Editorial Standards

Editorial Guidelines

General Information:

1. Articles submitted for consideration must be original and not previously published; additionally, they must not be under simultaneous submission to other journals. They will undergo a double-blind peer review process to ensure impartial selection and publication, wherein neither the reviewers nor the authors are privy to each other's identities. All reviewers and referees must be external to the Journal. Articles may be accepted in languages other than Spanish or English.
2. Submissions to the Journal are limited to a maximum of four (4) contributors, inclusive of the lead author. The editorial committee may consider exceptions to this guideline based on the originality, relevance, and contribution of the work, as well as the complexity of the research process outlined in the article.
3. The Journal operates on a four-month publication schedule for regular issues.
4. The Journal may also issue extraordinary editions (special issues) by prior arrangement with relevant groups, networks, institutions, and organizations that host research events, such as congresses, forums, symposia, or conferences. Articles submitted to these special issues must adhere to the established editorial guidelines.
5. Contributors to both regular and extraordinary issues are required to register in the Journal’s Open Journal Systems (OJS). Those who are already registered do not need to register again.

Regarding Article Types and Structure:

6. Articles will be classified as follows (refer to Table 1):
7. Research Articles: Characterized by substantial originality and innovative contributions, these articles present the findings of original research—whether theoretical, experimental, qualitative, quantitative, or employing mixed methods. The distinctive elements of the research must be prominently articulated. Structure: Title in both Spanish and English; full names of the author(s); email addresses for each author (institutional preferred, or Gmail if not available); affiliated institution (including city and country); ORCID identifiers; resumen (in Spanish); descriptores (Spanish keywords); abstract; keywords; introduction (including the topic or problem statement, objectives, significance, and theoretical framework); methodology; results; discussion; conclusions; and references (minimum of 10 citations).
8. Review Articles: These articles systematically describe or compile recent developments or scholarly works on a specific topic while offering insights, enhancements, or original perspectives. The theoretical synthesis must be clearly articulated, emphasizing novel contributions. A minimum of 25 citations is required. Structure: Title in both Spanish and English; full names of the author(s); email addresses for each author (institutional preferred, or Gmail if unavailable); affiliated institution (indicating city and country); ORCID identifier; resumen (Spanish abstract); descriptores (Spanish keywords); abstract; keywords; introduction (presentation of the topic); review body (briefly explaining the methodology utilized and contributions derived from the review); and references consulted (only those cited in the article).
9. Reflective Pieces: These articles articulate positive experiences related to the application of contemporary technologies, methodologies, and knowledge, underscoring notable achievements across various fields—particularly instances involving improvements or unique features worthy of note. The focus should be on sharing "positive experiences" gained from the practical application of scientific techniques or knowledge, emphasizing insights that enrich collective understanding. A minimum of 25 references is required (preferably reviews of scientific articles and scholarly books). Structure includes: Title in both Spanish and English; full names of the author(s); email addresses for each author (institutional preferred, or Gmail if unavailable); affiliated institution (including city and country); ORCID identifier; abstract / resumen; keywords / descriptores; introduction (presentation of the topic); reflection (detailing the methodology used and contributions surfaced from the reflection); and references consulted (only those cited in the article).
10. Judgment Commentary: This article form examines theoretical aspects—including legal doctrine, principles, and case law—to provide an academic basis for contesting a judicial ruling (domestic or foreign, across any area of law). The structure begins with a "Background" section providing a concise overview of the relevant facts, the contested issue, the parties involved, and the legal provisions cited by the court. An "Interpretation or Analysis" section follows, wherein the author presents a critique of the judicial decision—whether in whole or in part—grounded in legal principles, doctrine, and case law. In this substantiation phase, the author must engage at least 10 sources from the last five years or references from seminal works in the legal field. The analysis must also compare the ruling against at least five additional domestic or foreign judgments addressing similar issues.

e.- Letter to the Editor: This section invites contributions from all readers that enhance or discuss published original articles or short original papers, or that pertain to a relevant thematic area. Up to four authors are permitted for these submissions, with a maximum length of 1,000 words and a requirement of at least 5 references.

f.- Editorial: This section features topics of editorial interest presented in an expository-argumentative style. These works are typically commissioned by the Director and/or Editor.

Formatting and layout of articles:

7. Articles are to be composed without paragraph indentation and should avoid blank lines between paragraphs, except those used to differentiate titles and subtitles (not exceeding five hierarchical levels). The utilization of bullet points should be strictly minimized.
8. Articles must be submitted in electronic format (DOC), formatted with 1.5-line spacing, using 12-point Arial font, and adhering to 2.5 cm margins on all sides (right, left, bottom, and top) on Letter-sized paper. The maximum length for research articles is 25 pages, excluding the title, authors, and abstract. Similarly, articles of a descriptive nature (including reviews and reflection papers) are also constrained to a maximum length of 25 pages. Furthermore, the article title shall not exceed 15 words. Each manuscript must encompass an abstract limited to 150 words, along with five descriptors provided in both English and Spanish (including the title and descriptors). Descriptors should be presented in lowercase, separated by semicolons (;), and aligned with the UNESCO Thesaurus for both languages (http://vocabularies.unesco.org/browser/thesaurus/es/).
9. The abstract for research articles must be structured in an indicative-informative format, comprising the primary objective or purpose of the research, a concise description of the methodology employed, and a presentation of the results and discussion along with the most salient conclusions.
10. For articles categorized as reviews or reflection papers, the abstract shall adopt an “unstructured, descriptive indicative” format, outlining the article's type and its principal contributions, which should serve to complement the content of the main text without reiterating information already provided. A summary of the case commentary should include a brief overview of the background and involved parties, the pertinent ruling, and the author’s critical assessments.
11. The Editorial Committee may grant exceptions for manuscripts that, due to their originality or significant contributions, necessitate greater length, thereby adhering to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), of which this journal is a signatory (https://sfdora.org/read/es/ ).
12. APA style (6th edition) must be employed for the citation of bibliographic sources within the body of the article, in accordance with guidelines governing quotations of fewer or more than 40 words, as well as the number of authors and the type of document cited. (Refer to: APA Standards, Javeriana Writing Center https://revista.uniandes.edu.ec/ojs/index.php/DJE/formatos ).
13. References cited must be listed alphabetically at the end of the article. The English title should be included in brackets alongside the Spanish title of the reference.

For instance: 

Briceño de Osorio, A. (2019). Aprendizaje de lenguas para la diversidad cultural. [Language learning for cultural diversity]. EPISTEME KOINONIA, 2(4), 53-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.35381/e.k.v2i4.524   

- It is imperative that all referenced articles include the DOI. To facilitate this, please utilize the following complimentary resource: http://www.crossref.org/simpleTextQuery. 

- Additionally, URLs for all consulted references must be provided when available, and should be shortened using: https://n9.cl/es.   

 

14. Tables, figures, and graphs must be numerically designated in accordance with their sequence of appearance within the text, employing Arabic numerals, accompanied by a succinct title. The source must be cited at the base of each table, figure, or graph. Charts, tables, and graphs are to be submitted in editable formats, specifically Microsoft Word or Excel, while images (including figures, maps, or photographs) must be in JPG format with a resolution of 300 DPI or higher.

Table 1. Word count for title, abstract, descriptors, content, figures, graphs, tables, and the number of references for each article.

Section	Title (words)	Abstract (words)	Key words	Content (words)	Figures, graphs y tables	References
Research Articles	15	150	Min.3/Max.5	Min.10/Max.25	--	≥ 10
Review Articles	15	150	Min.3/Max.5	Min.10/Max.25	--	≥ 25
Reflective Pieces Judgement Commentary	15	150	Min.3/Max.5	Min.10/Max.25	--	≥ 25
Letter to the Editor	--	--	--	Max. 10	--	≥  5
Editorial	--	--	--		--

 

The page count for the substantive content of the article should exclude the title, abstract, keywords, and references. 

Editorial Process: 

15. Contributors are required to upload their manuscripts to the Journal's OJS platform (please refer to or download the article template). The article must commence with a comprehensive listing of the contributors’ full names, email addresses, affiliated institutions or communities (including city and country), in addition to their respective ORCID identifiers (https://orcid.org/). Contributors must ensure the completion of all requisite fields during the registration and article submission processes.

- A sworn statement regarding the responsibility for and originality of the article must be drafted and submitted, in accordance with item 32 of these guidelines. 

16. The article will undergo evaluation by the Editorial Committee, which is obliged to render a decision—either to approve or reject the initiation of the journal's peer-review process—within a timeframe not exceeding 7 consecutive days.
17. All submissions will be subjected to scrutiny utilizing anti-plagiarism software as part of the publication's commitment to quality assurance and ethical standards (URKUND).
18. Should the decision of the Editorial Committee be favorable, the article will be forwarded for assessment under a double-blind peer-review system.
19. Upon notification of the approval for an article to commence the peer-review process, the author is required to upload the manuscript—reflecting the corrections stipulated by the editorial committee—into the journal's Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform to initiate the review procedure.
20. The evaluation of articles will be predicated upon four fundamental criteria:

- Originality / Research Innovation

- Utility / Social and Cultural Relevance

- Clarity of Exposition

- Scientific Rigor (about the adopted research paradigm or approach) / Argumentation / Conclusions or Final Considerations

21. Articles will undergo peer review and be classified into the following categories: Approved, Approved with Modifications, and Not Approved.
22. Assessments will consider originality, relevance, stylistic considerations, and contributions to the relevant academic field.
23. The peer-review process will employ a double-blind methodology, wherein the identities of both reviewers and authors remain undisclosed to ensure impartiality.
24. The confidentiality of the reviewers’ assessments is imperative. The journal disclaims any responsibility for the actions of the reviewers, who operate with complete autonomy.
25. Articles originating from within UNIANDES will be submitted to external evaluators, while those from outside the university will be assessed by internal reviewers. Based on evaluators' observations and recommendations, authors may be requested to undertake modifications to enhance the overall quality of their work.
26. Throughout the peer-review process, the anonymity of evaluators and authors will be rigorously maintained to uphold the integrity of the evaluation. In instances of disagreement among evaluators, the final decision will reside with the Director and/or Editor, along with the Editorial Committee; such decisions will be communicated to the pertinent parties within a maximum of 30 business days following the receipt of the evaluations.
27. The authors assume full responsibility for the content published in “Revista Debate Jurídico Ecuador”, including all opinions, assertions, and methodologies presented.
28. Evaluators are allotted 30 calendar days from the receipt of the article to submit their evaluation report to the Director and/or Editor. The Director and/or Editor shall communicate this report to the author within a maximum of 5 calendar days. The estimated timeline from receipt of the article to its publication is approximately 8 weeks.
29. The ultimate decision regarding the evaluation process and the potential publication (or non-publication) of articles is vested exclusively with the Director and/or Editor, together with the Editorial Committee. This decision will be made based on the suggestions, observations, and recommendations provided by the reviewers. All articles will undergo an editorial evaluation process, even if they have previously been assessed by experts; where necessary, recommendations aimed at enhancing the quality of articles for publication will be conveyed to the authors.
30. Any conflicts of interest arising from the evaluation of an article will be addressed by the journal's Editorial Ethics Committee, adhering to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Further recommendations are accessible at: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/.
31. If any breach of publication ethics is identified—whether at the outset, during the editorial process, or after publication- the protocol outlined in the "Ethics and Good Editorial Practices Policies for UNIANDES Scientific Journals" will be adhered to.
32. Authors are required to submit a sworn statement confirming their responsibility for and the originality of the article through the journal's OJS platform. A template can be found at: https://n9.cl/l3e7i.
33. The author(s) of the article will be accountable for any controversies arising from the published findings and may be reached via email. Discussions or opinions related to the subject matter are encouraged, provided they occur in an academic and scientific context, which promotes a feedback process that enhances science and knowledge.
34. With the approval of the Editorial Committee, regular issues may be published before the designated publication period. Approved articles will appear in the next available issue.
35. Any matters not explicitly addressed in these editorial guidelines will be referred to the Journal's Editorial Committee.