Ethical Considerations of the Digital Journal of Forensic Science (ReCiF)

The Ethics Committee shall consist of five members of the Editorial Board, appointed by the Board itself. It shall be responsible for establishing and monitoring compliance with the principles and practices that demonstrate the ethical commitment of the Digital Journal of Forensic Science (ReCiF).

The provisions of the ReCiF guidelines are binding as an implicit commitment for all persons involved in the submission, editing, proofreading, and publication processes of all articles and academic documents published by the journal, as well as for all persons who write, prepare, or participate in its publications.

The ReCiF adheres to the following editorial principles:

1. Responsibility: This consists of accepting the consequences of decisions made by any person involved in the submission, editing, proofreading, and publication processes of articles and other academic documents published by the journal.

2. Independence and impartiality: All persons involved in the submission, editing, proofreading, and publication processes of articles and other academic documents published by the journal must ensure that their decisions are free from bias, objective, and impartial.

3. Rigor and truthfulness: The information contained in articles and other academic documents published by the journal must be accurate and based on rigorous information-gathering practices. Sources must be cross-checked and their reliability verified, and the articles must be written with clarity.

4. Confidentiality: All persons involved in the submission, editing, proofreading, and publication processes of articles and other academic documents published by the journal must preserve and safeguard the information to which they have access, avoiding the disclosure of unpublished material without the author's express written consent. Such information may only be used strictly for the performance of their duties.

5. Integrity: All persons involved in the submission, editing, proofreading, and publication processes of articles and other academic documents published by the journal are committed to acting honestly and with integrity in all their activities, upholding transparency, fairness, honesty, and non-discrimination as fundamental principles.

To ensure the ethical standards and quality of the articles, manuscripts shall be evaluated by anonymous internal and external peer reviewers, using criteria based exclusively on the scientific relevance, originality, clarity, and appropriateness of the texts submitted by the authors.

At all times, the confidentiality of the peer-review process and the anonymity of reviewers and authors shall be guaranteed, as shall the confidentiality of the material under review, the reasoned reports issued by reviewers, and any other communication issued by the journal's Editorial Board.

Likewise, confidentiality shall be maintained regarding any complaints, claims, or requests for clarification that authors may submit to the Editorial Board or to anonymous reviewers.

The ReCiF has an unwavering commitment to the quality and authenticity of its content. For this reason, plagiarism is strictly prohibited, and manuscripts identified as plagiarized or containing fraudulent content shall be removed from the review process.

By accepting the terms and conditions established by the journal's Editorial Board, authors guarantee that their manuscripts and associated materials are original and do not infringe copyright. In cases of joint authorship, authors must also confirm that all authors involved have given their full consent and that the submitted manuscript has not previously been submitted to or published in another medium.

The ReCiF reserves the right to use specialized software to detect plagiarism in submitted manuscripts.

Ethical Responsibilities of the Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief

1. Assume responsibility for everything published in the ReCiF.

2. Promote the continuous improvement of the journal and the quality of its articles, and foster the highest academic and scientific standards.

3. Publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies concerning material published in the journal.

4. Guarantee the confidentiality of the peer-review process and safeguard the identities of authors and reviewers.

5. Conduct format checks and verify the necessary permissions, translations, and references for all documents submitted for peer review.

6. Approve or reject manuscripts for publication based on the peer-review reports and without prejudice, discrimination, or conflicts of interest.

7. Decide not to publish any article or academic document deemed irrelevant to the field of forensic science.

8. Clarify any questions regarding the peer-review process at all times in order to ensure transparency.

9. Maintain the confidentiality of information obtained through the editing of articles or documents to be published in the journal and refrain from using such information for personal benefit.

10. Safeguard the reputation, quality, and name of the ReCiF.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

1. Guarantee that the work submitted for publication in the ReCiF is original and unpublished and that the information contained therein was obtained ethically. The work must not have been previously published or submitted for peer review in another medium.

2. Follow the ReCiF publication guidelines.

3. Reference all sources used and cite them according to the Vancouver style.

4. Obtain authorization for the use of images and photographs submitted with the manuscript for peer review.

5. Clearly identify authorship and co-authorship, as applicable.

6. Notify the journal of any error or inaccuracy in the published work and cooperate in its correction and rectification.

7. Accept the processes of editorial control, review, peer review, and publication or rejection of the manuscript.

8. Provide justification, for consideration for publication, when they are unable to make modifications to their work requested in the editorial assessment conducted by the journal's Editorial Board.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

1. Accept, review, and evaluate only manuscripts for which they are qualified and that fall within their area of knowledge and expertise.

2. Notify the Editor-in-Chief of any unethical conduct by the author or authors.

3. Decline to review manuscripts with which they have a conflict of interest.

4. Keep all information resulting from their peer-review activities confidential and refrain from using it for personal benefit.

5. Provide a clear, objective, and rigorous justification for any recommendation to reject a manuscript for publication in the journal.

6. Use clear, academic, scientific, and respectful language in their peer-review reports, seeking at all times to contribute to the improvement of the manuscript.