Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content through the automated OJS (Open Journal Systems) platform, based on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Access to all published content is completely free of charge.

The journal operates under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Furthermore, the submission, evaluation, processing, and publication of manuscripts do not incur any costs for the authors; the journal does not charge any fees (APCs) for any of the editorial processes or article publications.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

The submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have read and accepted the journal's Terms and Conditions. By submitting their work, authors consent to its publication under the aforementioned Creative Commons license, which allows for the non-commercial use, distribution, translation, and reproduction of the document, provided the original work is properly cited.

Under this framework:

• Authors retain their copyright over the published articles.
• Authors agree that the document may be hosted on the journal's website and adhere to its self-archiving policies.
• It is a strict condition for publication that submitted manuscripts are original, have not been previously published, and are not under simultaneous consideration by any other journal.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Policy

Alternativas journal is committed to scholarly communication by actively promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion throughout all its processes, in alignment with the Declaration of Support for Open Science with IDEIA by the SciELO Network and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations.

• Diversity: We are founded on the principle that knowledge is enriched by plurality. We encourage the participation of readers, authors, Editorial Team members, and reviewers from diverse backgrounds, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, cultures, disabilities, scientific disciplines, and academic career paths.
• Equity: We are committed to providing a fair, bias-free editorial process that is free of cost for both accessing and publishing. We have established rigorous protocols to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to contribute and be recognized, without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or other personal characteristics.
• Inclusion: We foster an environment where all individuals feel heard, respected, and valued, promoting the use of inclusive language within both submitted articles and scholarly communications.
• Accessibility: We commit to ensuring that our content is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. This involves using accessible formats, complying with digital platform accessibility standards, and designing processes that allow equitable participation for individuals with specific needs.

Digital Preservation, Self-Archiving, and Legal Deposit Policies

Alternativas journal guarantees the digital preservation of its content through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) infrastructure, which allows for the secure and permanent archiving of all published issues.

The journal is part of the PKP Preservation Network (PN), a network that provides digital preservation services by storing content in specialized systems such as LOCKSS and CLOCKSS, both designed to ensure the integrity, accessibility, and permanence of digital files. Additionally, local backups are stored on external hard drives, and their content is regularly checked to preserve the security and durability of the collection.

Regarding self-archiving, Alternativas journal adheres to the policy identified by the Blue color in RoMEO. This implies that the post-print version of the articles in PDF format or the publisher's version (the final version after peer review) can be archived by the authors or third parties in public repositories.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

Alternativas journal recognizes the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing; however, it emphasizes the importance of responsible authorship and academic integrity. The journal only accepts the use of AI for grammatical and stylistic proofreading of articles.

In accordance with COPE guidelines and the best practices of the scientific community:

• AI tools do not meet authorship criteria, as they cannot assume responsibility for the scientific content.
• They cannot manage conflicts of interest, copyrights, or make ethical decisions on their own.
• Ethics and Restrictions: Under no circumstances is the use of AI permitted for data manipulation, substantive content generation, plagiarism, or intellectual property violations. Any misuse will be handled in accordance with COPE policies.
• Consequences of Non-compliance: Failure to comply with this policy will result in sanctions such as the immediate withdrawal of the manuscript or a ban on future submissions to the journal for a period deemed necessary by the Editorial Team.

This policy is regularly reviewed and updated to adapt to technological advancements.

Data Reproduction Policy

All authors bear the responsibility of ensuring that all data obtained are truthful and comply with necessary ethical requirements, permissions, and licenses. Authors are responsible for holding the required permissions for data publication, as well as the usage permissions and licenses for the equipment, software, and applications used in data collection, analysis, and processing.

It is strongly recommended that authors deposit their research data (raw data, figures, photos, tables, databases, etc.) in open, publicly accessible repositories (e.g., DataCite, GBIF, GenBank, Zenodo).