Publication ethics and declaration of negligence

The Agustina de Educación journal is dedicated to publishing articles under the highest standards of quality and ethics. These standards of ethical behavior are maintained at all stages of publication and with all members of our journal, including: the author, the journal editor, the reviewer, and the publisher. Plagiarism or any other unethical behavior is strictly prohibited. The journal adheres to the ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Among the most important aspects are the following:

1. Responsibilities of editors:

• Selection for publication: The Editors of the Augustinian Journal of Education are responsible for the selection of articles to be published in the journal. Editors must comply with the ethical standards of the journal and with all legal guidelines, including, but not limited to, those against defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Editors are free to discuss decisions related to article selection with the editorial board, academic committee, or an evaluator.
• Non-discrimination clause: The Editors will review manuscripts and make decisions on articles regardless of the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality or political ideology.
• Confidentiality Agreement: The editors and any member of the editorial team are prohibited from disclosing information about the submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, or the publisher.
• Transparency and interests: The editorial team is prohibited from using unpublished material in his/her own research unless he/she has obtained the express written consent of the author. Editors should refrain from manuscripts that represent a conflict of interest as a result of any possible connection, whether competitive or mutual, with institutions, companies, authors, etc.

2. Reviewer Responsibilities:

• Confidentiality: Any manuscript submitted for review must be considered a confidential document. This manuscript must not be discussed or presented to any third parties or individuals.
• Timeliness: Due to the time sensitivity of reviewing articles, reviewers should inform the editors and decline to review an article in the event that he/she knows he/she will not be able to review the material in a timely manner, or if he/she does not have sufficient knowledge about the topic of the article.
• Requirements for objectivity: Criticisms must be made in a neutral manner and opinions must articulate their criticisms on the basis of reasonable arguments.
• Input into editorial review: Reviews provide critical information for editors and the decision-making process. Reviewers can also assist editors by communicating with authors and offering suggestions for improving the article through editorial communication.
• Acknowledgement of sources: Reviewers should consider relevant published material not cited by the author and whether there is any substantial similarity between the published articles and the manuscript under consideration.
• Transparency and interests: Private information or ideas collected through peer review must remain private and not be used for the benefit of the reviewers. Reviewers must refrain from manuscripts that represent a conflict of interest as a result of any possible connection, whether competitive or mutual, with institutions, companies, authors, etc.

3. Author's responsibilities:

• Principles of Research: Authors are responsible for presenting original research, a truthful description of the work required for an article, and an objective discussion of the significance of the results. Key data should be explained candidly in the article. The written report should include sufficient details and references to enable others to replicate the research. Deliberately false or incorrect statements constitute unethical activity and will not be tolerated.
• Redundant, multiple, or simultaneous publication: Generally speaking, an author should not have his or her manuscript reviewed by more than one journal or other type of primary publication. Submission to multiple journals and/or publication of the same work in multiple journals is considered unethical publishing behavior and will not be accepted.
• Authenticity and plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they are submitting entirely original work, and that the text or materials the authors have used correctly reference it. Plagiarism in any form is unethical editorial behaviour and is not accepted.
• Authorship of the article: Authorship belongs to those members who contributed substantially to the conception of the research, the methodological design, the execution of the research, and the writing of the article. All members who contributed substantially to the article should be listed as co-authors. Other persons who contributed to other substantive parts of the research should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The lead author has the responsibility to include all co-authors and contributors on the paper and to ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the paper and consented to its submission for publication.
• Acknowledgement of sources: Appropriately acknowledge the work of other authors in the article. Authors should include all sources or works that inform theoretical and/or methodological aspects of their work. The use of unauthorized data, such as conversation or dialogue with third parties, is prohibited. Information collected through confidential methods, such as manuscript reviews or grant applications, is prohibited except with the explicit written permission of the author providing such services.
• Transparency and interests: All authors must disclose in their final manuscript any financial or other conflict of interest that could interfere with the results and interpretations of their research. In addition to reporting, all sources of funding for the project must be duly reported.
• Fundamental errors in published research: If the author becomes aware of a fundamental error or inaccuracy in his or her own published research, he or she must immediately notify the editors of the journal or publisher for correction. When this has occurred after it has been flagged, it cannot be modified. Therefore, prior review by the authors is essential.

4. Method of handling unethical conduct:

When misconduct and unethical actions are identified, they should be reported to the Editors.

Unethical conduct and actions include, but are not limited to, the examples described above, such as plagiarism or falsification of research. The reporter of unethical conduct must provide sufficient information and evidence to initiate an investigation. All reports must be seriously considered and treated in a similar manner, until an appropriate outcome or settlement is reached.

In case of unethical conduct, the Editors are responsible for choosing the appropriate form of research and may seek advice from the editorial board, academic committee, or reviewer when making this choice. Statement based on COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors ( http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines ).