Ethics and good practices

TELOS: Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Sciences Journal, published by Universidad Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín (URBE), is committed to fostering a culture of research integrity based on the principles of honesty, transparency, objectivity, responsibility, fairness, and respect for individuals and the academic community. All participants involved in the editorial process share the responsibility of safeguarding the scientific quality and ethical standards of the journal, in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and other internationally recognized principles of scholarly publishing.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

As the publishing institution, Universidad Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín (URBE) guarantees the editorial independence of TELOS and supports the implementation of policies that promote research integrity, transparency in the editorial process, and the continuous improvement of publication quality. The institution provides the necessary institutional support to ensure that editorial decisions are based exclusively on scholarly merit, free from political, commercial, financial, or personal influence.

The Publisher also promotes mechanisms to prevent research misconduct, address ethical concerns, and ensure compliance with internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing.

Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for managing the editorial process with independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and transparency. Editorial decisions shall be based exclusively on the manuscript's scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance, and contribution to knowledge, regardless of the authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political views, or any other personal characteristics.

The Editor-in-Chief shall:

  • Ensure the integrity and fairness of the peer review process.
  • Guarantee compliance with the journal's editorial and ethical policies.
  • Identify and appropriately manage conflicts of interest throughout the editorial process.
  • Investigate allegations of plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, citation manipulation, or any other form of research misconduct.
  • Promote transparency, editorial quality, and continuous improvement.
  • Make timely and well-founded editorial decisions.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

The Editorial Board advises the Editor-in-Chief in defining editorial policies and safeguarding the scientific quality of the journal.

Editorial Board members shall:

  • Contribute to maintaining and strengthening the journal's scientific quality.
  • Support the development and periodic revision of editorial and ethical policies.
  • Recommend qualified peer reviewers when appropriate.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality regarding all manuscripts and editorial information.
  • Declare any potential conflicts of interest that may compromise their impartiality.
  • Promote disciplinary, institutional, and geographical diversity within the journal.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer review is an essential component of the scholarly publication process and contributes to maintaining the scientific quality and credibility of published research.

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Accept review assignments only within their area of expertise.
  • Disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest before accepting a review invitation.
  • Maintain complete confidentiality regarding the manuscripts under review.
  • Provide objective, constructive, respectful, and evidence-based evaluations.
  • Base their recommendations solely on scientific merit.
  • Inform the Editor of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, inappropriate use of artificial intelligence, or other ethical concerns.
  • Refrain from using unpublished information obtained during the review process for personal or professional advantage.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors bear full responsibility for the scientific accuracy and ethical integrity of the manuscripts submitted to the journal.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and has not been previously published.
  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
  • All listed authors have made substantial scholarly contributions and approved the final version.
  • The reported data are accurate, reliable, and honestly presented.
  • All sources have been appropriately acknowledged and cited.
  • Ethical approval was obtained whenever required for research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive information.
  • Informed consent was obtained whenever applicable.
  • All funding sources and potential conflicts of interest have been fully disclosed.
  • Any use of artificial intelligence tools has been transparently declared and did not replace the authors' intellectual responsibility for the work.

Authors should retain the original research data supporting their findings and provide them to the journal upon reasonable request, subject to legal, ethical, or confidentiality restrictions.

Research Involving Humans

Research involving human participants must comply with internationally recognized ethical principles, including approval by the appropriate Research Ethics Committee whenever required and the obtaining of informed consent from participants.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

The journal protects the confidentiality of manuscripts, authors, reviewers, editors, and all participants involved in the editorial process. Information obtained during manuscript handling shall be used exclusively for editorial purposes and managed in accordance with applicable data protection regulations.

Research Integrity

The journal does not tolerate any practice that compromises research integrity, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism.
  • Self-plagiarism.
  • Data fabrication.
  • Data falsification.
  • Image manipulation.
  • Redundant or duplicate publication.
  • Salami publication.
  • Gift, guest, ghost, or omitted authorship.
  • Manipulation of the peer review process.
  • Coercive citation practices.
  • Misuse of artificial intelligence tools.

Corrections and Retractions

When significant errors or potential breaches of publication ethics are identified, the journal will evaluate each case following COPE recommendations. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions in order to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Resolution of Ethical Concerns

Any allegation of research or publication misconduct shall be handled fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with due process. The journal may request additional information or supporting documentation from the parties involved before making a final editorial decision.