About the Journal
Aims and scope
The DICERE Journal of Law and International Studies (ISSN: 3028-886X) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that is part of the Faculty of Legal Sciences of the University of Azuay. It is published biannually in the months of May and November in digital format. It will focus on receiving original research papers, which will be related to both the field of Law and International Studies. Articles may be written in Spanish or English, highlighting the following aspects of interest:
For the area of Law:
- Legislation, legal reform, and public policy
- Law and Social Criticism
- Governance and Public Administration
- Strategic Litigation
- Law and Current Trends: Legal analysis of the adaptation of new institutions and realities to the Law, as a mechanism and agent of change
- Criminal Law: Dogmatics and General Theory of Crime
- Environment, Nature Rights and Human Rights
For the area of International Studies:
- International Relations
- Interculturality, Coexistence, Well-being and Mobility
- Foreign Trade, International Economy, Business and Internationalization
- International Cooperation and Sustainable Development
- Global Policy
- Problems of international policy
- International Security
- Democratization
- Contemporary global politics
- Perspectives on the theory and practice of human rights
Frecuency
DICERE Journal is published biannually, each issue covers the periods of December-May and June-November.
The journal's call for papers is open and permanent, so authors can send their manuscripts at any time. Submissions must follow the guidelines described in this Guide for Authors.
Publication Charges (APCs)
DICERE Journal was created and is sponsored by the Faculty of Legal Sciences of the University of Azuay. Thanks to this sponsorship, there are no processing or publication charges (APCs) for authors.
Open Access (OA)
DICERE is committed to promoting the free and open dissemination of scientific knowledge. For this reason, it adopts an Open Access (OA) policy that guarantees that all published articles are available without restrictions to any interested person, anywhere in the world.
Authors must accept the terms of a Open Access (OA) policy and grant the journal the necessary rights to disseminate the article under a Creative Commons license. In turn, this allows authors the following advantages: greater visibility, greater impact, greater collaboration, and greater transparency.
Licensing
Articles are published under the Open Access (OA) license. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). In short, this license allows users to share and adapt the content under the following conditions:
- Attribution: The original creator of the material, in this particular case, must be clearly acknowledged as the author through appropriate citations and references.
- Non-commercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes. This means that you may not sell the content, or use it to generate direct profit.
- Share Alike: If some of the material is used to generate new contributions, it is necessary that this new material is under the same license. This ensures that others can continue to modify and share a work in the same way.
User rights: All published articles will be immediately and permanently available for everyone to read, download, copy and distribute.
Ethics and Policies
Peer review process
DICERE Journal is based on double-blind peer review, this rigorous method is followed to assess the quality and originality of manuscripts submitted to academic journals. In this process, both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other, ensuring impartiality and minimizing potential bias. Manuscripts undergo thorough evaluation by subject matter experts, who critically assess the research methodology, data analysis, and overall contribution to the field. Reviewers provide constructive feedback, suggest improvements, and highlight potential weaknesses. The editorial team carefully considers these reviews and may request revisions or additional information from the authors. This iterative process aims to maintain high standards of academic excellence and ensure the publication of high-quality research.
Authorship
According to the authorship guidelines, all authors must demonstrate substantial contributions in at least one of the following phases of the research: design, execution, or data analysis. Participation in the drafting or critical revision of the manuscript is also required. Approval of the final version is an essential requirement for an author. In addition, a corresponding author will be designated to act as a liaison with the journal. In the context of authorship, all authors assume joint responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of the work presented.
Changes in authorship
The journal's policy regarding changes in authorship is strict and seeks to maintain the integrity of the publication process. Once a manuscript has been submitted, changes to the author list will not be considered. Therefore, it is essential that authors give careful thought to the inclusion and order of authors in the final author list at initial submission.
All authors must be listed on the manuscript and their corresponding data must be entered into the submission system. In exceptional cases, any modifications, whether addition, deletion or rearrangement of names, must be made only before the manuscript is accepted and always with the approval of the journal editor. Requests for changes in authorship must be made by the author, who must justify the request to the editor and provide written confirmation from all authors involved, including those being added or removed, to ensure their consent.
Once the manuscript has been accepted, changes in authorship will only be considered in very exceptional and specific cases. While these requests are being evaluated, the publication of the manuscript may be temporarily suspended.
Anti-plagiarism policy
In order to guarantee the originality of all published works, DICERE Journal uses the tool Turnitin to detect any evidence of plagiarism, including direct plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and inappropriate paraphrasing. Any match greater than 20% will be considered plagiarism, and manuscripts that exceed this threshold will be carefully evaluated by the editorial team. Authors must cite all sources used and clearly differentiate their own work from that of others. If plagiarism is detected, the manuscript will be rejected and the author will be notified. In addition, additional disciplinary measures may be taken, such as a ban on future submissions to the journal.
Using generative AI
Authors must declare the use of generative artificial intelligence in scientific writing at the time of submission of the manuscript. This refers only to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyze or draw conclusions from the data in the research process.
Generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies may be used during writing only for the purpose of improving the clarity and quality of the text. Their use should always be under the supervision of the author, who must review and edit the generated results. It is important to note that AI may produce content that may contain errors, be incomplete, or be biased. Therefore, authors are fully responsible for the final content of their work.
Artificial intelligence and associated tools should not be considered authors or co-authors, since authorship entails responsibilities that can only be assumed by humans.
The use of generative artificial intelligence in writing should be mentioned at the end of the manuscript at the time of initial submission. This mention will be included in a new section before the reference list. An example of how this statement could be structured is:
Title of the new section: Statement on the use of generative artificial intelligence in writing.
Disclosure: In preparing this manuscript, the author(s) used [TOOL/SERVICE NAME] for [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and adjusted the content as deemed necessary, thus assuming full responsibility for the content of the published article.
This statement does not apply to basic tools, such as those used to check grammar, spelling, or references.
Finally, it is important to note that, to safeguard the rights of authors and the confidentiality of their research, this journal does not currently allow the use of generative artificial intelligence or similar technologies by reviewers or editors.
Use of AI in arts
Authors may use Generative AI tools only as assistants in the writing process. This means that such tools may help generate written content, improve the clarity and coherence of the text, or provide suggestions for the structure of the article. However, the responsibility for the final content lies entirely with the authors.
DICERE Journal does not permit the use of Generative AI tools or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts. This includes all visual elements that accompany the text, such as figures, graphs, and illustrations.
Use of inclusive language
Inclusive language is a linguistic and social movement that seeks to promote equality and equity in the use of language. It seeks to avoid discrimination against historically marginalized social groups.
To do this, it is advisable to minimize the use of descriptions related to personal attributes unless they are really relevant to the content. To achieve gender-neutral writing, it is suggested to use plural nouns, such as "health professionals" or "participants." Likewise, it is preferable to avoid pronouns such as "he" or "she," as well as combinations of both.
Furthermore, it is essential not to make assumptions about readers' beliefs or experiences. Writing should be free of bias, stereotypes and references to dominant cultures, thus ensuring a fair and respectful approach.
These guidelines provide a framework for the use of inclusive language, but are not definitive. They are intended to help identify appropriate language to reflect diversity and inclusion in the scientific field.
Preprints
DICERE Journal accepts manuscripts that have been published as preprints on preprint servers or repositories. Authors must declare the use of a preprint when submitting their work, providing the corresponding link. This practice promotes transparency and rapid dissemination of research, and will not affect the peer review process or the quality of the publication.
Code of Conduct (COPE)
DICERE Journal adheres to the guidelines and standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure integrity and quality in the publication of academic articles. COPE provides an ethical framework that guides the editors and authors in the management of publication-related issues, such as original research, plagiarism, handling conflicts of interest, and data disclosure. By following these guidelines, the journal promotes transparency, responsibility, and respect in research and publication, ensuring a fair and rigorous process for all involved.
The implementation of COPE regulations also implies that DICERE Journal is committed to addressing any ethical violations that may arise during the publication process. This includes the review and correction of articles when problems are identified, as well as the possibility of retracting articles in cases of misconduct or falsification of data. By adopting these practices, the journal seeks to maintain a high standard of ethics in publication, thus benefiting the academic community and society in general.
Digital preservation
DICERE Journal is committed to the long-term preservation of its contents. In the first instance, the contents of the journal are safeguarded in a specialized technological infrastructure through incremental backups, this process allows its recovery in emergency cases.
In addition to the above, the journal adheres to international standards of digital preservation and collaborates with PKP Preservation Network, which allows to guarantee the integrity and authenticity of the information over time.
Writing and Formats
For the initial submission of a manuscript, DICERE does not require an author to complete a template document with predefined formats. However, the base document must have the following styles: Times New Roman as the font, font size 11, line spacing of 1.5, and justified text. In addition to this, the below characteristics must be added.
Title
The title of the article should be clear and direct, giving an overview of the content. It is advisable to avoid the use of abbreviations and formulas, unless they are widely known terms, such as "UN", it is recommended that it not exceed 15 words.
Authorship and affiliations
If you are going to send a article for review It is necessary to omit the names of authors and affiliations so that the article can enter the double-blind review process.
If the article has already been accepted, it is necessary to include: full names of each author, starting with the first name and followed by the last name. The order in which they are presented must correspond to that used in the submission system. It is vital to carefully check the spelling of each name to avoid errors and misunderstandings. The affiliations must be placed next to the authors' names, indicating the institution(s) where the research was conducted. For each affiliation, a lowercase letter must be used as a superscript, placed immediately after the corresponding author's name. In addition, the e-mail of each author. Finally, the authors should add their ORCID, allowing to link their publications to their authorship through the Crossref system.
It is essential to identify a corresponding author, who will be responsible for managing all communications related to the article throughout the review process, publication, and any subsequent consultations. This author must be available to answer questions about the results, data, methodology, and materials.
Abstract
A short and clear abstract is required, with a maximum of 200 words, setting out the objective of the research, the key findings and the main conclusions. It should be independent, as it is often presented separately from the article. Avoid references, and if necessary, cite the author and the year.
Keywords
Three to six keywords should be included, separated by commas and including only abbreviations known in the scientific field.
Sections of the article
Divide your article into clearly defined, numbered sections. Number subsections as 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, etc. Use this numbering format when cross-referencing within your text, avoiding vague references such as "the text."
Tables and Figures
Following APA 7th edition standards, the journal requires that all tables and figures be properly titled and numbered. Figures and tables should be placed after the paragraph in which they were first mentioned. This requirement not only ensures the uniformity and professionalism of the publications, but also facilitates the peer review and indexing of the articles in academic databases, thus benefiting all our authors.
Footnotes
Use footnotes sparingly. If you choose to include them, make sure they are numbered consecutively. You can use tools that automatically integrate the notes into the text or indicate their position and present them in a separate section at the end.
Acknowledgements
Dedicate a section to acknowledging those who provided support during your research, such as language assistance, writing, or reviewing. Acknowledgements should be in a separate section, just before the reference list. Do not include them on the title page or in footnotes.
Contributions by authors: CRediT
For articles with multiple authors, this section is presented using the Taxonomy of Contributor Roles (CRediT) to detail the specific contributions of each co-author. When the article has only one author, a detailed breakdown is generally not required, as it is assumed that the author has fulfilled all the functions. Authors are encouraged to detail the contributions of each co-author using the CRediT categories:
- Conceptualization
- Data curation
- Formal analysis
- Investigation
- Methodology
- Resources
- Software
- Validation
- Visualization
- Supervision
- Acquisition of financing
- Project Management
- Writing – original draft
- Writing – review and editing
Funding sources
Authors should declare any funding sources that supported the research or preparation of the article. If sponsors played a role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, or the writing of the report, this should be stated.
References
DICERE journal uses the APA style 7th edition to ensure the quality and consistency of its publications. By using the APA style, we facilitate the indexing of articles in the main academic databases, which increases their visibility and their impact on the scientific community.
In-text citations
Direct quotes: Include author's last name, year, and page (Last name, year, p. X).
Indirect citations: Only requires last name and year (Last name, year).
Projects with multiple authors: For two authors, use both surnames (Last Name & Last Name, Year); for three or more, only the first surname followed by “et al.” (Last Name et al., Year).
List of references
Arrange alphabetically by the last name of the first author and use a hanging indent (0.5 inches). Format for references:
Books: Surname, A. A. (Year). Title in italics. Publisher.
Articles: Last name, A. A. Last name, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Name of the Journal, volume (number), pp-pp. Electronic sources: Add the DOI or URL.
Legal references
Cite laws or legal documents following local regulations; if relevant, add information about your source.
Appendix
Use the following format for appendices:
- Identify each appendix with letters (A, B, etc.).
- Assign numbers to formulas and equations in appendices using formats such as Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc.
Final Note: Please be sure to follow these guidelines to ensure that your manuscript complies with the standards of DICERE Journal, thus promoting clear and effective scientific communication in the field of Law and International Studies.
Principles for the author
DICERE is aligned with the principles of COPE; therefore, the principles that an author must comply with before making a submission are briefly presented:
- Each author can publish in DICERE a maximum of two consecutive times, after which they will have a period of abstinence of three consecutive issues to publish again in this journal.
- Avoid self-citations: DICERE accepts a maximum of one self-citation, this being the result of previous work. The use of multiple self-citations is not a well-regarded practice.
- Avoid self-plagiarism: Reusing large portions of a previously published work without proper citation is considered an ethical breach.
- Fragmented publication: Dividing a study into multiple articles to increase the number of publications is also not an accepted practice.
Submission and checklist
If you would like to submit a manuscript and verify its compliance, you can do so through the following Submission link.
