Ethics policy and good practices

The Bolivian Journal of Education will ensure that the editorial team and the reviewers, as well as the authors, follow the required ethical guidelines during the publication process. To achieve this, it relies on the following international standards: the best practice guidelines for journal editors and the international standards for editors and authors established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 

The guidelines are directed to authors, reviewers, and editors: 

Authors' commitments

Multiple publications: Authors should not repeat their results in multiple scientific journals or any other type of publication, regardless of whether these are academic or not. Simultaneous submission of the same contribution to multiple scientific journals is considered ethically inappropriate behavior. 

Truthfulness and accuracy of information: Authors submitting their work to "REBE" guarantee the originality of their contributions and that these have not been previously published in any other source. They also certify that they have not included excerpts from other authors' works nor have they altered empirical data to support their hypotheses. 

Conflicts of interest and declaration: Authors must make an explicit declaration if they have no conflicts of interest that could impact the results or interpretations of their work. They must also reveal any funding provided by agencies or projects that supported the research. 

Attribution, citation, and references: Authors must always ensure that they include appropriate references to the sources and contributions mentioned in their article. 

Authorship participation: Authors commit to listing individuals who have made substantial scientific and intellectual contributions to the conception, planning, interpretation of results, and writing of the work. They must also determine the order of authorship based on their degree of responsibility and contribution. 

Availability and preservation: If considered appropriate by the Editorial Board, authors must provide access to the sources or data used in their research. These data should remain available for a reasonable time after publication and possibly be accessible. 

Correction of errors in published articles: If an author detects a substantial error or inaccuracy in their already published article, they must immediately notify the journal editors and provide the necessary information to correct the error through a footnote, without altering the original version of the article. 

Responsibility: Authors are the only responsible for the content of the articles published in "REBE." Additionally, authors are expected to conduct a detailed review of the most recent and relevant scientific literature related to the topic addressed, considering various perspectives and streams of knowledge. 

Reviewers' commitements

Participation in editorial decision-making: Peer review plays a fundamental role in supporting editors in making decisions regarding proposed articles. It also provides authors with the opportunity to improve the quality of their work before possible publication. Reviewers commit to conducting critical, honest, and constructive evaluations, free of preferences, both in terms of scientific merit and writing quality, based on their expertise and competence. 

Adherence to review deadlines: If a reviewer feels they do not have the necessary expertise to assess the topic or cannot meet the established review period, they must notify the editors immediately. Reviewers commit to completing reviews as quickly as possible, ensuring compliance with submission deadlines. In REBE, strict restrictions are required on the retention of pending manuscripts, in consideration of authors and their work. 

Confidentiality: Each manuscript assigned to reviewers must be handled with complete confidentiality. Consequently, reviewers should not share the content with outsiders without the explicit authorization of the editors. 

Impartiality and objectivity: Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts impartially and objectively, based on scientific and academic merit. They should not allow personal favoritisms or preconceived notions to influence their review. 

Recognition of missing references: Reviewers commit to precisely identifying bibliographic citations of relevant works that the author may have omitted. Additionally, they must notify the editors if they find similarities or correspondences between the manuscript under review and other previously published works. 

Anonymity: To ensure impartiality, objectivity, and transparency in the review process, the anonymity of authors is preserved before their works are sent for peer review. If, at any point, the identity of the authors, their institutional affiliations, or any other information that could reveal their identity and compromise the confidentiality of the document are known, the reviewer must inform the editors immediately. 

Plagiarism: If a reviewer is concerned about the possible substantial reproduction of an article concerning previous works, they should inform the editors and provide a detailed reference to the prior work wherever possible. The journal commands the use of plagiarism and self-plagiarism detection systems, such as Turnitin, by both reviewers and editors. 

Fraud: If any uncertainty arises, whether significant or minimal, regarding the authenticity or precision of the results presented in an article, it is essential to inform the editors about it. 

Editors' commitments

Transparency: Editors must provide clear and comprehensive information about the journal's editorial policies, including peer review processes, selection criteria, and ethical guidelines to be followed by authors and reviewers. 

Selection of qualified reviewers: Editors ensure the selection of highly qualified and expert reviewers in the relevant scientific field to provide critical and expert evaluations of the work, minimizing any favoritism. In "REBE," editors designate two reviewers for each paper, which guarantees greater objectivity in the review process. 

Impartiality and equality: Editors must make impartial and just editorial decisions based on the academic and scientific merit of the works, without discrimination based on race, gender, ethnic origin, institutional affiliation, or other factors unrelated to research quality. 

Confidentiality: Editors and the team commit to not revealing information related to the articles submitted to the journal to anyone other than the author, reviewers, and editors. Confidentiality of manuscripts, authors, and reviewers are guaranteed, thereby preserving the intellectual integrity of the entire process. 

Avoiding conflicts of interest: Editors must reveal and manage any conflicts of interest that may influence their editorial decisions, such as personal or professional relationships with authors, reviewers, or institutions related to the submitted works. 

Compliance with deadlines: Editors admit the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the established deadlines for reviewing and publishing accepted articles are met. This is aimed at achieving prompt dissemination of results. Published deadlines include a maximum of 75 days for evaluation or dismissal from the reception of the manuscript in the Review Platform and a maximum of 120 days from the start of the expert scientific review process.