Since its inception, Migration & Development has focused on promoting open-ended and socially-committed research under the principles of honesty, transparency, social responsibility, scientific rigor, and a methodology of critical reflection. To that end, a code of ethics was established, based on the the work of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which is elaborated below:
Editorial Board Guidelines
1. Each member of the board will adopt the highest ethical principles in carrying out their duties.
2. They will be responsible for all published texts; to that end, they will ensure each article’s relevance, in accordance with the objectives, focus and scope of the journal.
3. With regard to the peer review process, the board members will resolve any issue or conflict of interest that may arise.
4. They will keep contributing authors informed of the stages in the editorial process, in particular with regard to the results of peer reviews.
5. In the event that misconduct is identified, the member will take the following steps: (a) investigate the alleged misconduct (plagiarism, reference tampering, falsification and fabrication of data); (b) contact the author in question, following COPE guidelines; (c) apply the relevant sanctions.
Editors Responsibilities
1. Review the manuscripts and their scholarly content without concern for the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality or political philosophy.
2. Abide by the principles of confidentiality, and under no circumstances reveal details of the authors or reviewers.
3. Make appropriate use of unpublished manuscripts and respect the intellectual property contained therein.
4. As necessary, publish corrections, clarifications, retractions or apologies.
5. At all time, ensure quality in the use of language, format and design.
6. Continue to seek improvements in the editorial production process.
Author Responsibilities
1. Guarantee the originality of the manuscripts, affirming that they are not under consideration in any other publication.
2. Prioritize integrity, namely, avoid falsification, fabrication or manipulations of data.
3. Comply with the journal’s terms and conditions for submissions (citations; format; length; organization of tables, graphics, images; references; etcetera).
4. Provide appropriate information regarding authorship and acknowledgement: giving credit to contributors and identifying the sources of diagrams, images, maps, tables, graphics, photographs, etcetera.
5. Reveal sources of financial support, as the case may be, that enabled the research activity, such as the provision of material or access to archives, laboratories, software, and others.
6. Agree to submit to the peer-review process. If the evaluations are positive but conditional (i.e., with certain modifications), the author must respond to the reviewers’ comments, address the observations offered, or declare that they are withdrawing the article from consideration.
7. Following the article’s publication, respond to any comments and/or correspondence which may arise.
8. Correct errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the published work, directly to the editorial coordinator and work with the editors to resolve the matter satisfactorily.
Reviewers’ Responsibilities
1. Abide by the journal guidelines and follow the principles established by COPE.
2. Inform the editorial coordinator whether they are qualified to perform the evaluation.
3. Declare any conflict of interest and/or any unethical conduct on the part of the author(s).
4. Maintain confidentiality regarding the manuscript and the ideas contained therein; and refrain from making public any of its content.
5. Conduct themselves in an objective manner and offer the appropriate observations, considerations and comments.
References
COPE Council (9 June 2014), «What constitutes authorship? COPE Discussion Document», Comittee on Publication Ethics (COPE), in https://publicationethics.org/files/u7141/Autorship_DiscussionDocument_0_0.pdf
COPE Council (September 2017), «Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers», COPE, in https://publicationethics.org/files/Ethical_Guidelines_For_Peer_Reviewers_2.pdf
COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME (15 January 2018), «Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing», COPE, in https://publicationethics.org/files/Principles_of_Transparency_and_Best_Practice_in_Scholarly_Publishingv3.pdf
Wager, Elizabeth and Sabine Kleinert (2011), «Responsible research publication: international standards for authors. A position statement developed at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010», in T. Mayer and N. Steneck (eds.), Promoting research integrity on a global environment, Singapore, Imperial College Press/ World Scientific Publishing.
Kleinert, Sabine and Elizabeth Wager (2011), «Responsible research publication: international standards for editors. A position statement developed at the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity, Singapore, July 22-24, 2010», in T. Mayer y N. Steneck (eds.), Promoting research integrity on a global environment, Singapore, Imperial College Press/ World Scientific Publishing.