Starting from August 1, 2024, the journal will revert to a double-blind peer review system, where neither the author nor the reviewer knows each other’s identity. This system had been replaced by a single-blind system (where the author is known but the reviewer remains anonymous) since December 1, 2023. The journal had used double-blind peer review from 2013 until November 2023. The switch to single-blind review was due to the new editorial policy of July 2023, which included the option to publish preprints and required it for all accepted articles. However, starting August 2024, double-blind review will be reinstated for all manuscripts received, and single-blind review will only apply in exceptional cases, specifically for manuscripts that have a preprint before submission. The policy of publishing preprints after acceptance will remain in place, but to protect identities, they will not be published until after the journal’s official publication.
Manuscript Evaluation and Publication Process
This journal ensures the scientific quality of its articles through double-blind peer review. The manuscript evaluation process includes several phases, each observing different aspects of equal importance. The most crucial phase is the "double-blind peer review" because it ensures the intrinsic quality of what will be published. This document explains all the phases of manuscript processing from receipt to official publication.
*For submissions with an already published preprint, the peer review system will be single-blind, and the integrity of the process will be maintained as in double-blind review. Except for the review modality, the entire process will be identical.
First Phase: Desk Review (formal quality and good practices review)
The desk review is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief and the journal's director.
The purpose of the desk review is to assess whether a manuscript meets the journal’s formality and if it is of interest for publication. During the desk review, a similarity detection software (Plagiarism Checker X) will be used to generate a similarity report, which, starting December 2023, will be provided to the authors at the same time as confirming that their article will be submitted for peer review. This review ensures that the individuals conducting peer reviews will only receive manuscripts that are possible for publication, meaning that this phase ensures that the peer reviewers are not overloaded with articles that do not meet the journal’s interests.
During the desk review, all citations and references in the manuscript will be checked to determine if there is any malicious use of them.
The desk review must cover all aspects outlined in the document "Desk Review." See at the following LINK:
https://nuestramerica.cl/ojs/index.php/nuestramerica/escritorio
Second Phase: Double-Blind Peer Review (scientific quality review)This is the most important phase in determining whether a manuscript should be published or not. The process is conducted in a double-blind mode, meaning that the identities of the authors and reviewers are unknown to each other. The selection of reviewers will be the responsibility of the editor-in-chief, who, together with the committee's recommendations, will select the appropriate academic peers. If two reviewers suggest that the manuscript be published, it will be understood that the peer review recommends publication. If one reviewer suggests publication and another suggests that the manuscript should not be published, it will be considered that there is a controversy, and the manuscript will be sent for review by a third reviewer. Only when two reviewers suggest publication will it be understood that the peer review validates the manuscript's publication. When both reviews suggest rejection, it will be understood that the result of the peer review is rejection. |
Third Phase: Editorial Decision
The decision to publish or not publish a manuscript is the exclusive responsibility of the editor-in-chief, and nothing can be published without approving evaluations or if there are any comments or requests from any member of the editorial committee. This responsibility will not be delegated to anyone else. To make the decision, both the formal quality and the intrinsic quality of a manuscript will be considered. A manuscript that has received two negative evaluations in the peer review cannot be published. Peer review recommendations will always be the most important factor in making this decision. When deciding on the publication of a manuscript, all aspects reported by the peer review must be considered, and it must be assessed whether the author engaged in unethical practices or made errors that could be corrected.
Submitted works must have a minimum of two positive evaluations in the peer review process to be published. If both evaluations suggest not publishing the manuscript, it will be rejected. In cases of controversy, where one evaluation is favorable and another is not, a third evaluation will be used to resolve the conflict.
Possible peer review recommendations are: 1) accept for publication, 2) reject publication, 3) accept for publication with modifications, and 4) reject and suggest resubmission with major changes. Rejections are final and the author will need to submit, if desired, a different manuscript or revise the rejected manuscript's rewriting or restructuring; rejections do not preclude future submissions of the same manuscript, but all aspects that led to the initial rejection must be improved. Manuscripts accepted with modifications do not guarantee publication, which will only be finalized if the modifications are made within the given deadlines. If not, the work will be rejected.
Fourth Phase: Publication
With the decision to publish the manuscript, a second desk review will be conducted to detect any previously unnoticed errors. This final phase is the exclusive responsibility of the editor-in-chief of the journal and will not be influenced by others, although they may rely on supporting staff.
If information is missing from a manuscript, publication will be suspended until the requirement is met, but this will not result in the rejection of the manuscript, only a delay in publication.
Once it is confirmed that the manuscript meets all formal requirements, it will be formatted in HTML and PDF with its respective translations into Portuguese or Spanish, as applicable. Subsequently, the XML-JATS file will be added. Publication will be completed as quickly as possible.