About the Journal

 

Sociológica is a six-monthly Scientific Academic Journal of the Department of Sociology of the Metropolitan Autonomous University-Azcapotzalco, published in Mexico City. The first number of Sociológica was issued in spring 1986. Over its 30-year trajectory, it has consolidated as one of the most prestigious specialized journals in its subject-matter domain, Sociology, becoming an obligatory reference for the scholars of Social Sciences in many parts of the world, particularly in Mexico and Latin America.

 

Throughout all these years, Sociológica has been characterized for being a space dedicated to the analysis of theoretical and methodological problems of sociological research and social science, as well as specialized sociologies such as sociology of education, political sociology, urban sociology, rural sociology, sociology of work, historical sociology, demographic sociology, gender studies and sociology of emerging technologies, among many other with which the sociological endeavor of the late-XX and early-XXI centuries has enriched. To sum up, it has engaged in the study of historical aspects of thinking and sociological research in general.

 

Owing to this, at present Sociológica is an important forum that gives visibility to contributions from the national and international sociological community. It is worth underscoring, in this regard, that the journal publishes relevant researches in view of remaining a means of permanent academic updating and dialogue between institutions, authors and trends of thought.

 

CALL AND GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

JOURNAL SOCIOLÓGICA MEXICO
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
DIVISION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

 

To the Academic Community,

 

The journal Sociológica, six-monthly publication of the Department of Sociology of the Metropolitan Autonomous University, Azcapotzalco, was founded in 1986 and has as its goals the publication and wide dissemination of high-level academic texts on the field at national and international levels. Sociológica, in its printed and electronic versions, is a space dedicated to reflection and debate on:

1. I) Theoretical and methodological problems of sociological and social-science research;
2. II) Empirical research in the sphere of specialized sociologies, for example: sociology of education, political sociology, urban sociology, rural sociology, sociology of work, historical sociology, demographic sociology, gender studies and sociology of emerging technologies, et cetera; and

III)  Historical aspects of sociological thinking and research and social sciences in general.

 

Based on this profile the Editorial Committee of Sociológica

 

INVITES

To submit articles in Spanish and English, Spanish-language translations, notes, interviews and book reviews whose topics fit the aforementioned profile with the intention to be published in any of the future issues of the journal.

 

Guidelines for authors

Research articles

They will have an extension between 5,000 and 10,000 words, including bibliography, notes, tables and graphs. Likewise, the collaborators commit to submit original works, unpublished in Spanish, accompanied by a brief profile of the author with the following data: full name, nationality, address, telephone number, ascription institution (full name, not initials), research line(s) and bibliographic references of their most recent publications (without abbreviations or initials).

As a prerequisite for the submitted articles to be sent to academic review —anonymous and external, carried out by academic peers under the double-blind modality—, it is necessary to deliver them as electronic files with an abstract no longer than 120 words, accompanied by a list of between 5 and 6 key words on the topic of the article and bibliographic references and notes following the reference in parentheses —author, date— (in Harvard style), for example: (Ritzer, 1997: 173). The final bibliography of the cited works will also be presented in such system and with full data (no abbreviations for names and surnames, nor initials in the name of institutions): author’s name (in full, beginning by surnames), year of edition in parentheses, title of the book or article cited, title of the collective publication, if applicable, volume and number of the journal and the pages of the article, as well as place of publication with no abbreviations. If the submitted article was modified, owing to the reviewers’ observations, its final version (following the indications of the review) will be sent again as an electronic file.

As a recommendation, motivated by the editorial policy of Sociológica, it is suggested incorporating, as far as possible and convenient, Latin American bibliography in the submitted works.

 

Translation and interviews

Translations and interviews shall have 10,000 words at most and be texts deemed relevant for the dissemination and discussion of sociological and social-science endeavors. The original translated text, the authorization of the author, legal representative or interviewee must be included

 

Research notes

They are communications with an extension no less than 4,000 words and not over 5,000 words on a topic or event of sociological interest. These notes are materials that contribute to the academic discussion in an informed manner, but without the pretension of original knowledge, proper to research articles. They must include an abstract of 120 words at most and from three to six key words.

 

All the submissions will be sent in electronic files. To do so, go to the journal’s open access web site: www.sociologicamexico.azc.uam.mx and follow the instructions of the platform, sending in one single Microsoft Word file the article with the authors’ data. Once the material submitted is deemed suitable for publication and the corresponding reviews are obtained, the Editorial Committee of Sociológica will timely let the author(s) know about the acceptance or rejection of their submissions, as well as the approximate dates of publication, if the articles were accepted. This decision is unappealable.

 

The electronic publication of the accepted materials is subscribed to the regulations of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0) referred at: www.sociologicamexico.azc.uam.mx.

 

 

Best regards

“Casa Abierta al Tiempo”

 

Editorial Committee

Journal Sociológica México

www.sociologicamexico.azc.uam.mx

revisoci@correo.azc.uam.mx

Telephone: +52 (55) 53189502

 

 

Sociológica 92, year 32, was printed in September, in Atril, Excelencia Editorial, Av. Real de los Reyes, no. 207-11, Col. Los Reyes Coyoacán, Del. Coyoacán, Mexico City, 04330. Tel. and fax: +52 (55) 1517-8736, where editorial supervision and typesetting were also carried out. E-mail: atrileditorial@prodigy.net.mx. The print run consisted of 100 exemplars plus extra issues for restocking.

 

INTERNAL OPERATING RULES JOURNAL SOCIOLÓGICA (MEXICO)

 

In accordance with the provisions in the OPERATIONAL POLICIES ON EDITORIAL PRODUCTION, WHICH INCLUDE MECHANISMS TO ASSESS AND PROMOTE, REGARDING EDITION, PUBLICATION, DISSEMINATION AND DISTRIBUTION (POPE), included in the University Legislation (January 2010), in OPERATIONAL POLICIES FOR THE EDITORIAL PRODUCTION OF THE AZCAPOTZALCO UNIT (approved by the Academic Council in its session 356, held on July 9^th 2012), as well as in the agreements approved by the Session 315.10 of the Division Council of Social Sciences and Humanities, with regard to the regularization of the status of journals “concerning the current regulations”, the following Internal Operating Rules of the Journal Sociológica (Mexico) are established.

1.   Objectives of Sociológica (Mexico) 

1.1. Promote sociological and social-science research for the purpose of enriching the rigorous analysis of the discipline’s various objects of study, and also contribute to intellectual debates related to national and international issues of social interest.

1.2. Disseminate the contributions of the sociological and social-science knowledge generated both by the Department of Sociology of UAM-Azcapotzalco, and other national and international institutions, by means of articles, translations, interviews, notes and reviews of proven quality and academic interest.

2.   Structure and characteristics of the Journal

The language of publication of Sociológica (Mexico) will be primarily Spanish. However, articles in English will also be published; in the case of research articles, the translation of their titles, summaries or abstracts and key words that identify the topics addressed to English or Spanish will always be included. 

The journal will be published in two versions, which are printed and digital or electronic. The printed version has been historically known as Sociológica and will have a print run of 100 exemplars by delivery; albeit, this number may vary depending on demand and on the policies of dissemination and funding.  The digital or electronic version will be called Sociológica (Mexico), in order to “disambiguate” it from homonymous journals around the world. It will be distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0) and will be managed and published via the Open Journal System platform of Public Knowledge Project.

Both versions of the journal, printed and electronic, will be published four-monthly, with deliveries corresponding from January to April, May to August and September to December. The electronic version will appear on the internet in early January, May and September. 

2.1. Each issue may include the following sections:

2.1.1.Research articles. Unpublished articles written in Spanish or in English. Each research article will be accompanied by its own abstract, presented in Spanish and English, as well as the key words that identify the topics it addresses. 

2.1.2.Supplementary Materials, approved by the Editorial Committee of the Journal, may include:

- Interviews with personalities who have made important contributions to sociology and social sciences.

-  Spanish-language translations of relevant and innovative texts, which are worth disseminating in the journal’s original language.

-  Research notes in the form of reflections, preliminary research advances and essays on any topic in line with the journal’s profile; or else, in the form of a systematic review of information, data or events relevant for sociology and social sciences.

- Critiques and reviews of recently published books or journals, regarding issues of interest to social-science disciplines.

-  Documents of general academic interest for the community of sociological researchers in Mexico and the world.

 3.   Selection of publishable materials

3.1. The Editorial Committee of Sociológica (Mexico) will select the articles submitted for publication on the basis of their academic quality and the requirements of editorial planning. No author can publish two research articles in one same issue of the journal. 

3.2. As a first stage of the assessment process, research articles will be subject to an internal pre-ruling. This internal pre-ruling will address aspects concerning the relevance of the material for the journal, as well as its formal aspects, this is to say, overall structure, extension and bibliographic references. Thereby, it does not mean a judgment on the article’s academic quality, as this concerns to the process of ruling. In the event of a negative pre-ruling , the Technical Editor or the Academic Editor may request an additional pre-ruling and will have a casting vote to decide whether the article is sent to formal ruling or not. Pre-rulings will be performed by internal or external members of the Editorial Committee or other researcher-professors of the Department of Sociology, who are asked to undertake such task. The deadline to deliver the pre-ruling to the Technical Editor or Academic Editor is 10 workdays.

3.3 In the event of being approved at its stage of pre-ruling, the articles will be sent to formal ruling. Three assessments of specialists will be requested under the system called “double-blind”. The reviewers will produce their ruling within a 10-workday deadline, their ruling must fall into one of the following four categories: 1) the article can be published in its present state; 2) the article can be published, with recommendations to be considered by the author(s); 3) the article can be published, but conditioned on specific changes; or else, 4) the article cannot be published. Once completed the anonymous and external assessments of each article, the Academic Editor will make the corresponding decision and produce a final ruling. In the event that the final ruling, notified to the author(s) of the article, states that “the article can be published on condition of introducing the following modifications”, the author(s) will have a period of 10 workdays to submit the requested changes. There will be only one opportunity to resend the materials that have been ruled as “the article can be published on condition of introducing the following modifications”, and the Technical Editor or Academic Editor, supported by the Editorial Committee, will assess if the changes requested in such conditioning have been carried out in a satisfactory manner.

3.4 The Editorial Committee and especially the Technical Editor or Academic Editor will decide on the relevance of reviewers for the materials submitted for publication. When an article is written by authors alien to the Department of Sociology, the reviewers may come from the Department itself. For the articles of authors whose ascription is the Department of Sociology, the three reviewers will be external not only to the Department, but also to the Metropolitan Autonomous University as a whole.  

3.5 Supplementary materials submitted for publication will only require the approval of the Editorial Committee, prior review by the Technical Editor or Academic Editor of Sociológica (Mexico).  

4.   Extension of the publishable materials

4.1. Each issue of Sociológica will comprise 300 pages at most (a percentage of variation of about 10% will be sought) and research articles will prevail over supplementary materials.

4.2. Each research article will have a minimun extenson of 8 000 words and a maximum extension of 10 000 words, including tables, graphs, bibliography, notes and appendixes. Articles with a slightly longer extension may be considered based on their scientific quality, as deemed fit by the Editorial Committee. 

4.3. The extension of the supplementary materials will be the following:

-  Translations and interviews: a maximum of 10 000 words.

-  Research notes: a maximum of 5 000 words.

-  Critiques and reviews of books or other texts: a maximum of 4 000 words.

5.   Dissemination and visibility

The Journal will pursue a dissemination policy that encourages and facilitates its dissemination and consultation in the most important research and teaching centers of sociology and social sciences in Mexico and the world through its electronic version. In like manner, it will be sought that the journal reaches interested audiences by means of appropriate commercial circuits. To do this, permanent efforts will be made in order to maintain or, if necessary, incorporate it (or improve its position) in national and international indexes of academic and editorial quality, as well as in the most important electronic platforms in the world. This dissemination policy shall be developed in accordance with the guidelines established by the Editorial Board of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities of UAM Azcapotzalco.

6.   Academic-editorial organization of Sociológica (Mexico)

The journal will be developed with the participation of the following agents:

6.1. The Editorial Committee, which includes the Head of the Department of Sociology, and a panel of internal members and another of external members.

6.2. Direction

6.3. Academic Edition

6.4. Technical Edition

It should be underscored that the day-to-day management of the Journal has been divided into three instances (Direction, Academic Edition and Technical Edition, which in the past were only one, the Academic Edition of the Journal) owing to the complexity that management has acquired over the years, at present various spheres of responsibility are necessary.

6.1. The Editorial Committee

The Editorial Committee (ratified by the Division Council of Social Sciences and Humanities), will be the body responsible for defining and conducting the journal’s editorial policy, in line with the provisions of POPE and the Editorial Guidelines of the Division of Social Science and Humanities. 

The Editorial Committee of Sociológica (Mexico) will comprise the Head of the Department of Sociology, the Director of the Journal, the Academic Editor, the Technical Editor, a panel of Internal Members of up to nine full-time researcher-professors of the Department of Sociology and the Metropolitan Autonomous University (called “Internal Panel”) and a Panel of External Members from other universities and academic institutions from Mexico and abroad (hereinafter referred to as “External Panel”). 

The members of either panel of the Editorial Committee will have experience in scientific research and publication of academic texts. The members of the Internal Panel of the Editorial Committee will be ratified by the Division Council of Social Sciences and Humanities of UAM-Azcapotzalco, on the basis of proposals submitted by the Director of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities, supported on a consultation with the Head of the Department of Sociology. Each appointment will be eligible for ratification every two years for a new period. To the extent possible, the composition of the Internal Panel of the Editorial Committee will reflect the diversity of the academic structure of the Department of Sociology of UAM-Azcapotzalco.

The meetings of the Editorial Committee must have a quorum of at least seven members. The unjustified absence of any member for three consecutive sessions, or five non-consecutive, will cause their removal from the Editorial Committee.

6.1.1. Internal Panel of the Editorial Committee 

Its duties are the following:

a) Approve the contents of each issue and arrange the journal’s annual schedules on the basis of consultations with the external members of the Editorial Committee and the proposals received.

b) Generate and approve the terms of the journal’s call, and if necessary, those of the specific calls to be issued.

c) Ratify, when applicable, the person who writes the introductory note for the issues of the Journal that so require.

d) Approve the reviewers of articles submitted for publication, taking into consideration their academic background and knowledge of the subject matter of the articles assigned to be ruled. 

e) Review and approve, on a proposal from the Director or Academic Editor, supplementary materials for each issue.

f) Assess and propose to the Head of the Department and to the Heads of Area and to Coordinators of Research Groups of the Department of Sociology, modifications about the name, format and design of the journal.

g) Supervise the implementation of the calendar of editorial production.

h) Integrate the listing of Reviewers and suggest and approve the External Panel of the Editorial Committee.

i) Revise the assessments of each of the articles in order to determine the terms on which the final ruling will be produced for the author(s). This ruling will correspond to one of the following four categories: 1) the article can be published in its present state; 2) the article can be published, with recommendations to be considered by the author(s); 3) the article can be published, but conditioned on specific changes; or else, 4) the article cannot be published.

j) The Internal Panel of the Editorial Committee may also undertake the pre-ruling of books presented by professors of the Department of Sociology for their publication by the Division Coordination of Dissemination and Publications, or else by the Editorial Production and Distribution Section of the Unit, which will be responsible for their ruling and publication.

k) Establish and monitor the fulfillment of the Guide of Editorial Practices and Ethical Principles that must be observed by the members of the Internal and External Panels of the Editorial Committee, the Head of the Department, the Direction, the Academic and Technical Edition of the Journal, authors and reviewers.

6.1.2.   The Head of the Department of Sociology shall perform the following duties, in his capacity as a member of the Editorial Committee of Sociológica (Mexico):

a) Submit the list of proposals to integrate the Editorial Committee and to fill the positions of Director, Academic Editor and Technical Editor of Sociológica (Mexico) to the Direction of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities.

b) Manage the institutional support necessary to fulfill the academic and editorial tasks regarding Sociológica (Mexico), especially in the aspects of production, distribution and dissemination.

c) Promote the necessary measures to generate the continuity and quality of the journal’s editorial process.

6.1.3. Panel of External Members of the Editorial Committee

It will comprise renowned academic specialists in the areas of sociology and social sciences from national and foreign institutions. They will be invited by the Head of the Department and appointed by the Internal Panel of the Editorial Committee, after their express consent, in order to participate in the External Panel of the Committee.

The duties of the External Members of the Editorial Committee will be the following: 

a) Advise and produce opinions and recommendations for the Editorial Committee as a whole, regarding the academic and editorial policy of Sociológica (Mexico), within the framework of the institutional development strategies adopted by the Metropolitan Autonomous University, through its government bodies. 

b) Advise and make recommendations and observations on the process of ruling and approval for the publication of various materials. 

c) Discuss and periodically assess the editorial production of the journal. 

d) Review and produce opinions on this journal’s Internal Operating Rules and, where appropriate, propose any modifications deemed necessary. 

e) Propose and/or comment on the journal’s dissemination plans. 

f) Nominate candidates for the Panel of Reviewers to take part in the rulings of the Editorial Committee.

g) Help with the dissemination of the journal’s Call.  

6.2. The Director of Sociológica (Mexico)

The Director of the journal will be ratified by the Division Council, on a proposal from the Director of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities, based on a consultation with the Head of the Department of Sociology. 

The following functions will be carried out by the Director:

a) Represent Sociológica (Mexico) before official, academic and cultural agencies, inside and outside the Metropolitan Autonomous University.

b) Be in charge of including Sociológica (Mexico) into the official indexes and electronic platforms of academic, scientific, and editorial quality in Mexico and abroad, as well as continuously improving the position of the journal in such indexes and national and international platforms.

c) Agree with the Technical Editor or Academic Editor on the articles and supplementary materials to be included in each publishable issue of Sociológica (Mexico), in its printed and electronic versions, and define the contents of each issue, taking responsibility of the so called "curating of contents".

d) Call and coordinate the meetings of the journal’s Editorial Committee.

e) Keep continual contact with the members of the External Panel of the Editorial Committee of Sociológica (Mexico).

f) Keep continual contact with the Head of the Department of Sociology and support them in all matters related to the management, public relations, dissemination and visibility of Sociológica (Mexico) on the internet.

g) Attend, when necessary, meetings with the Coordination Board, Heads of Area and Group Coordinators of the Department of Sociology.

h) Represent, as a member, the Department of Sociology before the Editorial Board of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities of UAM-A. Ensure that the books produced in the Department of Sociology appear in the electronic platforms of academic, scientific and editorial quality in Mexico and abroad.

i) Represent Sociológica (Mexico) and the Department of Sociology before networks of publishers of journals and books inside and outside the Metropolitan Autonomous University.

6.3. The Academic Editor

The Academic Editor of the journal will be ratified by the Division Council, on a proposal from the Director of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities, based on a consultation with the Head of the Department of Sociology. 

The following functions will be carried out by the Academic Editor: 

a) Receive articles submitted for publication in Sociológica (Mexico) from the Technical Editor of the journal, send them to  internal pre-ruling and regarding those that have been favorably ruled, send them to anonymous and external assessment, based on the Panel of Reviewers approved by the Editorial Committee.

b) Ask the reviewers’ acceptance to carry out the assessment of each article pre-ruled positively. Coordinate the submission of articles to designated reviewers and track the process of ruling.

c) Write the final opinions on the articles, on behalf of the Editorial Committee, and make sure that this final notification reaches the author(s).

d) Make the final decision regarding which articles and supplementary materials, previously approved by means of the rulings, may be included in the issues of Sociológica (Mexico).

e) Issue certificates to the reviewers for their work, as well as to the authors of articles and supplementary materials upon request.

f) Keep continual contact with the Director of the journal and the Head of the Department of Sociology regarding matters concerning Sociológica (Mexico). 

g) Attend, when necessary, the meetings of the Coordination Board, with Heads of Area and Group Coordinators of the Department of Sociology.

h) Coordinate and monitor the various stages of the editorial process of the Journal, keeping a permanent link with the Director of the journal, the Technical Editor, the Head of the Department of Sociology and the Editorial Committee as a whole.

6.4. The Technical Editor

The Technical Editor of the journal will be ratified by the Division Council, on a proposal from the Director of the Division of Social Sciences and Humanities, based on a consultation with the Head of the Department of Sociology. 

The following functions will be carried out by the Technical Editor: 

a) Collect all of the articles and supplementary materials submitted for publication to Sociológica (Mexico), especially via its website, and forward them to the Academic Editor, in order to be sent to internal pre-ruling and anonymous and external assessments.

b) Gather the pre-rulings and assessments of articles and materials submitted for publication so that the Academic Editor and the Director of the Journal assemble each issue of the journal; support the Academic Editor in the issuing of certificates for reviewers and authors.

c) Support the Academic Editor of the journal in the integral aspects of the process of publication of the printed and electronic issues of Sociológica (Mexico).

d) Undertake editorial management with a view to transform the published materials into JATS following SciELO Publishing Schema.

e) Support the Director of the journal in all aspects regarding the processes of insertion and better positioning of Sociológica (Mexico) in official indexes and electronic platforms of academic, scientific and editorial quality in Mexico and abroad.

f) Keep the record of the agreements reached at the meetings of the journal’s Editorial Committee and take them to all of its members, in the final version approved by the Editor.

g) Support the Direction and the Academic Edition of the Journal, as well as the Head of the Department of Sociology, in all matters related to the administration, public relations, dissemination, visibility on the internet and the physical and electronic distribution of Sociológica (Mexico).  

These Internal Operating Rules of the journal Sociológica (Mexico) are issued based on the agreements approved by the Editorial Committee and the Coordination Board of Heads of Area and Coordinators of the Research Group of the Department of Sociology, and also based on consultations to the sub-delegate of the University Legislation, Gabriela Rosas Salazar. 

Mexico City, 19^th June 2017

 

Procedures to accomplish and supervise the quality of the publications of the journal Sociológica (Mexico)

 

Dra. Olga Sabido Ramos (Director)

Dra. Esperanza Palma Cabrera (Academic Editor)

Mtra. Alejandra Delfina Arriaga Martínez (Technical Editor)

Pre-ruling or pre-Check

For at least ten years, the journal Sociológica (Mexico) —so called in order to differentiate it from, or “disambiguate” its name from, the homonymous journal published in Italy— carries out what the journal’s Internal Operating Rules call pre-ruling of articles submitted for possible publication. This pre-ruling corresponds to what the intervention of Dr. Atilio Bustos, in the Workshop for Publishers of the Entre pares seminar, called pre-check of scientific articles.

At present, Sociológica (Mexico) receives proposals of scientific articles via its editorial platform at Open Journal Systems –OJS–. When a submission arrives, the journal’s Technical Editor notifies it and reports it to the Academic Editor, who immediately commences the pre-ruling of the article. In accordance with the previously mentioned Internal Operating Rules, such pre-ruling can be carried out by the Academic Editor himself or else, any other member of the journal’s Scientific Committee, even its Director, who generally produces all the necessary pre-rulings —to be aware of the material received by the journal— unless there is a conflict of interests between the author(s) of the submitted article and the Director of Sociológica (Mexico).

In our journal, this pre-check process never takes more than 72 hours and the pre-ruling produced for each article considers each and every factor underscored by Dr. Bustos in his exposition in Entre pares. In the first place, it is assessed if the text corresponds to the journal’s thematic and conceptual profile —nowadays called scope—, and if this article would not be more suitable for a different publication of social sciences, philosophy or history. Secondly, the name, institutional ascription of the authors are, of course, checked in view of deciding on their realness and reliability. In third place, it is verified that the article meets the criteria explained in the journal’s Permanent Invitation, regarding the extension, no less of 8 thousand words and not exceeding 10 thousand words, the inclusion of an abstract, not exceeding 120 words, and about five key words, and also the criteria regarding the way of reporting bibliographic references, footnotes, tables, figures and charts possibly included. Fourth, pre-ruling intends to make sure that the bibliography reported in the article is up-to-date and relevant. In the fifth place, it is checked that the article has not been published in Spanish or that the submission to Sociológica (Mexico) is proposed as a novelty for the English language. Sixth, it is utterly important that the article does not ostensibly shows any plagiarism. Last but not least, seventh and final point, that the article clearly displays it is a serious scientific text, written in full, whose author(s) are actual experts in the topic approached.

Once this stage of pre-checking is accredited or the pre-ruling of the received article is completed, the authors are promptly notified via e-mail if the article has been “initially” accepted or not by Sociológica (Mexico) so that it can be sent for formal ruling, to be peer-reviewed.

Ruling or peer-review and editorial decision

When an article submitted to Sociológica (México) successfully passes its pre-ruling, the Academic Editor looks for and finds as fast as possible a reviewer in our base of OJS reviewers, who indispensably has to be an expert on the specific topic, or else generic, of the submitted text. Sociológica (Mexico) has a broad panel of reviewers —as they are called in Internal Operating Rules— and selects experts to invite to review an article. This simple step does not take Academic Editor more than a week. The first thing to clarify is that there is always a review or assessment of the articles under the system called “double blind”, owing to which no author knows the “reviewers” who will rule on their article, and in like manner, those in charge of ruling do not know who the authors of the texts undergoing “peer review” are.

For each article accepted in Sociológica (Mexico), three colleagues to assess it are always contacted in view of securing at least two of them —in the case of not reaching consensus, the third is necessary—. The reviewers of each article cannot belong to the same Institution or Labour CEnter of the others authors of the proposed article. These reviewers are always external to those authors and some of them are of an international condition. Certainly, these reviewers are given a pattern of four very clear options, with which it is possible for them to review the article. These options are: “the article can be published in its present state”; “the article can be published on condition of introducing the following modifications”; “the article can be published with the suggestion of introducing the following modifications”; “the article cannot be published”. Finally, the specialists invited to review are openly prompted to answer Sociológica (Mexico) within a week at the latest whether they are able or not to rule the article proposed.

Once that two or three reviewers accept an article for assessment —under the “double-blind” system— the Academic Editor gives them a three-week deadline to perform the review. Unfortunately, and recurrently, “overdue reviewers”, who do not fulfil their task timely, are quite frequent; certain reviewers have been put in this category and eventually they have been removed from the panel of Sociológica (Mexico) owing to such regrettable reason. Likewise, the phenomenon of “excluding reviewers” is commonly noticed; they systematically and inevitably reject any article they are invited to “review”. Rather than substantiating their assessments, these reviewers offer reiterated instances that only what they write is worth being published; they are also gradually and naturally removed from our panel of reviewers. Fortunately, in the environment of Mexican scientific journals the culture of “objectively reviewing” is gradually settling in; this is to say, a reviewer who meets the deadlines in time and who reasonably rejects an article if there are well-founded causes to, or else that accepts the article with splendid proposals or demands so that it improves its scientific qualities. Sociológica (Mexico) has taken its time and will take longer to define a broad panel of reviewers who belong to this select class so convenient and changing. 

About a month after the submission of the article for peer-reviewing and upon the completion of two peer-reviews, or three reviews in certain cases, the Academic Editor revises these reviews and discloses no later than one week the possibility that such article is included or not in the following number of Sociológica (Mexico). Such possibility is positive if the rulings are favorable and approve the article with suggestions or requests for primary or secondary modifications or —on rare occasions— that is approved “in its present state”; or else, the possibility is nonexistent if the assessments clearly or overwhelmingly challenge the contents of the text. As well, in this stage to consider every article, the Academic Editor verifies —by means of a revision and resorting to the software available for such purposes— that the article initially accepted avoids any form of plagiarism. After meeting these requirements, the Academic Editor produces a notification for the author(s) of the text, reporting them that their article has been rejected by the journal’s reviewers and Editors, or gladly accepted initially on so and such conditions or suggestions to improve it. In the same missive, the author(s) are given two weeks to send the corrected and improved version of the article to Sociológica (Mexico) —via its editorial platform at Open Journal Systems—. This letter is sent to the authors of the articles by the Technical Editor of the journal and bears the signature of the Academic Editor.  

Once the initially accepted articles are received in their improved and corrected version, the Academic Editor of Sociológica (Mexico) makes sure that the authors have made the changes requested in the notification letter and definitely states that the proposed article has been accepted for publication in Sociológica (Mexico). The author(s) of the article are immediately informed. Virtually, two months have passed since the article was submitted to the journal for the first time; it has passed the stages of pre-check and peer-review, correction of the manuscript and definite approval for publication. Then, the Technical Editor makes sure that this final notification reaches all the interested authors.

Sociológica (Mexico) receives dozens of submissions over a year and even if it rejects some of them in the stage of pre-ruling, it can only publish 30 articles a year; this is to say, ten articles per issue of the three numbers that Sociológica (Mexico) publishes a year: the issues corresponding to January-April, May-August and September-December. This means that once an article has been accepted for publication, the exact issue in which it will appear depends on the “curating”, the decision of which articles will be comprised in each number of the journal. This is a joint decision made by the Academic Editor and the Director of Sociológica (Mexico) —however, the latter is the main responsible for this decision—; they configure the issues according to the interests of the journal regarding the impact it and its contents can have among the researchers that use it and refer it in their scientific articles and the readers that consult it and provide it with greater visibility in the global network of personal computers, and specifically in full-text databases such as SciELO or specialized indexes such as Scopus or Web of Science.

Within a deadline that intends to be short, about two months, Sociológica (Mexico) is capable of receiving and accepting scientific articles for publication that meet all the requirements thus far mentioned. However, their final publication in the journal’s web site, as part of one of its numbers or four-monthly issues, can take longer indeed —in varying degree— according to the academic and disciplinary interests of Sociológica (Mexico), and by the same token, the process of production and edition that begins when an article has been finally accepted for publication. Once the planned date for the final publication of the article is defined, it is immediately communicated to the authors by the Academic Editor of the journal, through a formal notice which also serves as an official record of the acceptance of the article.   

Production, Proofreading, Publication and Retraction

Once an article has been finally accepted for publication in Sociológica (Mexico) and has also been assigned a place in an issue of the current year or later, and after the “curating of contents” —performed by the Academic Editor and the Director of the journal—, the preparation process for publication properly commences. In Dr. Atilio Bustos’ intervention, in Ciudad Juárez, it was mentioned that this corresponds to the “page layout” process of an article, which sets it ready to be uploaded to a journal’s internet web site.

Here it is necessary to underscore that the present and past experience of Sociológica (Mexico) is that neither the authors of scientific texts nor the peer reviewers, and often not even the journal’s editors, can consider ourselves fully capable writers and communicators of our own disciplinary contributions by means of scientific articles that are actually well written. In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, and indubitably in other countries as well, scientists and academicians in general, as strange as it may seem —and to say it with a single, very eloquent expression—, “do not know how to write well”. The articles are submitted and finally approved by academic journals of any level in such a state that they are laden with syntax, lexicological, spelling and typographic errors. Perhaps this does not occur in texts produced in other latitudes, albeit in our national context and even in the Spanish-speaking world, it is necessary that a text accepted for publication undergoes proofreading work —superficial or in-depth—, which involves syntax, spelling and editorial revisions, carried out by specialists in this important field. This implies that the laying-out of an article or set of articles cannot take only one week; at least, it takes slightly longer —two, three weeks, perhaps more— even considering the total elimination of the publication of scientific journals in their traditional and at-present contested printed format. Every article uploaded to the web from Mexico or anywhere in the world that intends to appear in scientific journals of genuine quality needs a language and editorial quality that is utterly important to seek and maintain.

The Academic Editor and the Technical Editor of Sociológica (Mexico) work closely with the specialist in charge of the final edition —or almost final— of the articles of the journal’s issues in view of generating the “fine proofs” of the articles produced by such specialist and revised both by the Academic Editor, the author(s), in a process that can take between two and four weeks. Finally, the article is ready for publication in a really professional manner. And when this occurs there is still time to detect indispensable amendments, which are incorporated into the already published article within one or two weeks. In balance, around a month and a half is necessary for an article included in any issue of Sociológica (Mexico) to see the light with the compulsory quality. At that time, the possibility that the retraction process of an article occurs arises.

Before considering such retraction, let us underscore that with all the process of production and proofreading previously described, Sociológica (Mexico) is not only able to be published with rigorous punctuality, but also to complete and publish their coming numbers further in advance of the publishing dates —for example, that the issue of September-December 2018 appears in perhaps by May that year, or even that the journal completes its issues partially, with the publishing of articles at various times for the purpose of completing its numbers well in advance.

As regards retraction, it is convenient to underscore that up to the present, Sociológica (Mexico) has never had to retract a published article. Never have there been cases or denounces of plagiarism, and as a matter of fact, our edition process has detected submitted materials that contain some degree of plagiarism, thus preventing their final publication or eliciting their honest correction, when it is pertinent and possible. Of course, if a case of plagiarism occurred, such accusation would be immediately investigated and if it were verified, the article would be removed from the journal’s table of contents, and certainly every reference to it on the internet; moreover, we would sincerely apologize to the readers, among which there are numerous researchers in the fields of sociological thinking and social sciences.

Neither have there been retractions from claims that a research published in Sociológica (Mexico) is fraudulent or exposes ostensibly wrong elements, maybe because in the sphere of social sciences it is very common that the proposals in the scientific articles are discussed, verified or refuted by other scientific articles that strive for publication and accomplish it, in the same way as the articles with which they clearly dissent and that intend to rectify. 

Conclusions. Summary table of the stages of the publication process of the articles, including time estimates and responsible staff

In conclusion, after considering all the elements mentioned in the three sections of this text, which refer to the scientific-academic and editorial practices carried out by Sociológica (Mexico) on a regular basis, we put forward the summary-table, aimed at all the possible collaborators of the journal and that will be published in the near future.

Stages of the process of article publication, including responsible staff and time estimates

 

Stage		People in charge and actions to perform	Estimated time	Total approximate time of the process of acceptance and publication of an article
1	Initial reception of submissions	The Technical Editor retrieves and sends the proposal to the Academic Editor, who channels the submission for pre-dictum (or performs it himself) generally to a member of the Scientific Committee and to the Director of the journal, who promptly decide if the article is acceptable or not according to the scope of Sociológica (Mexico). This verdict is communicated to those who submitted the article to the journal.	Between one and two weeks to produce the pre-rulings.	Thee months, in the supposition that such article reaches Sociológica (Mexico) and is accepted for publication in the following issue of the journal —this situation is not the most frequent—
2	Send the initially accepted articles to be peer-reviewed	The Academic Editor finds at least two reviewers for the initially accepted article and obtains their rulings, which he analyzes and assesses in order to decide whether the article is publishable in Sociológica (Mexico) and on which conditions. This decision is communicated to the Director of the journal and to the author(s) of the text in order to ask them as fast as possible the final version of the article, which must incorporate the requested modifications.	Our rulings take between 3 (promptly) and 6 months (regularly), while the most difficult to place can take a year approximately. For the cases in which amendments are requested to the authors, these are given two weeks at most to sent their final version and revise it for approval.    It is worth mentioning that we currently undergo a restructuring phase to reduce these times and reach the ideal of 6 weeks.
3	Official acceptance of the article and notice of publication in Sociológica	The Academic Editor receives the final version of the article that has successfully passed the peer-review process and decides if it has considered the observations made. At that moment, he decides if the article is definitively approved for publication, which is immediately notified to the Director of the journal and to the author(s). Right away, the Academic Editor jointly decides with the Director in which issue and date it will be published in Sociológica (Mexico). Both items of information are notified at different moments to the people in charge of the article: immediately after the article is accepted for publication, and as early as possible, when it will be published in the journal.	One week for the official acceptance of the article publication.
4	Article edition in Sociológica (México)	Once the article is assigned to a future issue of Sociológica (México) by the Director and Academic Editor, it will be se sent to the corresponding professional to be editorially processed regarding layout and proofreading. All this for the purpose of setting the article ready to appear in Sociológica (Mexico). Once the article is published, there will be a reasonable time span for the correction of those mistakes that are relevant to amend	Four weeks at least, from the beginning of the edition process of the article to the stage of error correction once published.

 

Mexico City, November 4th, 2024