Publication ethics

DECLARATION OF ETHICS AND GOOD PRACTICES IN PUBLICATION

Pensar – Revista de Ciências Jurídicas (Journal of Legal Sciences) was founded by the Center for Legal Sciences of the University of Fortaleza (Unifor) in 1992. It has consolidated its academic importance from the relevant scientific discussions it has conducted, whether in the field of Law or related disciplines, under the editorial line. It is intended for scientific articles, research results, essays, translations, and reviews disclosure through quarterly publication in an open-access digital version through Unifor electronic journals portal (http://periodicos.unifor.br/rpen), providing ethical standards in publications. It is evaluated in stratum A1 by the QUALIS/CAPES Commission (2017).

e-ISSN-2317-2150

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OjtndLGg4qYcrFMvLbieD4SY5Eqf-sYW/view?usp=sharing

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTOR AND EDITORIAL BOARD OF PENSAR

The Director and Editorial Board of Pensar are responsible for:

  • Decide which articles submitted to the journal should be published. This decision is guided by the guidelines for authors (Politicas Editorias, available at https://periodicos.unifor.br/rpen/about/submissions) and the legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright violations, and plagiarism.;
  • Guide guest organizers, authors, and evaluators on everything that is expected of them, as well as clarify them about the peer review process;
  • Advise new Editorial Board members on their roles and keep current members updated on new policies and developments;
  • Evaluate articles solely based on their academic and intellectual merit, regardless of factors such as race, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin, religious belief, nationality, political orientation, or social class of the authors;
  • Ensure that the scientific evaluation process of articles is anonymous (double-blind peer review), fair and impartial and that all information concerning them remains confidential. Also, ensure the protection of the identity of authors and evaluators;
  • Ensure proper selection of evaluators;
  • Develop and maintain a database of relevant evaluators, which is updated based on their performance;
  • Ensure that unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted article are not used in research carried out by member(s) of the Editorial Board without the express written consent of the author;
  • Respond by taking reasonable action in the event of complaints made about a submitted or published article. In the event of suspected misconduct, follow the COPE flowcharts available at http://publicationethics.org/files/Full%20set%20of%20flowcharts.pdf;
  • Publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies whenever necessary.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF INVITED ORGANIZERS 

The invited organizers are responsible for:

  • Define the subject in focus and the role of each article in the thematic issues;
  • Provide clear guidelines to authors on the topic/scope of their contributions and the overall design of the issue;
  • Ensure, in collaboration with the Editorial Board, that the appropriate reviewers are chosen for all articles (whether they have been commissioned or submitted as part of a call for papers);
  • Establish a schedule for the submission of articles, respective scientific arbitration, review, and final submission; together with the Editorial Board, ensuring that all deadlines are met;
  • Write the number introduction.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORS 

  • The authors of works resulting from original research must give a rigorous account of the work carried out and present an objective discussion of its meaning. The data underlying the investigation must be accurately represented in the article. Fraudulent or intentionally inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable;
  • Authors must not submit the same article to more than one publication at the same time. It is unethical behavior in publishing and is unacceptable;
  • Authors must ensure that their work is original and that any work or words from other authors, contributors, or sources have been properly accredited and referenced;
  • Authors who submit their articles for publication to Pensar as original articles confirm that they constitute their contributions, having not been copied or plagiarized from other works, in whole or in part, without the respective source being cited. 
  • Authors should cite publications that were decisive like the work reported;
  • Plagiarism constitutes unethical behavior in publishing in all its forms and is unacceptable.;
  • Authors must ensure that the submitted article has not been published elsewhere;
  • Authors of the submitted article must be limited to those who contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation. All those who took part with significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. In case other people have participated in certain substantial aspects of the research project, they should be recognized or listed as collaborators;
  • The author, responsible for exchanging correspondence with the journal, must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included in the article's list of authors and that there is a consensus among all co-authors in the approval of the final version of the work and its submission for publication;
  • Authors must disclose financial conflicts or other conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their article(s). 
  • All sources of financial support must be disclosed;
  • When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in the published article, the author must immediately notify the journal Management and Editorial Board and cooperate to correct or withdraw the article from publication.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EVALUATORS 

  • Peer scientific arbitration supports the decisions of the Director and the Editorial Board of Pensar and, through the editorial communication with the author, can also help the author to improve the article;
  • Any evaluator, from whom an opinion is requested, who does not feel qualified to analyze the research described in the article or knows that the evaluation cannot meet the defined deadline must immediately notify Pensar Management so that it can be possible to contact alternative evaluators;
  • All articles received within the scope of scientific peer review must be treated as confidential documents.;
  • Any inside information or ideas obtained through scientific peer review must be kept confidential and cannot be used for personal gain;
  • Evaluators must inform Pensar Management if they are aware of any copyright infringement and / or plagiarism by the author;
  • The opinions must be structured objectively, and the observations must be formulated clearly and based on arguments that support them so that the authors can use them to improve their article;
  • The evaluators appraise the articles based on their content and regardless of factors such as race, age, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, nationality, political orientation, or social class of the authors;
  • Reviewers should not consider articles in which there are conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or links with any of the authors, companies, or institutions related to the articles.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EDITOR 

  • provide support to the Director and Editorial Board of Pensar so that they can follow the code of conduct established for COPE’s scientific journals;
  • guarantee the autonomy of editorial decisions;
  • protect intellectual property and copyright;
  • Ensuring that good practices are maintained, considering the standards defined above.