Ethic statement | Más Poder Local

Ethics Policies of Más Poder Local

1- Regarding Authorship and Contributions

The guidelines for submitting manuscripts to the journal (size, format, and image resolution, the citation system, etc.) are public. Authors of the texts submitted for publication in Más Poder Local are the primary responsible parties for their content. Published research papers are evaluated by two subject-matter specialists, and it is the editorial team's responsibility to ensure that this process is fair and impartial. This review process will be double-blind (anonymous for both the authors and the reviewers), and the reviewers must justify their judgment based on the scientific significance, originality, and clarity of the presentation of the works. It is the editorial team's responsibility to accept or reject a submission for publication based on the received evaluations. The editorial team must express their gratitude for the reviewers' contributions. The editorial team can directly reject submissions without external consultation if they believe that the submissions lack the minimum level of quality, are not aligned with the thematic and scientific objectives of the journal or show evidence of plagiarism.

2- How the Journal Will Handle Complaints, Claims, and Appeals

In case of conflict, complaint, or appeal, the journal's editorial team will request explanations and relevant evidence from the author for resolution. Complaints, claims, or appeals will be handled within the editorial team and the journal's scientific committee, with continuous communication with the complainant. If necessary, the journal will propose two external reviewers who have not previously been involved to provide their assessment as blinded peers. If the complaint results in the disavowal of a previously published work, the journal will promptly publish a notice of disavowal, citing the reasons for such action. The journal will also notify the institution to which the author belongs about the disavowal.

3- Regarding Conflicts of Interest

Members of the Editorial team should refrain from directly handling a manuscript when they have a close relationship with the author, are part of the same research group, have a contractual relationship or have shared national or international research funds or projects in recent years. The editorial team will also avoid selecting reviewers who are affected by these situations. Since the evaluation is conducted using a blind method, the editorial team will include the reasons for exclusion in the evaluation form, allowing reviewers to abstain if they believe they are in such situations. When there is any commercial, financial, or personal relationship that could affect the results and conclusions of the work, the manuscript will include a declaration to that effect.

4- On Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Manuscripts submitted for publication must be the result of original research. They must include the data used and provide an objective discussion of their results, as well as sufficient information to allow confirmation or refutation of the interpretations presented in the work, citing the origin of the ideas or literal phrases taken from previously published works. When including images as part of the research, it must be explained how they were created or obtained. If reproducing material (figures, photos, maps, etc.) previously published, the source has to be cited, along with reproduction permissions. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the data and results presented in the work are original and have not been copied, invented, distorted or manipulated. Plagiarism in all its forms, self-plagiarism without proper citation, multiple or redundant publication, as well as data fabrication or manipulation are considered serious ethical violations. However, it is admissible to publish a work that expands another similar work as a communication or summary in the proceedings of a conference, citing the text on which it is based and provided that the changes involve a substantial modification of what has already been published. They could also be acceptable if the work is published in a different language, always specifying this circumstance and citing the original publication, which the evaluators will consider relevant. In the case of multiple authorship, the person responsible for the work will guarantee the recognition of the other authors, considering that all signatories share the responsibility for the work submitted.

The publication will indicate, if any, the sources of funding granted for the study, mentioning the originating entities.

5- On Ethical Oversight

Authors of manuscripts submitted for publication are obliged to adhere to ethical standards to ensure originality and authorship. Inappropriate behavior may result in the disavowal of publication. The journal reserves the right to take legal action in response to misconduct. Reviewers must consider the manuscript they are reviewing as confidential until its publication, both during the review process and afterward. They should not disclose or use the information contained in the text. Reviewers will objectively assess the quality of the work, the underlying information, hypotheses, data and its interpretation, as well as the presentation and writing style. They must provide constructive comments and arguments. Reviewers must inform the journal's editorial team of any relevant similarities between the work under review and other published works, indicating possible plagiarism, forgeries, or manipulations.

Reviewers must adhere to established timelines, and if any reviewer believes that they are not qualified to assess the work, they will notify the editorial team, justifying their reasons. Conflicts of interest may arise when the work under review is closely related to the evaluator's ongoing research. In these cases, reviewers should decline the task and return the manuscript to the editorial team, explaining their motives.

6- On Intellectual Property

The journal's editorial team is responsible for the published content, ensuring its scientific quality, avoiding misconduct in the publication of research results, and managing the editing of accepted works. They will scrupulously respect the intellectual property of the authors, indicating it at all times.

The editorial team must be impartial when handling submissions for publication and must respect the intellectual independence of the authors. Authors have the right to a response if their work is not evaluated positively. Furthermore, no member of the editorial team can use data or conclusions from submitted works for their own research until after the publication, and they must always cite the source, authorship, and respect the intellectual property of the authors.

7- Journal's Options for Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

The editorial team will always be available to authors for any editorial discussions following publication with the steps to be taken being mutually agreed upon.

Más Poder Local journal adheres to the code of good scientific practices approved by CSIC in March 2010 and the good practice agreements adopted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).