The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts, each with specific structure and length requirements:

Original articles: Original research studies, including observational, experimental or theoretical research, are considered for publication.

The structure of these articles should include: Introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusions. The maximum length is six thousand (6000) words, excluding references and metadata.

Abstracts should be structured, following the format: Introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusions, and should not exceed 250 words, excluding title, structure and keywords.

Review articles: These articles present a comprehensive and critical analysis of the existing literature on a specific topic.

The structure includes: Introduction (context and importance of the topic), development of the review (with subsections according to the author's approach) and conclusions. The limit is eight thousand (8000) words, excluding references and their metadata.

The abstract must follow the same structure and not exceed 250 words, excluding the title, structure and keywords.

Discussion articles: These papers offer an in-depth theoretical discussion or reflection on a particular topic, based on relevant literature.

The structure should Include: introduction (context and purpose), development of the reflection (with sections at the author's discretion) and conclusions. The maximum length is six thousand (6000) words, excluding references and metadata.

The abstract should follow the same structure, with a maximum of 250 words, excluding the title, structure and keywords.

Letters to the Editor: These are short texts that discuss or comment on works published in the journal or that present a current issue of interest to the scientific community in the journal's area. Their maximum length is one thousand five hundred (1500) words, and they do not require an abstract.

Keywords. Manuscripts requiring an abstract must include between 6 and 12 keywords, selected using an appropriate tool, such as DeCS/Mesh, available at the following link: DeCS/Mesh.

UNESCO Thesaurus, available at the following link: https://vocabularies.unesco.org/browser/thesaurus/es/

Manuscript languages. The journal accepts manuscripts in Spanish; however, once the editorial process is completed, the author must send the final version translated into English, which is the language of publication established by the journal.

 

Graphic elements of manuscripts

Authors should consider the following guidelines for graphic elements included in their manuscripts:

Titles, sources and permission for use. All tables and figures must include a clear title and specify their source. In addition, any table, figure or image that comes from a copyrighted source must have the corresponding authorisation for its use, as the right of quotation cannot be applied to these graphic elements. The right of quotation only covers fragments of works and not the whole work, and a figure, image or photograph is considered a work in its own right. If this rule is infringed or graphic elements are included without proper authorisation, the manuscript may be rejected.

On the other hand, any image, illustration or graphic component that is not a table will be referred to as a ‘figure’. Furthermore, it is mandatory that each table or figure is explicitly referred to in the body of the text. If it is not mentioned, it will be considered an error and will be removed from the manuscript.

Creation of tables and figures. Authors are encouraged to design their own tables and figures for inclusion in the manuscript. If graphic elements from other sources are used, we reiterate, authors must manage the necessary permissions and provide them together with detailed information on the restrictions for their use or reproduction, understanding that the journal publishes under a specific Creative Commons licence.

Number of tables and figures. The recommended maximum number of tables and figures per manuscript is fifteen (15), in the proportion required. If a higher number is required, authors should submit a justification to the editor explaining the relevance of such material to the work in question. It is important for authors to bear in mind that the inclusion of figures or tables serves to explain, reinforce the evidence or arguments of the manuscript; the incorporation of merely decorative images is not permitted.

 

Citation style

The journal follows the Vancouver citation style for references within the body of the text and for the citation structure in the reference list at the end of the manuscript. All sources cited in the text should be reflected in the reference list, and vice versa: each source listed should be cited in the body of the text.

The full citation style can be found here: https://biblioguias.uam.es/citar/estilo_vancouver

Examples of citation for different types of sources are given below:

Journal Article: Author(s). Title of the article. International abbreviation of the journal. Year; Volume (number): Initial and final page of the article.

Dawes J, Rowley J. Enhancing the customer experience: contributions from information technology, J Business Res. 2005; 36(5):350-7.

Book Chapter: Author(s) of the chapter. Title of the chapter. In: Director/Coordinator/Editor of the book. Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; year. initial-final page of the chapter.

Franklin AW. Management of the problem. In: Smith SM, editor. The maltreatment of children. Lancaster: MTP; 2002. p. 83-95.

Book: Author(s). Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; year.

Bell J. Doing your research project. 5th. ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press; 2005

Website: Author(s). Title [Internet]. Place of publication: Editor; Date of publication [revised; accessed]. Available at: electronic address.

European Space Agency. ESA: Missions, Earth Observation: ENVISAT. [Internet]. [Consultado 3 Jul 2012]. Disponible en: http://envisat.esa.int/