Politics

STATEMENT OF ETHICS AND BEST EDITORIAL PRACTICES

The responsibility of the Editor includes the verification and review of the articles submitted by the authors. The editor has to ensure the scientific quality and avoid malpractice in the publication and manage in a timely manner the assessment of the works received.

In most cases, this is a simple process. However, it is important to mention that ethical challenges may arise during the review process and after publication. Among the possible ethical problems that can be found are: a) plagiarism, b) publication of content previously published by the authors, c) simultaneous submission to other journals, d) authors who did not contribute e) contributors who are not the authors, f) conflicts of interest, g) falsification or fabrication of data, and h) non-recognition of financing sources.

The journal puts its trust in the work of the authors and especially in the corresponding author who must explicitly state when submitting the manuscript that the ethics standards of RIC are respected.

Also, the journal must follow ethical procedures that ensure appropriate management of the information received. This responsibility involves mainly the compliance with the following principles:

Impartiality: the editorial team must be impartial in managing the papers, respecting the author(s) and their intellectual Independence.

Confidentiality: the editorial team must keep the information confidential and the main author or corresponding author is the first person to communicate any information or question regarding the paper submitted. No member of the journal team including reviewers can take advantage of the manuscripts submitted for possible publication. This includes, among other things, original ideas, data, arguments, and conclusions.

Transparency: the editorial team ensures that all papers have been assessed by specialists in the field, and that this assessment process is not biased. The editorial team also reserves the right to maintain the anonymity of the names of both referees and authors.

Acceptance or Rejection: this process is the responsibility of the Journal Editor who accepts or rejects for publication, based on referred reports.

RIC recognizes the corresponding author as the main author, who must guarantee the recognition of all those who have made an objective intellectual contribution to the manuscript.

Ethical Issues:

1. a)            Plagiarism: articles submitted to this journal must be original and not previously published or in the process of being reviewed by another journal (see instructions for authors). No copies of other papers are allowed, this may be literal without permissions, or with the recognition of the source.
2. b)           Publication of contents already published by the author(s). Regarding the originality of the articles, no manuscripts are allowed that substantially contain material already published by some of the authors in other sources (such as congresses, books, journals in the same language or another). This is considered to be self-plagiarism even if other words or figures, tables, or other parts of the manuscript are used or modified. The corresponding author must expressly state that this does not occur in the submitted manuscript.
3. c)            Double submission: manuscripts sent to this journal for possible publication should not have been previously published, or be in the review process of another journal. The corresponding author should expressly state that the manuscript will not be and is not being assessed by another journal while it is under review in RIC.
4. d)           Non-contributing authors: all manuscript authors must have made an objective intellectual contribution to the paper. Including people among the authors who did not make an intellectual contribution to the paper is a serious ethical problem since it responds to other criteria such as the return of favors as well as other inclusions as an author or seeking unfair advantages by including researchers of great prestige. The corresponding author must expressly state that all authors included have made an intellectual contribution to the submitted manuscript.
5. e)           Contributors who are not authors: all people who have made an objective intellectual contribution to the work should be listed among the authors. The corresponding author must explicitly state that all people who have made an intellectual contribution to the submitted manuscript have been identified as authors.
6. f)            Conflicts of interest: all manuscripts submitted for possible publication are assessed in an objective process. This allows for some impartiality in the assessment but does not ensure that reviewers prioritize their personal interests. For them, in the reviewer selection stage, we look for people who are experts in the subjects and who expressly state having no conflict of interest when carrying out the assessment.
7. g)            Falsification or fabrication of data: RIC understands that in an original article all the data belong to the authors and are authentic. This allows the construction of analyses and conclusions supported by scientific evidence. Therefore, the authors must explicitly attest that all data and results used in the manuscript are their own and authentic.
8. h)           Use of data without the proper protocols and authorizations: hundreds of research studies involve working with people and institutions. Therefore, information that involves people who will not be the authors of the manuscript is accessed or generated. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining explicit authorization from persons and institutions for the use of the information and must expressly state that these tasks have been performed as appropriate.
9. i)             Non-recognition of financing sources or other funders of the research: many studies are made possible through institutional funding or access to essential resources by the authors. Although this does not constitute authorship, such contribution should be properly acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for explicitly naming these supports in the acknowledgment section and must expressly state that these tasks have been performed as appropriate.

External plaintiffs: if an external plaintiff presents evidence that supports his or her claim, it must clearly indicate his or her allegation. The Journal reserves the right to make a previous investigation and inform all the authors of the article, to hear the defense without prejudice, and the decision must be made by the editor who can consult the executive committee having all the necessary information and support.

The journal assumes the right to investigate before making any decision and to present the background information to the author(s). If any of these faults are detected, the journal reserves the right to reject the manuscript immediately and inform those involved, such as other journals, and the authorities of the institutions where the authors work. If the detection occurs after an eventual acceptance and publication, the journal reserves the right to retract the article by publicly disclosing the fact. The journal also reserves the right to veto the corresponding author for future submissions.