Journal Internal Regulation Regime

Loja, May 17th, 2022

Preamble

The Revista de Cultura de Paz journal was created in 2016 on the initiative of the Cátedra UNESCO at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) as a research component of the work realized by the university.

In 2022, the journal's management and editorial bodies decided to revise its Regulations in order to achieve the following objectives:

  • To bolster the Journal's role as a vehicle for study and dissemination, from a scientific perspective, of research on Peace Studies and related sciences.
  • To adapt the Journal (its structure, information, appearance) to what is specified by the ISO standard on scientific periodicals.
  • To achieve greater national and international dissemination of the Journal through the implementation of the Open Journal Systems.

PRELIMINARY SECTION: IDENTIFICATION, CONTENT AND SPONSORING ENTITIES.

Article 1. The Revista de Cultura de Paz journal will be published with International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) 2631-2700.

Article 2. The journal will be headquartered at the UTPL.

Article 3. The content of the Revista de Cultura de Paz will deal with any subjects related to the teaching of the Social Sciences, and related areas; and to Heritage Education and the Cultural Landscape, in the broadest sense. Thus, it accepts research articles, innovative teaching experiences and reviews, which must be original and constitute scientific contributions to their respective areas of knowledge.

Article 4. Revista de Cultura de Paz is specifically oriented towards the university student and researcher, as well as practitioners at other educational levels, and, in general all those interested in expanding their knowledge about the teaching of Peace Studies and other related fields.

Article 5. Revista de Cultura de Paz can have as Collaborating Entities, those institutions, public or private, that regularly engage in specific collaboration projects, or contribute in some way to achieve the objectives of the journal.

SECTION I. PERIODICITY, FORMAT AND LANGUAGES OF PUBLICATION

Article 6. The journal will feature two annual publications, in digital format and covering a broad range of topics, although a thematic special issue published every two years, its focus will be decided by the Associate Editors.

Article 7. An electronic version of the Revista de Cultura de Paz will be available in its entirety, hosted on the journal's website, accessible from the journal portal of the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, and managed using the Open Journal System.

Article 8. The journal will publish contents in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Italian.

SECTION II. THE JOURNAL'S BODIES

Article. 9. The journal's bodies consist of a:

  • Board of Directors
  • Associate Editors.
  • Scientific/Advisory Committee
  • Honorary Board

SECTION III. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Article 10. The Board of Directors will be responsible for determining the journal's general orientation and handling its affairs, including financial, administrative and organisational matters.

Article 11. The Board of Directors will be comprised of those charged with editing and managing the journal, and its Secretariat.

Article 12. It is the Board of Directors' responsibility to make the appropriate decisions for the proper management of the journal, specifically:

  1. The drafting of financial plans, determining their periodicity, and other characteristics of their publication.
  2. Overseeing administrative and management tasks.

Article 13. The Board of Directors is to meet a minimum of twice a year.

SECTION IV. THE DIRECTOR

Article. 14. The Director / Directors of the Revista de Cultura de Paz will be appointed by the Associate Editors from amongst professors of the university. They may serve up to four renewable terms.

Article. 15. If there is a vacancy for the Director of the journal, the outgoing Director, or, failing this, the Secretary, will convene the group of Associate Editors for a Special Meeting to proceed with the election of a new one. A message will be sent out requesting the formal proposal of candidacies in the ten days following the announcement of the previous Director's departure. Any professor may present their candidacy, or be proposed, as the Director of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal. The meeting, which may not take place until a month has elapsed since its announcement, will begin with the presentation of the different candidacies presented or proposed. The voting will be by secret ballot, requiring an absolute majority, in the first vote, and a simple majority in the second, for election. In the event of a tie, after the speeches that the moderator deems appropriate, the vote will be repeated as many times as is necessary.

Article 16. The person(s) overseeing the journal will be responsible for managing and administrating, producing and representing it, as well as all those tasks delegated by the group of Associate Editors. Among these, the main ones are:

  1. To act as President of the group of Associate Editors.
  2. To represent the publication in every sphere.
  3. To ensure the execution of the agreements of the group of Associate Editors.
  4. To submit to the group of Associate Editors, for their approval, the Annual Report of Activities and the Annual Budget, the latter with the prior approval of the Departmental Board.
  5. All those not assigned to the other bodies of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal.

Article 17. The Director - Directors of the Revista de Cultura de Paz will cease to hold office in the event of:

  1. Compliance - Non-compliance with the mandate one was appointed to fulfil.
  2. Resignation, which must be presented in writing and reported to the group of Associate Editors.
  3. Revocation by the group of Associate Editors.

SECTION V. SECRETARIES.

Article. 18. The group of Associate Editors, after consulting with the Director, will appoint, from amongst its members, two Secretaries; Review and Publishing, respectively.

Article 19. The Secretaries of the journal, who will be, at the same time, those of its Board of Directors and of the group of Associate Editors, will assist Management in the administration and implementation of tasks that are incumbent upon them, and will attest to the agreements and decisions that are taken at the meetings of the journal's different bodies. The functions of the Secretaries are:

  1. To act as Secretaries of the group of Associate Editors, take down the minutes of their sessions, and duly attest to their agreements.
  2. To organize the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal's Secretariat, safeguarding its material.
  3. To handle any and all tasks entailed by the publication of the journal.
  4. To assist the Director in his/her functions, standing in to cover those functions temporarily, if necessary, and carry out those specific tasks entrusted to him/her by the group of Associate Editors.
  5. To handle Subscriptions and Exchanges.

Article 20. The Secretaries of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal will cease to cease to serve in the event of:

  1. Compliance - Non-compliance with the mandate they were appointed to fulfil.
  2. Resignation, which must be presented in writing and reported to the group of Associate Editors.
  3. Revocation by the group of Associate Editors.

In these cases, and when it is not possible for a Secretary to continue in office, a member of the group of Associate Editors, freely appointed by the Director of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal, will serve in this capacity until a new appointment is made, pending confirmation by them.

SECTION VI. THE ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Article 21. The group of Associate Editors of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal is made up of its Director, a maximum of six Associate Editors chosen from amongst professors of the university to feature gender parity, and up to a maximum of ten professors and/or external researchers proposed by the Cátedra; in this parity, gender equality will be taken into account.

Article 22. The group of Associate Editors will have the main task of planning and determining the content of the special single-topic issue of the journal and reviewing the standard, multi-topic issues. To this end it will attend to the selection and prior review of original texts and suggest the changes it deems appropriate in terms of their structure, composition and form. In addition, this Board will advise the Board of Directors on matters within its area of competence, upon request.

Article 23. The functions of the Associate Editors are:

  1. To determine the structure, composition and format of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal.
  2. To plan the journal's content, selecting, for this purpose, the original texts that are deemed pertinent.
  3. To ensure the formal and scientific quality of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal.
  4. To establish related content areas and appoint those responsible for them from amongst its members.
  5. To approve the rules for the sending and acceptance of the original texts.
  6. To approve the annual budget.
  7. To choose the Director(s) and the Secretary(ies).
  8. To choose the external researchers that make up the group of Associate Editors and the Advisory Board.
  9. Where appropriate, the appointment of Collaborating Entities.
  10. The signing of collaboration agreements between the journal and institutions that are considered of interest.
  11. To approve the modifications to the Internal Regulations of the journal, any documentation related to it, and the regulation of its editorial process.
  12. To attend the meetings of this body and resolve at them the provisional and the definitive admission of the original texts presented, or their return.
  13. To determine the external evaluators in charge of preparing the mandatory report on each original text submitted.

Article 24. The group of Associate Editors will meet as many times as necessary after a written meeting announcement from Management, and at least twice a year. The members of the group of Associate Editors may lose their status as such due to:

  1. Resignation submitted to the Director of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal.
  2. Revocation by the Department that appointed him or her.
  3. Repeated absences from the sessions of the group of Associate Editors: absence from more than three sessions, or for a year and a half.
  4. Failure to deliver or non-compliance (later or deficient) with the requirement to submit well-reasoned evaluations of the articles they are asked to assess (within 15 days of reception).
  5. When, for any reason, a member of the group of Associate Editors departs, or is dismissed, he/she will be replaced by a new one, by the same procedure used to elect the former Editor.

Article 25. Associate Editors have the right and the duty to attend the meetings of the Board validly convened by the Secretary of the Board at the Director's behest. They also have the right to: Receive the information and documentation necessary for the execution of their functions.

Article 26. The formal meeting announcements for the group of Associate Editors will be made:

  1. Ordinarily, at least one for the preparation of each issue; that is, at least twice a year.
  2. Exceptionally, when deemed appropriate by the Director or requested by at least 25% of the members of the group of Associate Editors.
  3. The meetings will, preferably, be virtual, via Google Meet or another similar platform.

Article 27. The agenda will be indicated by the Director and processed by the acting Secretary.

The meeting announcement will be issued at least seven calendar days in advance, specifying in them the dates, place and time for the first Meeting Call, and the Second Call, in addition to the agenda. The notification will be accompanied by the minutes of the previous meeting, for their approval, if appropriate; and, if necessary, the relevant documentation or indications as to the place and time they can be consulted.

Article 28. For the valid constitution of the group of Associate Editors after a meeting convened following the First Call, the presence of an absolute majority of its members will be required. If the meeting convenes after a Second Call, it will be constituted with the presence of at least the Director, Secretary and another member.

Article 29. Topics not appearing on the agenda may not be the object of deliberation, voting or agreements.

Article 30. Participation in the deliberations and voting of the group of Associate Editors cannot be delegated.

Article 31. When a member of the group wishes to have recorded in the minutes some extraordinary aspect of their remarks, or part of them, or those of another member of the group, they must provide the text to the Secretary, always with the consensual agreement of those present at the meeting.

Article 32. Decisions may be adopted by assent or an ordinary vote. However, whenever a member of the Group of Associate Editors so requests, secret ballots will be used.

Article 33. The minutes of each session will, necessarily, include the attending Board members and the decisions made. The minutes will be submitted for reading and approval at the next session of the Associate Editors Board.

SECTION VII. ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Article 34. The Revista de Cultura de Paz journal will feature an external Scientific Advisory Committee comprised up of 10-50 members, with them certifying compliance with the following requirements:

  1. a) Scientists of national or international renown in any area related to studies on Social Sciences Pedagogy, or related sciences.
  2. b) Be proposed by a majority of members of the group of Associate Editors.
  3. c) The vast majority should be external, although a small number of members of the University of Granada, of recognized prestige in the field of Social Sciences Pedagogy, may also be incorporated.

They will be appointed pending an invitation from and express acceptance by the same.

Article 35. The Scientific Advisory Committee to advise the Associate Editors will be charged with advising the latter on those issues that they deem pertinent, or those it is asked to address, including:

  1. a) Issuing their opinions, by means of requested reports, on a work's aptness for publication.
  2. b) Facilitating the conditions requested by the Associate Editors regarding possible modifications to an original text.
  3. c) Any and all other analogous functions stemming from their status as experts.

The members of the Advisory Committee will lose their status as such at their own request or pending a majority decision taken by the Deputy Editors.

SECTION VIII. HONORARY BOARD

Article 36. The Honorary Board is a body that acknowledges significant work done by someone in the development and dissemination of the journal.

Article 37. The Associate Editors will be responsible for appointing the members that make up the Honorary Board.

SECTION IX. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND PROCESS

Article 38. A person's membership in any of the journal's bodies entails that they undertake to perform their functions respecting each and every one of the following precepts:

  1. a) A tone and language of maximum respect will be used towards all persons and institutions, both at meetings and in communications that take place within the framework of the journal.
  2. b) Under no circumstances shall the original manuscripts be used, displayed or distributed for any purpose other than those related to the editorial process of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal.
  3. c) Due confidentiality will be exercised regarding all deliberations and resolutions that take place within the framework of the journal, regardless of whether they have been made public.

Article 39. Violations of any of the precepts set down in the previous article may be grounds for dismissal if the Board of Directors so decides.

Article 40. The regime applicable to the editorial process and the interaction between the journal and the authors will be that set out in the Information Guide for authors, which is in force at all times. This guide and its updates will be available on the journal's website at all times.

Article 41. The regime governing the interaction between the journal and external evaluators will be the one set down in the Guide for Evaluators, which is in force at all times. This guide and its updates will be available on the journal's website at all times.

Article 42. For each issue a report on the editorial process will be issued, indicating, among other aspects: works received, by section; and, in the case of articles, those definitively accepted and those rejected; the average evaluation period; and the external evaluators.

SECTION X. FINANCIAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS

Article 43. The Revista de Cultura de Paz journal will be financed by the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, without prejudice to subsidies that may be obtained from the University itself or from other organizations or companies.

Article 44. The Annual Budget, presented by the Director and approved by the Associate Editors, will be ratified by the Department of Social Sciences Pedagogy within one month from the date of its reception. If not ratified, alternative proposals or suggested modifications will be made by the Departmental Board.

Until the approval of a new budget, the previous one will be considered in effect.

Article 45. Invoices will be charged directly to the Department's budgets, once confirmed by the Board of Directors.

Article 46. Coverage of travel expenses are others will be considered very exceptional, and will only be paid if the trip is essential for the production of the journal and to improve its quality indexes, pending the presentation of a report. The hiring of services and the corresponding settlement will be signed by the Director of the Department upon a request by the Director of the Revista de Cultura de Paz journal.

Article 47. Neither the evaluation nor publication of articles, nor membership on any of the journal's bodies, will entail a right to any remuneration.

Article 48. The contents of the electronic edition of the journal are published under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. They can be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted and publicly displayed, provided that:

  1. a) The authorship and original source of the publication are cited.
  2. b) They are not used for commercial purposes.
  3. c) If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

Article 49. The UTPL retains the copyrights to all the content published, and encourages and permits their reuse under the usage license indicated in the previous article.

Article 50. The Revista de Cultura de Paz journal waives all responsibility for the opinions expressed by the authors of the works published in it.

SECTION XI. ADDITIONAL CLAUSES

Article 51. The current Director, Secretary and members of the Editorial Board shall be considered elected for a period of four years from the ratification of this Internal Regulations Regime. The Associate Editors will appoint the members of the external Advisory Committee.

Article 52. This Internal Regulations Regime may be amended at the proposal of the Associate Editors and Management. A majority agreement of the Associate Editors will be necessary to apply such an amendment.

Article 53. In the three months following the acceptance of these Regulations, the bodies of the journal must adapt, if possible, to the provisions of its different articles.

Article 54. Any question that is not covered in these Internal Regulations regarding their object will be resolved in due course by Management and the Associate Editors.