief, while preserving the anonymity of the whistleblower. Please report any misconduct attributable to authors, reviewers, editors or other actors involved in scientific research, including irregularities related to your own manuscripts. The Journal is governed by the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for the attention of these situations, following a protocol that includes the detection of the alleged fault, notification to the parties involved, preparation of a report by the Editorial Committee, and the call for an urgent meeting with the Scientific Committee to make an informed decision.

If the complaint involves members of the Editorial Committee or the editing team, they will be temporarily removed from the process until its resolution. In cases involving publication rights or legal obligations, the Deputy Editor, together with the legal advisers of the University of Pamplona, will take over the case. Decisions may result in actions such as the publication of a corrigendum, correction or retraction. In serious situations, the article will be rejected or withdrawn, and the author responsible will be ineligible for future publications in the journal. In addition, the author’s home institution shall be notified. The editors are responsible for faithfully executing the measures dictated by the Editorial Board, always ensuring the ethical integrity of the publication.

4. Obligations of authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to HUTECEDU must meet high ethical and scientific standards. It is essential that the procedures and calculations used are presented in a clear and detailed manner, ensuring transparency and accuracy of the data, as any falsification or deliberate error constitutes serious misconduct. Originality is required in the texts, with quotations appropriate to all sources, avoiding any form of plagiarism, unattributed paraphrasing or redundant publication in more than one journal. Authorship should be assigned only to those who have contributed significantly to the research, and all co-authors should approve the final version of the article. In addition, authors should disclose any financial, academic or personal conflicts of interest that might affect the interpretation of results. The Journal uses the Turnitin tool to ensure the authenticity of the content and, in case significant errors are identified in articles already published, the authors are obliged to inform the Editor immediately and cooperate in the corrections or retraction.

5. Obligations of the editor

The Editor of HUTECEDU has the fundamental responsibility to decide which articles will be published, basing his decisions on peer review reports and criteria of academic relevance, scientific rigor and compliance with legal regulations. This process is carried out with complete impartiality, without influence of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ideology or origin of the authors, thanks to a system of double blind evaluation that guarantees equity. The Editor must refrain from evaluating manuscripts with which it has conflicts of interest and may not make use of unpublished content without express authorization. It also promotes ethical editorial education, especially for trainee researchers, and ensures the quality and transparency of the review process by selecting specialised external evaluators. Finally, it is your duty to preserve the integrity of the scientific record by taking action against any misconduct and ensuring that corrections, errata or retractions are handled responsibly and promptly.

6. Duties of reviewers

HUTECEDU Journal reviewers play a crucial role in the editorial process, contributing significantly to publication decisions through blind, rigorous and constructive peer review. They are committed to punctuality and must inform in a timely manner if they cannot meet the deadlines, maintaining at all times the confidentiality of the manuscripts and avoiding external discussions without authorization. Your review should be objective, professional and well-founded, refraining from personal criticism and focusing on strengthening the quality of the work evaluated. In addition, they are responsible for pointing out omissions in the citation of relevant sources and warning of possible similarities with other published works. Finally, they should refrain from reviewing manuscripts with which they have conflicts of interest and not use unpublished information without the author’s consent, thus ensuring the integrity and transparency of the editorial process.