Ethics and good practices

The Editorial Team of Mujer Andina is committed to the scientific community to ensure the ethics, integrity, and quality of published articles. The journal follows the codes of conduct and good practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as the recommendations of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the SciELO Guide to Best Practices for Strengthening Ethics in Scientific Publishing.

These guidelines govern the conduct of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publishing institution throughout all stages of the editorial process, from manuscript submission and evaluation to publication and, when appropriate, correction, amendment, or retraction. The journal seeks to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and to act transparently whenever circumstances arise that may compromise the reliability of published content.

Duties of Editors

Editors shall ensure editorial independence and objectivity, confidentiality of manuscripts and the peer-review process, appropriate management of conflicts of interest, and responsible handling of matters related to publication integrity, in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Editorial decisions shall be based on the manuscript's relevance to the journal's scope, originality, scientific quality, methodological rigor, and academic contribution, without discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic or geographical origin, nationality, institutional affiliation, political views, religion, or other personal characteristics of the authors.

Editors shall refrain from participating in the evaluation or decision-making process regarding manuscripts whenever a conflict of interest may compromise their impartiality. They are also responsible for addressing requests for corrections to published articles, examining potential irregularities reported to the journal and, when appropriate, promoting the publication of corrections, amendments, expressions of concern, or retractions in order to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers contribute to editorial decisions by providing timely, objective, well-founded, and confidential assessments. Their comments shall be aimed at improving the academic quality of the manuscript and shall be expressed in a respectful and constructive manner.

Reviewers shall identify relevant sources that have not been acknowledged by the authors and inform the Editorial Team of any substantial similarity, suspected plagiarism, redundant publication, manipulation, or other circumstances that may compromise the integrity of the manuscript.

Information, arguments, data, or results contained in manuscripts submitted for review shall not be used for personal benefit or disclosed to third parties. Reviewers shall disclose any conflict of interest that may affect their objectivity and, when appropriate, decline participation in the review process.

Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the content submitted. They shall ensure that the manuscript has not been previously published and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal, and shall avoid any form of plagiarism or duplicate, redundant, or concurrent publication.

Authors shall appropriately acknowledge the sources used, disclose any conflicts of interest, and provide, when requested, information concerning the data supporting the research findings. They shall also comply with applicable ethical requirements governing research involving human participants or animals.

All individuals listed as authors shall have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the work, approved the version submitted for publication, and accepted responsibility for its content. Individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet the criteria for authorship shall, when appropriate, be acknowledged in the corresponding section.

Authors remain responsible for their work after publication. If they identify significant errors or inaccuracies, they shall promptly inform the Editorial Team and cooperate with any actions required to correct the published record.

Duties of the Publisher

The publishing institution, together with the Editorial Team, is responsible for safeguarding the independence of editorial decisions, supporting the implementation of policies on publication ethics and research integrity, and ensuring the preservation, availability, and accessibility of the journal's published content.

When allegations or evidence of potential misconduct or breaches of research integrity arise, the publisher shall support the corresponding investigation and ensure that the matter is examined objectively, confidentially, and through a documented process.

When errors, irregularities, or misconduct that may compromise the reliability of a published article are identified, the publisher, together with the Editorial Team, shall facilitate the measures necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record through corrections, amendments, expressions of concern, or retractions, depending on the nature and severity of each case.

Authorship and Contributions

Mujer Andina recognizes as authors only those individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work and are able to take responsibility for its content. Honorary, guest, gift, and ghost authorship practices are not accepted. Contributions that do not justify authorship shall be acknowledged in the appropriate section. For this reason, it requests the contributor role taxonomy (CRediT) for its articles.

Requests to add or remove authors or change the order of authors after manuscript submission shall be properly justified. The journal may require written agreement from all individuals involved before accepting any modification.

Following publication, changes in authorship will only be considered under duly justified circumstances. When accepted, such changes shall be documented through a formal correction linked to the original article.

Authorship disputes shall be addressed in accordance with COPE recommendations. When a dispute cannot be resolved on the basis of documentation provided by the parties involved, the journal may request the intervention of the relevant affiliated institutions. The editorial process may be suspended while the dispute is being examined.

Informed Consent for Research Involving Human Participants and Ethics Committees

Research involving human participants shall comply with applicable ethical principles and safeguard the privacy, dignity, and rights of participants.

When applicable, authors shall declare that informed consent was obtained from participants for the collection, use, or publication of personal information. Data shall be presented in a manner that preserves anonymity unless explicit authorization has been obtained to disclose information that could identify participants.

Authors shall identify, when applicable, the ethics committee or equivalent body that approved the research and provide the name of the responsible institution and available information concerning such approval. When ethics committee approval is not required due to the nature of the study, this circumstance shall be stated and justification provided when requested by the journal.

Mujer Andina may request documentation to verify the declared informed consent or ethics approval. The publication of photographs, testimonies, life histories, or other information that may directly or indirectly identify an individual shall require the corresponding authorization.

Corrections, Amendments, Expressions of Concern, Retractions, and Complaints

Mujer Andina addresses allegations concerning plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, image manipulation, authorship disputes, duplicate publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and any other circumstances that may compromise the scientific integrity of published content.

Allegations shall be examined objectively, confidentially, and through a documented process. When necessary, the Editorial Team may request additional information from authors, reviewers, institutions, or other parties involved before reaching a decision.

Corrections and amendments. When an error is identified after publication that does not invalidate the main results or conclusions of the article, the journal may publish a correction or amendment. The notice shall identify the affected article, clearly describe the matter being corrected, and remain electronically linked to the original publication. Where appropriate, the article shall clearly indicate that a post-publication correction has been issued.

Expression of concern. When there are well-founded concerns regarding the integrity or reliability of an article, but the investigation has not been completed or the available evidence is insufficient to determine whether retraction is warranted, the Editorial Team may publish an expression of concern linked to the article.

Retraction. An article may be retracted when there is evidence that its findings are unreliable as a result of serious errors, fabrication or falsification of information, plagiarism, redundant publication, unethical research, or other circumstances that substantially compromise the integrity of the work. The retraction notice shall clearly identify the article and explain the reasons supporting the decision.

The retracted article shall remain available as part of the scholarly record but shall be clearly identified as retracted and linked to the corresponding retraction notice.

Decisions to correct, amend, issue an expression of concern, or retract an article shall be made by the Editorial Team and the publishing institution, taking into account the available evidence, the nature of the matter, and COPE recommendations. Authors shall be informed of the decisions made and shall have the opportunity to provide relevant information during the investigation process.

Recommendations for Practices Related to Gender Studies

Mujer Andina particularly encourages the publication of research concerning women and issues affecting their development, participation, well-being, rights, and presence across different areas of society. This focus does not exclude studies addressing gender and diversity that comply with the journal's thematic scope and its scientific and editorial criteria.

When relevant to the research question and methodology, authors are encouraged to consider sex, gender, and other relevant dimensions of diversity in study design, analysis of results, and presentation of conclusions.

Authors shall use respectful, inclusive, and scientifically appropriate terminology and avoid generalizations, stereotypes, or discriminatory interpretations. When the sex or gender of participants constitutes a relevant research variable, the criteria used for its consideration shall be explained and, where methodologically appropriate, potential differences shall be analyzed.