The journal Justice and Law (JD, in Spanish) considers the socialisation of scientific knowledge in the legal and, particularly, judicial field to be essential for the development of law and the continuous improvement of the administration of justice. To this end, it expresses its commitment to the values of scientific research and endeavours to carry out the editorial process, in all its stages, in accordance with recognised international standards of quality, integrity, reliability and scientific rigour, and respect for intellectual property rights.

In the editorial process of this publication, various legal professionals are involved as authors, contributors, editors, reviewers or advisors, as well as other specialists, thanks to whose joint action JD sees the light of day. Each of them assumes different functions and responsibilities, according to the roles they play, hence the importance of establishing a guide that clearly describes the expected behaviours and ethical requirements to which their actions should adhere.

Objectives

1. To guarantee the scientific quality and credibility of the publication, and the confidence of the reading community in the findings and results disclosed.

2. To encourage the incorporation of good practices in those involved in the editorial process.

3. To set guidelines for the identification, investigation and treatment of unethical behaviour.

Scope of application

The provisions of this Code apply to those who, as researchers/authors, submit their work to the JD journal and to those who undertake the reception, evaluation, editing, proofreading and publication of their work.

Principles

JD, inspired by the Code of Conduct of the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE), bases its actions on the following principles:

Integrity: Members of the editorial and scientific boards of the journal conduct themselves with probity, decency, humility and moral rectitude in their interpersonal relationships and in communication with contributors and readers. The actions of researchers/authors, reviewers, editors, proofreaders and other personnel involved in the editorial process are presumed to be in good faith, unless proven otherwise.

Transparency: The Editorial Policy, the guidelines for the submission of contributions and the design of the editorial process, in all its phases, from the reception of texts to their acceptance or rejection, are published on the journal's website. The submitted papers are subject to an evaluation process by academic peers, who ensure the scientific rigour of the contributions. The Editorial Board informs the authors of the decisions regarding the contributions submitted by them. The journal provides updated information on its visibility and impact, and receives feedback from readers.

Professionalism: Those involved in the editorial process conduct themselves in accordance with the rules and principles of the profession, are accountable for the quality of the activity they carry out and for the breach of their duties. 

Authorship and contribution: The journal strictly respects the right of every author to be acknowledged as the author of his or her work, promotes the proper citation and referencing of the works of others, and rejects any unethical behaviour in research. The list of authors in an article or scientific text published by JD is listed in order of relevance, according to the degree of contribution to research, declared by the submitters, who are responsible for the originality of the text submitted.

Free of charge: The submission, editorial processing and publication of articles and other scientific texts are completely free of charge.

Accessibility: The journal welcomes and accepts contributions from various fields, provided that they contribute to the improvement of the administration of justice; all interested national and foreign researchers can submit their work; it is online, offers open access to any public and contains spaces for feedback with its readers. Published works may be used in accordance with the requirements of the international creative commons Attribution/Non-Commercial Attribution 4.0 licence, hence the obligation to reference JD as the source of first publication.

Quality: The journal adopts the necessary measures to ensure the scientific rigour, originality, relevance and novelty of the work it publishes, in accordance with rigorous international editorial standards.

Security: The journal guarantees the storage and conservation of the electronic information submitted, as well as that resulting from the editorial evaluation; it adopts computer security measures and applies the regulatory provisions on personal data protection in force in the Republic of Cuba. It also adopts appropriate measures to ensure compliance with the principle of authorship and to avoid conflicts of interest.

Confidentiality and privacy: The Editorial Board guarantees the protection of the personal data of authors and contributors, in accordance with the provisions of the legislation in force in the Republic of Cuba; likewise, it adopts the relevant measures to ensure the anonymity of authors during the academic evaluation process.

Responsibility: The duties and rights of those involved in the editorial process are clearly defined and their inappropriate exercise entails the responsibilities provided for in the legislation in force in the Republic of Cuba.

Conflict of interest: Authors, editors and reviewers are obliged to declare the existence of conflicts of interest that may prevent them from fully complying with their responsibilities in the editorial process, in accordance with the ethical standards required by the journal.

Good practice

They are particularly recommended practices:

For authors:

·     Guarantee the originality of the work submitted.

·     Be truthful in the information provided in relation to the sources consulted, the collection and processing of data.

·     Present information in accordance with the state of development of the science in question and the subject analysed in the submitted work, with reference to the most current and relevant literature, and to the different currents of knowledge in this field.

·     Refrain from including in the texts any information that could allow their identification during the academic evaluation process.

·     Declare any circumstances that may have influenced the results of the research or their interpretation (conflicts of interest).

·     Provide information that may be relevant to ensure the quality and integrity of the academic evaluation of the contributions submitted.

·     To inform the journal of any errors or inaccuracies that they identify in the works submitted and to provide all the necessary information for their timely rectification.

·     Not to submit the text to other publications while it is subject to JD's editorial evaluation.

·     To collaborate with the editorial team in making the necessary corrections for the publication of the work.Notificar oportunamente al Consejo editorial cuando decidan retirar sus colaboraciones del proceso editorial.

·     Maintain a cordial and respectful relationship with the editorial team.

·     To assume responsibility for any copyright infringements or other infringements that may be committed as a result of the submitted contribution.

For reviewers:

·     To carry out a critical, honest and constructive review of the scientific quality of the contributions examined within the scope of their knowledge and skills.

·     Not to delegate their functions to any other person.

·     Refrain from evaluating those texts in which they consider that they will not be able to make an objective, assertive judgement, devoid of discriminatory bias, or when there is any economic, professional, personal or other type of conditioning that may affect the objectivity and impartiality of the review (conflict of interest).

·     Inform the editor when, in view of the subject matter, writing style or other elements, he/she identifies the author of the text submitted for evaluation.

·     Communicate in a timely manner any impediment or conflict of interest, so that the work can be assigned to another evaluator.

·     Evaluate the texts within the scheduled time.

·     Not to reveal the content of the contributions submitted for their consideration or submit them for consultation by others without the prior knowledge and consent of the editor.

·     Disclose the assessments that enabled them to reach their conclusions.

·     Alert the editor when they know or suspect that the text has already been published or is being evaluated by another publication (identity, similarity or overlap), or if they identify violations or irregularities relating to research ethics.

For editors:

·     To guarantee the scientific quality of the articles and other texts published in the journal.

·     Verify the originality of the contributions received, with the help of anti-plagiarism tools.

·     To carry out the editorial evaluation of the works received within the established deadline.

·     To guarantee the selection of the most scientifically and ethically qualified reviewers for the academic evaluation of the contributions.

·     To preserve anonymity between the academic reviewers and the authors.

·     Maintain the confidentiality of information during the editorial process.

·     Promote initiatives to educate researchers in adherence to the values and ethical principles established in this Code.

·     Comply with and enforce compliance with the deadlines established for the editorial process.

·     Review editorial policies, as often as required, to prevent behaviour that is not in accordance with the stated values and principles.

·     Encourage and respect, in its publications, freedom of thought and expression, in the manner provided for by current legislation and in line with the journal's Editorial Policy.

·     Maintain a cordial and respectful relationship with reviewers, authors and readers of the publication.

·     Be clear, precise and timely in communication with reviewers, authors and readers.

·     Inform the authors of the decisions taken at the different stages of the editorial process.

·     Clarify any doubts that may arise during the review, evaluation, correction and publication of contributions.

·     Ensure that editorial corrections are respectful of the authors' intention and style of writing.

·     Investigate allegations, complaints or suspicions of malpractice, provide appropriate responses and take appropriate action where found to exist.

·     Declare and/or resolve conflicts of interest that may affect the quality of the publication, as appropriate.

·     Not to use the contents of the papers in their personal research, while they are in the editorial process, without the prior consent of the authors.

·     To publish the dates of delivery and acceptance of articles.

·     Not to delay excessively the publication of approved papers as a result of the editorial process.

·     Implement mechanisms to provide feedback on readers' expectations, needs and perceptions.

·     Be willing to publish clarifications or corrections when necessary.

Procedure for identifying, investigating and dealing with unethical behaviour

Anyone who identifies unethical behaviour, at any stage of the JD Magazine editorial process, may bring it to the attention of the Editorial Board, via the publication's contacts. The person making the report is obliged to provide sufficient information and evidence to initiate an investigation, failing which it may be dismissed without further action.

The decision to investigate is taken by a majority vote of the Editorial Board, to which the matter is submitted within five working days of receipt of the complaint.

The Editorial Board may hear the opinion of the Scientific Committee within 10 working days and, in the light of its considerations, decide to close the complaint or to pursue it. If the latter decision is taken, the accused is notified within five working days and then the necessary steps are taken to clarify the alleged violations, which are carried out within a period not exceeding 30 working days.

The researcher/author, reviewer or editor involved must provide the explanations necessary to clarify his or her responsibility and may present any evidence at his or her disposal.

The Editorial Board may decide to refer the case to the employer of the accused, so that he/she can express his/her opinion on the behaviour attributed to him/her.

The procedure is confidential, and information about the incident and the persons allegedly involved in it is not disclosed.

When the complaint refers to possible conflicts of interest of the researchers/authors or reviewers, not declared in a timely manner, or to facts that may compromise the originality and scientific contribution of the work under review, the review process is suspended until the situation is clarified.

If the complaint involves articles or other published contributions, these will only be withdrawn, with the corresponding clarification from the editor, when the veracity of the complaint is verified.

If the veracity of the complaint is confirmed, the Editorial Board may, depending on the seriousness of the facts, take one of the following measures:

a) Close the complaint, provided that it is satisfied that the behaviour complained of is of minor significance.

b) Instruct or warn the responsible author or evaluator if it identifies a misapplication of acceptable standards.

c) Admonish the author or evaluator about the unethical conduct and the duty to avoid its repetition in the future.

d) Issue a formal notice detailing the misconduct.

e) Inform the author's or reviewer's boss, or the funding agency, where appropriate, of the author's or reviewer's inappropriate behaviour.

f) Remove the article or contribution from the editorial process.

g) Withdraw the article or contribution from the edition in which it has been published.

h) Prevent the submission of academic contributions by the author for a reasonable period of time, to be determined by the author.

i) Prevent academic review by the reviewer for a reasonable period of time.

j) Remove the reviewer or editor from the Scientific Board of the journal.

k) To bring the matter to the attention of the corresponding authorities for the effects that may be applicable in accordance with the law. 

Given in Havana, December 11, 2023.