Ethics statement

At "Investigación en Discapacidad," we are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scientific publishing. We believe that ethical behavior is fundamental to the integrity and credibility of research and scholarly communication. Our Ethics Statement outlines the principles and guidelines that authors, reviewers, editors, and the journal itself must adhere to ensure the ethical conduct of research and publication.

Violations of our Ethics Statement may result in appropriate actions, including rejection of manuscripts, retraction of published articles, and notification of relevant authorities or institutions. We encourage open dialogue and feedback to continuously improve our ethical practices and maintain the trust of our readers, authors, and the broader scientific community.

1. Authorship and Contributorship:

   • All authors listed on a manuscript must have made significant contributions to the research and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
   • Any individual who contributed substantially to the research but does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.
   • Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, that could influence the interpretation or presentation of their research.

2. Plagiarism and Originality:

   • Authors must ensure that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere in any form, in whole or in part, except as properly cited.
   • Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Proper attribution and citation of sources must be provided.

3. Research Integrity:

   • Research involving human participants, animals, or vulnerable populations must be conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines and approved by the appropriate institutional review boards or ethics committees.
   • Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.
   • Authors must provide accurate and complete information about their research methods, results, and findings.

4. Conflicts of Interest:

   • Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the research or the publication process.
   • Conflicts of interest may include financial interests, affiliations, personal relationships, or any other circumstances that could affect objectivity or impartiality.

5. Peer Review:

   • Peer review is an essential component of the publication process and helps ensure the quality and integrity of the research.
   • Reviewers must conduct their evaluations objectively, providing constructive feedback and recommendations for improvement.
   • Editors are responsible for selecting qualified reviewers and managing the peer review process fairly and transparently.

6. Corrections and Retractions:

   • Authors are responsible for promptly notifying the journal if they discover errors or inaccuracies in their published work.
   • Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will be issued if significant errors or ethical breaches are identified after publication.
   • See our Corrections and retractions policy for further details.

7. Editorial Independence:

   • Editors and editorial staff must maintain editorial independence and make decisions based solely on the quality and merit of the research.
   • Editorial decisions should not be influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, or other biases.

8. Data Sharing and Accessibility:

   • Authors should provide access to their research data whenever possible, allowing for transparency, reproducibility, and further analysis by the scientific community.
   • Data should be deposited in appropriate repositories and cited accordingly.

9. Compliance with Ethical Standards:

   • Authors must ensure that their research complies with all relevant ethical guidelines, regulations, and laws, including those pertaining to informed consent, privacy, and data protection.
   • Authors must provide sufficient documentation of ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.

10. Adherence to Reporting Guidelines:

• Authors should adhere to relevant reporting guidelines and standards (e.g., CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE) to ensure transparency and completeness in reporting their research.

 

Protection of people and animals participating in research

• When studies are conducted in humans, the authors must indicate that the procedures followed comply with the ethical standards of the committee responsible for human experimentation (institutional and national).
• If there is any doubt about compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki, the authors must explain the reasons and demonstrate that the Ethics Committee of their institution approved the doubtful aspects of the study.
• In animal studies, authors must indicate that national and international regulations for the care and use of laboratory animals have been followed.
• These ethical considerations should appear in the Methods section of the manuscript.

 

Additional ethical considerations

• In studies involving vulnerable populations, such as minors, people with intellectual disabilities, psychiatric patients, or prisoners, authors should fully describe additional measures taken to protect the rights and well-being of these participants.
• When including photographs or sensitive data of participants, authors must ensure that the identity of the subjects is adequately masked. This can be achieved by covering the eyes in photographs, removing identifying information from images, or using facial distortion techniques.
• In exceptional cases where showing the identity of participants is essential for the scientific purposes of the study, authors must obtain specific informed consent for the publication of identifiable images or data. This consent must be in addition to the general consent to participate in the study.
• Authors should be particularly careful when presenting data that could stigmatize vulnerable populations, such as certain ethnic groups, people with mental illness, or socially disadvantaged individuals. The inclusion of this data must be fully justified by scientific relevance.
• In studies involving indigenous communities or specific cultural groups, authors should describe how the cultural norms and values of these groups were respected during the research process.