Ethical Statement

Ethics, integrity and editorial transparency

Code of Ethics and Editorial Best Practice

JLA Ediciones adopts this Code to govern the submission, assessment, editing, production, publication, dissemination and correction of academic and scholarly books and edited volumes. Its provisions are grounded in the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the reference editorial policies consulted, and standards applied by international academic publishers, adapted to the nature of books and the Latin American regional context.

Research integrity Peer review Transparency Due process Correction of the record Global inclusion

Institutional statement

JLA Ediciones accepts responsibility for the integrity of the works it publishes, safeguards the independence of scholarly decisions from commercial interests, and undertakes to investigate potential breaches fairly and confidentially. In its aim to become a regional benchmark, it adopts verifiable standards of governance, assessment, inclusion, editorial service and preservation. Where appropriate, it will publish corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, retractions or apologies while maintaining the traceability of the scholarly record.

Editorial excellence framework

Commitments of international scope

Proactive preventionIntegrity is not limited to responding to breaches: it is promoted through guidance, training, controls and timely support.
Shared responsibilityThe editorial management, Editorial Board, academic editors and those responsible for each work assume defined and documented duties.
Inclusion and diversityDiversity of disciplines, regions, career stages, generations and perspectives will be sought across boards and reviewer pools without lowering scholarly standards.
Professional serviceCommunication will be respectful, traceable and timely; operational continuity will be provided for during absences or changes of responsibility.

01 · Scope and principles

Application of the Code

This Code is binding on authors, co-authors, coordinators, volume editors, academic editors, reviewers, copy-editors, designers, suppliers and members of editorial bodies involved in a JLA Ediciones work.

Merit and independenceDecisions are based on quality, originality, clarity, rigour, relevance and suitability for the publishing programme.
ImpartialityDiscrimination on grounds of nationality, origin, sex, gender, identity, ethnicity, disability, religion, ideology, institution or career stage is not permitted.
Transparency y trazabilidadDecisions, versions, review reports, corrections and essential metadata must be retained in a verifiable manner.

02 · Editorial responsibility

Duties of JLA Ediciones and the Editorial Board

  • Protect academic freedom and the independence of editorial decisions.
  • Assess proposals on their merit and relevance without favouring financial, institutional, political or personal interests.
  • Publish clear instructions on submission, assessment, intellectual property, costs, licences and responsibilities.
  • Select reviewers with sufficient subject and methodological expertise.
  • Protect the confidentiality of manuscripts, reports, identities and communications in accordance with the adopted peer-review model.
  • Ensure that payment for editorial services does not determine scholarly acceptance.
  • Retain the editorial file and act on allegations, including after publication.
  • Define the authority of each editorial role and recuse from decisions anyone with a competing interest.
  • Take reasonable steps to verify reviewers' identity, affiliation, expertise and contact details.
  • Maintain complete records in OMP and, where necessary, supplementary documentary records of the process.
  • Correct the published record where substantial errors or breaches exist.

03 · Authorship and contributions

Responsibilities of authors, coordinators and volume editors

Authorship must be limited to those who have made a substantial intellectual contribution and can take public responsibility for the content attributed to them.

  • All authors must approve the submitted version, the final version and the order of authorship.
  • Contributions that do not warrant authorship will be acknowledged, subject to prior permission.
  • Honorary, guest, ghost, purchased, coercive or non-consensual authorship is prohibited.
  • Requests to add, remove or reorder authors must be justified and supported by documented agreement from all parties involved.
  • For edited volumes, coordinators and volume editors must verify the coherence of the volume, attribution of authorship, delivery of permissions and responses to comments; this role does not exempt them from their own scholarly responsibility.
  • Authorship disputes will not be resolved through editorial assumptions; they may be referred to affiliated institutions or competent bodies where an external investigation is required.

04 · Originality and attribution

Plagiarism, redundancy and prior publication

Every source, idea, dataset, translation, image, table, figure or third-party excerpt must be properly identified and cited. The publisher may use text-similarity tools, but results will be interpreted by qualified people and not treated as automatic verdicts.

Prohibited practicesPlagiarism, deceptive text recycling, misappropriation of ideas, fabrication or falsification, citation manipulation, artificial fragmentation of findings and undisclosed redundant publication.
Previously disseminated materialTheses, preprints, reports, conference papers or earlier versions must be disclosed. Reuse is subject to substantial development, attribution, permissions and the absence of contractual incompatibilities.

05 · Artificial intelligence

Responsible use and disclosure of AI tools

  • An AI tool may not be listed as an author, co-author, responsible reviewer or rights holder.
  • Material use of generative AI in writing, translation, analysis, coding, image processing or data production must be disclosed, identifying the tool, version, purpose and extent of use.
  • Authors retain full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, citations, data, permissions and potential biases of AI-assisted content.
  • Unpublished manuscripts, confidential data or personal information must not be entered into AI services that do not provide adequate privacy and data-processing safeguards.
  • Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts to external AI tools without express editorial authorisation and adequate safeguards.
  • AI detectors provide probabilistic indicators and will never, on their own, constitute sufficient evidence of a breach.

06 · Research and data

Ethical oversight, consent and reproducibility

  • Research involving people, communities, sensitive information, animals or heritage must comply with applicable ethical, legal and institutional requirements.
  • Where applicable, ethics committee approval, informed consent, anonymisation measures and permission to publish identifiable images, testimony or data must be declared.
  • Authors must describe their methods, limitations, funding sources and data collection and analysis procedures honestly.
  • Fabrication, falsification, selective omission or misleading manipulation of data and images is prohibited.
  • Where ethically and legally possible, data, materials or code should be made available through repositories, with justified access restrictions stated.
  • Research on threatened species, natural heritage or biological material must demonstrate permissions, traceability and compliance with relevant national and international standards.
  • Content with dual-use potential—capable of direct application with broad risks to health, security, agriculture, animals or the environment—will be subject to specialist assessment and proportionate editorial measures.

07 · Peer review

Ethical duties of reviewers

Research monographs, project-derived books and edited volumes reporting original findings should receive at least two independent and technically adequate reviews. Any exception for an emerging field, niche specialism or justified unavailability must be documented and must never be replaced by a superficial report.

  • Accept a review only when possessing sufficient expertise and the availability to meet the deadline.
  • Promptly disclose any actual, potential or perceived competing interest.
  • Treat the manuscript, data and correspondence as confidential information.
  • Provide objective, well-founded and respectful comments free from discrimination or personal attacks.
  • Do not use unpublished ideas, arguments, methods, data or materials for personal or third-party benefit.
  • Report relevant similarities, omitted references or potential breaches identified during review.
  • Do not delegate the review or use AI on the manuscript without the express authorisation of JLA Ediciones.
  • Base the report on verifiable arguments concerning methods, evidence, coherence and contribution, not merely on a brief recommendation.
  • Where authors suggest reviewers, JLA Ediciones will independently verify their details and seek at least one review from a person not proposed by the authors.

08 · Competing interests

Disclosure, management and recusal

Authors, coordinators, reviewers and editors must disclose financial, employment, academic, family, personal, ideological or institutional relationships that may influence, or be perceived to influence, the process.

JLA Ediciones may replace reviewers, recuse editors from a decision, request further disclosures or publish relevant information on funding and competing interests. The existence of an interest does not automatically imply misconduct; its deliberate concealment may constitute a breach.

Where a work is submitted by a person holding a managerial, editorial or advisory role at JLA Ediciones, assessment and decision-making must be conducted by independent persons. The author will have no privileged access and will not participate in reviewer selection, consideration of reports or the final decision.

09 · Intellectual property

Rights, permissions, licences and citation

  • Authors warrant that they hold the necessary rights to the submitted content or have documented permission to reproduce third-party material.
  • Every image, photograph, table, map, musical score, translation, archival item or protected material must identify its source, rights holder and terms of use.
  • Contracts and licences must clearly identify the rights granted, formats, territory, term, modes of access and conditions of reuse.
  • Assignment of an ISBN or DOI neither transfers copyright nor replaces required permissions.
  • JLA Ediciones will respect applicable law, authors' moral rights and relevant international commitments.

10 · Allegations and investigation

Procedure for potential breaches

1. ReceiptThe communication is recorded and sufficient facts, evidence and contact details are requested.
2. Initial assessmentJurisdiction, plausibility, seriousness and the need for precautionary measures are assessed.
3. Right of responseThe respondent receives sufficient information and a reasonable opportunity to respond.
4. DecisionFindings, reasons, measures, responsible persons and the form of communication are documented.

The procedure will observe confidentiality, impartiality, proportionality, freedom from retaliation and preservation of evidence. Identified, pseudonymous or anonymous communications will be considered where they provide verifiable information. The publisher may request information from institutions, funders, rights holders or competent bodies without assuming legal or disciplinary functions beyond its remit.

11 · Complaints and appeals

Review of editorial decisions

Interested parties may submit a complaint about procedure or a reasoned scholarly appeal. They must identify the contested decision, state specific grounds and provide relevant evidence.

An appeal is not a new routine round of review and cannot rest solely on disagreement with a report. Where possible, it will be examined by a person not directly involved in the original decision. A reasoned outcome will be communicated and will conclude the internal editorial process unless substantial new evidence emerges.

12 · Correction of the record publicado

Corrections, retractions and content removal

Correction or erratumAppropriate where an error does not invalidate the central contribution and can be remedied transparently.
Expression of concernMay be published while a relevant investigation remains incomplete or yields unverifiable findings.
RetractionAppropriate where findings or content are unreliable, or where there is serious redundant publication, plagiarism, unethical research or another substantial breach.

Notices must identify the work and reasons for the action, link to the affected version and remain accessible. Complete removal of files will be exceptional and limited to legal requirements or serious risks to privacy, security or fundamental rights. DOIs and metadata will be managed to preserve the traceability of the record.

13 · Editorial measures

Proportionate responses to breaches

Depending on the nature, seriousness, intent, recurrence and effects of a case, JLA Ediciones may request clarification or correction; suspend assessment or production; reject or withdraw a proposal; replace reviewers or editors; issue public notices; retract content; notify institutions or rights holders; and temporarily restrict new submissions where documented justification exists.

Measures will follow individual assessment and respect due process. No automatic sanction will be imposed solely on the basis of similarity percentages or AI-detection results.

14 · Privacy and retention

Responsible handling of editorial information

Names, email addresses, affiliations, files, contracts, reports and other collected data will be used for legitimate editorial purposes and protected under applicable requirements. Access will be limited to authorised personnel. Documentation needed to evidence decisions, licences, permissions, authorship, review and corrections will be retained for the institutionally defined period.

15 · Transparency and editorial accountability

Public and verifiable standards

To support its regional consolidation, JLA Ediciones will publish and keep accessible, as appropriate:

  • Identity, ownership, institutional contact details, governance structure and editorial roles.
  • Publishing scope, selection criteria, calls for proposals and assessment workflow.
  • Peer-review model and justification for any material exception.
  • Costs, included services, contractual terms and separation between payment and scholarly acceptance.
  • Policies on authorship, competing interests, AI, data, intellectual property, licences, privacy, complaints and correction of the record.
  • ISBNs, DOIs, metadata, versions, dates and post-publication notices.
  • Accurate information on indexing, preservation, partnerships, recognition and affiliations, without misleading or unverifiable claims.

16 · Entry into force and updates

Continuous policy improvement

This Code applies from the date of publication and may be updated in response to regulatory, technological and editorial change. The current version is the version published on the official JLA Ediciones website. Unforeseen cases will be considered under the principles of this document, COPE guidance and applicable requirements.

Institutional references

This Code was developed from international principles of publication ethics and the institutional policies consulted. Its adoption does not, in itself, imply COPE membership, endorsement or certification.