Población y Salud en Mesoamérica ISSN electrónico: 1659-0201

OAI: https://www.revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/psm/oai
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Author Guidelines

 

  • The documents that Población y Salud en Mesoamérica receives are: scientific articles and Essays all contributions must be original and in Spanish, English or Portuguese language. It is important to mention that the journal does not charge for the submission of articles.
  • All scientific articles and essays received will be subject to the peer review process by the Journal.
  • The reception of documents will be enabled throughout the year, however, the Editorial Committee will determine the cut-off dates for each of the issues that the journal will publish; notice will be given through the journal's platform and through the social networks of journal.
  • Receiving a document does not presuppose that it has been accepted.
  • Every document received must undergo a preliminary review, in which it is established whether it meets the minimum requirements for publication requested by the journal, such as subject matter, length, originality and structure; this process will be in charge of the journal's Editorial Team.
  • Along with the submission of the manuscript, authors must send the Letter of Acceptance of Editorial Conditions duly filled out and signed, which can be downloaded here.
  • To make the initial submission, the following template should be used as a reference for the document: template
  • All contributions submitted for publication must be written using non-sexist language, for compliance with which the journal makes available the "Guide for an egalitarian and non-sexist use of language" developed by the University of Jaén, Spain, which you can consult here by entering the "Policy for the use of non-sexist language in manuscripts"
  • The document must be original and not be submitted for publication simultaneously in other journals or editorial bodies, an aspect that will be verified by means of the Turnitin Software. Regarding the timeliness of the data presented in the paper, the research period should be no more than five years old as of the year in which the paper is submitted. This means that the latest year of analysis should be 2014 for 2019 issues.
  • It must not be under review in another journal simultaneously. If during the editing process the Población y Salud en Mesoamérica confirms that the submitted document is included in another editorial process, automatically the process will be stopped and the text returned to the person who wrote it.
  • The manuscript must be submitted through the web platform. Doubts and queries can be made to the mail: revista.ccp@ucr.ac.cr
  • Without exception, all documents are evaluated by the Editorial Management and the Editorial Committee, who assign at least two people specialized in the subject of the article for the due process of evaluation.
  • The evaluation is known as peer review or peer review, of the double-blind type, which means that the documents are sent without authorship to those who evaluate, in order to seek objectivity in the analysis, also the authors do not know the name of their evaluators.
  • Once reviewed and evaluated, the document is returned to the author to make the recommended changes in case of a positive evaluation; in case of rejection, an opinion is sent with the justifications; in all cases, the final decision rests with the Editorial Committee.
  • Once the requested modifications have been made, the document will be reviewed to confirm the modification, this process is called verification.
  • After the verification, if the document is approved, it is sent to a proofreading professional to make the corresponding revision, which must be approved and included in the final document by the writer.
  • Every person whose document successfully completes the editing process will receive a brief communication in which the edition in which the article or essay will appear will be fixed to the satisfaction of both the Journal and the author(s).
  • Under no circumstances will be accepted those documents where it can be demonstrated the existence of textual transcription of another work, action called plagiarism.
  • If the above point is confirmed, the document will be immediately rejected by the Editorial Board, and if published will be removed from the Journal's website and from the international indexes, for which the journal will make a public retraction.
  • The editorial team will confirm the use of the references and the presence of the citations.

 

  • The document must be in letter size, single and half spaced, in 12 point, Arial font, justified, with pages numbered consecutively.
  • All documents must be sent through the journal's platform together with the Letter of Acceptance of Editorial Conditions.
  • The version of your document must be submitted in Word® for Windows© or LibreOffice .ODT format
  • The length of the papers should not exceed 25 pages (including, tables, figures and references). There must be a space between each paragraph and reference (equivalent to an "Enter" on the keyboard).
  • The length of an essay should be at least 15 pages and cannot exceed 25 pages, including bibliographical references.

 

  • The title of the article should appear centered in ARIAL font in 14-point, bold typeface.
  • The title should be no longer than 25 words.
  • The title translated into English is placed immediately after the main title in Arial font, in 11-point font and not bold.
  • The names of the authors should appear justified at the right margin of the page in Arial font, 14 point, italic, non-bold. The following data should be included for each author, in full: first and last names, institutional affiliation, e-mail, country and ORCID registration.
  • All texts must include a summary in Spanish and the respective translation into English (abstract), no more than 250 words maximum and in a single paragraph, justified text, single spaced, in 11 points, a single paragraph, no titles, no citations, no references, no photographs. It must expose the thematic axis, the purposes, the argumentative position exposed in the approaches developed in the text and the main conclusions or reflections. Its length is from 200 to 250 words.
  • All texts must include keywords or descriptors of the document, with the respective English translation, called KEY WORDS (it is recommended to use the thesaurus).
  • A maximum of three to four key words should be indicated.
  • Subheadings or paragraphs should appear in Arial font, 12 point, bold and in consecutive Arabic numerals.
  • Example
  • 1. Part One (e.g., Introduction)
  • 1.1 First section of Part One.
  • 1.1.1 First subsection of the first section.
  • 1.1.2 Second subsection of the first section
  • 1.2 Second subsection of the first part
  • 2. Second part (e.g. theoretical reference)
  • 2.1 First section of Part Two.
  • Any explanatory notes should be included at the foot of the page and will be used to enrich the argumentation, to amplify or complement important information.
  • Large tables and charts of more than one page should be avoided; half a page is an ideal size. However, if this type of resource is necessary for your argument, the Journal will not object to its use, as long as it is a maximum of 7 elements.
  • Photographs, maps, illustrations and figures should be submitted in JPG format, with a resolution of 300 dpi, in a size of 14 cm wide, labeled and numbered consecutively, in Arial font, in 10-point font.
  • All illustrative material included in the text must have the respective authorizations for its use and dissemination, except those that are your property, in this sense, the source must be noted. In the case of Costa Rica, all images are in the public domain when the author is more than 75 years old and the author is deceased.
  • All illustrative material included in the text must have the respective authorizations for its use and dissemination, except those that are property of the author.
  • In addition to the institutional mail, every person must provide an identifier created in the ORCID platform (entering here), this allows a greater recoverability of the scientific research of the authors in the different electronic search engines.

 

Scientific article: this type of writing communicates, for the first time and in an original way, the results of a research. These are the sections that a scientific article should have:

General Information

Title (with Spanish translation)

Full name of author(s), with institutional email, institutional affiliation and ORCID registration

Summary (with English translation): Introduction: why has the article been carried out? The problem is stated, the background on the problem or topic addressed and the main objective are briefly explained. Methodology: It answers the question: How were the data that support the article obtained? For this it is important to explain whether it is a qualitative, quantitative or mixed approach, at least it should include the approach and type of research, the population and sample, the variables, the data collection techniques used and the scope. Results: Answers the question "What was found? It should include the main results, both positive and negative, and there should be coherence between the results and the main objective of the study. If the results are quantitative, present percentages and their statistical significance. Conclusions: Answers the questions What do the results mean? and What implications and applications can these results have? It briefly states the strengths and weaknesses of the study, as well as probable solutions or applications. It should be consistent with the results previously presented. The abstract is an explanatory synthesis of the content of the article, so do not copy paragraphs or parts of the document to elaborate it.

Key words (with translation to spanish)

1. Introduction (Background, objectives, justification) This section should include the statement of the research problem, its importance, the background of the research, the objective or objectives developed in the article, derived from the research carried out; indicate the hypotheses and the general organization of the article. For the contextualization of the research, the geographical location and the period of time in which it was carried out should be indicated. In addition, if funding was obtained from any institution, company or organization to carry out the study, this should be indicated.

2. Theoretical reference (Theoretical basis, conceptual framework and/or definitions; as well as legal support, plans and programs). The theoretical foundations on which the research is based are detailed, the concepts are defined and a description of previous studies is made.

3. Methodology This section describes how the study was carried out, among the details that should be specified are the following:

3.1 Approach: The type of research approach, whether it is qualitative, quantitative or mixed. The research design according to the type of approach. The scope or depth of the research (exploratory, descriptive, correlational and/or explanatory).

3.2 Study population: The population, participants or case study of the research. Detail the selection procedure and indicate inclusion or exclusion criteria. If the research involves individuals, it should clearly indicate that informed consent or commitment to confidentiality has been obtained from the participants.

3.3 Collection techniques: The data collection technique(s) used. The type of measurement instrument that was applied, what aspects were consulted. If it is a measurement scale, indicate the dimensions or constructs it measures.

3.4 Analysis processing: The processing and analysis of the information (descriptive analysis, inferential analysis or analytical discussion). Indicate the qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques. In cases of elaboration of categories and subcategories of analysis indicate the construction procedure. In the case of quantitative analysis, if hypothesis testing is performed, indicate the name of the statistical test and the level of significance established. The information analysis tools. Detail the software and version used to perform the analysis.

4. Results: The research findings are described and explained. In addition, an analysis of the theoretical and conceptual foundation is made in conjunction with the results, and it is intended to provide answers to the research objectives. In the section, the hypotheses are presented and the results of other studies are contrasted. The interpretation and meaning of the results are detailed, in addition to a discussion of the objectives of the study with the results and hypotheses presented

5. Conclusions: The main contributions of the research are indicated and recommendations considered, and questions for future studies could be formulated. It is recommended to indicate the limitations and problems faced in carrying out the study. Conclusions of the study are formulated in relation to the different aspects of the research conducted.

6. Acknowledgements: We thank the people who supported or collaborated with the research, as well as thank and mention the institutions, companies or organizations that supported with some resource for the development of the project.

7. References: Only documents or bibliographic material cited in the research document are listed.

8. Annexes: It is suggested to attach the instruments used in the study (questionnaires, registration forms, interview guide, among others), complementary support material related to the research (images, photographs, documents), in some cases tables with additional information.

 

Essay: this document presents the analysis, reflections or discussions that the author proposes on a particular topic or problem. The recommended structure for this type of document is:

General information

Title (with Spanish translation)

Full name of author(s), with institutional affiliation, institutional mailing and ORCID registration

Summary (with English translation): Introduction: why has the essay been carried out? It raises the topic, explains the objectives and ends with the conceptual and methodological approach. Proposition: The author's ideas or points of view are presented based on a research on the proposed topic. Arguments for discussion: It answers the question What has been found? It should argue about the topic and justify the proposition of the essay. Conclusions: Should present information relevant to the scope of the study objectives and the problem in correspondence with the research findings.

Key words (with translation to English)

1. Introduction Includes a statement of the topic, the objectives and conceptual approach from which the topic will be approached

2. Development of the topic

2.1 Arguments for discussion

3. Conclusions or final reflections: This section should present information relevant to the scope of the study objectives and the problem in correspondence with the research findings. The conclusions should follow a logical sequence, mentioning the relevant points, even those contrary to the research problem, should be reported in detail to justify the conclusions. This section should also show the solution or possible approach to the solution of the problem exposed during the essay. The aim is to recover the questions presented in the introduction or the body of the work. If the case demands it, new questions on the topic can be included to express the need to continue researching and building in relation to the topic.

4. References: Only the documents or bibliographic material cited in the research paper should be listed.

 

All citations and references in the documents submitted for publication must adhere to the APA standards in their seventh edition (APA 7) in English or fourth translation into Spanish.

The best known citation and reference system is APA, whose original language is English, so the punctuation and spelling, in many cases, are different from that followed by the Spanish language, but in the translation made into Spanish it maintains the English spelling.

Therefore, the most general guidelines are followed here so that the person interested in publishing can take them into account when making references. Thus, there are several ways to elaborate citations and bibliographical references, but the most important are: short citations with references to the texts; short textual citations; long textual citations; paraphrased citations and personal communications.

Note: Failure to comply with the citation rules in accordance with the journal, will compromise the publication of the manuscript.

Forms for citation in the submitted papers:

a) Short textual citation with reference to texts is one that does not exceed 40 words and can be presented in the following forms:

  • According to Vigotsky (1997, p. 34), language and thought are intimately linked because: "here is included the quotation that does not exceed forty words"; for that reason, the author proposes that...
  • In this regard, Paulo Freire notes: "And for sectarian irrationalism the humanization of man was as if it were the opposite: his dehumanization" (2007, p. 58).
  • In this way, and starting from the aforementioned factors, an approach to the concept of environment is made from a complex view: "which may imply attending to the heterogeneity of its components, but fundamentally requires working on the relationships between these components" (García and Priotto, 2008, p. 6).

b) Long textual quotations are those with more than 40 words and follow the same instructions as short textual quotations, but are presented separated from the paragraph, tabbed to the right, with the same spacing as the rest of the text and without quotation marks, thus:

  • (...) for this reason, social transformations cannot be ignored or taken "lightly", because in all of them there is always the possibility that at least one human being is present, as explained by the sociology of education. Here it is that the previous position of self-depreciation, of inferiority, characteristic of alienation, which dampens the creative spirit of these societies and drives them always to imitations, begins to be replaced by another, of self-confidence.(...) Society thus comes to know itself. It renounces the old posture of object and assumes that of object. (Freire, 2007, p. 46).

Spelling recommendation: do not use the form "& ", as this belongs to the English language; the corresponding form in Spanish is the Latin form "y" without the comma that precedes it.

c) The paraphrased quotation which is the one where the writer comments, in his/her words, the textual quotation of the theoretical reference, the author's last name, the year and the page are written; generally, it is written as follows:

  • What Lacan was emphatic about was not in demonstrating that the psychoanalytic method was necessary, no, what he was emphatic about was to maintain that what is truly important in method - and what must be clear - is that the object of study is not the subject, it is the word, that is to say, the said and the unsaid, always in consonance with the signifying chain. (Lacan, 1948, p. 50).

d) As for personal communications such as letters, memos, electronic communications, interviews, among others; they must be cited in the text, but are not included in the references. Examples:

  • Prof. J. Santibáñez (personal communication, April 18, 2001) suggests that...
  • Work has been done on improving scholarship procedures, but... (J. Santibáñez, personal communication, April 18, 2001).

Important: on many occasions it happens that the quotation we are going to use presents obvious spelling errors, so it is recommended that the acronym (Sic) be noted at the end of the paragraph, which means: "likewise found in the original". Example:

  • (...) for this reason, social transformations cannot be ignored or taken "lightly", because in all of them there is always the possibility that at least one human being is present, as explained by the sociology of education. Here it is that the previous position of self-depreciation, of inferiority, characteristic of alienation, which dampens the creative spirit of these societies and drives them always to imitations, begins to be replaced by another, of self-confidence. (...) Society comes to know itself. It renounces the old posture of object and assumes that of object. (Freire, 2007, p. 46) (Sic).

In addition, there are many forms used in Spanish texts to abbreviate information such as: "et al.", "e.g", "v.gr", etc., forms derived from Latin, which in Spanish writing are called "cultismos" that are not forbidden in a text as long as they are related to the content.

For more details and examples of citation and elaboration of the reference list, the journal provides the following guide: GUIDE APA 7 PSM

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The list of reviewers and evaluators working with the journal is not public to avoid any conflicts of interest with the authors.