Ethic and Practical Norms

ECONOMÍA is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. We align with the ethical evaluation principles of our institution (PUCP, 2011, Articles 8–12), as well as the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), SciELO, DOAJ, OASPA, and the APA, ensuring integrity, transparency, and scholarly excellence.

1. General Ethical Principles

All individuals involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial team—must adhere to the following foundational principles:

• Respect for persons
  
• Beneficence and non-maleficence
  
• Justice
  
• Scientific integrity
  
• Accountability
  

2. Ethical Guidelines for Authors

Authors must ensure that their submissions meet the highest ethical standards, including:

• Originality and avoidance of plagiarism or self-plagiarism
  Manuscripts must be original and unpublished. Any text or ideas drawn from prior work—by others or the authors themselves—must be properly cited. The software iThenticate will be used for plagiarism detection.
  
  
• No redundant or simultaneous publication
  Submitting the same research to multiple publications concurrently is not allowed. Exceptions include expanded versions of conference papers or theses, which must clearly cite their earlier forms. The editorial team will determine how to include this information in the publication process.
  
  
• Appropriate attribution of co-authors
  Only those who have significantly contributed to the conception, design, execution, or writing of the work should be listed as co-authors. We recommend adopting the CRediT taxonomy and designating a corresponding author who will serve as the point of contact with the journal.
  
  
• Ethical protection of research subjects
  Authors must ensure respect for the welfare and rights of human or animal subjects. Confidential information or identifying details must not be disclosed without explicit informed consent, which must be submitted with the manuscript.
  
  
• Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
  Any personal, institutional, financial, or other relationships that could influence the work must be transparently declared.
  
  
• Correction of errors
  If errors or inaccuracies are discovered in a submitted or published manuscript, authors are responsible for notifying the Section Editor promptly and cooperating to correct them.
  
  

3. Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

Reviewers, selected for their academic expertise and integrity, must uphold the following standards:

• Responsibility and timeliness
  Reviewers should accept assignments only if they have the expertise and availability to complete the review within the given timeframe; otherwise, they should decline and, if possible, suggest alternative reviewers.

• Confidentiality
  Manuscripts must be treated as confidential documents and not shared or discussed without permission from the Editor-in-Chief.

• Objective and constructive feedback
  Assessments should focus solely on the manuscript’s content and provide clear, well-justified critiques.
  
  
• Proper citation of sources
  Reviewers may point out overlooked relevant literature and should flag any suspected overlap with published work.
  
  
• Disclosure of conflicts of interest
  Reviewers should not evaluate a manuscript if personal or professional connections could bias their judgment. Ideas or data gleaned through peer review must not be used for personal advantage.
  
  

4. Ethical Guidelines for Editors

Editors play a central role in safeguarding the ethical integrity of the journal and must adhere to the following principles:

• Fairness and equity
  Manuscript evaluations should be impartial and independent of authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or political views.
  
  
• Objective decision-making
  Editorial decisions should be guided solely by the content quality and coherence of the work.
  
  
• Confidentiality
  Information about manuscripts must be shared only with authorized parties, such as reviewers or authors .
  
  
• Avoidance of misuse of submitted material
  Editorial team members must not use unpublished materials from submissions for their own research without explicit written consent from the authors.

5. Plagiarism

To ensure originality and prevent academic misconduct, ECONOMÍA uses the software iThenticate to screen all submitted manuscripts for plagiarism. This tool compares the text against a vast database of published works and online sources. Any significant overlap is carefully reviewed by the editorial team, and manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s standards of originality and proper citation will be returned to the authors or rejected.

5.1 Detection, Evaluation, and Transparency

• The similarity index generated by iThenticate is not interpreted mechanically; any substantial overlap is carefully evaluated by the editorial team.
  
• When relevant matches are identified, authors may be asked to provide clarification or revision. Manuscripts that fail to meet the journal’s standards of originality and proper citation will be returned or rejected.
  

This procedure ensures a transparent, impartial, and consistent process, reinforcing the ethical standards applied to all submissions.

5.2 Support and Good Practices for Authors

ECONOMÍA recognizes that iThenticate also serves a preventive and educational role:

• Authors are encouraged to use iThenticate prior to submission to identify and correct unintentional overlaps.
  
• By doing so, authors can ensure the originality of their work, avoid ethical concerns, and submit stronger manuscripts.
  

This approach is not designed to penalize, but rather to promote responsible research and publishing practices from the outset.

5.3 Institutional Benefits

The systematic use of iThenticate provides multiple benefits for the journal:

• Strengthens credibility and reputation of ECONOMÍA as a rigorous, ethical, and trustworthy publication outlet.
  
• Ensures fairness in editorial decisions, raising the quality of accepted works.
  
• Provides assurance to readers, authors, and reviewers that every article meets originality requirements.
  

5.4 Ethical and Normative Basis

This initiative is aligned with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows international best practices in academic publishing.

6. Procedure for Ethical Misconduct

If suspected ethical violations arise at any stage of the manuscript handling process, the editorial team will follow COPE guidelines to investigate and manage the situation, including cases such as:

• Data fabrication or manipulation
  
• Improper attribution of authorship
  
• Plagiarism or redundant publication
  
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  
• Bias or misconduct by any participant in the process
• All allegations will be investigated rigorously—even if discovered years after publication—and will inform editorial decisions