Instructions for authors

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

n this window, you can access the instructions for publishing in the Journal de Comunicación Social. Follow carefully the steps we have outlined, and if you have any questions, we will be available to assist you at crossell@ucb.edu.bo and at the journal's email address: journalcom.lpz@ucb.edu.bo

  1. Manuscript Submission

Articles must not be under review in any other publication. The author grants the rights of the article to the journal until it is published. Articles should be submitted in digital format, following the guidelines below:

  1. Proper Attribution of Sources

The origin of all data and statements in the manuscript must be correctly identified so that the reader has absolute clarity about what information corresponds to the author of the text and what information comes from specific sources. As a norm of academic writing, the author must even acknowledge the credit of the author(s) on whom they based their research. Failures in proper attribution of sources can lead to plagiarism. Among the main forms of plagiarism in the printed domain, the following are included:

  • Submitting someone else's manuscript as one's own.
  • Copying words or borrowing ideas from someone without giving them due credit.
  • Failing to enclose a direct quotation in quotation marks or not indenting a copied block of text to indicate its verbatim nature (the use of italics does not signify verbatim transcription).
  • Changing some words but retaining the syntactic structure of a passage or sentence taken from another source (patchwriting), even if the source is appropriately cited.
  • Providing incorrect or false information about the cited sources (in citations or references).

Plagiarism is a crime punishable by Bolivian law (Penal Code, Article 362). The Journal de Comunicación Social assumes that the author, when submitting their manuscript, implicitly certifies that they are not engaging in any of these practices or any other behavior that hinders proper recognition of others' work. However, after submission, each manuscript will be screened by the URKUND-OURIGINAL computer system for originality and appropriate citation of sources, a tool designed to detect plagiarism regardless of the language in which the text is written.

After submitting the manuscript, the editorial team will send the author a declaration that should be returned with their name and signature, as a preliminary stage before peer review. This document serves as a guarantee that the manuscript complies with all the journal's requirements, as outlined in this section and in section 5 (Authors). 

  1. Formal Aspects

The manuscript should be between six thousand and ten thousand words in length, including the reference list. It must be presented in MS Word, on letter-sized pages, using Times New Roman font at 12 points and single line spacing.

  1. Article Elements

 a) Title

The title should express the main idea of the article in a simple and clear manner, namely the topic and the variables or theories investigated. It is advisable that its length not exceed 12 words. An additional concise subtitle may be included. Below, must provide the same title translated into English.

b) Author Name and Institutional Affiliation

Beneath the title, the author(s) should indicate their names and surnames and insert a footnote with the following details: author's position, department name, academic institution where the author works (or where the research was conducted), city and country, and ORCID identification number. Lastly, provide a contact email. Separate these elements with periods.

If an author does not have institutional affiliation, they should simply list the city and country separated by commas instead of the department and university, specifying "independent researcher." If the author(s) have changed institutional affiliation since the article was prepared, include the current department or unit where they work.

The author should specify in a note, after the references section, that the article does not represent a conflict of interest with any institution, or with the institution where the author works. Also, if necessary, specify whether the author's organization wants to express that the content of the manuscript does not represent the position of that institution.

c) Abstract

The abstract should be a maximum of 120 words. For an empirical research article, the abstract should clearly and syntactically correctly express the research problem, the participants involved, the methodology used, the findings obtained, and the conclusions. For other types of articles, authors are advised to follow the APA Publication Manual (seventh edition) for abstract guidelines. Provide a suitable English translation of the abstract below.

d) Keywords

Up to six keywords, with appropriate English translation.

e) Body of Manuscript

For an empirical research article, divide the body of the manuscript into the following sections (for other types of articles, the basic structure can be introduction, development, and conclusions):

Introduction: The problem being addressed, its relevance and context, a minimal description of previous research or existing literature on the problem, hypothesis or research question, the objective of the article, the title of the research, and its institutional and temporal context. A summary of findings.

Theoretical Framework and State of the Art: Present literature review, paradigms, theories, and concepts used for data collection and argumentation, and explain their relationship to the research problem.

Methodology: Briefly present the data collection process, including research universe and timeframe, techniques, participants, and the sampling process.

Results: Present relevant data obtained from the research according to the research objectives. If including tables and graphs, number them separately, provide informative titles, and attach Excel files for statistical tables or figures.

Discussion: Present discussions with the implemented theories based on the collected data and interpretations. Address pending topics for future research and propose recommendations or approaches.

Conclusions: Analyze results, interpret findings, and identify theoretical or practical consequences. Infer conclusions based on these results. Discussion and conclusions can be presented in a single section.

f) References

Label the section as "References," where the bibliography is listed. A reference should include the author's last name and initial, date, title, and source. Follow APA citation style (seventh edition of the Manual) or refer to the APA blog (https://blog.apastyle.org) for guidance. Arrange references alphabetically and use hanging indentation.

The author should review their text to ensure that all authors cited in the body of the manuscript are included in their reference list, and vice versa. If citations and references were generated automatically, the author should ensure their accuracy and convert both to editable text.

Below are examples of commonly used references. For specific publications, refer to the APA Manual (seventh edition).

Book Title

Dyer, R. (1986). Cine y homosexualidad. Laertes.

 

Book with Two Authors

Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (2015). La construcción social de la realidad (S. Zuleta, Trans.). Amorrortu. (Original work published in 1979)

 

Translated Book

Lippmann, W. (2003). La opinión pública (B. Guinea, Trans.). Cuadernos de Langre. (Original work published in 1922)

 

Book Chapter

Charmaz, K. (2013). La teoría fundamentada en el siglo XXI: Aplicaciones para promover estudios sobre justicia social. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Manual de investigación cualitativa: Vol. 3. Las estrategias de investigación cualitativa (pp. 270-325). Gedisa.

Book Review in a Scientific Journal

Collado Alonso, R. (2023). Un tratamiento desde la raíz para el deterioro de la sociedad de la información y la comunicación. [Review of Comunicación radical. Despatriarcalizar, decolonizar y ecologizar la cultura mediática by S. Andrés and M. Chaparro]. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 81, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2023-1930

 

Torres-Mazuera, G. (September-December 2022). El derecho en movimiento. Once ensayos de sociología jurídica [Review of El derecho en movimiento. Once ensayos de sociología jurídica by Antonio Azuela]. Estudios Sociológicos, 40(120), 923-930. https://doi.org/10.24201/es.2022v40n120.2286

Note: If the review has no title, transcribe the title of the book.

 

Journal Article with URL

Lavagnino, N. (2013). Cinco tesis en torno a las arquitexturas del lenguaje histórico: A cuarenta años de Metahistoria de Hayden White. Signos Filosóficos, 15(30), 119-149. https://signosfilosoficos.izt.uam.mx/index.php/SF/article/view/517

 

Journal Article with DOI

Saldivia Mansilla, C., Faúndez Reyes, B., Sotomayor Llanos, S., & Cea Leiva, F. (2017). Violencia íntima en parejas jóvenes del mismo sexo en Chile. Última Década, 25(46), 184-212. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S071822362017000100184

 

Journal Article Published in Another Language

Zhao, S., Grasmuck, S., & Martin, J. (2008). Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships [Construcción de identidad en Facebook: Empoderamiento digital en relaciones ancladas]. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(5), 1816-1836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.02.012

 

Facebook Page

Página Siete. (n.d.). Inicio [Facebook Page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.facebook.com/paginasiete

 

Social Media Post

Company Pomar, F. [@FelipeCompanyPo]. (July 16, 2022). Desde su estreno el 16 de junio de 1978, Grease es la palabra. Ha sido un placer dedicarle este divertido [Attached photo] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/FelipeCompanyPo/status/1537530675707928576?s=20

Note: In the case of social media, the text of the post, tweet, or other message should not exceed 20 words.

 

Newspaper Article

Monasterios, P. (March 8, 2020). Entre nostalgia y nuevas aventuras, Mi Socio vuelve para “reunir” al país. Página Siete. https://www.paginasiete.bo/cultura/2020/3/8/entre-nostalgia-nuevas-aventuras-mi-socio-vuelve-para-reunir-al-pais-248930.html

 

Thesis

Neira Castillo, C. (2004). El discurso religioso, un discurso simbólico [Undergraduate thesis, University of Chile]. Repositorio académico de la Universidad de Chile. https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/110115

 

Publication on a Website

Messenger, J., Vadkerti, Z., & Uhereczky, A. (2020). El teletrabajo durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y después de ella. Organización Internacional del Trabajo. https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/WCMS_758007/lang--es/index.htm

 

Film

Loayza, A. (Director). (2022). Utama [Film]. Alma Films.

 

YouTube Video

Educatina. (October 11, 2012). Giddens: La teoría de la estructuración - Sociología – Educatina [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0i57Rmyrvg

Podcast Episode

Aguirre, J. L. (Host). (March 8, 2021). Entrevista “Dr. Luis Ramiro Beltrán Salmón” [Podcast episode]. On Spotify. SECRAD. https://open.spotify.com/episode/44yAxFUt7vcrXoKBoX7MAU?si=aWIHxNy0S823QdABtdOdIw

 

Blog Post

Costa, J. (February 20, 2008). 15 axiomas para los Dircom. Público Meta. http://publicometa.fullblog.com.ar/15_axiomas_para_los_dircom_por_joan_costa_01203492094.html

 

5. About the Authors

Authors attest to the academic quality of the manuscripts they submit to the journal and the adherence to ethical procedures that prevent cases of plagiarism (section 2) and self-plagiarism (section 7.3).

6. Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest is understood as any financial, employment-related, familial, institutional, political, religious belief, or academic affiliation of the author that could unduly influence their manuscript. If an author believes there may be a conflict of interest, they must disclose it transparently. For any inquiries an investigator may have about this or other matters, they can reach out to the editorial authorities of the journal, mentioned at the end of the call for submissions, or consult the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

At the end of each research article, the author must provide a note, following the references section, stating that the article does not have any conflict of interest with any institution or the institution they are affiliated with. Additionally, if necessary, they should specify whether the organization they work for wishes to express that the content of the manuscript does not represent the position of that institution.

The evaluation of all manuscripts is carried out through the "double-blind" review process, aiming to maintain the anonymity of both the author and the evaluator. This prevents conflicts of interest and ensures an impartial review of the manuscripts.

The journal takes the responsibility of verifying that the articles submitted account for genuinely conducted research very seriously. In cases where data falsification is identified, the article will be rejected.

If a conflict of interest is identified that has not been explicitly declared by the author, the journal reserves the right to not publish the article.

7. Selection Criteria

The Journal de Comunicación Social typically publishes six articles, of which at least three are research findings. The journal also includes reviews and other contributions in a separate section. Manuscripts must meet the following criteria:

7.1. Relevance

An article is considered relevant if it:

   - Contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the respective field of study.

   - Addresses specific issues within the field of communication and/or the Social Sciences.

   - Contributes to the training of human resources by involving novice researchers or students from the institution in the research.

7.2. Pertinence

Pertinence is determined by the degree of connection the article has with the research lines of the journal and the career of Communication Studies, as well as with topics that are linked to the objectives of this call for submissions.

7.3. Originality

The manuscript must contain a theoretical reflection or present research with arguments or discussion proposals that have not been made before, or at least have not been formulated with the same approach.

The author must not submit a manuscript that they previously published elsewhere (self-plagiarism), unless it was published partially or in a different format as an abstract, lecture, or thesis. In such cases, the author should minimize the extent of verbatim transcriptions, and if that's not possible for valid reasons, appropriately cite the textual excerpt.

7.4. Text Quality

The text must be written in a comprehensible manner, with clarity, precision, and adherence to Spanish orthographic and syntactic norms.

7.5. Contribution

The methodology (if it's a research-based article), the supporting literature, and primarily the contribution of novel and rigorous knowledge to the academic discourse in the specific areas that the journal covers, as outlined at the beginning of this call for submissions, will be valued.

8. Peer Review Process

Received articles will undergo a preselection process based on an initial review that leads to their approval or rejection according to the general criteria of this call for submissions. This task will be carried out by the journal's editors, with the endorsement of their editorial board.

Preselected texts will be sent to two external reviewers who are specialists in the topics presented in each manuscript. Each article will be sent with a code, which will be the sole identification element, along with the title of the work.

The evaluation of all manuscripts is conducted under the "double-blind" mode to maintain the confidentiality of both the author and the reviewer. This prevents conflicts of interest and ensures an impartial review of the manuscripts. From the date of receiving the document, the peer reviewers will have two weeks to complete the evaluation form. There are four possible outcomes:

Approved: The author will be notified of this decision and only needs to await publication, along with potential inquiries about formal aspects of their manuscript.

Approved with Minor Revisions, no need for a second review: The editors of the Journal of Communication Studies will convey the recommendations to the author for resolution within a week. Subsequently, the editors verify that the article addresses all corrections, enabling the manuscript's inclusion in the journal.

Approved with the need for resubmission and a second review: In this case, the author will be notified and must make changes as per the requested adjustments and corrections within two weeks. The peer reviewer will then have two weeks to provide the evaluation form.

Rejected: If the assessment is negative, the evaluation form will provide a brief justification for rejecting the document. The author will be informed and can resubmit the manuscript (adjusted according to the provided recommendations) for a subsequent issue.

In the event of a lack of consensus in the assessment, the article might be sent to a third reader, or if deemed appropriate, the journal's editor-in-chief will decide whether to publish it or not.

A member of the Journal's editorial bodies (general editor, members of the editorial committee, or scientific committee) may submit an article. In that case, they will expressly renounce participation in each of the evaluation stages of the article. The Journal will designate external readers for the respective decision-making.

9. Ethics and Best Practices Guidelines

The Journal of Communication Studies is particularly committed to upholding academic quality in each issue. Therefore, the journal adheres to ethical principles in all stages of evaluation, ensuring anonymity throughout the process. Contributions that unite experienced researchers with young investigators are also highly valued.

Authors must pay special attention to protecting the identity of primary research sources and securing authorization for source publication. Additionally, they are responsible for the content of the submitted article in terms of originality, accuracy, source usage, and co-authorship.

The journal places significant importance on contributions being written in an inclusive language, devoid of prejudice based on age, disability, gender, social background, sexual orientation, religion, among others. Should any discriminatory or exclusive biases be identified in content or writing, adjustments will be requested or the article may be rejected.

Lastly, authors must assume legal responsibility for their assertions.

10. Copyright

Journal de Comunicación Social declares its respect for author rights based on Bolivia's Copyright Law N° 1322, in accordance with the Copyright Regulations of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Article 6 of this law "declares the protection of authors' rights over their literary, artistic, and scientific works, regardless of the mode or form of expression used and regardless of their purpose."

The journal respects the moral rights of authors over their work, which are perpetual, inalienable, imprescriptible, and irrevocable. Therefore, the contribution submitted to the journal always retains authorship. Furthermore, the journal declares itself as open-access, meaning it does not seek any economic gain from the authors' intellectual property rights. In this regard, it affirms that authors retain all copyright ownership of their article.

In the event that authors wish to reproduce their article in part or in full in other media after it has been published in the journal, they can send a note to the Editorial Committee of the journal to communicate this decision. Additionally, in the medium of publication, the author must include a footnote specifying that the article was originally published in the Journal of Communication Studies, detailing the volume, issue number, and DOI of the article.

Articles should not be undergoing evaluation processes in any other dissemination medium. The author grants the property rights of the article until the journal publishes it or communicates to the author that it will not be published.

The Journal of Communication Studies supports the protection of copyright for each contribution under the framework of the following regulations:

    Law 1322 (1992). Bolivia: Copyright Law, April 13, 1992.

   Supreme Decree 23907 (1994). Bolivia: Supreme Decree N° 23907, December 7, 1994.

11. Open Access

Journal de Comunicación Social is a freely accessible open-access journal. The digital content of each article is available online for free; therefore, it is possible to download all published articles with proper source attribution. As part of its open-access policy, the journal publishes contributions submitted by authors with their express authorization, without requiring monetary compensation.

It is of interest to the journal that contributions published in each issue have broad dissemination, as we believe their contributions can enrich the academic dialogue in the field of social sciences. In this regard, the journal agrees that articles and reviews can be accessed, downloaded, and shared for academic purposes. The journal is also open to contributions being reproduced in any medium as long as it is done for proper academic purposes and without profit (cc BY NC SA). The journal permits their publication as long as the source is cited.

The journal operates under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License, recognizing the significance of disseminating scientific knowledge among peers throughout the region. Furthermore, it is an institutional policy of the Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo" to contribute to the dissemination of intellectual production in open-access repositories.

It should be emphasized that the journal respects the copyright and intellectual property rights of the contents deposited on its site, in accordance with Law 1322 and its Copyright Regulations of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.

STATEMENTS

Journal de Comunicación Social subscribes to the following international declarations that promote open access:

   • The Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) (2002)

   • The Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (2003)

   • Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (2003).

12. Submissions

The Journal of Communication Studies is a biannual publication (January-July and August-December). Contributions are accepted throughout the year, with the submission deadline for the January-July issue being March 3rd, and for the August-December issue, August 3rd. Articles should be sent to the following email address: journalcom.lpz@ucb.edu.bo

13. Contacts

For further information, please feel free to reach out to:

Claudio Rossell Arce

Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Communication Studies

Email: crossell@ucb.edu.bo

Mobile: (+591) 69770487

Phone: (+591-2) 2782222 (ext. 2888)

Department of Social Communication

Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo" in La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia

14. References on Types of Scientific Contributions and Related Aspects

Regarding Types of Articles Published by the Journal of Communication Studies

American Psychological Association. (2010). Manual de publicaciones de la

American Psychological Association (3.a ed. en español de la 6.a ed. en inglés). El Manual Moderno.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7.a ed.). American Psychological Association.

Delgado, P. (n.d.). ¿Qué es un ensayo académico? Centro de lectura y escritura, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente. https://tinyurl.com/yysxpflm

Mayer, P. (2009). Guidelines for writing a review article [Pautas para escribir un artículo de revisión] [Scientific brochure]. http://ueberfachliche-kompetenzen.ethz.ch/ dopraedi/pdfs/ Mayer/ guidelines_review_article.pdf

Orum, A. M. (2001). Case Study: Logic [Estudio de caso: Lógica]. In N. Smelser & P. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0- 08-043076-7/00750-6 Types of journal articles [Tipos de artículos de revista]. (n.d.). https://www.springer.com/ gp/authorseditors/authorandreviewertutorials/writing-a-journal- manuscript/types- ofjournal- articles/10285504

Regarding Manuscript Presentation (Proper Attribution of Sources and Elements of the Article)

Howard, R. (1995). Plagiarism, authorships, and the academic death penalty. College English, 57(7), 788-806.

What is plagiarism? (2017). https://www.plagiarism.org/article/whatis- plagiarism Words we’re watching: ‘Patchwriting’ (n.d.). https://www.merriamwebster. com/words-at-play/words- were-watching-patchwriting

American Psychological Association. (2010). Manual de publicaciones de la American Psychological Association (3.a ed. en español de la 6.a ed. en inglés). El Manual Moderno.

Regarding Authors (Conflicts of Interest and Originality)

Barbour, V. (2016). Discussion/guidance document on handling competing interests [Folleto del Committee on Publication Ethics, COPE, versión 1]. https://publicationethics.org/files/u7140/Discussion_document on_handling_competing_ interests.pdf

Elsevier. (2017). Ethical guidelines for journal publication (Version 2.0). https://www.elsevier.com/data/assets/pdf_file/0009/300888/Ethicalguidelines-for-journal-publication-V2.0 May-2017-Elsevier.pdf

Ferris, L., & Fletcher, R. (n.d.). WAME Editorial on Conflict of Interest; Conflict of Interest in Peer-Reviewed Medical Journals: The World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) Position on a Challenging Problem. http://wame.org/wame-editorial-on- conflict-of- interest

James, A., & Horton, R. (2003). The Lancet’s policy on conflicts of interest. The Lancet, 361(9351), 8-9. https:// doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(03)12171-4

Elsevier. (2017). Ethical guidelines for journal publication (Version 2.0). https://www.elsevier.com/data/assets/pdf_file/0009/300888/Ethicalguidelines-for-journal-publication-V2.0- May-2017-Elsevier.pdf

 

14. Digital  Preservation Polices

To ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of the contents of the Journal of Communication Social, preservation processes are carried out through the backup servers of the OJS platform. Additionally, OJS has the PKP PLN tool that allows the preservation of the journal's content regardless of where it is hosted. It leverages the distributed preservation network model employed by a private LOCKSS network, supported by the organizational commitment of PKP partners and sponsors who are also members of the LOCKSS alliance.

Complementarily, the journal’s issues and articles are safeguarded on the institution's own servers with regular backups.

 

Contact Information Department of Communication Studies

Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo" in La Paz

Calle 2 de Obrajes, La Paz, Bolivia

Email: journalcom.lpz@ucb.edu.bo

Phone: (+591-2) 2782222 (ext. 2888)