Guide for authors

 

Presentation

Textual. Análisis del medio rural is an annual scientific journal with continuous publication and bilingual (English and Spanish) edited by the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh). This journal provides professionals in the field of rural sociology and related areas with a means of disseminating and discussing unpublished research results. Its aim is to generate an international space for discussion and dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge in the field of social sciences and related fields, with a special emphasis on Mexican and Latin American rurality.

 

Topics

Contributions submitted to the journal Textual. Análisis del medio rural must address one of the following topics or the one specified in calls published on the journal's official website:

• Rural sociology
• Conventional economics
• Social solidarity economy
• Public policies
• Social movements
• History
• Rural culture
• Education
• Sustainability
• Social anthropology
• Rural women
• Others as recommended by the journal's Editorial Committee

 

Language

The Textual. Análisis del medio rural journal welcomes manuscripts in Spanish or English, as publication is in both languages. Translation is the responsibility of UACh’s Coordinación de Revistas Institucionales (CORI; Coordination of Institutional Journals) and does not generate additional costs for the authors. In this sense, Spanish- and English-speaking authors are invited to send their manuscripts in their native language to reduce the editorial processing time. Likewise, the entire manuscript must be written in one language only.

 

Types of manuscripts

• Scientific articles (by invitation and proposal). These are original, unpublished manuscripts, derived from a rigorous experimental process or from widely-established theoretical developments. These documents must contribute to scientific knowledge, with an emphasis on the analysis of socioeconomic, political, cultural, and educational issues of rural societies. All necessary information must be included so that the experiment can be replicated by other researchers. It should be no more than 8 000 words, including references.

 

• Essays. These are brief, original, and unpublished manuscripts, in which authors present their personal interpretation of a specific topic. It should be no more than 3 000 words.

 

• Book reviews (by invitation and proposal). These are documents that describe or summarize the viewpoints presented in a book. The critic expresses his/her agreement or disagreement with the author and encourages reading the work. It should be no more than 1 500 words.

 

Before starting

Authors should consider the following points before starting the process of submitting their manuscript.

 

Code of ethics (COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics)

Originality. Authors must ensure that they have written completely original works. If they have used the work or phrases of other authors, these must be cited appropriately. Plagiarism can occur in many ways, from self-plagiarism (citing one's own work without the respective reference), presenting someone else's work as one's own, copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another work (without attribution), and even claiming as one's own the results of research conducted by others. Plagiarism (in all its forms), as well as fraudulent statements, constitutes unethical conduct and is unacceptable in the scientific community and in the editorial process.

Multiple publication. Authors must not submit manuscripts that are essentially the same to more than one journal. This publishing behavior is unethical and unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of sources. Appropriate acknowledgment should always be given to the work of other authors.

Authorship of the manuscript. Authorship must be limited to those who contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research conducted. In addition, all co-authors must have reviewed and approved the manuscript and accepted the submission for publication. If the manuscript has more than five authors, the contribution made by each of them must be specified on the front page.

Self-citations and citations unrelated to the topic. Authors should avoid self-citations and citations not related to the main objective of the paper.

 

For more information on the Textual. Análisis del medio rural Code of Ethics, please refer to the Editorial Policy section.

 

Use of language

Language used should recognize diversity, be sensitive to differences and promote equality. Manuscripts should not make assumptions about any reader’s beliefs, nor should they assume or suggest that one individual is superior to another based on race, gender, culture, or any other characteristic. Authors should ensure that the writing is free from bias.

 

Changes in authorship

Before submitting your manuscript, authors should review their names and order according to each author's contribution to the research. Any changes (addition, deletion, or reordering) in the list of authors must be made before the manuscript has been accepted and must be submitted to the journal’s Editor-in-Chief in a special document, with the signatures of all authors involved, indicating the reasons for the changes. The email address for receiving any request is jrojash@chapingo.mx

 

Conflict of interest

Authors must declare any financial or personal relationship with other persons or organizations that may inappropriately influence or bias the outcome of the work. For this purpose, authors must indicate whether there was a conflict of interest and, if so, mention the agreements reached.

 

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Currently, the journal Textual. Análisis del medio rural does not allow the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies (such as ChatGPT) by Referees and Editors in the peer review process. This is to protect the rights of the authors and the confidentiality of their research. However, authors must declare if they used AI in the writing of their manuscript. If so, the contribution must include a description of the technologies used and the content generated with them. If AI was used, authors should consider that:

• Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used to improve the readability and language of the manuscript.
• The use of AI for the generation of results, discussions, and conclusions is not allowed.
• The use of AI to create or alter images in manuscripts is not allowed.
• Authors are responsible for supervising, reviewing, and editing information obtained using AI, as these technologies may generate incorrect information.
• Under no circumstances may authors include AI as a co-author in the manuscript, as this implies performing activities that can only be attributed to humans.

 

Procedure for submitting manuscripts

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should consult the letter, front page, and manuscript formats, as well as the initial review criteria in the supporting material section.

 

Submission

Manuscripts are only received through the OJS. All follow-up for the peer review, including the decision of the Editor-in-Chief, is conducted through this manager, and communication is maintained exclusively with the corresponding author. Tutorials for the use of this system can be found on the journal's website. If you have any questions or problems with the manager, you may contact us by email at jrojash@chapingo.mx; the email must include a telephone number where you can be reached.

Before submitting your manuscript to the OJS, be sure to have the following documents and information ready:

 

1. Cover letter. It must include the title of the manuscript, as well as the full name, institutional affiliation, address, telephone number, email, ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) identifier, and signature of all authors. This letter expressly declares that the manuscript is the product of original research, that ethical practices were followed in its execution, that the results presented are unpublished, that the manuscript is not being simultaneously submitted to another publication medium, and that it has not been previously published in another medium or in another language.

A manuscript will be considered as “previously published” when it has been widely published in conference proceedings or any other event (in any language), and has an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) or ISBN (International Standard Book Number).

Within this letter, the authors must indicate whether there was a conflict of interest and, if there was, mention the agreements they reached.

2. Front page. It is the authors' identification document and must contain the title of the manuscript and the identification of all authors: full name with their respective ORCID, institutional affiliation, and contact information.
3. Manuscript. This document must be written in Microsoft Word® format and contain all the sections identified in this guide according to the type of manuscript. To ensure that the review is double-blind, this file must not include the name or affiliation of the authors.
4. Figures. These should be placed in the appropriate location within the manuscript; in addition, they must be submitted separately in TIFF or JPG format with a minimum size of 945 × 945 pixels and a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (300 ppi), to ensure that image quality is not compromised.

 

Notice of receipt of manuscript

Upon receipt of the submission, the OJS system sends a receipt notification email; subsequently, the manuscript is reviewed in terms of the journal’s subject matter, format (requirements described in this guide for authors), and possible plagiarism. The last is done through iThenticate®. If a submission complies with all requirements, a reference key is assigned (which must be specified in any procedure or inquiry), and the peer review process described in the Editorial Policy is initiated. Failure to comply with the criteria described in the guide for authors leads to rejection (topic outside the scope of the journal or duplication of content) or to the return of the manuscript for correction before peer review. Observations on the manuscript are sent via email.

 

Decision on the manuscript

Peer review processes and opinions are issued in accordance with the provisions of the Editorial Policy section.

If the manuscript is accepted for publication in the Textual. Análisis del medio rural journal, an email will be sent to the authors with the decision and, in accordance with the open access and ethics monitoring policies, the letter of copyright transfer of the manuscript will be required, which must contain the signatures of all authors. Individual letters may be sent by each author.

 

Manuscript structure

It is suggested that you download the manuscript template located in the supporting material section for its use in the writing and presentation of the manuscript.

 

Front page

The title should be placed at the top of the document, followed by the section to which the manuscript belongs, both centered in the document. The names of the authors should be written below, aligned to the left, each author on a separate line. The name should begin with the first name(s), followed by the last name(s), which, if there are two, should be joined by a hyphen without spaces. No mention should be made of academic degrees or titles. After each author's name, his or her ORCID should appear in parentheses.

After the names, the affiliation and complete address should be written: institution, street (avenue, road, highway, boulevard, etc.), number, neighborhood or town, city or municipality, state, postal code, and country.

In the case of authors with different affiliations, a numerical superscript at the end of each name and at the beginning of the affiliation is used to identify their data. The corresponding author must be identified with the asterisk (*) and the phrase “Corresponding author” followed by his/her email address and telephone number.

If more than five authors contributed to the manuscript, the document must specify the contribution made by each of them.

 

Manuscript

The manuscript should include the following sections, according to the type of contribution:

Articles: title, abstract, keywords, introduction, methodological approach, results and discussion, conclusions, and references

Essays: title, abstract, keywords, introduction, development (review, analysis, and discussion of the topic), conclusions, and references.

Book reviews: the full reference of the reviewed book should be provided at the top of the first page. The author should highlight his/her points of view in comparison to the book's author.

 

Articles

 

Title

The title of the manuscript should not exceed 150 characters with spaces, with the first letter in upper case and the rest in lower case, unless the grammatical rules indicate otherwise. If biological organisms that are not common in the socioeconomic context are mentioned in it, they should be written according to the scientific standard that exists for such a case. If widely known species are mentioned, the scientific name should be included in the keywords and not in the title.

 

Abstract

It is a summary of the most relevant aspects of the contribution, structured into the following sections: introduction, objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions. It should not include discussion, citations, table calls, or figures. It should be no more than 200 words for articles.

 

Keywords

It is a list of three to five words, simple or compound, not included in the title, that indicate to the reader the topics addressed by the manuscript. They should be written in a separate paragraph immediately after the abstract, in lowercase, separated from each other by commas, and with a period at the end of the list. If the title does not include the scientific name(s) of the species(es) under study, it(they) should be included at the beginning of this list.

 

Introduction

This section states the problems related to the object of study, as well as the state of the art, relevance, originality, significance, literature review, objectives, and research hypothesis; that is, the problem to be addressed must be precisely stated and justified, avoiding generalities.

The background should be based on relevant and recent scientific literature (at least 80 % of the citations should be less than 10 years old). The objectives should clearly specify and delimit the purpose and scope of the study. They should be presented at the end of this section, be the same as those stated in the abstract, and be consistent with the methodology and conclusions.

 

Methodological approach

This section outlines the most relevant and unique aspects of the work, providing a clear description of how the research was conducted and enabling other researchers to replicate and verify the results. It should include the dates and locations of the study (with geographic coordinates and altitude where applicable), factors and levels under study, sampling schemes, variables evaluated along with their units and measurement methods, materials and techniques used, as well as procedures and analysis techniques (qualitative or quantitative). If methodologies are used that have an extensive description available in a manual or specialized publication, the appropriate reference should be provided. Any modifications to generalized methods must be stated.

 

Results and discussion

This section must include the results obtained or facts observed derived from the application of the methodology in an orderly, complete, and concise manner. Tables and figures (drawings, graphs, and photographs, among others) may be presented, which must be cited and placed in the corresponding place within the text. The information in the tables and figures should not be repeated in the text, and must be understood by themselves, without having to resort to the text.

The results obtained must be explained and discussed, as well as their relationship with the hypothesis and objectives, supported by comparing them to results present in the scientific literature related to the subject. It should be considered that it is not enough to present results, but it is mandatory to interpret them and discuss their meaning. Each relevant result should be related to a discussion. Excessive citations of a single idea and discussion of published literature unrelated to its own results should be avoided.

Authors are encouraged to structure this section using subtitles that make the reading engaging and encourage the reader to reflect. Information already used in the “Methodological approach” section should not be repeated, nor should the text resemble a literature review.

 

Conclusions

This section should concisely present the premises derived from the results and discussion. The conclusions should not exceed the scope of the results, nor be a summary of them, and must be in complete agreement with the objectives and hypotheses stated. This section should only include facts verified in the study, so it should not contain hypotheses or speculations. Recommendations should be avoided, unless the objectives have stated this purpose. Tables, figures, or references should not be included. It is suggested that the maximum length be 400 words.

 

Acknowledgments

This section should include acknowledgements of people, institutions, funds and research grants, among others, that have supported or collaborated significantly in the development of the study. To ensure double-blind review, the authors' names should be avoided.

 

Informed consent

If the text includes testimonials, interviews, or photographic images, these must be supported by a formal document of authorization of use, guaranteeing anonymity, unless a document stating otherwise is provided.

 

Declaration of conflict of interest

Authors must declare any financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could influence or bias the outcome of the research. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include financial (memberships, employment, consultancies, grants or other types of funding, and patent licensing agreements, among others) and non-financial (personal or professional relationships, affiliations, and personal beliefs, among others). In this case, authors must add the following statement and the conflict of interest they wish to declare:

The authors declare the following financial interests (or personal relationships) that may be considered as potential conflicts of interest: [LIST THE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST], which were resolved by [AGREEMENTS].

 

If there are no conflicts of interest, the authors must indicate:

The authors declare that we have no known financial conflicts of interest or personal relationships that could have influenced the research presented in this article.

 

Declaration of the use of AI

 

In accordance with the Use of IA, section, if generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used in the scientific writing, this must be stated in this section by means of a brief description; for example:

During the preparation of this work, [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] was used for [REASON]. All material obtained with this technology was reviewed and edited, so the authors assume full responsibility for the content of the published article.

 

If generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have not been used, the authors must declare this; for example:

The authors declare that we have not used generative AI or AI-assisted technologies for the development of this manuscript.

 

The declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools, such as those used for grammar and spell checking, as well as reference managers.

 

References

All bibliographical references cited throughout the manuscript must be presented in accordance with APA 7 standards (http://www.apastyle.org). Make sure that all references cited in the text are also present in the reference list (and vice versa). All references must include their DOI (Digital Object Identifier: http://www.doi.org) or, failing that, the electronic address where the original citation can be consulted. A guide to APA 7 reference can be found on the journal's website.

All references must be from primary sources; references from secondary sources (i.e., cited by) are not accepted under any circumstances. Internet citations are not allowed, unless they are related to statistics or yearbooks from official sources, in which case the consultation date must be recorded. References should be current (last 10 years); as far as possible, they should represent 80 % or more of the total sources.

If a reference management program is used, field codes should be deleted before submitting the manuscript:

1. In your Word file press Ctrl + e to select all content.
2. Press Ctrl + 6 or Cmd + 6 to unlink all fields and remove hidden link.

 

Essays

 

The title, abstract (150 words), keywords, introduction, acknowledgements, statements, and references should follow the guidelines mentioned above. The development (or body of the essay) should include a summary and critical analysis of previous work relevant to the topic, as well as the analysis and discussion, which should present the argumentative development based on evidence (may include data, theories, and models). The conclusions should be a summary of the key points discussed in the essay, possible implications of the analysis, and suggestions for future research.

 

Book reviews

 

The full reference of the reviewed book should be placed at the top of the first page. The author should highlight his/her points of view in comparison to the book's author.

 

Format

General information

The text must be presented in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1.5-line spacing (including tables, figures, and references) and 2.5 cm margins on all four sides. Each page should be numbered consecutively in the bottom right margin, and line numbers should be placed continuously on the left margin (except for tables and figures) to facilitate the review process.

As far as possible, sentences and paragraphs should be no longer than three and ten lines, respectively; this will help in understanding ideas and translating the text.

 

Abbreviations

The first time an abbreviation is used in the document, the full meaning should be written out, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. In subsequent occurrences, only the abbreviation should be used without further explanation.

 

Nomenclature

Common names of elements, substances, plants, animals, and things should be written in lowercase. Proper names should be written in lowercase, except for the initial(s). Product brand names should not be used, but rather their generic or chemical name.

 

Equations and variables

Mathematical formulas must be created using Word's equation editor (Insert → Equation → Insert new equation). All equations must be written aligned to the left, on a separate line, and, if required, numbered sequentially in the right margin.

Variables used in the manuscript should be fully defined (name, symbols, and units) and as simply as possible. To help distinguish them from units, all variables and mathematical symbols must be written in italics. Within the text, avoid using the equation editor to insert symbols or variables. Instead, use the Insert Symbol Tool and format in italics.

 

Numbers, symbols and units

Arabic numerals must always be used when indicating units and measurements, and when designating numbers from 10 upwards. When whole numbers from zero to nine are mentioned, which are not associated with units, they should be written in letters; for example: “… seven treatments were carried out …” and “…the temperature of the refrigeration chamber was 7 °C…”.

The International System of Units (SI) must be used throughout the document. All units must be written in normal text and in linear form; for example: kg·ha^-1. For monetary units, pesos (MXN) or dollars (USD) must be used; for example: “…100.00 MXN…” or “…100.00 USD…”

In quantities, a period must be used to separate the integer part from the decimals, and a thin space to separate the thousands. For very large or small values, prefixes or scientific notation should be used.

In a series of data with the same measurement unit, the values should be listed and the unit placed at the end; for example: 7 and 10 kg; 4, 8, 11, and 13 %; 15, 18, and 22 mg·g^-1. Values and their units should always be separated by a space and should never be pluralized, i.e., do not write cms, kgs, etc.

 

Tables

Before presenting any table, its title should be written in a short and precise manner, starting with the word “Table”, followed by the consecutive Arabic numeral that corresponds to its order of appearance in the text. References in the text should be made using the word “Table”, capitalized, followed by the corresponding Arabic numeral; for example, “... Table 1 presents...”.

All tables should be placed immediately after the paragraph where they are mentioned for the first time. The title should be presented in a paragraph of text, not as part of the table; i.e., it should not be placed in a cell.

Tables should only have three main horizontal lines: above or at the beginning of the table, below the column header, and below the table. If there are hierarchical concepts in the header row, horizontal line segments may be placed. If another variable or statistic needs to be separated, such as the least significant difference or coefficient of variation, dashed lines are allowed. Vertical lines are not allowed. Tables must be constructed in Word, without using tabs or lines made with the drawing tool. Both tables and equations must be presented in editable format.

Any abbreviation used in the table should be made explicit at the bottom of the table. All tables should be self-explanatory, without the need to refer to the text. Some examples of tables can be found in the Manuscript template.

 

Figures

Figures (including diagrams, graphs, photographs, etc.), like tables, should be placed immediately after the paragraph where they are mentioned for the first time; additionally, they should be attached separately to ensure their quality. Before placing any figure, there should be a legend with the word “Figure”, followed by the Arabic numeral corresponding to its order of appearance in the text, and a text containing the title and the information necessary to understand it. References in the text should be made using the word “Figure”, capitalized, followed by the corresponding Arabic numeral; for example, “...the differences can be seen in Figure 1...”.

Figure titles should be included as text, and not be part of the figure. Points, lines, or bars representing means in graphs should be accompanied by their standard errors. As with tables, they should be self-explanatory, without the need to refer to the text.

At the bottom of each figure, the source from which it was obtained must be included, and in the case of photographs, the date it was taken must be included. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all images included in their manuscript are their own work or that they have the appropriate written permission for reuse. The use of AI for their construction is not permitted.

Figures must be attached in PNG, TIFF, or JPG format, with a minimum size of 945 × 945 pixels and a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch (300 ppi). All figures must be grouped, without letters, symbols, or lines placed with the drawing tool. If there is a need to do this, the image must be grouped as a single image or saved as an image with the aforementioned characteristics. If the figures contain text, it must be ensured that the text is complete and error-free.

 

Article publishing charge

So far, the Textual. Análisis del medio rural journal does not charge any publication fees. The costs associated with the editing process (such as style correction, translation, design, and metadata tagging) are covered by the UACh (the publishing institution).

 

Author support

It is recommended to consult the Frequently asked questions section. Questions and requested clarifications will be addressed by email: jrojash@chapingo.mx