Style guidelines

The manuscript must include all elements necessary for its proper evaluation and publication, such as citations, footnotes, tables, figures, images, captions, and bibliographic references. The document must be prepared using Times New Roman font, 12-point size, single spacing, and a single-column format for the preliminary sections of the article.

This should be followed by the abstract in Spanish and the Abstract in English, each with a maximum length of 250 words, written in a clear and structured manner, followed by the corresponding keywords and palabras clave. All these elements must be presented with justified alignment.

Starting with the introduction, the main body of the article must be presented in a single-column format, with justified text and single spacing. The document shall be prepared on letter-size paper (21.5 × 28 cm), with margins of 2.8 cm on the left and right sides, 2.5 cm on the top margin, and 2.4 cm on the bottom margin. All content must maintain a consistent layout and appropriate visual organization to facilitate readability and the academic presentation of the manuscript.

Guidelines for Article Submission

Manuscripts must be between 8 and 30 pages in length, except for Academic Essays/Critical Reflections, which may be up to 12 pages long. All pages must be numbered consecutively in the footer, centered, using Times New Roman font, 12-point size, regular style.

Citations and bibliographic references must strictly comply with the current APA Style guidelines (7th edition). The reference list must include a minimum of 15 to 20 high-quality academic sources, preferably drawn from scientific journal articles, specialized books, and other recognized scholarly publications.

Images

                                      Fig. 1. Collection in the environmental process.

                                              Source: Author's own elaboration.

All graphic material must be referenced directly in the text or in parentheses, for example: "(see Fig. 1)"; using Times New Roman font, 9-point size, italic style. This material must be presented independently, numbered consecutively (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.), and accompanied by a descriptive title and the corresponding source.

Graphs and figures should be created and saved in compatible formats such as PDF (.pdf), JPEG (.jpg), or PNG (.png). Authors are advised to ensure that the size and resolution are appropriate for publication. It is the author's responsibility to obtain any necessary permissions for the publication of such material.

Tables

When referring to tables within the article, do not abbreviate the word "Table" (e.g., use "Table 1" rather than an abbreviation). Tables must be numbered consecutively. Titles should appear above the table, using Times New Roman font, 9-point size, centered, and in italics.

                                                                   Table 1. Table Title.

                                       Source: Author's own elaboration.

Title

The title of the manuscript must be centered and presented in both Spanish and English, using Times New Roman font, 16-point size, in title case (uppercase and lowercase letters). It should be clear, precise, and representative of the research content, with a maximum length of twenty words. Below the title, the authors' full names, highest academic degree, institutional email address, ORCID identifier with an active link, and complete institutional affiliation must be provided, indicating the home institution first and in bold.

Subheadings

Subheadings indicate the main subdivisions of the text and should guide readers through the topics addressed in the manuscript. They must accurately reflect the organization of the document. No more than three levels of subheading hierarchy should be used.

Footnotes and Citations

Footnotes must always appear at the bottom of the corresponding page and should be used exclusively to comment on, supplement, or expand relevant information contained in the text. They should not be used for bibliographic references, except when accompanying direct quotations from books, book chapters, or academic articles.

Direct quotations of up to three lines should be incorporated into the paragraph, enclosed in quotation marks, and formatted according to APA Style (7th edition). Direct quotations longer than three lines must be presented as a separate block paragraph, indented from the left margin, without quotation marks, and in accordance with the requirements established by the current APA guidelines.

Footnotes must be written in Times New Roman, 10-point font, justified alignment, and single line spacing. Footnote numbering should be consecutive and automatic throughout the manuscript, without affecting the continuous page numbering of the document.

References

Citations and bibliographic references must strictly follow the current APA Style guidelines (7th edition). The reference list should contain a minimum of 15–20 high-quality academic sources, preferably including peer-reviewed journal articles, specialized books, and other recognized scholarly publications.

Bibliographic Reference Criteria

Authors are encouraged to consider the following criteria when selecting references:

  • Maximum of 30% Latin American references.
  • Minimum of 70% references from international journals published outside Latin America.
  • Minimum of 70% references published within the last five years.
  • Maximum of 15% references consisting of monographs.

Under APA citation style, in-text citations should include the author's surname and the year of publication of the cited source. When citing a work with multiple authors, all authors' surnames should be included the first time the source is cited. In subsequent citations, the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year of publication should be used.

For example: “As demonstrated in the study by Pérez (2020)” or “according to the findings of several studies (Gómez, 2018; Rodríguez, 2020; Torres et al., 2021).”

It is important that newly added references be cited in alphabetical order as they are introduced in the text. This approach improves consistency and facilitates reader comprehension by maintaining a logical structure in the presentation of bibliographic sources.

Likewise, to ensure academic integrity and the credibility of the manuscript, there must be a clear correspondence between all in-text citations and the references listed at the end of the document.

Appendices

Appendices are optional and may be used to include additional information that contributes to a better understanding of the work. This section may contain data sets, program listings, nomenclatures, symbols, and any other relevant material that supports or expands upon the information presented in the main body of the article.

The inclusion of appendices allows authors to provide supplementary details without interrupting the flow of the main text, enabling readers to access additional information that may be useful for a deeper understanding of the subject matter.