EDITORIAL POLICIES AND RULES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES

Journal: I+ T+ C - INVESTIGACIÓN, TECNOLOGÍA Y CIENCIA

Abbreviated title: Revista I+T+C

Editor: Andrés Felipe Solis Pino, PhD

ISSN: 1909-5775 

e-ISSN: 2805-7201

Periodicity: Annual

Response time first Editorial decision: 30 days after submission

Peer acceptance response time: 60 days

Publish response time: 30 days after acceptance

 

FOCUS AND SCOPE

The I + T + C journal is an annual, peer-reviewed publication, published by the Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca - Unicomfacauca. Its main purpose is to disseminate the research results of the international and national academic community, as well as the engineering faculties of the Unicomfacauca, in all areas of engineering, such as: mechatronics, automation, mechanics, software development, environmental and agricultural sciences, technology, education, and ICT management. Below are the main guidelines that must be considered when submitting an article to this Journal.

The I + T + C journal will give preference to works of high scientific quality, which, according to the typologies established by the National Indexing System of Scientific Publications of Minciencias (Colombia), meet the following characteristics:

1. Scientific and technological research article. Document that presents, in detail, the original results of completed research projects. The structure generally used contains four important sections: Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Conclusions.
2. Reflection article. Document that presents the results of completed research from an analytical, interpretative, or critical perspective of the author, on a specific topic, using original sources.
3. Review article. Document resulting from completed research, where the results of published or unpublished research on a field in science or technology are analyzed, systematized, and integrated, in order to account for progress and development trends. It is characterized by presenting a careful bibliographic review of at least 50 references.

 

Journal Classification (Minciencias - Publindex)

In compliance with national and international indexing parameters, the journal formally declares its scope within the following areas of knowledge:

• Broad Area of Knowledge (OECD): 2. Engineering and Technology
• Area (OECD): 2K. Other Engineering and Technologies
• Discipline (OECD): 2K02. Other engineering and technologies
• Minciencias Field of Knowledge: 5. Engineering

 

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

The I+T+C Journal adheres to the international guidelines and standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure ethics and transparency in scientific publishing. All parties involved (editors, authors, and reviewers) must abide by these principles.

Regarding authorship, the journal requires that all individuals listed as authors have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or analysis of the research, and take public responsibility for its content. "Honorary" or "ghost" authorships are not accepted. Any authorship disputes will be resolved following COPE flowcharts.

 

PEER-REVIEW PROCESS

The Journal is governed by a code of ethics published on the institutional page of the Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca - CODE OF ETHICS - UNICOMFACAUCA.

The Editorial Committee will carry out a first review of the articles received through the OJS and the "Format Checklist for Compliance with the Journal's Standards," examining only the form. The result of said process will be done in three ways: Received, Received with Modifications, and Not Received. When modifications are made, the authors will have one week to submit the article again.

Subsequently, the Editorial Committee will submit the articles for evaluation by academic peers specialized in the subject, taking into account the article's subject area. Two referees will evaluate each article, and at least 80% of the peer reviewers are external to the publishing institution (Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca - UNICOMFACAUCA) and do not belong to the editorial board. The Journal's arbitration process is doubly blind, meaning neither the authors nor the peers will know each other's identities.

The academic peers will evaluate according to the criteria established in the "Journal Evaluation Format" delivered by the Editorial Committee. The result is issued in three ways:

• Approved for publication without modifications.
• Approved for publication after modifications made by the author and verification thereof by the Journal
• Not Approved for Publication.

If the article is evaluated but requires modifications, the Editorial Committee will send the suggestions so that the author can make the respective corrections if necessary. The maximum deadline for delivery of corrections is three weeks, which will begin the day after the work is submitted with the modifications suggested by the referee. Subsequently, after this process has been satisfactorily completed, an initial approval will be given.

Once the article is initially approved, the Editorial Committee, together with the editor, will select the articles that meet the highest levels of scientific quality and give final approval. Thus, the receipt of contributions does not imply the obligation of their publication.

When the article is approved for publication, the author will receive a notification by email.

The formats registered by the referees and all the documents supporting the editorial process will be saved in the publishing entity's repository and file.

The Comfacauca University Corporation—UNICOMFACAUCA—will not be responsible for the concepts issued in the publications, and no claim may proceed against it. The concepts are exclusively the responsibility of their authors.

The author (s) are responsible for adequately preparing the article for publication (including its spelling). Articles that do not comply with the established standards will not be considered for publication.

 

DOUBLE-BLIND PEER REVIEW PROCESS AND EDITORIAL TIMES

The I+T+C Journal guarantees a transparent, objective, and rigorous evaluation process. To this end, we employ a double-blind peer review system, which means the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa, throughout the entire process.

Below is a step-by-step breakdown of our editorial process, including the average response times for each stage:

Phase 1: Initial Review and Editorial Filter

• Average response time: 30 days after manuscript reception.
• Description: The Editorial Committee conducts a preliminary review of the article through the OJS platform using the "Format checklist for compliance with guidelines". This phase exclusively examines the formatting, originality, and relevance of the document.
• Possible outcomes:
• Received: The article meets the requirements and moves to Phase 2.
• Received with modifications: The author is given a period of two (2) weeks to make formatting adjustments and resubmit it.
• Not received: The article is rejected for not falling within the journal's scope or failing to comply with the guidelines.

Phase 2: Academic Peer Review (Double-Blind)

• Average evaluation time: 60 days.
• Description: Articles that pass Phase 1 are assigned to two (2) academic peer reviewers who are specialists in the subject area of the manuscript. At least 80% of our peer reviewers are external to the Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca (UNICOMFACAUCA) and independent of the editorial committee. They evaluate the document based on the "Journal's Evaluation Format".
• Possible review outcomes:
• Approved for publication without modifications.
• Approved for publication with modifications: The author will receive the reviewers' suggestions and will have a maximum of three (3) weeks to submit the corrections. Once verified by the journal, an initial approval will be granted.
• Not approved for publication.

Phase 3: Final Editorial Decision and Publication

• Average publication time: 30 days after final acceptance.
• Description: Once the article has initial approval after adjustments (if any), the Editorial Committee and the Editor select the works with the highest levels of scientific quality to grant final approval. (Note: The reception of a manuscript does not obligate its publication).
• Final process: The author receives official notification of approval via email. The article proceeds to copyediting, layout, and is finally published online under our open access policy.

 

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGE - APC

The I + T + C Journal does NOT make any charge (Article Processing Charge - APC) to any of the authors for the reception, evaluation and publication of the articles.

 

OFFICIAL TITLE AND ABBREVIATION FOR CITATION

The official title of the publication is I+T+C Investigación, Tecnología y Ciencia. Since the National ISSN Center record does not specify an "Abbreviated key-title", the journal officially adopts its registered title variant (Title variant) from the online ISSN (2805-7201) for citation, indexing, and bibliographic reference purposes, which is: Revista I+T+C.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, RESEARCH ETHICS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND PLAGIARISM

Revista I+T+C adheres to the international guidelines and standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure ethics, transparency, and scientific integrity throughout its editorial processes.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editorial board members must declare any conflict of interest of a financial, institutional, academic, or personal nature that could influence the evaluation, interpretation, or publication of a manuscript. When a potential conflict is identified, the journal will take the necessary measures to ensure the impartiality and transparency of the editorial process.

Research Ethics

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must stem from research conducted in accordance with nationally and internationally recognized ethical and scientific principles. For research involving human subjects, animals, sensitive information, or personal data, authors must indicate that they have obtained the corresponding ethical approvals, informed consents, or institutional permissions, where applicable.

The journal rejects any practices related to data fabrication, falsification, improper data manipulation, or behaviors contrary to scientific integrity.

Confidentiality

Revista I+T+C ensures the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and the double-blind peer review process. Editors, reviewers, and other participants in the editorial process are committed to not disclosing information related to the received articles, except when strictly necessary within the editorial process.

Plagiarism, Originality, and Anti-Plagiarism Software Policy

Revista I+T+C is committed to the originality, ethics, and academic integrity of the content it publishes, governed by the guidelines of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). To ensure the authenticity of the research, all submitted manuscripts are checked using the specialized similarity detection tool CopyLeaks.

As an editorial standard, the maximum acceptable similarity percentage for an article to proceed in the evaluation process is set at 30% (excluding the reference list and properly quoted and cited text).

If a manuscript's similarity index exceeds this established limit, the document will be returned to the authors along with the respective report so they can make the appropriate corrections within a specified timeframe, or it will be definitively rejected, depending on the nature and severity of the matches found.

Authorship and Responsibility

The journal requires that all individuals listed as authors have contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or analysis of the research and take public responsibility for the manuscript's content. Honorary and ghost authors are not permitted.

Declaration of Funding Sources

As part of our transparency policy, it is mandatory for authors to declare all funding sources that made the research possible. Upon manuscript submission, authors must explicitly state—both in the document and in the OJS metadata—the name of the funding agency(ies), institution, or sponsoring project, including the corresponding codes or grant/contract numbers. If the research did not receive external funding, this must also be explicitly stated.

Declaration of Funding Sources

As part of our transparency policy, it is mandatory for authors to declare all funding sources that made the research possible. Upon submission, authors must explicitly state in the manuscript and in the OJS metadata the name of the funding agency(ies), institution, or sponsoring project, including the corresponding grant or contract numbers. If the research received no external funding, this must also be explicitly stated.

 

CALL FOR PAPERS

Teachers, researchers, and students are invited to send their unpublished articles, results of research works, and other outstanding works on engineering, technology, and sciences for the Edition of the Journal year after year. 

 

Corrections, Errata, and Retractions Policy

The I+T+C Journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the academic record. If significant errors are detected in a published article, the journal will proceed in accordance with COPE guidelines:

• Corrections (Errata): Will be issued if an unintentional error is discovered that affects the scientific accuracy of the document but does not alter the overall conclusions.
• Retractions: Will be applied in cases of serious ethical breaches (e.g., plagiarism, data manipulation, redundant publication) or when errors invalidate the study's conclusions. The journal will publish a clear retraction note linked to the original article, keeping the original file with a watermark indicating its retracted status.

 

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

The I + T + C Journal provides immediate open access to its content based on the principle that offering the public free access to research helps a greater global exchange of knowledge. Thanks to the Open Journal System, the contents of the I + T + C Journal are available immediately after an edition is published.

 

LICENSE

The works are published under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, which allows copying, redistributing the material in any medium or format, remixing, transforming, and creating from the material. However, credit must be given to the authors, no commercial use is allowed, and the generated material must be licensed under this same license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.es).

 

COPYRIGHT POLICY

Authors who publish in the I + T + C - RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE journal retain the copyright of their work without restrictions. By submitting their work, authors grant the Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca - UNICOMFACAUCA the right of first publication of the article.
Simultaneously, all published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This allows others to share, copy, distribute, execute, and communicate the work publicly, as well as to make derivative works, provided that the original authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.

 

SELF-ARCHIVING AND REPOSITORY POLICY

The I+T+C Journal is firmly committed to Open Science and supports the broad and early dissemination of knowledge. Therefore, we actively permit and encourage our authors to self-archive their work under the following conditions:

• Authors retain the right to deposit and distribute the final published version (Publisher's PDF), as well as the peer-reviewed accepted manuscript (Post-print), and the original submitted version prior to peer review (Pre-print).
• Self-archiving can be done immediately upon publication of the article on our platform (Zero embargo).
• Authors may deposit their articles in their institutional repositories, national or international subject-based repositories, personal websites, and academic social networks (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Mendeley, etc.).

In all cases of self-archiving, the I+T+C Journal must be acknowledged as the original publishing venue. The author must provide the full bibliographic citation, a direct link to the document on our platform (preferably using the article's DOI), and explicitly state that the work is distributed under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

 

LOCKSS o CLOCKSS

I+T+C Journal uses the LOCKSS and CLOCKSS storage systems

https://revistas.unicomfacauca.edu.co/ojs/index.php/itc/almacenamiento

 

If you have any questions, please write to

 

revistaitc@unicomfacauca.edu.co

asolis@unicomfacauca.edu.co