Code of Ethics

Guidelines and Code of Ethics of Estudios de la Gestión: Revista Internacional de Administración

These guidelines establish the principles and standards of ethical conduct that make up the code of ethics for all members involved in the publication of Estudios de la Gestión: Revista Internacional de Administración. The journal is dedicated to disseminating research in administration and organizational studies, in line with its editorial policy.

The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure the integrity, transparency, and quality of published works. These guidelines, inspired by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), seek to adopt best editorial practices in the academic field and are organized into four points according to the commitments each actor must assume.

I. Responsibilities of Authors

• Originality: Authors guarantee that their work is original and unpublished, without any alterations. It must not have been previously published, partially or fully, on any print or digital platform, nor in another language. Additionally, it must not be simultaneously submitted for evaluation in other journals. Any similarity with other works must be correctly cited and immediately reported to the editors to proceed with its withdrawal or adjustment.
• Plagiarism and Source Citation: Plagiarism, in any form, is unacceptable. The use of artificial intelligence to generate content is considered academic plagiarism and results in the exclusion of the article from the journal. Authors must adequately cite all sources used, both in direct quotations and paraphrases. Even if the material has been published by the author(s) in other media, it must be duly cited.
• Intellectual Property: It is mandatory to respect the intellectual property rights of third parties. For research that includes photographs, illustrations, graphics, tables, or maps, authors must obtain the corresponding authorization for their use.

Additionally, authors must avoid fraudulent practices in research and publication, such as manipulation, falsification, or invention of data and conclusions, and ensure the accuracy and rigor of the presented content.

• Conflict of Interest: Authors must declare any conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, that may influence the interpretation of their results.
• Data Accuracy: Authors are responsible for the truthfulness of the presented data. They must ensure that the information is supported by evidence. Data falsification is unacceptable, and if requested by the editors, authors must provide the database used in their study.
• Authorship: To be considered an author of a manuscript in Estudios de la Gestión: Revista Internacional de Administración, one must have significantly participated in the research development and in writing or critically reviewing the article. The order of authorship must reflect the contribution level of each person.
• Collaboration: All collaborators who have contributed significantly must be listed as authors and specify their type of participation according to the CRediT taxonomy.
• Responsibility: All authors share responsibility for the content of the article and must confirm it by signing the required forms at the time of submission. Those who have collaborated without meeting these criteria may be mentioned in the acknowledgments. False, ghost, or honorary authorships are not accepted.

If an author detects a significant error in their published article, they must immediately notify the editorial team for correction in the digital version and, if applicable, through an erratum in the print version.

II. Responsibilities of the Editorial Team

• Impartiality: Manuscripts are reviewed exclusively based on their scientific merit, without considering the authors' affiliation, nationality, gender, or other characteristics.
• Confidentiality: The editorial team maintains the confidentiality of manuscripts throughout the review process. The information contained in them is not shared with third parties without the authors' consent.
• Transparency: The review process is transparent and fair. Authors receive feedback and may respond to reviewers' suggestions up to two times. In case of discrepancies, a third reviewer will issue a final opinion.
• Corrections: The journal publishes corrections, errata, or clarifications about any errors in the content through its portal.
• Editorial Decision: Based on evaluations, the thematic editor of the issue decides on the acceptance or rejection of articles, grounding their resolution on relevance, originality, and pertinence criteria for the journal.
• Conflict of Interest: Editorial team members must declare any conflict of interest that could affect their judgment.
• Efficiency: The editorial team commits to managing manuscripts swiftly and respecting the editorial process deadlines.
• Dissemination: Once an issue is published, the editorial team of Estudios de la Gestión: Revista Internacional de Administración is responsible for its dissemination through the journal's portal and the digital channels of the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador Headquarters (UASB-E). It also manages its inclusion in national and international repositories, databases, and indexing systems and promotes its publication and presentation. The loan and exchange of printed copies are managed by the UASB-E Information and Library Center (CIB). The printed journal is also available for sale at the University Bookstore.

III. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Objectivity: Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts critically and constructively, following established protocols. Their analysis must focus on scientific quality, style, and writing.
• Confidentiality: The information contained in the manuscripts is confidential and cannot be shared with third parties.
• Meeting Deadlines: If unable to meet the established deadlines, reviewers must immediately notify the editors. Reviews must be submitted within the agreed deadlines.
• Conflict of Interest: Any conflict of interest that may influence the evaluation must be declared.
• Justification: Evaluations must include detailed comments and suggestions to improve the work, using neutral language and academic criteria. Any suspicion of ethical violation must be reported to the editorial team.
• Ethical Oversight: If a reviewer identifies any irregularity in the evaluated manuscript, they must immediately inform the editorial team of Estudios de la Gestión: International Journal of Administration. These irregularities include significant similarities with other previously published texts, omission of references to original sources, and plagiarism or self-plagiarism. Reviewers must not conduct additional investigations independently unless the editorial team requests additional information or advice.

IV. Complaint and Appeal Management

• If an author files a complaint or appeal regarding the review or editorial process, the Editorial Board will evaluate the arguments and evidence presented.
• Complaints must be submitted through a formal communication addressed to the Editorial Board, clearly stating the reasons and attaching the corresponding evidence. Only those that demonstrate flaws in the evaluation process will be considered, while those questioning the academic quality of the reviewer will be dismissed.
• After analyzing the evidence, complaints will be handled according to COPE guidelines and the journal's internal rules. The identity of reviewers will be kept confidential at all times.
• A response will be issued within a maximum period of three months.
• If plagiarism is detected after the publication of an article and confirmed by the Editorial Board, the manuscript will be removed from the website and all repositories and databases where it appears.

This ethical code will be periodically reviewed to incorporate best practices in academic publishing.