Author guidelines

Instructions for Manuscript Submission

1. Technical Review
Manuscripts submitted to the Anuario del Centro de Investigación y Estudios Políticos must fully comply with the editorial guidelines outlined below. It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure, prior to submission, that their manuscript aligns with these requirements.

In cases of noncompliance, the manuscript will be rejected for technical reasons, and authors will be notified so they may make the necessary adjustments and resubmit through the editorial management system (OJS). If noncompliance persists after a second submission, the manuscript will be definitively rejected.

2. Word Count Limits
Strict word count limits apply and noncompliance will result in editorial rejection:

  1. Research articles: up to 10,000 words, including footnotes, bibliography, abstract, tables, and figure descriptions
  2. Documents: up to 8,000 words, including footnotes, tables, and figure descriptions
  3. Book reviews: up to 3,000 words, including footnotes, bibliography, abstract, tables, and figure descriptions

3. Submission via Open Journal Systems (OJS)
Manuscripts must be submitted via the Open Journal Systems platform. Authors who do not have a username and password must register through the “Register” section of the journal’s website. For co-authored submissions, a single author may complete the registration and upload process.

4. Anonymization
Submitted manuscripts must omit any content that could reveal the identity of the authors to ensure a blind peer-review process. Excluded references include:

  1. Acknowledgments to institutions or collaborators (include this in the cover letter)
  2. Citations of works previously published by the authors
  3. References to personal academic documents such as theses or conference papers

These references can be reinstated once the manuscript is approved for publication.

Suggested anonymized format:

  • In-text citation: (Author 2021, p.25) or (Author 2025)
  • Bibliography: Author. 2022. Doctoral thesis; Author. 2019. Journal article; Author and Co-author 1. 2022. Edited volume

5. Cover Letter
When uploading the manuscript in OJS, an additional Word document must be attached containing the following:

  1. Title of the article
  2. Author bio: A brief document for each author including: 1) full name, 2) institutional affiliation (center, program, institute, or university), 3) most recent academic degree and granting institution, 4) main research lines and 5) bibliographic details of the last two publications (if applicable; omit if none or indicate if in progress). Points 1 through 4 of the author bio should not exceed 150 word limit. 
  3. ORCID identifier
  4. Conflict of interest disclosure: Indicate if any financial or personal relationships could improperly influence results. If none, write “Conflict of interest: none.”
  5. Statement of originality
  6. Acknowledgments for potential inclusion upon publication
  7. Article funding information: Specify the institution that provided financial support and describe its role in the research. If there was no external funding, this must be clearly stated.

7. Structure
The journal does not prescribe a fixed structure for research articles, but recommends that submissions:

  • Include a relevant discussion of the literature
  • Clearly describe the methodology
  • Present results with interpretations
  • Offer conclusions that extend beyond the findings and contribute to broader academic debates

Articles should be divided into clearly numbered sections, with subtitles on separate lines.

8. Language
Manuscripts may be submitted in either Spanish or English. Mixing both languages within the same document is not permitted.

Formatting Guidelines
Manuscripts must be submitted in Word format (.DOC or .DOCX), following these specifications:

  1. Line spacing: 1.5 pts; margins: 2 cm on all sides
  2. Spanish title: centered, bold, Times New Roman, 14 pts; max. 13 words
  3. English title: translation of Spanish title, centered, bold, Times New Roman, 12 pts
  4. Spanish abstract: justified, Times New Roman, 12 pts; max. 200 words
  5. English abstract: translated from Spanish; copyedited by CIEP staff
  6. Keywords in Spanish and English: minimum five; Times New Roman, 12 pts; must appear in the main body of the article
  7. Main text: justified, Times New Roman, 12 pts, no indentation; section subtitles in bold and numbered logically (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 3.1, 3.1.1)

9. Footnotes
Use footnotes judiciously. Number them consecutively throughout the manuscript. Endnotes are not accepted.

10. Tables, Figures, Charts, and Graphs

  • Titles: centered and bold
  • Internal text: Times New Roman, 10 pts, single spacing, left aligned
  • Numbered consecutively with in-text callouts (e.g., “see Table 1”)
  • Source notes: Times New Roman, 10 pts

Illustrations (charts, maps, photographs, diagrams, etc.) must be included both within the manuscript and uploaded separately in PNG or JPG format, with a minimum resolution of 300 ppi.

Here’s the full English translation of the citation and reference guidelines, adapted for clarity and consistency:

11. In-text Citations

All direct quotations, paraphrased content, and references included within the manuscript body must appear in the bibliography at the end of the document. Likewise, only sources explicitly cited in the manuscript should be listed in the bibliography.

  • To cite an author: use last name and year, separated by a space within parentheses:
    (Harvey 2005); (Adams and Hutton 2007); (Bond et al. 2009)
  • To cite a specific section: add page numbers after the year, separated by a comma:
    (Castree 2008, 131); (Harvey 2005, 23–25)
  • To cite multiple works by the same author in the same year: add letters in alphabetical order after the year:
    (Escobar 2005a); (Escobar 2005b)

12. Bibliographic References

The Anuario del Centro de Investigación y Estudios Políticos uses its own hybrid referencing style, based on the Chicago-Deusto author–year format, adapted to address gaps and inconsistencies in the original manual.

Bibliographic entries should follow these guidelines:

  • No bullet points or numbering
  • Alphabetical order by the first author’s surname
  • Hanging indentation
  • Multiple works by the same author must be arranged from newest to oldest
  • Authors' full names must be included to reflect gender identity and support accurate indexing

Examples by Source Type

Books
Evans, Sterling. 1999. The Green Republic: A Conservation History of Costa Rica. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Blyth, Mark and Eric Lonergan. 2021. Angrynomics. La Economía y el Descontento Social Actual. Madrid: EDAF.
Citations: (Evans 1999), (Blyth and Lonergan 2021)

Book Chapters
Fletcher, Robert. 2019. “Neoliberalismo y turismo.” In Turistificación Global: Perspectivas Críticas en Turismo, edited by Robert Fletcher and Iván Murray, 37–52. Barcelona: Editorial Icaria.
Citation: (Fletcher 2019)

Academic Journal Articles
Hout, Will. 2012. “The Anti-Politics of Development: Donor Agencies and the Political Economy of Governance.” Third World Quarterly 33(2): 405–422.
Citation: (Hout 2012)

Theses
Babin, Nicholas J. 2012. “Agrarian Change, Agroecological Transformation and the Coffee Crisis in Costa Rica.” Doctoral Thesis. University of California, Santa Cruz.
Citation: (Babin 2012)

News or Non-Academic Articles
Núñez Chacón, María. 2025. “Chaves Empowers Importers While Overlooking Exporters, Local Producers, and Consumers.” Semanario Universidad, May 21.
https://semanariouniversidad.com/pais/chaves-redobla-poder-de-importadores-sin-mirar-a-exportadores-productores-locales-y-consumidores/
Citation: (Núñez Chacón 2025)

Official Reports and Working Papers
Fountain, Antoine C., and Friedel Huetz-Adams. 2022. Cocoa Barometer 2022. Paris: VOICE Network.
Manganelli, Simone, and Guido Wolswijk. 2007. Market Discipline, Financial Integration and Fiscal Rules: What Drives Spreads in the Euro Area Government Bond Market? ECB Working Paper 745. Frankfurt: European Central Bank.
Citations: (Fountain and Huetz-Adams 2022), (Manganelli and Wolswijk 2007)

Conference Presentations
Rodríguez Vázquez, Silvia. 2012. “Flujos de traducción: herramientas de ayuda a la gestión de proyectos en función de la situación de trabajo.” Conference presented at the University of Salamanca, November 8.
Citation: (Rodríguez Vázquez 2012)

Websites
Ministerio de Hacienda. 2025. “Misión, Visión y Valores Institucionales.” Accessed June 5, 2025.
https://www.hacienda.go.cr/MisionVisionValores.html
Citation: (Ministerio de Hacienda 2025)

Blog Posts
Harvey, David. 2025. “German Translation of the Paths of Value in Motion.” Reading Marx’s Capital with David Harvey. Accessed May 21, 2025.
https://davidharvey.org/2025/03/german-translation-of-the-paths-of-value-in-motion/
Citation: (Harvey 2025)

Personal Communication and Interviews
References to conversations, interviews, emails, text messages, etc., should appear in the manuscript text but are rarely included in the bibliography. Suggested formats:

  • (Gabriel Medina, email to author, October 15, 2021)
  • (Benjamín Gutiérrez, Ministry of Finance, interview conducted by Juan Martínez, November 20, 2023)

Legal Documents and Jurisprudence
The Yearbook offers two citation options for legal and public documents. The selected format must be applied consistently throughout the manuscript.

  • Option 1: Citation within the text only (not listed in bibliography):
    • Constitution: (Political Constitution of Costa Rica, art. 3)
    • Law: (Forestry Law, No. 7575, 1996, art. 25)
    • Executive Decree: (Regulation of the Forestry Law, No. 25721, 1997, art. 43)
    • Court ruling: (Constitutional Court, ruling No. 0885-2010, July 25, 2010)
  • Option 2A: Inclusion in bibliography:
    • Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. 1996. “Law No. 7600: Forestry Law” (Approved April 10, 1996). Diario Oficial La Gaceta No. 72 (April 16, 1996).
      Citation: (Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica 1996)
    • Executive Branch of Costa Rica. 1997. “Executive Decree No. 25271: Regulation to the Forestry Law” (Approved January 23, 1997). Diario Oficial La Gaceta No. 16 (January 23, 1997).
      Citation: (Executive Branch of Costa Rica 1997)
    • First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice. 2012. “Unconstitutionality Action: Ruling 15910-12” (November 14, 2012). File No. 10-006696-0007-CO.
      Citation: (First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice 2012)
  • Printed editions of legal texts:
    Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. 1978. General Law of Public Administration, No. 6227 (Approved May 2, 1978). San José: Publicaciones Jurídicas, 2017.

Videos and Podcasts
Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. 2025. “Press Freedom and Democracy in Africa and Around the World.” YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGS68Mp-igs&ab_channel=WatsonInstituteforInternationalandPublicAffairs
Citation: (Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs 2025)

Curul en Llamas. 2025. “La incompetencia del oficialismo.” Season 7, Episode 5. Delfino, aired May 31, 2025.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0kOrSoYdrWkqfEVmWMCseS?si=2d86703c88a74793
Citation: (Curul en Llamas 2025)

Archival Material
To cite personal papers or historical manuscripts, include the document title, date, series name, collection name, and archive location. These sources are cited in footnotes and generally excluded from the bibliography.

  • Letters:
    José Pavón to Erik Acharius, August 11, 1804, Manuscripts Department, University Library of Uppsala.
    For recurring correspondence: Felipe Pedrell to Luis Villalba, Letter No. 1, March 19, 1896, Convent of Augustinian Filipinos, Valladolid.
  • Telegrams:
    Burton to Merriam, telegram, January 26, 1923, Charles E. Merriam Papers, University of Chicago Library.
  • Official Reports:
    Louis Agassiz, Report to the Committee of Overseers, December 28, 1859, Overseers Reports, Professional Series, vol. 2, Harvard University Archives.