About the Journal
Focus and Scope
Revista Virtual Universidad Católica del Norte is an electronic, peer-reviewed scientific and academic publication in the field of Social Sciences, edited and funded by the Fundación Universitaria Católica del Norte. The journal is issued three times a year (January–April, May–August, September–December). It publishes contributions in Spanish authored by professionals and researchers in the social sciences or by scholars from other disciplines whose work provides a significant contribution to this field of knowledge.
The journal accepts the following types of submissions:
i) Research Articles,
ii) Review Articles, and
iii) Reflection Articles,
giving priority to research articles.
All submissions must be original, unpublished manuscripts that are not under consideration by any other scientific publication at the time of submission.
General Objective
To disseminate research articles from different disciplines according to national and international standards of scientific and editorial quality, publication stability, and inclusion and recognition criteria in bibliographic databases and indexing systems, through an open-access model.
Specific Objectives
i) To contribute to the development, preservation, and visibility of knowledge by disseminating internal and external scientific articles; to strengthen the academic writing competencies of authors, researchers, and reviewers; and to promote research and training projects in the field of academic and specialized discourse.
ii) To encourage processes of textual production and interpretation as inherent activities of academic practice.
iii) To contribute to regulating and improving the quality of research conducted within the Institution by providing guidance to authors and evaluating manuscripts within the framework of textual linguistics.
Peer Review Process
Manuscripts that meet the minimum submission requirements undergo a double-blind peer review process. Reviewers are subject matter experts external to the publishing institution, ensuring objectivity and quality in the selection of published articles. The reviewers’ academic degrees and scientific publications are verified prior to their participation.
Once an article is received for editorial consideration, the average time to publication ranges between 9 and 12 months, though this period may vary depending on editorial dynamics. On average, 43.63% of submissions are rejected annually (approximately 23 out of 50 manuscripts received).
The review process consists of three stages:
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Preliminary Requirements Review: Verification of basic documentation needed to enter the editorial process, including the cover page, the manuscript file, a list of at least three suggested reviewers, a checklist, and the copyright transfer form.
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Editorial Committee Review: After passing the preliminary check, the editor assesses the relevance of the manuscript based on its alignment with the social sciences, methodological rigor, and overall academic quality.
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Double-Blind Peer Review: Once the editor’s initial observations have been addressed by the author, the manuscript is sent to two blind peer reviewers, usually external to the institution and independent from the editorial team, with expertise in the manuscript’s subject area.
At any stage, manuscripts may be withdrawn from the editorial process based on the evaluation of the Editor and the Scientific-Editorial Committee, taking into account the reviewers’ recommendations.
Based on the evaluation scores, manuscripts may receive one of the following outcomes:
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Publishable without modifications (100 points)
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Publishable with minor modifications (90–99 points)
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Publishable with minor and some structural modifications (80–89 points)
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Publishable with structural modifications (65–79 points)
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Not publishable (below 65 points)
In case of discrepancy between reviewers, the editorial team may request a third evaluation. Although reviewers’ reports serve as the basis for publication decisions, the final decision rests with the Scientific-Editorial Committee, following an analysis of the reviewers’ recommendations.
To encourage diversity of contributions, authors may publish only one article per year.
Publication Frequency
The journal publishes three issues per year (January–April, May–August, and September–December).
Open Access Policy
Availability and Reproduction of Documents
All articles published in the Revista Virtual Universidad Católica del Norte (ISSN: 0124-5821), as well as author and reviewer guidelines and other editorial materials, may be reproduced and used for academic purposes, provided that the source is properly cited. All texts are available in downloadable format, and since 2019, all published manuscripts include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through a contract with Crossref International.
The journal adheres to the open access publishing model, with a non-commercial orientation aimed at academic and research dissemination. Therefore, no fees are charged to authors for submission, review, or publication of manuscripts.
Since 2019, all published manuscripts are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), under the following terms:
i) Attribution: Proper credit must be given, a link to the license provided, and indication of any changes made, without implying endorsement by the licensor.
ii) NonCommercial: The materials may not be used for commercial purposes.
iii) NoDerivatives: If the material is remixed, transformed, or built upon, the modified material may not be distributed.
Citation Format
To cite an article from the journal, use the following format:
Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Month, Year). Exact title of the article. Revista Virtual Universidad Católica del Norte, Issue number (xx), page range. DOI.
DORA Adherence
Recognizing the need to improve the methods used to assess the quality and impact of scientific results, the journal adheres to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
Archiving Policy
This journal uses the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving network among participating libraries, allowing them to generate permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. Read more...
Regarding self-archiving, authors are permitted to deposit published articles in institutional repositories, academic library collections, research centers, and other academic entities, as well as in academic and research networks such as ResearchGate, provided that the article is already available online on the journal’s official website. In all cases, the non-commercial nature of the content must be maintained.
Note: To ensure the preservation of digital files, Revista Virtual Universidad Católica del Norte maintains a cloud-based backup repository through its institutional intranet system, where all published articles are securely stored. This guarantees that, in the event of a system failure, no manuscripts are lost. The Editorial Management Committee oversees the custody chain of all electronic materials, in compliance with current Colombian regulations on the management of both physical and digital records.
Editorial Ethics
As a publication committed to promoting high-quality scientific dissemination, Revista Virtual Universidad Católica del Norte upholds the highest standards of editorial quality and ethical conduct throughout all stages of the publication process. The journal declares its full adherence to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and procedures for addressing ethical disputes.
Originality Verification
All submitted manuscripts undergo an originality check using Turnitin plagiarism detection software. This process identifies possible similarities with previously published documents and ensures proper citation practices.
Editorial Team Responsibilities
Confidentiality Agreement
The editor and the editorial team are obligated to maintain confidentiality regarding all information related to authors and reviewers. They must not disclose the content of submitted manuscripts prior to publication.
Conflict of Interest
The editor will recuse themselves from handling any manuscript in which one or more authors have a direct professional or personal relationship with the editor, or are involved in a shared project or research. In such cases, the editorial process will be overseen by the Scientific-Editorial Committee.
Ethical Issue Management
In the event of complaints or suspicions of misconduct, the editor will initiate and oversee the investigation process, including cases detected after publication. Authors will always be given the opportunity to respond to any claims or concerns raised.
Author Responsibilities
Originality
In the Copyright Transfer Form, authors must certify that the submitted article is original and unpublished, and that it has not been published, accepted, or submitted elsewhere.
Accuracy
Authors must ensure that the data and findings presented are accurate and unmanipulated, as any form of data falsification or fabrication constitutes fraudulent conduct.
Sources and Citations
Authors are required to properly cite and reference all ideas or paraphrased content drawn from previously published works, in accordance with the most recent edition of APA guidelines. All cited information must correspond to the original referenced sources.
Authorship
Authors must respect the authorship rights of individuals who made significant contributions to the research or manuscript preparation. The order of authorship must accurately reflect the level of contribution.
Institutional Affiliation
Authors should indicate the institutional affiliation that corresponds to the institution to which they belonged during the course of the research.
Conflict of Interest
Authors are required to explicitly disclose any potential conflict of interest, whether personal, professional, or financial.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
All published articles include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), ensuring permanent accessibility, intellectual property protection, interoperability, and increased visibility.
Errata and Retractions
If authors identify or are notified of undetected errors during or after the editorial process, corrections may be made as follows:
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Erratum: Correction of one or more minor errors that do not affect the article’s validity.
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Retraction: Withdrawal of an article due to serious errors that invalidate its findings or conclusions, or due to ethical breaches.
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Retraction with republication: When the error is deemed honest (e.g., a calculation mistake) and affects conclusions, the article may be revised and republished following a new review process.
Requests for errata or retractions must be sent to asistenteeditorial@ucn.edu.co, including supporting documentation.
The editor and the editorial team will thoroughly analyze all reported errors and, when necessary, seek expert advice to determine the appropriate course of action. The journal will strive to correct errors promptly and transparently, notifying the scientific community of the changes and their corresponding dates.
Reporting Errors
Authors:
Changes to author order or the addition/removal of authors are not permitted once the article is published.
If a significant error requiring retraction is identified, the author must submit a detailed justification. For minor corrections, the author should specify the sections containing the error and provide the corrected text. The Scientific-Editorial Committee will determine whether a new peer review is necessary.
The corresponding author is responsible for notifying co-authors of any identified errors and coordinating the corrections.
Publication of Errata
All corrections will be publicly announced via a clarification note on the journal’s website and in the next published issue. Each correction notice will clearly indicate the error, correction, and the article affected.
Copyright Policy
Authors declare under oath that:
a) The article is unpublished — it has not been published, accepted, or submitted elsewhere.
b) The article is original, resulting from an authentic research process.
c) If accepted, the authors agree to implement reviewers’ suggestions within the established deadlines as a publication requirement.
d) Upon acceptance, the authors authorize the journal to edit and disseminate the article through any print or electronic medium.
Authors fully and unconditionally transfer their economic rights to the Fundación Universitaria Católica del Norte, which becomes the sole holder of all rights to reproduction, distribution, public communication, and transformation of the article. The Foundation may reproduce, distribute, and make the article available in full or in part, free of charge, and in any format (print, PDF, XML, HTML, etc.), through electronic, print, internet, or other media, current or future. It may also include the article in international indexes and databases.
Authors must hold the Foundation harmless from any legal or administrative claims related to copyright ownership, originality, or intellectual property, and assume full responsibility for any related legal costs or settlements. The opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the institution’s views.
In accordance with its editorial policies, the Foundation permits self-archiving of the article upon acceptance and in its post-print (editorial) version on personal webpages and institutional or thematic repositories.
All texts published since 2019 are covered by a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which allows others to share the work with appropriate credit, without commercial use or derivative works.
Complaints Procedure
If any concerns or complaints arise, authors and reviewers may contact the journal at asistenteeditorial@ucn.edu.co, providing:
i) a clear description of the case and supporting arguments;
ii) any available evidence or documentation; and
iii) specific details regarding the alleged ethical breach, along with full name, contact number, and email address (for anonymous complaints, replies will be made via the same email thread).
The editor will handle complaints promptly and transparently, informing the complainant of the estimated response time. The editor may seek assistance from the Scientific-Editorial Committee or subject-matter experts when appropriate, ensuring that all responses align with COPE’s ethical guidelines.
Complaints unrelated to the journal’s scope—such as those concerning the editor, assistant editor, reviewers, or members of the editorial committee—will be addressed and redirected as necessary.
The journal reserves the right to not respond to offensive or threatening complaints, which will instead be referred to the institution’s legal department.
