1.- INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT RESOLUTION
The Coordination of Institutional Journals (CORI) considers it of fundamental importance to provide certainty to all the actors involved in the ethical management of the editorial process of our journals; therefore, it has mechanisms for the resolution of controversies and inappropriate conduct at all stages of the editorial process (before, during and after). Inappropriate conduct includes: false authorship, duplicate publication, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, inadequate and excessive self-citation, data fabrication and manipulation, manipulation of digital images, conflict of interest, rival financial interests, violation of confidentiality and advertising.
In order to identify and minimize some of the behaviors described above, the journals make a diagnosis using Turnitin© software. On the basis of the results obtained and in the event of a well-founded suspicion (of plagiarism, falsification, fabrication) in an unpublished manuscript, the editor-in-chief of the journal must ask the corresponding author for a written explanation. In the event that the author refuses to provide a written explanation or it is unsatisfactory, the editor must contact the institutional authority of the author's affiliation organization (University President, Director, etc.), in the case of Mexico with the Instituto Nacional de Derechos de Autor (National Copyright Institute) and in other countries with the pertinent government agency responsible for cases of scientific misconduct, to request an impartial investigation of the case. At all times, in such communication between authors and pertinent institutional authorities, the editor shall maintain the strictest confidentiality and shall excuse himself/herself from acting if there is a conflict of interest.
Similarly, action will be taken in the event that a complaint of scientific misconduct is received during the editing process or when the article has already been published.
In the event that the scientific misconduct is proven, and the text has not yet been published, the editing process will be suspended; if it has already been published, it will be immediately removed from the journal’s online site.
2.- AUTHORSHIP AND CO-AUTHORSHIP
i. Authorship policy
Scientific journals published under UACh's imprint require that all authors sign an individual or collective letter indicating the originality of the contribution (in each of the journal sites there is a Letter for Manuscript Submission) and the order in which the various authors will be listed in it. The journals consider that the content of the text submitted has been fully authorized by all the authors.
The corresponding author must ensure that the different authors have agreed to be co-authors and have approved the submission of the manuscript to the corresponding journal; he or she is responsible for managing all communications between the journal and the co-authors before, during and after publication. Modifications to the authorship list (change of order, deletion or addition of authors) must be approved by all the authors involved, making them known to the editor-in-chief of the journal involved.
The editors will accept communication with the co-authors only in cases of allegations of scientific misconduct or conflict of interest; at all times they will conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of the section on the resolution of inappropriate conduct. It is clear that the editors will not be responsible for investigating or resolving authorship disputes before, during and after publication. If the disagreements or disputes cannot be resolved among the authors, the editor shall restrict himself or herself to transferring the resolution to the institutional affiliation authority of the authors or to the relevant authority.
Journal editors assume that the corresponding author has accepted the responsibility of coordinating all actions corresponding to the contribution, including but not limited to: a) ensuring that the reported data are original, preserved and available for possible reproducibility, b) making sure that the submitted data are representative and a product of the original data, and c) where appropriate, facilitating the exchange of data, materials, algorithms or reagents described in the text.
ii. Contribution statement
Authors must include in the manuscript a statement of responsibility, clearly specifying the contribution of each author; review articles must also follow this guideline.
It must be stated and identified at all times whether any part (data, images, algorithms and written text) has been previously published by all or some of the authors of the contribution or other authors, and provide written permission from the authors or publishers, as the case may be, for the use of such materials.
The corresponding author will receive the galley proof, taking responsibility for its review and with it the accuracy of all its content; in this review, the corresponding author must verify that the names of the co-authors are those who contributed to the manuscript and that they are correctly written, as well as check that affiliations and addresses are current. Journals will not make corrections once the corresponding author has given his or her final authorization, unless it is their own mistake.
iii. Confidentiality of the process
All actors in the evaluation, acceptance and final publication process must conduct themselves with the utmost confidentiality. Authors should assume that communication with the journal in question is confidential, including all correspondence with the journal, peer reviewer reports and other materials exchanged in the communication, none of which should be published on any website, blog or other virtual network.
iv. Duplicate publication
All contributions submitted to journals published by Autonomous Chapingo University must be original and must not have been sent to another journal simultaneously for possible publication, and must not have been published in any other journal.
Duplicate publication is considered to occur when an author reuses substantial portions of his or her own work, without properly referencing the other document. Journals will deem a manuscript to have duplicate publication status if an identical work has been published in several journals (check the level of similarity).
v. Excessive self-citation
Authors should be careful in the use of self-citation. Although this is not precisely a reprehensible act, it is important that the author or authors moderate themselves in the use of self-citation. It is becoming unacceptable from the point of view of the contribution to knowledge and editorial policies.
Similarly, journal self-citations should also be limited. That is to say, in the publishing world it is punishable that articles published in X journal are cited excessively and unnecessarily in the same journal.
Authors should be careful in the use of self-citations. The main editors of the journals should take care that the use of self-references is appropriate, and in the case of deeming it excessive, they should invite the author or authors to remove them from their work. The reviewers must also monitor this situation and, if necessary, recommend the withdrawal of unnecessary self-references.
The Coordination of Institutional Journals (CORI) is highly receptive to possible complaints against its journals, their editors-in-chief and editorial boards, and CORI's own operative personnel.
In other sections, the procedures to be followed in the event of disputes between authors, editors and reviewers have been outlined. In the event of such a dispute, what is established there must be followed. It is also recommended that the editorial guidelines of each journal be consulted on its respective website.
Journal readers can file possible complaints or appeals regarding improper conduct of those involved in the various processes of editorial production through the channels available to them. If there is a complaint, it must be sent to CORI, duly founded and motivated. CORI will then review the origin of the complaint, and if it has sufficient elements, it will give an answer and a solution to it. For this purpose, it will be assisted by the General Council of Academic and Peer-Reviewed Publications, whose areas of competence are established in the General Guidelines for the Editorial Management of the Institutional Journals of Autonomous Chapingo University.
Where appropriate, the complaint or appeal may be turned over to the journal involved or to the relevant authority.
4.- CONFLICT OF INTEREST/COMPETING INTERESTS
Scientific research has diverse implications of a personal and institutional nature; these implications may result in a conflict of interest. One of the products of scientific research that expresses this problem to a great extent is the communication of its results through scientific articles.
In this context, and at all times during their actions, the CORI coordinator, the editors-in-chief, the members of each of the editorial boards, authors, technical reviewers, referees, and all personnel involved in the editorial process must declare possible conflicts of interest and excuse themselves from participating in the process.
Conflicts of interest may have a different origin or nature, whether they be a matter of consanguineous or political kinship, economic-financial ties, political, religious and cultural motives, professional jealousy, etc.
Our journals focus their efforts on complying with institutional rules governing conflicts of interest, and, where appropriate, national and international conflict of interest standards.
Authors must disclose whether private companies have provided them with any economic-financial support, infrastructure and/or biological material. They must declare that any mention of trademarks does not imply any recommendation (Conflict of Interest Declaration Letter).
If a conflict of interest is detected or arises, it will be addressed in accordance with the General Guidelines for the Editorial Management of the Institutional Journals of Autonomous Chapingo University and the Manual of Good Publishing Practices.
5.- ACCESS TO BASIC DATA AND REPRODUCIBILITY
The main features of scientific research are: a) the tendency to generate and use statistical data to support a robust quantitative analysis of research results and b) the necessary replicability of such results. It is increasingly common for groups of researchers to seek to replicate the procedures, protocols and research results reported by other researchers.
In the case of some results reported by social science journals, they obviously cannot be replicated; in addition, the personal data of individuals must be responsibly guarded, guaranteeing anonymity.
Likewise, the material data, codes, procedures, protocols and algorithms used in articles published in natural science journals must be made fully available. Restrictions on the availability and use of materials, data and information must be communicated to the editors at the time the article is submitted to any of the journals published by CORI and must be noted in the manuscript.
Once a paper has been published, if other researchers find that the authors refuse to comply with the information availability policy, they should contact the journal’s editor-in-chief. In the event that authors also refuse the editor's request, the journal will refer the matter to the authors' funding institution and publish a formal statement of correction, attached to the publication, noting that readers have encountered obstacles in obtaining the information and materials necessary to replicate the findings reported in the article in question.
In the case of the use of biological samples, specimens, botanical materials and germplasm accessions, they must have been obtained in a responsible manner and in full accordance with applicable local laws.
All manuscripts proposed for publication in Autonomous Chapingo University’s journals must include a data availability statement, which should be placed at the end of the Methods section; for those articles that do not have such a section, the data availability statement should be provided in a special section before the References or Acknowledgements.
Any restriction on access to sensitive data (e.g. personal data, data on vulnerable or at-risk populations) requires an explanation, reasons and the nature of the restriction, as well as details on the conditions under which access is possible.
The academic journals published by Autonomous Chapingo University are respectful of the codes of ethics of the various scientific disciplines and invite authors who wish to publish to review those referring to their disciplines.
Authors who propose articles for possible publication in our journals are presumed to consent to their editorial ethical criteria, including the technical review process (compliance with the rules and editorial policies of the journals), the double-blind peer review process, compliance with the identification of the authorship and co-authorship of the proposed manuscripts, and the declaration of no conflict of interest and business interests.
Manuscripts indicating that experiments were conducted on animals should confirm that they were undertaken in compliance with relevant guidelines and regulations. The manuscript must include a statement identifying the Institutional Committee and the licenses approving the experiments. Articles reporting the use of transgenic materials must certify that the biosafety protocols established by the appropriate authorities were followed. Where necessary, experts in the areas of bioethics and biosafety will be consulted.
When the use of accessions is reported, the authors of the collection must certify that the populations of the sites where it was collected gave their free, prior and informed consent, in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (according to Biocultural Protocols), the Plant Varieties Law, as well as the collection permits established in NOM 059 SEMARNAT.
In the case of socio-economic research, in which problems of vulnerable or at-risk populations are analyzed, the identities of the people who gave their testimonies must be kept anonymous, unless the interviewees declare otherwise, which must be documented.
Autonomous Chapingo University (UACh) is a public institution that considers science to be a public good and that the products of research should be used socially, for the welfare of the world’s population; therefore, its journals are published through the open access system without prejudice to copyright established in the Federal Copyright Law, the Industrial Property Law (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indication and denomination of origin), as well as the provisions of Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The journals published by UACh do not require authors to renounce their copyright. Instead, authors grant our journals an exclusive license to publish their academic articles, so they may reuse their manuscripts in their future work without requiring the permission of the journal editor; in exchange, they are asked to indicate that the material was previously published either in its entirety or that the version is modified from the one originally published in our journal’s pages.
All open access articles are published under Creative Commons licenses. The definition of pre-prints and post-prints used by CORI conforms to the Sherpa-Romeo listing and definitions which "characterize previous prints as the version of the document before peer review and subsequent prints as the version of the article after peer review, with revisions made."
(Serpha-Romeo http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/definitions.php?la=es&fIDnum=|&mode=simple&version=).
CORI's editorial policies are compatible with open-access and self-archiving mandates. CORI supports the self-archiving process and therefore undertakes continuous communication work with its authors, readers and site licensees for the development of this policy.
Autonomous Chapingo University has a long tradition in Scientific Communication, as it is the historical heir of the National School of Agriculture that began to disseminate scientific information in 1927, founding the Chapingo journal, which over time became a reference in Latin American and Mexican agricultural sciences.
In order to better manage the journals that diverse groups of academics founded, as well as to achieve higher scientific and editorial standards, the Coordination of Institutional Journals (CORI) was created in 1998. It began with scarce economic resources and a limited number of staffers. Twenty years after its creation, it is a consolidated structure that, with the collaborative work of editors-in-chief, editorial boards, technical reviewers and proofreaders, editorial designers, translators, administrative workers and providers of logistic, systems and printing support, has managed to underpin an editorial management system that, although it needs to be strengthened, fulfills its work with high quality standards.
CORI has sufficient resources for the carrying out of its editorial tasks, and manages its editorial processes with the most outstanding software in the world of scientific publishing; throughout its 20 years of existence, its staff, as well as its editors-in-chief, editorial boards, etc. have been and continue to be trained in the use of the necessary tools for efficient, effective and transparent management in the face of the challenges of the XXI Century and the trends of scientific production. It aims to place UACh’s academic journals within the realm of the best international scientific journals.
Our journals act independently, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the Highest Institutional Purposes of its Publishing House. In the institutional field, CORI is innovating by generating its own Organization Manual, Procedures Manual, Manual of Good Publishing Practices and General Guidelines for the Editorial Management of the Institutional Journals of Autonomous Chapingo University.
We invite our authors and readers to send your comments and suggestions. We ask you to use the respective media and forms. Our editorial policies will undoubtedly be better with your comments.
Scientific journals published by Autonomous Chapingo University follow a peer-reviewed procedure, either double- or triple-blind. Each journal's website precisely describes the procedures relating to manuscript submission, the appointment of reviewers, the types of results of the opinions issued by the reviewers, and the review of the adjunct editors, among other aspects.
We invite researchers wishing to contribute to our journals who have any questions or comments about the peer-review process, which are not addressed exhaustively here, to review the specific editorial policies of each journal by visiting its website or by communicating with us.
It is important to note that the entire peer-review process is based on anonymity, in relation to the professional and specialized work of the reviewers. As described in other sections of these policies, care is taken with regard to possible conflicts of interest, inappropriate editorial behavior, appeals, disputes, and so on. In the case of the Scientific Journals published by Chapingo, the process is regulated in the General Guidelines for the Editorial Management of the Institutional Journals of Autonomous Chapingo University.
10.- POST-PUBLICATION CORRECTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
Correction and retraction policy
The Coordination of Institutional Journals and each of the journals published by Autonomous Chapingo University recognize, in the event of errors or omissions in previously published contributions, their responsibility to correct them. It is institutional editorial policy to consider refutations of works published in our journals and publish them (in brief form) if they provide categorical evidence of the existing error in the original article and are approved by peer review, which, if possible, will involve the same reviewers who were responsible for the original work.
The refutations will be sent to the corresponding author so that he/she can exercise his/her right of reply through signed comments. The refutations will be published in a special section of the journal’s online version. Sometimes it is the authors themselves who send retractions. In the event that only one or some of the article’s authors send a retraction, it will be communicated to any authors who don’t so that they can express what they consider to be right.
Complaints, disagreements and other issues concerning the text that arise should be directed to the editor-in-chief of the journal in question, in accordance with its Editorial Guidelines, which are available on the website of the Coordination of Institutional Journals and on each of the journal sites.
In the event that an error is detected in the advance online publication (AOP) version, prior to the printed version coming out, the article will be modified by inserting a legend referring to the error in question. If the error is not detected until the printed version comes out, the correction will be made in the online version with an annotation referring to the detection of the error in both versions, indicating the date of publication online and that of the correction, identifying them both with a doi.