Submissions

Scope and Periodicity

IUSTA Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific publication of Universidad Santo Tomás, aimed at the dissemination, circulation, and social appropriation of legal and socio-legal knowledge at both national and international levels.

The journal seeks to promote spaces for critical reflection, interdisciplinary analysis, and academic debate regarding contemporary transformations of Law, justice, human rights, social sciences, and emerging socio-legal issues.

In this regard, IUSTA Journal receives original and unpublished contributions derived from research processes, academic reflection, and specialized review, submitted by researchers, professors, postgraduate students, and members of the national and international scientific community.

The thematic scope of the journal encompasses all branches of Law and socio-legal studies.

The journal promotes interdisciplinary, comparative, critical, and Latin American approaches, prioritizing research characterized by methodological rigor, social relevance, and significant contribution to contemporary legal debate.

IUSTA Journal is a semiannual scientific publication and publishes two issues per year, in accordance with the editorial calendar established by Universidad Santo Tomás and the Journal’s Editorial Committee.

Approved articles may be published under a continuous publication model, according to editorial dynamics and current institutional guidelines, ensuring timely and transparent processes of evaluation, editing, and scientific dissemination.

 

Editorial ethics, best practices, and publication standards

IUSTA Journal of Universidad Santo Tomás, committed to academic excellence, scientific integrity, and the ethical circulation of legal and socio-legal knowledge, adopts the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), seventh edition, national and international provisions regarding intellectual property and copyright, as well as the institutional guidelines for research and scientific publication of Universidad Santo Tomás.

These provisions are mandatory for authors, reviewers, members of the Editorial Committee, Scientific Committee, and all actors involved in the editorial process.

 

I. Types of accepted documents

IUSTA Journal receives the following types of documents for evaluation and potential publication:

a) Scientific and technological research articles: documents presenting original results of research projects.

b) Reflection articles derived from research: manuscripts with analytical, critical, or interpretative approaches supported by research findings.

c) Review articles: studies aimed at analyzing, integrating, and systematizing scientific literature in a specific field of knowledge.

d) Case reports: analytical studies of specific situations accompanied by relevant documentary or jurisprudential review.

Likewise, the journal may publish editorials, letters to the editor, translations, bibliographic reviews, and other academic documents related to the thematic and editorial lines of the publication.

 

II. Ethical responsibilities of authors

Authors are responsible for the scientific, methodological, ethical, and legal content of the manuscripts submitted to IUSTA Journal.

Accordingly, authors shall:

• Ensure that manuscripts are original, unpublished, and have neither been published nor simultaneously submitted for evaluation to another journal, book, or academic dissemination medium.

• Fully respect copyright, intellectual property regulations, and academic citation standards in accordance with Andean Decision 351 of 1993 and other applicable regulations.

• Declare any source of funding, institutional support, or sponsorship related to the submitted research.

• Explicitly disclose any real, potential, or apparent conflict of interest of an economic, institutional, political, professional, academic, or personal nature that may influence the content of the manuscript or the editorial process.

• Ensure that research involving human beings, communities, or animals complies with national and international bioethical and legal principles, attaching informed consents, institutional approvals, or ethics committee authorizations when applicable.

• Submit the declaration of originality of the manuscript and the statement of absence of conflicts of interest duly signed.

• Promptly inform the Editorial Committee of any significant errors identified in the manuscript or in already published articles, in order to undertake the corresponding correction, clarification, retraction, or withdrawal procedures.

IUSTA Journal rejects any conduct that violates academic ethics, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, improper citation manipulation, authorship misrepresentation, deceptive use of artificial intelligence tools, redundant publication, or any practice compromising the scientific integrity of the publication.

 

2.1 Conflicts of interest

IUSTA Journal requires all actors involved in the editorial process to timely declare any real, potential, or apparent conflict of interest that may compromise the independence, transparency, objectivity, or impartiality of editorial and academic decisions.

A conflict of interest shall be understood as any economic, institutional, professional, academic, political, family, or personal situation that may unduly influence the preparation, evaluation, editing, or publication of a manuscript.

Conflicts of interest shall be analyzed by the Editorial Committee according to principles of transparency, scientific integrity, and due editorial process.

 

2.2 Specific research ethics standards

Manuscripts submitted to IUSTA Journal must comply with ethical principles applicable to scientific and socio-legal research, particularly those related to:

• Protection of human rights and participants’ dignity.

• Informed consent, when applicable.

• Protection of personal data and confidentiality of information.

• Respect for ethnic communities, vulnerable groups, and subjects entitled to special constitutional protection.

• Integrity in the management, analysis, and reporting of research results.

• Methodological transparency and research traceability.

When required by the nature of the study, authors must provide evidence of approval by ethics committees, institutional authorizations, or equivalent documents.

 

2.3 Editorial confidentiality

IUSTA Journal guarantees the confidentiality of manuscripts submitted for evaluation and all information related to the editorial process.

Submitted documents shall only be accessed by the editorial team and designated reviewers, who must refrain from using the information contained in manuscripts for personal, academic, or professional purposes unrelated to the evaluation process.

Likewise, the journal shall ensure the proper processing of personal data provided by authors, reviewers, and users, in accordance with current regulations on data protection and habeas data.

 

2.4 Similarity control and use of artificial intelligence

IUSTA Journal, committed to the principles of scientific integrity and editorial ethics, verifies all manuscripts through specialized tools for similarity detection and analysis of artificial intelligence use before initiating the evaluation process.

Articles must present a Turnitin similarity index below 20%, excluding bibliographic references, properly identified quotations, and common normative or technical matches.

Likewise, the journal may review indicators associated with the use of generative artificial intelligence tools. Consequently, AI-generated content is expected not to exceed 15%, except in cases where there is an explicit declaration, methodological justification, and ethical use in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies.

Authors must declare any use of artificial intelligence tools during the preparation of the manuscript. Under no circumstances may AI tools be listed as authors of the text.

The use of artificial intelligence to fabricate bibliographic references, jurisprudence, nonexistent quotations, or false information shall constitute a serious breach of editorial ethics.

 

III. Policy on plagiarism and academic misconduct

IUSTA Journal uses specialized software for similarity detection and academic plagiarism control, including anti-plagiarism tools such as Turnitin, within the editorial and manuscript evaluation process.

In cases where plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or other conduct contrary to scientific ethics is detected, the Editorial Committee may:

• Immediately reject the manuscript.

• Request clarifications or corrections from the author.

• Publicly retract published articles.

• Inform the authors’ affiliated institutions.

• Temporarily or permanently suspend future submissions by the author.

IUSTA Journal adheres to the guidelines and procedures established by COPE for the handling of editorial misconduct and ethical conflicts.

 

IV. Responsibilities of the Editorial Committee and peer reviewers

The Editorial Committee shall ensure transparent, confidential, impartial editorial processes based exclusively on academic, scientific, and methodological criteria.

All articles shall undergo a preliminary review of thematic relevance and formal compliance. Subsequently, manuscripts that pass this stage shall be sent for evaluation by external academic peer reviewers under a double-blind review model.

The opinions issued by peer reviewers may recommend:

a) Publication without modifications.

b) Publication subject to revisions.

c) Rejection of the manuscript.

In the event of substantial discrepancy between evaluations, the article may be submitted to a third academic reviewer.

Reviewers shall act with independence, confidentiality, objectivity, and absence of conflicts of interest.

 

V. General requirements for manuscript submission

Manuscripts must meet the following requirements:

• Be products derived from research processes.

• Have a length between 20 and 30 pages, unless exceptionally authorized by the Editorial Committee due to the complexity of the topic.

• Be submitted in Word, OpenOffice, or RTF format.

• Use Times New Roman font, size 12, double spacing, and the institutional margins established by the journal.

• Include title, abstract, and keywords in Spanish and English.

• Incorporate tables, figures, and images in editable or high-resolution formats.

• Comply with APA seventh edition standards for bibliographic references and the Bluebook system for legal and regulatory sources.

• Be submitted through the institutional OJS system or the channels defined by the journal.

 

5.1 Manuscript submission and reception

Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the OJS editorial management system of IUSTA Journal, available on the institutional portal of Universidad Santo Tomás. Electronic submission of the article shall constitute its formal registration in the editorial process.

Authors must attach, together with the manuscript, all documents required by the journal, including:

• Complete authorship and institutional affiliation information.

• Declaration of originality of the manuscript.

• Declaration of conflicts of interest.

• Copyright transfer agreement for publication.

• Authorization form for the processing of personal data.

• Any other editorial forms established by the journal.

 

5.2 Editorial evaluation process

IUSTA Journal subjects all manuscripts to an academic and scientific evaluation process based on criteria of rigor, editorial quality, thematic relevance, and research integrity.

The editorial process shall be conducted through a double-blind review model, ensuring the anonymity of both authors and peer reviewers.

The estimated duration of the editorial process shall depend on the complexity of the manuscript, the availability of reviewers, and the authors’ compliance with requested revisions.

 

5.3 Stages of the editorial process

The manuscript evaluation process shall include the following stages:

a) Acknowledgment of receipt

Once the manuscript is received through the OJS system, the journal shall acknowledge receipt by email to the corresponding author, informing them of the receipt of the document and the start of the preliminary editorial review.

b) Preliminary review of formal compliance and thematic relevance

The Editorial Committee shall conduct an initial verification aimed at establishing:

• Compliance with editorial standards and publication guidelines.

• Alignment with the document types accepted by the journal.

• Thematic relevance in relation to the focus and scope of IUSTA Journal.

• Compliance with minimum standards of academic quality and formal presentation.

• Verification of ethical and documentary requirements.

The preliminary review may be supported by technical instruments or editorial evaluation rubrics.

If the established requirements are not met, the manuscript may be rejected at this stage, and the author shall be duly informed of the reasons for the decision through an official communication.

c) Academic evaluation by external peer reviewers

Manuscripts that pass the preliminary stage shall be sent for evaluation by external academic peer reviewers specialized in the corresponding subject matter, selected by the Editorial Committee according to criteria of suitability, research experience, and academic background.

Reviewers shall issue a technical and academic opinion on the scientific, methodological, argumentative, and structural quality of the manuscript.

d) Evaluation decision

As a result of the peer review process, reviewers may recommend:

• Publication without modifications.

• Publication subject to minor revisions.

• New evaluation after substantial revisions.

• Rejection of the manuscript.

In the event of substantial divergence between evaluation reports, the Editorial Committee may submit the manuscript to a third reviewer.

e) Communication of results

The results of the evaluation process shall be officially communicated to the authors by institutional email.

When the manuscript is approved for publication, the final documentary requirements, editorial schedule, and deadlines for submitting complementary documents shall be communicated.

If revisions are required, authors must submit the revised version of the manuscript within the deadlines established by the journal, together with the corresponding response to reviewers, when applicable.

Failure to comply with editorial deadlines or to submit the required documentation may result in the postponement or withdrawal of the manuscript from the editorial process.

 

5.4 Editorial Committee and Scientific Committee

IUSTA Journal has an Editorial Committee and a Scientific Committee composed of national and international scholars with recognized research and editorial experience.

The Editorial Committee reserves the right to:

• Request formal or substantive revisions to manuscripts.

• Determine the editorial viability of publications.

• Define the volume, issue, or edition in which the approved article shall be included.

• Reject manuscripts that do not meet the academic, scientific, ethical, or editorial standards established by the journal.

 

5.5 General publication conditions

Manuscripts must be submitted in digital format and within the deadlines established in the current editorial calls.

Receipt of a manuscript does not imply a commitment to publication by the journal.

Decisions adopted by the Editorial Committee regarding publication shall be final within the institutional editorial process.

 

VI. Copyright policy and publication license

Authors shall retain their moral rights over published works and shall authorize Universidad Santo Tomás, through the transfer of publication rights, to reproduce, edit, distribute, and disseminate accepted articles in physical and digital formats.

IUSTA Journal publishes its contents under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which allows the material to be shared and adapted provided that:

• Proper credit is given to the authors and the journal.

• The material is not used for commercial purposes.

• Derivative works are distributed under the same license.

• No additional legal or technological restrictions are imposed.

 

VII. Confidentiality and privacy policy

IUSTA Journal shall guarantee the confidentiality and protection of personal data provided by authors, reviewers, and users, using such data exclusively for academic, scientific, and editorial purposes related to the management of the publication.

The information provided shall not be shared with third parties without prior authorization, except in cases of legal obligation or legitimate institutional requirement.

 

VIII. Final provisions

Submission of a manuscript to IUSTA Journal implies full acceptance of these editorial standards, ethical policies, and institutional guidelines.

Any matter not provided for in this document shall be resolved in accordance with the editorial policies of Universidad Santo Tomás, COPE guidelines, and applicable national and international regulations on scientific publication, intellectual property, and research ethics.