Guidelines for authors

Manuscript Submission

Article Structure

Manuscript Submission Criteria

Rules for Citations and References

Editorial and Peer Review

Intellectual Property and Conflicts of interest

Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Policy

 

Manuscript Submission

 

Manuscript Type

The following types of manuscripts may be submitted to the journal:

Articles: These must be original, preferably the result of research projects (listing the project number or code, project title and sponsoring institution). Theoretical analyses, case studies and methodological proposals may also be submitted.

Articles that have been previously published in print or electronic format in identical or similar form will not be accepted.

 

Article Structure

Articles must meet the basic requirements of the publication rules (APA 7 (English) or Apa 4 (Spanish). Compliance is mandatory upon submission. Two versions of each manuscript must be submitted: a complete version (with the author’s or authors’ information) and an anonymized version (with no author information). Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in the return of the originals.

 

a) General format:

• Letter sized paper.
• Times New Roman (TNR) 12-point font.
• Multiple line spacing: 1.14
• The margins should be 2.54 cm (sides) and 2.54 cm (top and bottom).
• Tables should appear in Word format.
• Figures (photographs, maps, graphics, etc.) should be submitted in JPG or PNG format.

 

b) Structure: Articles should include the following elements: Title in Spanish and English; abstract and key words in English and Spanish; text (Introduction-Discussion-Conclusion); and bibliography, footnotes, tables, figures and appendix (each of which must be clearly distinguished from the rest of the text).

 

Title:

• Title in Spanish: centered, in bold, 14-point font. The first letter of each word must be capitalized; the others must be lower case.
• Title in English: centered, 50% black font, 13-point font.
• Abstract: centered, black font, TNR 13-point font.
• Titles in the body of the manuscript should appear in three levels:
  Level 1, left adjusted, bold, 13-point TNR font.
  Level 2, left adjusted, bold, italics, 12-point TNR font.
  Level 3, left adjusted, italics , 12-point Normal TNR font.

Abstract: Articles must include an abstract in Spanish and a separate abstract in English. The maximum word count for each is 200 words. Three to five keywords in Spanish and English (keywrods), respectively must also be included.

Footnotes: must be used as little as possible, and only if they are relevant. Footnotes are used to explain or clarify something that is said in the text or to cite material that is not easily available, such as letters or personal communications, documents or interviews. Use numerals in superscript. (For example: A note¹). Justified alignment. Use 10 point font.

Tables: Use Word format to build tables. Do not use vertical lines to separate the cells. Use only horizontal lines. Cell content must be justified. Tables should be numbered as follows: Table 1, Table 2... and so on. They must be mentioned or referenced in the article text. Tables must be centered between the left and right margins.

Figures (illustrations, photographs, maps, graphics): Figures must be included in the body of the article. Use sufficiently clear and legible JPG or PNG figures. Figures must be presented individually. Do not include groups or collages of images. Include a title at the top of the figure. Figures must be numbered. List the source at the bottom of the figure. It is understood that the figures have the copyright permissions for use in the manuscript.

Important: A reference to the figure must appear in the body of the article.

Examples for numbering tables, figures, maps and images following APA rules: Table 1, Table 2...; Figure 1, Figure 2...; Map 1, Map 2....

Examples for referring to figures within the body of the text:

“As shown in Table 1...,” “...as shown in Table 1...,” “(see Table 1).”

“...As shown in Figure 1...,” “...see Figure 1.”

Appendices: If you need to complement the content of the text with additional material, you may do so as long as it is no more than three pages long. Place the appendices after the references.

 

Manuscript Submission Criteria

Articles are received with the understanding that they are original and unpublished. They may not have been published in part or whole in print or electronic format or submitted for review to another publication of any kind.

Only Spanish-language articles will be received. Authors whose articles have already been published in this journal must wait two years from the date of publication of the article for a new submission.

To submit manuscripts to the journal, authors must prepare their texts in Microsoft Word. Two versions should be submitted: one that includes the author name(s) and notes and main current affiliation and one that is anonymized for the review process. Next, upload the files to the journal platform once you have registered as an author. We will confirm receipt through the same channel. You can check the status of your manuscript at any time using this platform.

Length:

Articles must have a minimum length of 8,000 words, and a maximum of 10,000 words.

Author information:

The following information must be entered onto the journal’s web platform when registering as an author or submitting a manuscript. Fill in the following metadata: brief CV including title(s), academic degrees and main current institutional affiliation (position, Department or Faculty, University, city and country) ORCID registration number, email address, physical address, and telephone number.

 

Rules for Citations and References

The journal uses the last edition of the system cited*. Some general guidelines for authors are listed below.

* American Psychological Association

 

A) Rules for Citations

Each time you use ideas, concepts, thoughts or phrases from other authors, credit their work, citing it correctly using APA rules and following the model (Author, Date).

Citations of up to 40 words are included in the text, marked with double quotation marks, followed by the source (Author last name, year, page).

Example of a citation within a sentence:

Sabemos que “las crisis aceleran la historia y las tendencias existentes” (Heine, 2020, p. 29). In this sense…

If the citation is 40 or more words long, create an independent block of text and omit the quotation marks. Begin the block with a new line and use a 2.54 cm (1 inch) indentation from the left margin (in the same position as a new paragraph). At the end of the text block, cite the source and page or paragraph number in parentheses after the final punctuation mark. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 169).

• If the name of the author(s) is in the text and you are citing a work or reference directly, place the citation directly after the author and add the year and page number immediately after it. For example: According to Artaza, “...” (2009, p. 25). If the name of the author and the citation are separated, write the year after the author’s name and the page number after the quotation. Artaza (2009) established that “....” (p. 25).
• Include the page number when citing a work directly or in references to specific passages. For example: (Artaza, 2009, p. 191).
• If you mention more than one publication from the same year by the same author, place a lower case letter after the year. For example: (González, 2002a, 2002b).
• If you wish to cite two publications by the same author from different years, you do not need to separate them with a period and comma. For example: (Tapia, 2004, 2012).

Important: All of the works or sources cited in the manuscript text must be included in the list of references.

 

B) Rules for References

A reference must contain: the name of the author(s), publication date, title and publication information (publisher).

• Authors:

Invert the names of the author(s), listing the last name first and first initials last. Example: Leiva, S., Mansilla, M. A. and Tapia, M.

When there is more than one author, up to 20 authors must be included in the list of references, if applicable. If the reference (work) has more than 20 authors, write the names of the first 19 and then use ellipses after the name of author 19. Then write the name of the last author.

If the list of references includes authors with the same last name and first initial, place the full first name in brackets.

Janet, P [Paul]. (1876). La notion de la personnalité [La noción de la personalidad]. Revue Scientifique, 10, 574- 575.

Janet, P [Pierre]. (1906). The pathogenesis of some impulsions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1, 1-17

The cite in el text: (Paul Janet, 1876) and (Pierre Janet, 1906)

Use a comma to divide the authors, separate last names and first initials, and separate initials from suffixes. If there are between two and seven authors, use and prior to the name of the last author.

• Editors:

When citing an edited volume, list the names of the editors in the place where the author would be listed and write the abbreviation Ed or Eds between parentheses after the name of the last editor.

In the reference of a chapter of an edited book, invert the names of the author(s) of the chapter as listed above, but do not invert the name(s) of the editor(s) of the volume.

The name of the editor(s) of the book must be preceded by the word ‘In.’ List the initials and last names of all editors (for substantial references to works with a large number of editors, you may list the main editor followed by the abbreviation ‘et al.’).

Autor, A. A., (2008). Chapter Title. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), book title (pp. xx-xx). Location: Publisher.

For a book without an editor, include the word In prior to the title of the book.

• Publication date

Write the year the work was published in parentheses. (For unpublished or informally published works, list the year the work was written.) If the date is not listed, write s. f. in parentheses.

For archival sources, list the approximate date even if it is not listed in the document using the abbreviation ca. (circa) and put the information in brackets.

• Periodicals (Newspapers, newsletters and journals)

Journal (or periodical) bibliography elements:

Last Name, A. and Last Name, B. (year). Title of specific article. Journal Title, Volume(installment number), start page number – end page number. https://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxx or URL of the article.

List the volume after the publication name in numerals and in cursive. Do not use the abbreviation Vol. before the number.

• Publication Information

Electronic sources and information on record locators

We generally recommend that you include the same elements in the same order used for a reference to traditional media sources, but please add all of the information that you can that will allow readers to locate the sources cited.

Provide the DOI if one has been assigned. Given that the DOI sequence can be long, it is safer to copy and paste it when possible. List the alphanumeric DOI sequence exactly as it is published in the article.

Use the URL format for the DOI in references, such as https://doi.org/10.4067/S0719-09482021000200070.

Do not insert a dash if you need to separate a URL across lines. Separate the URL prior to punctuation marks (an exception would be http://). Do not add a period after the URL to avoid suggesting that it is part of the URL. This is not a style issue, but one related to recovering the material.

Test the URL in your references at each stage prior to submitting and/or publishing your work. If the document that you are citing has been moved, update the URL. If the contact is no longer available, replace it with a different source (i.e., cite the final version if you originally cited a draft) or remove it from your work.

Example of an online journal article with a DOI:

Álvarez, M. (2020). Paradiplomacia e integración transfronteriza: las veranadas en los Altos Valles de Calingasta. Si Somos Americanos. Revista de Estudios Transfronterizos, 20(2), 70 -93. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0719-09482021000200070

Example of an online article without a DOI:

De las Fuentes Hernández, A. J., y Peña, S. (2021). Planeación transfronteriza y movilidad en la región Matamoros-Brownsville (RMB): ¿de los espacios de flujo a los espacios de lugar? Si Somos Americanos: Revista de Estudios Transfronterizos, 21(2), 38-69. https://www.sisomosamericanos.cl/index.php/sisomosamericanos/article/view/1036/686

Example of an online newspaper article:

Brody, J. E. (11 de diciembre de 2007), Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times. Recuperado de http://www.nytimes.com

 

C) Basic styles for citing works within the text (narrative and in parentheses)

We have adapted a table of basic APA citation styles to assist our authors.

No. of authors	1st narrative citation in the text	Subsequent narrative citations in the text	Parenthetical format for 1st citation in the text.	Parenthetical format for subsequent citations in the text.
1	Tapia (2020)	Tapia (2020)	(Tapia, 2020)	(Tapia, 2020)
2	Álvarez y Salinas (2021)	Álvarez y Salinas (2021)	(Álvarez y Salinas, 2021)	(Álvarez y Salinas, 2021)
3 or more*	Rodríguez et al. (2020)	Rodríguez et al., (2020)	(Rodríguéz et al., 2020).	(Rodríguez et al., 2020)

* Avoid ambiguities. In the APA 7 (English), APA 4 (Spanish) rules, it states that for citations of texts with three or more authors within the text, both the first time it is cited and subsequent mentions should use the expression “et al.” after the last name of the first author. However, if this makes the citation confusing or ambiguous if there are other works by the same authors cited, mention the other authors until you can distinguish one work from another.

Examples: a work by Rodríguez, Álvarez and Soto from 2020 and one from Rodríguez, Orellana and Gonzalez, also from 2020. If we strictly follow the rule, the citations would be identical. See below:

Rodríguez et al. (2020) or (Rodríguez et al., 2020), and the other publication, Rodríguez et al. (2020) or (Rodríguez et al., 2020)

In order to avoid ambiguity, they should be distinguished from one another as follows:

Rodríguez, Álvarez et al. (2020) or (Rodríguez, Álvarez et al., 2020), and the other publication, Rodríguez, Orellana et al. (2020) or (Rodríguez , Orellana et al., 2020)

 

Peer Review

Articles received by Si Somos Americanos. Revista de Estudios Transfronterizos will be submitted to an editorial review and selection process based on a double-blind referee system by experts in the various areas that the journal covers. This process consists of four reviews:

a. First reviewThe editorial team will determine whether the article meets the general criteria described in advance. It may reject the article without submitting it to double blind review.

b. Second reviewThe article will be sent to two anonymous reviewers who are specialists in the area of the piece. Both the authorship of the manuscript and the identity of the reviewer will be secret (double blind). If the reviewers disagree about whether to accept it (as is or with changes) or reject it, the manuscript will be sent to a third reviewer. The reviewers will have up to 15 business days to review the work.

c. Third reviewBased on the reviewers’ comments and suggestions, the editorial team will issue a decision. The options are: accept as is, accept with changes (major and/or minor) or reject. The reviewers’ comments and suggestions will be sent to the main contact of the paper so that they can make the corrections and modifications. The incorporation of the changes will be a condition for the publication of the manuscript. The author(s) will have 15 to 30 business days from the date the reviewers’ comments are sent to them to make the changes and submit the new version of the manuscript.

d. Fourth reviewThe editorial team will verify that the reviewers’ suggestions and comments have been accepted. If they have been, final acceptance will be issued, and a certificate or letter will be sent to the author(s) indicating that the article has passed the review process and is pending publication. Otherwise, the article will be rejected.

The author(s) will be informed of the article’s acceptance or rejection within approximately four months from the date of receipt of the article. However, the timeframes will depend on the complexity of the topic and the availability of reviewers.

Editing and Publication of the Accepted Article

The Journal reserves the right to make minor changes to the article prior to publication. They will under no circumstances change the main ideas or content of the text. These changes will involve formal aspects such as corrections of spelling errors, clarifying the language or other aspects related to style criteria.

The accepted articles will be edited and submitted to the main author so that they may answer questions or address editors’ questions, approve said corrections and give approval. If the author fails to respond to the editor’s consultations in a satisfactory manner, the Journal reserves the right not to publish the work.

 

Intellectual property

Copyright Authors who publish in Si Somos Americanos accept the following conditions:

• The authors conserve their copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication of the work.
• Once their article is accepted for publication, it will be subject to the License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 INTERNACIONAL (CC 4.0), which allows others to share the work as long as they recognize the author and initial publication of the work in this journal.
• The authors may enter into additional contractual agreements separate from this one for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work in the journal (for example, publish it in an institutional repository, on their personal website or in a book) as long as they recognize its initial publication in Si Somos Americanos.
• The author(s) may and are encouraged to disseminate the published version of their work online (for example, in institutional repositories or on websites) after it is published in Si Somos Americanos.

Author Agreement and Recognition According to the terms that govern this agreement, the author(s) certify that they wrote the article to be published in Si Somos Americanos and that it is an original work that has not been submitted to nor is being reviewed for publication in other journals, periodicals or books.

Download Model Agreement.

 

Conflicts of interest

Si Somos Americanos has mechanisms for addressing and resolving cases of conflicts of interests involving its members, authors, reviewers, content and readers.

Its Editorial Committee, team members and leadership are the entities responsible for addressing and resolving problems.

In regard to the journal and its editorial environment (authors, reviewers, readers), complaints, claims, appeals, and responses will be submitted to the Editor, who will determine how to proceed and who to involve.

If the complaints are made about the Editor, the Editor should initially be the person contacted. If said complaint is not handled properly, the individual lodging the complaint may contact the journal’s leadership, which may, if necessary, reach an agreement with the person to turn to a final arbitrator whose decision will be binding for all of the parties.

 

Publication Ethics

The Si Somos Americanos editorial process follows editorial best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (publicationethics.org). The various parties who intervene in the editorial process (the Editorial Board, reviewers and authors) assume responsibility for engaging in ethical and honest behavior when they participate in the various areas of the journal and the publication of its content. The responsibilities for best practices of the various parties are described below, along with the ethical procedures involved in the publishing process.

Author Guidelines

Authors who submit manuscripts to Si Somos Americanos accept the ethical guidelines and editorial policies set out by the journal.

The authors of manuscripts submitted to the journal certify that they are the authors of the text and that it is an original work, that is to say, it has not been published elsewhere before or submitted simultaneously to a different scientific publication or other media channel (journal, periodical, book or website).

The order of authorship will be determined by the participants based on the contribution made by each person. Co-authors must be individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of the manuscript. The final version submitted must be reviewed and approved by all authors. The signatories are responsible for the text.

The authors must follow the ethical guidelines when working with human subjects and make these considerations explicit in the article where required. Furthermore, when applicable, a statement will be included that reflects any economic or other conflict of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of the work. If the research benefited from the support of one or more funding sources, this must be stated.

Authors who publish in Si Somos Americanos retain the copyrights to their work per the Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0 - Creative Commons, which allows others to distribute, mix, adjust and build on the work, even for commercial purposes, as long as the original work is properly cited.

For Reviewers

Si Somos Americanos uses a double-blind review system that excludes reviewers with institutional affiliations shared by the author(s) of the article that they are to consider.

Reviewers consider articles based solely on their scientific merit, originality and theoretical and methodological congruency. Reviewers commit to engaging in an objective review of the article, examining both its scientific content and its form and structure. They will support their observations with solid arguments expressed in an objective manner, prioritizing constructive criticism that helps improve the manuscript. Personal or offensive critiques will not be acceptable.

In addition to their review, the reviewers agree to alert Si Somos Americanos if the texts or parts of it have been published or are being considered or published elsewhere.

Reviewers agree to comply with review deadlines in order to refrain from hindering the normal development of the publication and printing of the journal. If it is not possible to do so for some reason, reviewers agree to contact the director or editor to request an extension or decline.

Reviewers recognize that they must have expertise in the topic addressed in the article reviewed and that they must certify that they have no conflict of interest that prevents them from impartially reviewing the article. If they believe that the manuscript they have been asked to review is outside of their field of expertise or they do not feel qualified to review it, they must notify the journal and refrain from moving forward with the review process.

Reviewers agree to respect the anonymity of the author and not to disseminate the manuscript that they are reviewing. They agree to refrain from using it in their own work, commenting on it, sharing it and involving others in their review.

For Editors

Si Somos Americanos agrees to ensure that the review process is confidential and responsible, preserving the academic and intellectual integrity of all activities (review, editing and publication). In order to ensure that the double-blind review process progresses properly, the journal will take steps not to share any information that reveals the identity of the author(s) of the document under review. The anonymity of the reviewers will also be maintained.

The journal commits to selecting reviewers who are qualified to provide a well-founded review of the article. Two reviewers will be chosen for each manuscript. If they cannot agree on whether to accept or reject the manuscript, it will be sent to a third reviewer, who will break the tie.

Si Somos Americanos commits to refrain from disseminating or sharing information about the articles submitted for publication to people who are not involved in the journal’s publishing processes. The journal will protect copyright and will encourage the elimination of practices that may impact it for the author(s) and others whose rights are involved.

The decision to accept or reject an article will be solely based on thematic relevance, scientific rigor, and the quality of the text. Aspects such as originality, clarity and contribution will be considered along with how well the text aligns with the journal’s thematic line.

Authors will be informed of the status of their article throughout the review process. The estimated timing of each stage will be stated in the description of the review process.

 

Plagiarism Policy

Articles received by Si Somos Americanos. Revista de Estudios Transfronterizos are analyzed using anti-plagiarism software.

If plagiarism is detected in an article, the following procedure will be followed:

• If it is identified prior to publication, the Editorial Board will analyze the case based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Once analyzed, the corresponding actions will be taken based on COPE guidelines.
• If it is identified after the publication of the article on the journal website, the article will be removed and an official statement regarding the situation will be published. The publication will also follow any other applicable COPE guidelines.

Our understanding of plagiarism is based on the COPE definition: When someone submits the work of others (data, words or theories) as their own and without adequate recognition, including self-plagiarism or duplicate publication. In order to address these situations, the first step will be to contact the author and, if necessary, all of the authors. If a satisfactory response is not received, the journal reserves the right to contact the authors’ institution(s). The journal Director will take a decision with the Editorial Board based on the severity of the case and the evidence submitted.

Si Somos Americanos. Revista de Estudios Transfronterizos adheres to COPE guidelines regarding scientific publication standards and is guided by the same. However, it is NOT a COPE member. A list of said standards is available online at HTTPS://PUBLICATIONETHICS.ORG/