Ethical Principles

Agronomía Mesoamericana promotes integrity, transparency, and responsibility throughout all stages of the editorial process. The journal follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for addressing potential ethical misconduct in scientific publishing.

Manuscripts received and information associated with the editorial process are treated confidentially. Any suspicion or allegation of potential ethical misconduct will be assessed confidentially and in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and COPE recommendations.

Originality and publication authorization

Manuscripts submitted to Agronomía Mesoamericana must be original and must not have been previously published or be simultaneously under evaluation by another journal, publisher, or entity that manages publication processes. Works previously presented as abstracts, conference papers, or as part of a thesis are exempt from this restriction.

At the time of submission, authors must provide the Originality and Publication Authorization Letter, through which they declare, among other aspects, that the work is original, that they have the necessary authority to authorize its publication, and that they accept the journal’s editorial and licensing conditions. The economic rights remain with their holders. The authorization granted to the University of Costa Rica does not imply the transfer of those rights.

Download the Originality and Publication Authorization Letter in Spanish.

Download the Originality and Publication Authorization Letter in English.

Responsibilities of authors

Authors are responsible for the integrity, originality, and accuracy of the content of manuscripts submitted to Agronomía Mesoamericana. When submitting a manuscript, they must:

• submit original works that have not been previously published or simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere, except for the cases permitted by the journal;
• provide the Originality and Publication Authorization Letter and ensure that they have the necessary authority to authorize publication of the work;
• include as authors only those individuals who have made sufficient contributions to the work and approve the final version intended for publication;
• present data, results, and conclusions clearly, accurately, and honestly, without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of information;
• appropriately acknowledge the ideas, data, and works of others through proper citation and obtain the necessary permissions when using materials that are not their own;
• disclose funding sources and any conflicts of interest that may be related to the research or its publication;
• inform the journal if they identify significant errors or inaccuracies in a submitted manuscript or published work and cooperate with any necessary corrective actions; and
• comply with the journal’s editorial policies, author guidelines, and publication conditions.

Authorship and contributions

Individuals are considered authors when they have participated sufficiently in the work to assume public responsibility for its content.

To qualify as an author, an individual must have made a substantial contribution to:

a) the conception and design of the study, the acquisition of data, or their analysis and interpretation;

b) drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing a substantial portion of its intellectual content; and

c) approving the final version to be published.

All three criteria must be met simultaneously.

Participation solely in obtaining funding or data, coordinating the work, or providing general supervision of the research group does not, by itself, constitute sufficient grounds for authorship.

Conflicts of interest

Authors, reviewers, and individuals involved in editorial decision-making must disclose any conflict of interest that may affect, or could reasonably be perceived as affecting, their objectivity during the editorial process.

Conflicts of interest may be financial, professional, academic, personal, intellectual, or of another nature. The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily constitute ethical misconduct; what is essential is that it be transparently disclosed.

Authors must disclose the sources of research funding and, when applicable, the involvement of funding entities in the design, conduct, analysis, or presentation of the results.

Reviewers must disclose any conflict that could compromise their impartiality and must decline to participate in the evaluation when appropriate.

When a member of the editorial team has a conflict of interest related to a manuscript, that person must refrain from participating in its management and in the corresponding decision-making process.

Integrity of data and research

Authors are responsible for presenting their results clearly, accurately, and honestly. Fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data constitutes a breach of research and publication ethics.

Manuscripts must provide sufficient information to allow the study to be understood and, when applicable, reproduced. They must also acknowledge the limitations of the research.

Authors must make materials, reagents, software, or datasets related to the study available to other researchers upon request, provided that ethical, legal, or contractual conditions permit it.

Research funding

Authors must disclose sources of funding and any other support received for conducting the study, including equipment, materials, statistical assistance, or support in preparing the manuscript.

When research is funded by a private company, it must be ensured that the sponsor does not restrict the publication of results that may be unfavorable to its products or commercial interests. A clear separation must be maintained between scientific interests and commercial interests associated with the research.

Plagiarism, similarity, and redundant publication

Agronomía Mesoamericana does not accept plagiarism, duplicate publication, or simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to different publications.

The journal uses Turnitin® as a tool for similarity checking of manuscripts. Results obtained through this tool are assessed by the editorial team and do not, by themselves, constitute an automatic determination of plagiarism.

When similarities or potential irregularities are identified, the case will be assessed according to its nature and the journal’s editorial policies. Before a decision is made, authors may be asked to provide an explanation, additional documentation, or the corresponding corrections.

Redundant publication is understood as publication that substantially reproduces previously published information without adequate justification or reference, as well as the unjustified fragmentation of a research study into multiple publications.

Responsibilities of reviewers

Manuscripts are evaluated through a double-blind peer-review system and are sent to specialists external to the journal.

Reviewers must:

• maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and information obtained during the review process;
• refrain from sharing the manuscript or its contents with third parties;
• disclose any conflict of interest that may affect their impartiality;
• provide objective, well-founded, and respectful evaluations; and
• inform the editorial team of any potential irregularity, inconsistency, missing citation, or questionable ethical conduct identified during the review.

If a reviewer considers another specialist to be better suited to evaluate the manuscript, they must inform the editorial team and must not forward the document directly to that person.

Reports of potential ethical misconduct

Any author, reviewer, reader, or member of the editorial team may report a potential ethical violation to Agronomía Mesoamericana, including undisclosed conflicts of interest, fabrication or manipulation of data, plagiarism, redundant publication, or other conduct that may compromise the integrity of a publication.

Reports will be assessed confidentially, and the journal may request from the parties involved any information necessary to investigate the case.

The journal will inform the person who submitted the report of the outcome of the process, within the limits imposed by confidentiality and the protection of information concerning the individuals involved.

Corrections, retractions, and other editorial measures

When an error, inaccuracy, or potential ethical violation is identified in a manuscript under consideration or in a published work, the editorial team will assess the case and take the appropriate measures according to its nature and severity.

Authors are responsible for informing the journal when they identify significant errors in a submitted or published work and for cooperating with the corresponding correction process.

When appropriate, the journal may issue corrections or editorial notices, reject a manuscript, or retract a published work, in accordance with its editorial policies and COPE recommendations.